Chapter 33
It was half an hour before midnight.
Shawn had been sitting out here with her for quite a while, and Kathleen started to worry about his health.
“You should head in and get some rest,” she suggested.
“You sure talk a lot,” Shawn replied without looking at her.
Kathleen scrunched her nose at him. After a few minutes, she got up and went inside.
When she returned, she had a blanket in her hands and gently wrapped it around his shoulders from behind.
He turned sharply, eyeing her with suspicion.
“I just don’t want you catching a cold,” she explained as she sat back down. “It’s Christmas. Don’t get sick.”
Shawn began to shrug off the blanket.
Kathleen glared at him. “You better keep that on or else…”
“Or else what?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.
“Or else I’m going to hug you.”
He said nothing but pulled the blanket off and dropped it right onto her.
“Shawn, seriously. Take care of yourself.” She stood up and draped the blanket over him again.
“You never stop talking,” he muttered.
As he reached to pull the blanket off again, she quickly pressed her hands against his chest, keeping it in place.
The two of them stood there locked in a quiet standoff, neither willing to give in.
Shawn looked up at her, his tone warning, “Don’t push your luck.”
“Just keep it on,” she insisted with a frown. “It’s not like I’m asking for a hug.”
Shawn pressed his lips together, his gaze cold and steady.
Kathleen stared right back. “Don’t bother glaring at me. Either keep the blanket or head inside and sleep.”
Eventually, Shawn gave up and sat back.
She let go and grinned as she patted his chest lightly. “See? That’s better.”
He didn’t respond, his face expressionless.
1/1
At exactly midnight, the chime of a distant clock tower echoed through the quiet air, and the sky erupted with fireworks. The whole neighborhood seemed to be celebrating the arrival of Christmas.
Kathleen watched the colors light up the night, smiling until she felt the corner of her eyes grow damp.
Just then, her phone vibrated with messages, all filled with wishes.
Shawn also took out his phone and glanced at a message from across the ocean. “Merry Christmas, Shawn!”
He didn’t reply.
“Merry Christmas, Shawn,” Kathleen repeated with a bright smile, turning to look at him.
Shawn looked back at her, taking in her glowing face and the soft curve of her smiling eyes. They sparkled in the light, and though she tried to hide it, he could see the slight shimmer in the corner of her eyes.
For the first time in years, he spent Christmas Eve with a woman, watching the night quietly slip into Christmas. He’d never been one for countdowns, yet here he was, sitting by a crackling fire with this woman, waiting out the night.
He looked from Kathleen, to the fireworks fading in the sky. They lasted only a moment, but their brief brilliance brought people a sense of hope and joy. He didn’t say Merry Christmas out loud, but the words echoed in his heart. He wasn’t even sure who they were meant for. Maybe…. they were for Kathleen.
By 1:00 am, the maids had cleaned up and gone off to bed.
Kathleen still sat beside the dying fire, wide awake and feeling more alert than before.
Christmas had arrived, and February was just around the corner, which meant Shawn’s time was running out, day by day.
