Thank you, Christmas

I had my hands stuffed into my pockets and I was walking with my head down, a frown on my face. Tears had dried on my cheeks as the cold, December wind hit my cheeks. I had needed to get away after finding Leana with someone else, completely breaking my heart. It was like she literally tore my heart from my chest and squeezed it in her hand; the organ bursting and left broken in pieces. I don’t know how she could do that to me, I loved her and I gave her everything. She had my heart and she had chose to throw that away. I couldn’t even fathom why; having thought she was happy with me. I guess she had put on a mask, fooling the world and fooling me.

The wind whipped around my body as I crossed the parking lot of the Movie Theater, the parking lot almost deserted. I was glad to be in a state where it wasn’t full of sunshine, the cloudy, gray sky fit my mood. Snowflakes fell from the clouds, landing all around me and bouncing off of me. Everything felt so gloomy and suited me just fine, my fingers frozen because I didn’t have a regular pair of gloves; these ones being fingerless and useless for protection from the biting cold. Good thing I had a hat on my head and the hood of my jacket pulled up; though that was mostly for security purposes. I really didn’t want to be noticed right now, because of my mood and because I wasn’t really feeling up to it. I do love my fans but I didn’t want to lash out at them; really I was just protecting them.

“How may I help you?” the overly, happy ticket lady asked me.

I hadn’t noticed that I had made it inside the building or that I had made it without tripping over anything.

“I just want a ticket to a movie that would be showing soon.”

“Well we have three,” she said, her fingernails clicking against the keys of the keyboard.

“Give me a ticket to the goriest one, please,” I said, my voice floating through my chapped lips.

She quickly gave me my total and handed me the ticket, as I gave her a ten and told her to keep the change. The prices were low since it was Christmas Day and hardly anyone was here, though I felt for the people that had to work. I was supposed to celebrate with my family and friends, but they understood why I had to get out of there. They didn’t blame me and all, of them, pitched in to get me a ticket to Michigan, I didn’t feel so jolly because of the circumstances. How could I when I had a broken heart? Nobody expected that of me and knew I needed my space, which is why I loved them all so much and was glad that they let me take off.

I took a right, where theaters eleven through sixteen were located, my movie playing in theater fifteen. I looked at the title of the movie and smirked, seeing as it was the new Saw movie. A movie that I had been meaning to see since it first came out. I really hadn’t gone to see it because I had been so wrapped up in Leana and the problems we had been having, something we had been trying to work on; well I was but she wasn’t. With a shake of my head, I found my theater and began to walk in, hearing a commotion in front of me.

“Get off me, Jeff! I said no!”

“Come on, Raven. No one is around, plus you’ve been teasing me,” a gruff voice said, hearing a thump against the wall.

I turned the corner and my eyes were met with a sight, a guy pushing a girl against the wall. The girl’s hands were pressed against the man’s chest as she tried to push him away; the man slapping her. The slap echoed, but only I could hear it as the previews began to start; the lights going down.

“What are you doing?” I spoke, stepping to him and pushing the guy off the girl.

I really hated seeing a girl being mistreated and I wasn’t going to let this guy get to her, not if I could help it. The guy sneered and his eyes took me in, well as much as he could see of me. He wasn’t built but he had some muscles; more than I probably had but that wouldn’t deter me.

“Step out of it, this is between my girlfriend and I,” he spoke, his voice gruff and annoyed.

“I’m not going to step out of it. She doesn’t want it, she doesn’t want it,” I spoke, crossing my arms over my chest and tried to look intimidating, it worked for Matt.

I made sure that the girl was hidden behind me, having stepped in between them and in an intense stare down with the man before me, someone from the staff coming in; their flashlight was trained on us.

“Everything okay here?”

“Not really, I came in and this guy tried to force himself onto this girl,” I explained pointing out the guy and the girl, whom stayed behind me, peeking from around my side; she was too short to see over my shoulder.

