The Movies Make It Look Easy

Chapter 39

Shannon’s P.O.V:

I didn’t take too long to get everything ready, and fifteen minutes later, I was walking into the living room.
Nick looked up immediately from where he’d been staring into the fire.
I silently took his hand and led him after me upstairs to my room.
When we stepped inside, he looked around as if expecting something to jump out at him.
‘I don’t get it’ he said finally, ‘what’s the surprise?’
‘It’s not here idiot. We’re going outside, and unless you want to freeze to death, I’d suggest you put on more clothes’
I quickly threw on a pair on a pair of sweats under my dress, and with my back to him, I stripped off the dress, putting on a t-shirt instead.

When I went to get a pair of woolly socks, I noticed he was staring at the place where I’d just been standing with slightly pink cheeks.
‘You just saw my bare back, don’t get too excited’ I said dryly as I pulled open a drawer.
He narrowed his eyes at me.
I leant down to pull on the socks and when I stood straight again, it was to see him pulling off his shirt, to replace it with an old t-shirt.
‘You just saw my bare chest, don’t get too excited’ he smirked.
Now it was my turn to glare.
We were both silent as we put on extra layers. When we were ready, he picked up my present off the bed where we’d left it early, and tucked it into his jacket pocket.
He took my hand as we walked down the stairs and let me precede him down the hall to the kitchen. I could hear my parents talking faintly in low voices, which emanated from the living room. I checked the time as I grabbed the torch that was sitting on the counter beside the door.

It was after eleven.
I still hadn’t given Nick the tour of the garden, but we still had plenty of time before we had to go home.
I kept him close behind me as I led the way down the dark path laid with paving stones. We could see our breath in front of us it was so cold. The torch illuminated a small area in around us as we walked, showing the grass on either side of the path and the multitude of dark plants and trees.
Being outside at night tended to freak me out because everything threw great big shadows, which made me think something horrible was lurking there, just waiting to jump out at me... but maybe I’m just paranoid.

It didn’t take long to reach our destination. It wasn’t as cold here (though that wasn’t saying much) because we were sheltered by the walls of the garden.
Nick had frozen behind me, so I had to stop when he did because we were still holding hands.
‘What’s this?’ he said hoarsely as he looked at what was in front of him.
‘This, my dear friend is your Christmas present. Do you remember?’
He smiled, ‘yes, you told me that one day you’d take me out of the city and show me the stars’
I nodded, happy that he’d remembered.
‘And here’s the stars’ I said gesturing above us.

There was a small ring of trees, and in the centre was a small deck with a pond and a small waterfall to one side. On the deck was a bench that was suspended from a wooden frame, so it resembled a giant swing. I’d brought out a pile of blankets which were folded neatly on the bench.
Earlier, my mother and I had lugged the telescope outside and placed it on one corner of the deck.
Ringing the deck was a couple of lit tea-light candles in jars which gave off a soft, flickering glow. I’d lit the candles so that we wouldn’t have to sit in complete darkness, and the fact that it was just the tiniest bit romantic was just an added bonus as far as I was concerned.
I turned around. Nick was looking about him in wonder and it brought a smile to my face.
‘I know it’s kind of a cheap present’ I laughed, ‘I mean I didn’t even spend anything, but...’

Nick swept me off my feet – literally – before I could finish. He lifted me completely off the ground and hugged me while my legs dangled.
Giggling, I put my arms around his neck and hugged him back. He tilted his head back to look at the sky, and I did the same.
It was literally filled with stars, and thankfully there weren’t any clouds covering them.
He buried his face in my neck and I gently sifted my fingers through his hair.
‘Thank you’ he whispered, ‘it’s perfect’
We stood there – well he stood, I dangled – quietly and it was absolutely perfect. I couldn’t feel the cold because I was surrounded by his warmth.
Eventually he put me down and I shook out the blankets while he fiddled with the telescope.
I started to shiver, so I sat on the bench and wrapped all five blankets tightly around me as I watched his back.
He tilted the telescope and swung it in every direction as he looked at the stars in fascination. He looked through the telescope for around ten minutes, every now and then getting excited because he could see Jupiter or the North Star, or something. Every time, I just smiled and continued to sit on the bench, swinging slowly.

He walked over to me and viewed the pile of blankets wrapped around me.
‘Any room in there for me?’
I looked up at him serenely, as I continued to swing.
‘Please Shan, its bloody cold!’
I laughed, ‘aren’t you glad I made you put on extra clothes?’
‘I’d be happier if you’d let me have some blankets’ he made a show of jogging on the spot and blowing into his cupped hands.
He stopped abruptly and looked at me slyly, ‘I’ll give you your present’
My face lit up and I lifted up one side of the blankets.
‘Hurry up, the cold’s getting in’ I whined, and grinned as he dived to sit beside me.
I put my legs over his and rested my head on his shoulder as his arms went around me. It was so natural to us now that we didn’t think about it, we just did it.
He placed a light kiss on the crown of my head, ‘thanks again Sweetheart, you don’t know how much this means to me’
I snuggled closer to him, ‘I’m glad you like it’
I was now perfectly warm, our body heat keeping us in a cocoon of warmth.

