‹ Prequel: Everything I'm Not
Love's Requiem
I won't be home for Christmas
“So what I want to know is how long have you both had this planned?” I asked popping my head in between the two front seats of the guy’s van while Jesse was driving Alex and I back to my apartment.
“I called you when, two weeks ago?” Alex asked looking at Jesse.
“Around then.” Jesse nodded.
“So wait, how did you get to the studio?” I asked.
“Mike gave him a ride.” Jesse answered.
“Jesus so this was let’s all punk Bella month?” I asked making the two of them laugh.
“Would you chill, a simple thank you you’re the greatest Jesse is all you have to say.” Jesse told me as he pulled up in
front of my apartment building.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’ll talk to you later.” I told him hopping out of the back and helping Alex pull out his bags.
“I got you good.” Alex said as he threw his bags down on my living room floor.
“I missed you!” I said tackling him to the ground.
“And you think I didn’t.” He laughed pulling my face to his and giving me a kiss.
“How’s the new record sound?” I asked him while we were cuddled up on my couch under a blanket.
“I have a few demos for you to listen to. I’m so excited about it.” He told me with a huge grin.
“I can’t wait.” I smiled.
“So I have a question.” He told me
“I hopefully have an answer.”
“So you know how this year for Thanksgiving you’re coming to Baltimore and we’re having it with my family?”
“Yup, which again my parents are okay with cause I’m actually going to go to Croatia for Christmas.” I assured him, he had been stressing having thanksgiving with him for the past two months now.
“Well I was thinking about that.” He began.
“We don’t have to come up with another excuse. And plus I kind of want to go.” I told him, remembering last Christmas
where we told my parents I couldn’t go because I had to tour and we wouldn’t be home even for Christmas.
“How about I got with you?” He asked me.
“Say wha?” I asked completely dumbfounded as to why he’d want to go to Croatia and leave his family for Christmas.
“I’ve never been to Croatia and since last year I spent thanksgiving here and you had Christmas with me and so this year we reverse it. “
“Me going to Baltimore and you going to Croatia are two very different things.”
“I want to go Bella.”
“Are you sure about this, Croatian Christmases are very different from American ones.” I warned him.
“So what, I’m going.” He told me.
“Alright.” I said putting my hands up. “Can’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Did you get your ticket yet?”
“I actually was planning on ordering it up tonight.”
“A month early?”
“More like three weeks.”
“Wait why are we leaving the second week of December?” He asked.
“We start celebrating on the 6th.” I explained. “The 13th is Saint Lucy’s day and it’s a really important day before Christmas. Feel free to back out now before you’re stuck celebrating your 23rd birthday in a country whose language and culture you don’t know or understand.”
“That still seems more fun that just going to a bar with the guys.” He told me as I got up to get my laptop.
“Okay, then lets order up them tickets.” I told him shaking my head. “Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked him
again as I took a seat next to him again with my computer in my lap.
“Yes Bella, I am positive.”
“Okay.” I said giving him a kiss on the cheek.
So I ordered up our tickets, and I figured I’d pay for both as an early birthday present for Alex, and because it was my family. We were going to leave the December 10th around 6pm and we had to fly to Germany to connect to another flight that would take us to Croatia.
“Now to get a hotel” He grinned sliding the laptop in to his lap.
“Uh we’re going to be staying with my family.” I mumbled.
“We are?” He asked confused.
“Well yeah, my grandma has this huge house that has more than enough room considering it will be you, me, and my mom, dad, and Niko.”
“He’s going too this year?”
“Yeah, that’s mainly why I figured I’d go this year. He’s not bringing his girlfriend though.”
“That’s cool.” He told me closing the laptop. “So how are we going to get to Baltimore since I don’t have my car and you don’t own one?”
“The train, dear.”
“How romantic.” He laughed.
“Hey, if you play your cards right we’ll join the mile track club.” I told him getting up and going to the kitchen. “Now what
do you want for dinner?” I asked him.
“Don’t matter.” He said getting up. “I’m going to take a shower while you cook, is that okay?” He asked me coming in to the kitchen.
“Yup, you smell pretty weak.” I told him with a smirk.