“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

“But she’s my girlfriend!” He complained and stomped his foot, I could see the anger on his face and made sure the girl was still behind me.

“We will not have those acts occur in this theater,” the staff member spoke with a harsh tone of authority.

The guy bristled and stalked off, the girl behind me relaxing a bit; the tension in the air relieving itself and I felt like I could step away from her, turning towards her.

“Thank you,” she whispered, hands stuffed inside her pockets.

“No problem, how about we go watch that movie?” I asked, she nodded her head in approval and we both walked, in silence, into the dark theater.

I let her find the seats and took a seat next to her, afraid to leave her alone because that guy could come back. I didn’t want her to end up hurt because of him, though I hardly knew her, I was already protective. I guess it’s because I don’t think woman should be hit and I felt strongly about that. That and the fact of thinking of my daughter, I wouldn’t want a guy to treat her the way the guy treated the girl sitting next to me. Thinking of my precious, little Lorelei put a smile on my face, she was the light of my life and was staying with my parents until I got back; which made me thankful for them. I didn’t want to bring her with me because I needed time away, plus she was too young to travel still. I guess my protective side was really coming out.

I was startled out of my thoughts when the movie began, the loud music filling the theater and making my heart leap in my throat. The girl chuckled beside me, having felt me leap and focused on the screen before us. My eyes were practically glued to the screen, as I felt her jump next to me. Chuckling softly, I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her close to comfort her; hoping it would help her. She cuddled into my side and I felt a fluttering in my heart. Maybe it was a problem with my enlarged heart, but I knew what that was like and this was nothing like that. I didn’t know what it was and I just pushed it to the back of my mind as I watched the movie with her cuddled into the side. The blood, glass, and saw that flew at the screen made her flinch and I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle each time, finding it uberly cute.

Finally the credits rolled onto the screen and the lights came back on, both of us looking at one another. Eyes instantly meeting each others, hers going wide and I knew she knew who I was; which I was hoping she wasn’t one of those crazy fangirls. The ones that jump up and down and scream, or the psychotic type either. I once had a girl come up to me and ask if she could cut some of my hair off and use it for her shrine; the one she had hidden in her closet of me. I found that creepy and had slowly backed away, calling for security. Her shouts could still be heard.

“Jimmy?” Her voice broke my from my thoughts, making me focus on her.
Her eyes were still wide open and it was like she had seen a ghost or was really surprised.

“Yeah….”

“I can’t believe it,” she said, her voice low and she was still calm; though she was still shocked.

I went to get up but she put a hand on my arm, stopping all movement. Well, I could have got up and left if need be, but something was telling me to stay. It was like a little voice in my head, whispering to me.

“You’re my hero,” she stuttered out, looking down at the ground as her cheeks went red.

I gently laid my, slightly larger, hand on top of hers and gave her a shy smile. Me being shy? That was uncharacteristic of me!

“I’m just an ordinary person,” I spoke as we began to leave, walking out the way we had came.

“Well, I think you’re one of the most amazing drummers. You’re like a mad genius!” She said, her eyes lighting up like she had received the best Christmas gift ever.

That made me smile, like a loon and I couldn’t help but wrap an arm around her; giving her a side hug. A small thank you slipped through my lips.

“So, what are you doing at a movie theater on Christmas?” I asked her, wondering why she wasn’t at home with family and friends celebrating.

“Long story, short version: my dad had business in another state and my mom had passed on,” she said in a low voice, the smile slipping; replace with a frown.

I felt bad for bringing it up and pulled her closer to me, bringing my other arm around her for another hug. My cheek lay on top of her head and I tried to cheer her up, her arms wrapping around my lean waist. I also felt for her, no one to celebrate the holiday with, when I have a family and, I have, my friends too. I was finding myself lucky to have the people that I do, my mind going a million miles a minute. It was than that an idea hit me!

“I have an idea,” I spoke to her, “Why don’t you take a cab to my hotel room and I will be back there as soon as I can!”

