Hellos Are Harder Than Goodbyes

Zeke kissed me as I felt his hands on my back. He whispered sweet nothings into my ear and I giggled carelessly. He kissed my neck with a gentle presence that made me shiver to my core. I loved him and he loved me and we were peaceful.

"Luna! Wake up!" Thomas shouted in glee, jumping up and down onto my covered, peaceful form. "Sana came! There`s presents!" He shouted, hoping the lure of gifts would awaken me. I groaned and sat up, nearly knocking Thomas off the bed.

The dream had disoriented me and I had to blink a few times as to break my mind away from the strange dream.

I stood up and grabbed Thomas, placing his form comfortably on my hip as we walked down the stairs and into the den. The tree, bright and glistening now held a bountiful amount of silver-packaged gifts.

I sat Thomas down and watched as his little legs sped him toward the tree in record time. I sat on the couch next to a drowsy looking Kayla and Mike. They both gripped full, steaming coffee cups in their hands and their eyes we weighed down with the sleep that, I`m quiet sure, Thomas stole from them.

I rubbed my own eyes of their sleep and watched Thomas rip, tear and algether demolish the beautiful scene filling it with bits and pieces of the silver paper. I smiled and leaned against the counch.

"What time is it?" I asked, to mainly no one. "About 3", Tom said before yawning. "He`ll probably open them just fall right back to sleep, like always.

I walked into the kitchen, my feet clumsy and dragging and poured me a cup of orange juice and grabbed a bagle from the pantry.

I could hear the loud, cheerful, exclamtions of Thomas as I chewed my bagle. I felt calm and at peace. I thought about Zeke.

I would`nt see him for six months. Maybe by then I would have changed my mind about him, about everything. I just needed a break from it.

I walked back into the living room and looked under the tree there was still quiet a few presents but Thomas had stopped opening them. I looked more closely and saw that the on the name tag, next the the small snowflake that the package was adressed to, no one other than, me.

I looked at Mike and Kayla for confirmation and they urged me to go and open it. As I sat under the tree I noticed that not one, but all, of the remaining presents were mine. There was about six and each was a modest size. Nothing too noticable or huge.

I opened them swiftly and carefully, noting that all eyes were on me, but Thomas who was playing with what looked like a toy truck. The first was a pair of boots, the second a hoodie, and following that were other clothing items; shirts, jean, that kind of thing.

I smiled and bit my lip, gifts, from people I had only lived with for an week, peculiar. I stood up and gave both Kayla and Mike hugs. They were wonderful people and I was happy to know them.

The rest of the day was uneventful. I helped Thomas put away all his new toys. I cooked alongside Kayla and we feasted on turkey and stuffing till we could no more. I loved every second of it.

But no matter what I had done that day. I still layed and thought about Zeke at night. He was like a dripping faucet, keeping me up, keeping the memories there.