“I love you too.” He nodded and kissed my forehead as he left.
We spent the rest of the night figuring everything out for now our trip to Croatia.
“I called you when, two weeks ago?” Alex asked looking at Jesse.
“Around then.” Jesse nodded.
“So wait, how did you get to the studio?” I asked.
“Mike gave him a ride.” Jesse answered.
“Jesus so this was let’s all punk Bella month?” I asked making the two of them laugh.
“Would you chill, a simple thank you you’re the greatest Jesse is all you have to say.” Jesse told me as he pulled up in
front of my apartment building.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’ll talk to you later.” I told him hopping out of the back and helping Alex pull out his bags.
“I got you good.” Alex said as he threw his bags down on my living room floor.
“I missed you!” I said tackling him to the ground.
“And you think I didn’t.” He laughed pulling my face to his and giving me a kiss.
“How’s the new record sound?” I asked him while we were cuddled up on my couch under a blanket.
“I have a few demos for you to listen to. I’m so excited about it.” He told me with a huge grin.
“I can’t wait.” I smiled.
“So I have a question.” He told me
“I hopefully have an answer.”
“So you know how this year for Thanksgiving you’re coming to Baltimore and we’re having it with my family?”
“Yup, which again my parents are okay with cause I’m actually going to go to Croatia for Christmas.” I assured him, he had been stressing having thanksgiving with him for the past two months now.
“Well I was thinking about that.” He began.
“We don’t have to come up with another excuse. And plus I kind of want to go.” I told him, remembering last Christmas
where we told my parents I couldn’t go because I had to tour and we wouldn’t be home even for Christmas.
“How about I got with you?” He asked me.
“Say wha?” I asked completely dumbfounded as to why he’d want to go to Croatia and leave his family for Christmas.
“I’ve never been to Croatia and since last year I spent thanksgiving here and you had Christmas with me and so this year we reverse it. “
“Me going to Baltimore and you going to Croatia are two very different things.”
“I want to go Bella.”
“Are you sure about this, Croatian Christmases are very different from American ones.” I warned him.
“So what, I’m going.” He told me.
“Alright.” I said putting my hands up. “Can’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Did you get your ticket yet?”
“I actually was planning on ordering it up tonight.”
“A month early?”
“More like three weeks.”
“Wait why are we leaving the second week of December?” He asked.
“We start celebrating on the 6th.” I explained. “The 13th is Saint Lucy’s day and it’s a really important day before Christmas. Feel free to back out now before you’re stuck celebrating your 23rd birthday in a country whose language and culture you don’t know or understand.”
“That still seems more fun that just going to a bar with the guys.” He told me as I got up to get my laptop.
“Okay, then lets order up them tickets.” I told him shaking my head. “Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked him
again as I took a seat next to him again with my computer in my lap.
“Yes Bella, I am positive.”
“Okay.” I said giving him a kiss on the cheek.
So I ordered up our tickets, and I figured I’d pay for both as an early birthday present for Alex, and because it was my family. We were going to leave the December 10th around 6pm and we had to fly to Germany to connect to another flight that would take us to Croatia.
“Now to get a hotel” He grinned sliding the laptop in to his lap.
“Uh we’re going to be staying with my family.” I mumbled.
“We are?” He asked confused.
“Well yeah, my grandma has this huge house that has more than enough room considering it will be you, me, and my mom, dad, and Niko.”
“He’s going too this year?”
“Yeah, that’s mainly why I figured I’d go this year. He’s not bringing his girlfriend though.”
“That’s cool.” He told me closing the laptop. “So how are we going to get to Baltimore since I don’t have my car and you don’t own one?”
“The train, dear.”
“How romantic.” He laughed.
“Hey, if you play your cards right we’ll join the mile track club.” I told him getting up and going to the kitchen. “Now what
do you want for dinner?” I asked him.
“Don’t matter.” He said getting up. “I’m going to take a shower while you cook, is that okay?” He asked me coming in to the kitchen.
“Yup, you smell pretty weak.” I told him with a smirk.
“I love you too.” He nodded and kissed my forehead as he left.
We spent the rest of the night figuring everything out for now our trip to Croatia.