We swung slowly in silence and I watched the stars.
I couldn’t keep the smile off my lips – it was a smile of pure happiness. I sighed softly.
‘What are you thinking?’ he whispered.
I looked up and got lost in his dark eyes. They were reflecting the stars and seemed to go on and on.
‘I was just thinking that I’m happy’
He blinked and I was able to look away from him and back up at the night sky.
‘I’m happy too’ he whispered in my ear, his breath tickling me and making me shiver.
He suddenly produced the little black box with a green ribbon tied around it in a perfect bow. He placed it in my hands and rested his forehead against mine when I looked up.
‘Happy Christmas’ he said softly as we stared at each other, and I was very aware of how close we were.
‘Open it’ he encouraged, as he reached up to play with my hair with one hand.
I looked again at the box in my cupped hands, and committed the image to memory.
Slowly, I pulled the ribbon free, placing it in my jacket pocket so I wouldn’t lose it. I hesitated, my hand hovering over the box. I honestly had absolutely no idea what was inside, but I knew I’d love it – I just hoped he hadn’t gone to too much trouble to get me something.
‘Go on’ he urged, and without another thought, I opened it.
I gasped when I saw what was inside.

I reached one finger out to tentatively touch the delicate silver bracelet inside.
‘It’s gorgeous’ I breathed.
He chuckled and took it out of the box. I held out my right wrist, and with his arms still around me, he gently put it on, caressing the skin of my wrist gently. When it was clasped, I held up my arms so I could better see the bracelet by the flickering light from the candles and the stars.
It really was beautiful.
It was made up of a series of intricately twisted silver wires, strewn intermittently with tiny, delicate frosted silver balls. There were also six tiny silver charms threaded through it.
‘Want to know what the charms are for?’ he asked as he reached out to brush one softly.
I nodded, unable to speak.
He pointed to a tiny silver shamrock, ‘that one’s obvious – you’re Irish’
He pointed to a number 13, ‘again that one’s obvious – lucky number 13 right?’ he chuckled again, and I smiled.
There was a slight lump in my throat – but for once I wasn’t threatening to cry because I was upset, but because I was happy, and that was a rare thing.
He gently brushed a delicate little tiara, ‘this one’s because we’re both such drama queens’
I giggled – it was true.
Next he pointed to a tiny silver cup,
‘Let me guess, this one’s because I’m the tea monster?’ I asked wryly.
His chest rumbled with laughter, and I noticed that our heads were pressed together as we stared at the bracelet.
‘Yes, as you can see, most of them are pretty obvious’ he pointed to a small, slim paintbrush. ‘This is for art’
I smiled. All of the charms were minute and the detail was amazing.
‘This last one here is my favourite’ he said, gently fingering the sixth charm.
It was just a rectangular silver plate with something engraved on it. It was slightly bigger than the others. I still had to squint in the dark to see what was written on it though.
‘Is that a date?’ I said finally.
I felt him nod, ‘the 02/11/09’
I frowned, even though he didn’t see me because he was still staring, entranced at the bracelet.
‘What happened on the 2nd of November?’
‘Maybe someday I’ll tell you’ he said mysteriously.
I shook my head, knowing that there was no point in pushing it, he wouldn’t tell me – even though I really wanted to know.

‘Did you buy the charms separately, and put them on yourself, or did you pick them in the shop and have them put on?’ I asked.
He laughed.
‘What?’ I asked, confused.
‘The only things I bought were five of the charms’
‘I don’t understand’
‘Shannon’ he said gently, ‘I made it’
I’m pretty sure my mouth dropped open in shock – I hadn’t been expecting that response.
‘You...made it? How the hell do you know how to make jewellery...when did you make it?’
‘I took a jewellery making course last year, Mark dared me, but I actually kind of liked it. Anyway my old teacher let me use the supplies after hours – I was her favourite student’
I snorted, ‘I wonder why’
I just knew he was smirking, and a quick glance at him out of the corner of my eye confirmed it.
‘But when?’ He started to play with my hair again, and I moved my head into the hollow of his neck.
‘You knew I’d been working on a project – do you remember that you were so surprised that I got up early?’
I was dumbfounded, ‘you got up early for me?’ Wow, I’m flattered’
He laughed, ‘I’m not that bad’
He sighed when I was silent, ‘okay, yeah I am’
I giggled. ‘I can’t believe you were working on my Christmas present this whole time’
‘It wasn’t meant to be a Christmas present at first’
I gestured for him to go on.
‘After one of our fights close to the start of the year, I walked past the block of classrooms where I’d done the course last year, and I decided to make you something – as an apology, you know? But then it took longer than I’d planned, so when we started talking about coming over here for Christmas, I thought it’d be the perfect gift’
‘You were right’ I whispered.
The lump was back.

I sat up slightly.
‘Thank you’ I whispered, turning my head to look him.
Instead I met his lips.
For a moment, all I could focus on was the feel of his soft lips against mine, before I pulled back; breathless.
‘Sorry’ I said, flustered.
I was glad it was dark, because I knew it was blushing.
My lips were tingling, and my heart was beating rapidly.
Without a word, he cupped the back of my head and kissed me.
It was short, sweet, and absolutely perfect.

We sat for what felt like a lifetime, just a hairsbreadth away from each other. His face was cast in shadow, so I couldn’t tell what his expression was like. His eyes though, were bright, and seemed to glitter with an inner light.
I was sitting completely still, but inside I was – what?
Dancing?
Singing?
Jumping for joy?
I wasn’t sure, but what I did know was that I loved him. I knew it just as I knew the stars were in the sky. That’s right, I thought, I love Nicholas King.
‘Thank you’ I said again, in a barely audible voice – what was I thanking him for?
The perfect gift or the perfect kiss?
I’d put my money on both.
‘Thank you too’ he whispered back.
My head was practically spinning from all the emotions whirling around inside me.

I wasn’t sure how long we sat there, or whether we even spoke.
A while later I became aware that we were walking back inside, arms wrapped around each other.
I looked at the clock when we stepped inside. It was 1am.
Christmas was officially over and it was officially the best Christmas I’d ever had.
‘This has been the best Christmas ever’ Nick whispered as we quietly made for the stairs.

I smiled, ‘my thoughts exactly’ I told him.