She looked at me with a raised eyebrow and I couldn’t help but chuckle, handing her money for the cab and my keycard. Quickly I rushed off, getting a cab of my own.

*

Finally, I was finished and walking the hall to my hotel room. My arms were laden with bags and hot containers of food, my stomach growling, as I really didn’t have much to eat. Groaning, I shifted everything and knocked on the door, biting my lip and hoping that she was in there. I heard some shuffling and let out a breath of relief as she answered the door, her eyes bugging out as she began to take things from me; lightening the load I had. I thanked her, walking into the door.

“Jimmy what is all this?” She asked me as she set a lot of it on the bed.

“Christmas dinner and some presents,” I told her, before setting up the dinner on the small table in the room, smiling.

She tried to peak into one of the bags and I quickly snatched it up, holding it to my chest.

“Nope! I’m going to wrap them before dinner and you’re not going to open them until after!” I told her, the bag still clutched to my chest.

“But I didn’t get you anything,” she whined and stuck her bottom lip out, in a pout.

“So, just by saying I was your hero is enough for me!”

I could see a small smile on her face as I skipped to the bathroom and began to wrap each thing individually. Finish, I unlocked the bathroom door and set the presents under the small, decorative Christmas tree and pulled out a chair.

“Madame,” I said, motioning for her to sit in the chair.

She gave me a shy smile and took a sweat, her cheeks a slight pink causing me to chuckle at her; taking my own seat, I began to serve both of us. I was ravenous and, as soon, as she began to eat I did too. I was shoveling food into my mouth, not really caring that she was in the room with me. I could hear her chuckle as she ate slowly, watching me.

“What?” I asked through a mouthful of food.

“Nothing,” she chuckled and finished her plate, making a second when I was on my fourth.

Finally we both finished, my hands resting on my stomach as I groaned. I knew I had ate too much but the food was good and I was hungry, I could hear her laugh and out of the corner of my eye she shook her head. I flipped her off, laughing myself and finally picking up the presents and handing them to her. There were about ten in all. Her cheeks flushed as she tried to say she didn’t need them, that spending time with me was enough of a present.

“I insist, they are for you! Open ‘em!!” I clapped my hands.

She began to unwrap them slowly, her eyes going wide with each one. Her finger ran over a deathbat necklace, one that I had since it became our logo. I wore it everyday and I thought she would appreciate it.

“I..i can’t take this,” she murmured. “This is yours, you wear it everyday.”

“I want you to have it,” I told her softly.

I gently took it from her and moved to put it on for her, clasping the back as she held her hair off the nape of her neck; the fumes of her perfume permeating my nose. The smell was intoxicating and my fingers lingered on the necklace, and her neck, for longer than I expected. My lips were itching to kiss the side of it, but she let her hair go. The dark locks cascading down, over her shoulders and tickling my hand. Silently, I finally moved them and sat back in front of her, as she opened the last presents.

“I hope you like all of them,” I whispered and looked to her.

She shyly looked away and thanked me, “You didn’t have to get anything for me. I really do appreciate it and I do love them.”

I smiled and leaned in, her perfume intoxicating me again as I kissed her cheek; her head turning at the same time and our lips meeting each others in a soft kiss. Both of us were taken by surprise, but continued to kiss; my hand cupping her cheek as we moved closer. Now our bodies were pressed together as we stood, no space between us.

*

I looked to my wife as we both wore huge smiles on our faces, remembering the day that we had met and fell in love. The day that I had found my heart again, only to give it away. It was a long and bumpy road, but we had made it though. Of course we fought and broke up a lot, but the guys knew it would never last. Especially when we found out we were expecting. Lily, our little miracle, and Lorelei lay curled together on the floor having passed out. This was the life and I was happy to have the family that I did, I loved them very much.

Raven moved from my arms and pulled a manila envelope out from under the couch, handing it to me.

“Merry Christmas, baby,” she said.

Slowly I opened it and my mouth dropped open. It looks like we’ll be having another one in about seven month’s time. I couldn’t have been any happier.