Harbour Lights and Lonely Nights

Sidney had made sure his parents knew that he would be making a visit on Christmas day; he knew his mother would be thrilled. All that she had heard of her son and Emily had been read from tabloids. Even after multiple attempts to phone him, Sidney had not spoken to her. But all that could be forgiven now that he would be home for Christmas.

Emily on the other hand, had not told her parents. They had invited her a month earlier, already making plans for their favourite holiday, but she hadn’t thought Christmas in her home province was an option. Now that it was a reality she knew her parents would love, not only the surprise of their daughter being home but also that of seeing Sidney. So she didn’t call to warn them.

At the first dance of light through the large window, Emily’s eyes opened to the sight of the large red chair. She felt Sidney’s warmth under the layers of blankets he had brought up for them. The small bit of consciousness told her to turn and look at him but she was too weighed with sleep. Behind her she could hear the wind whistling through trees beyond the window, the sheets moved with Sidney’s breathing. It felt insanely satisfying to be waking up in the same bed as him, to be sharing the same room, the same house, while they were here. It felt almost like a home. What she wished her life could be like, to live in Nova Scotia with the man she loved. To not have to worry about the tabloids, to not feel so homesick.

When she turned to finally look at his sleeping figure she had a feeling that this Christmas would be extremely important. It was their first one together since they were teenagers, and it was, perhaps more importantly, their first as a couple. She wanted everything to be perfect.

“mmmmmmm,” life rumbled from Sidney, “good morning.”

The darkened honey of his eyes opened to her gaze. A smile rested on her rose lips, “Merry Christmas.”

When the realization hit his groggy mind he felt more awake, “Merry Christmas.”

He pulled her close, resting his cheek on the skin just below her collar bone. There was something about this patch of skin he loved; the soft silkiness of it was somehow different from the softness of the rest of her skin, a home for his cheek, the centre of her warmth.

His eyes began to close again, still tired, as her hands artfully found his spine and ran gently along the contour of it.

“We should probably get up, we have a lot to do today.” She whispered in his ear.

“5 more minutes” he mumbled, so she let him have that.

---

The bathroom upstairs had two sinks, it had been a reminder of Sidney’s loneliness since he bought the house, and he had almost had one taken out. But now, brushing his teeth next to Emily, he was glad he hadn’t.

They both took a bunch of mouthwash and tried to see who could swish it around the longest. Emily was the first to fold, spitting out the turquoise liquid into the white porcelain.

“It burns, ugh!”

Sidney laughed as he slowly spit it out, showing no discomfort. He told her he would meet her downstairs, he just had to pee.

She walked along the hall banister, the cold seeping into the house from poorly insulated walls. She pulled her cardigan closer, wishing she hadn’t worn shorts to bed. Walking down the stairs she tried to think of warm things, a sunny beach, an oven baking bread, and not the sound of the wind against the house. But when she looked at the living room for the first time the cold fell off her, it didn’t matter anymore. She stood staring at the two little stockings hung on hooks, a couple of presents under their makeshift tree. He must have got up during the night to do it. She ran into the kitchen, racing against him using the washroom, grabbing the presents she hid there while he had found the tree, knowing he wouldn’t find them there, and pushing them under the tree before he came down. The light grey sky outside let no snow fall and the wind made a racket that echoed over the lake but none of it detracted from the feeling of Christmas. It didn’t match any Christmas card she had ever seen but this was better than clichés.

When Sidney came down, Emily was grinding coffee beans, the electric grinder too loud to speak over. The sound of his feet padding along the kitchen floor became noticeable when she finished. Skilfully, she filled the coffee maker, not letting any bits miss the filter and when it was finally on, she turned around.

“Did you wake up during the night to do that?” She asked, gesturing him towards her as she leaned against the counter.

“Maybe.” His hands found her hips instinctively.

Christmas dinner could already be smelt cooking in the Greene household, but it was only just past two. Emily stood beside her bed looking over the various presents she had unwrapped just hours earlier. She picked up the dress her mother had gotten her, different brown tones in an intricate pattern and decided to wear it for her relatives coming over, aunts and uncles, cousins. She pulled on nylons, and put her dark brown hair up. She wondered how Sidney’s Christmas was going—glancing briefly at drawer that held his present—when the doorbell rang. She ran down them, two at a time, and when she opened the door she found Sidney. He was dressed in his best jeans, his winter coat thrown on in a rush.

“Sidney!”
“I just wanted to bring this over,” he said, looking at her dress as he handed her a present crudely wrapped in newspaper comics.
“Can you come in for a few minutes?”
“uhh, sure but I have to be home soon. I told my mom I was just running next door.”

Emily rushed him inside and upstairs to her room. Her parents were so focused on the dinner they didn’t notice, and her brother too enveloped in his new video games. She shut the door really quietly behind them. From her drawer she pulled out a perfectly wrapped parcel. Sidney’s eyes were glued. Her curves filed out her dress nicely, the browns in the dress complimenting her hair.

“I got you something too.”

She placed it in his lap and sat beside him on her mattress.

“Open at the same time?” he suggested, anxious to see her reaction to his gift.
“Alright… 3” She began to count down and he echoed her counting with his own, “2…ONE!”

The newspapers flew off easily, the tape and wrapping paper coming off with more effort. When all had been unwrapped Emily was holding a ticket to a Habs home game and he was holding a stack of her favourite movies and CDs. It was typical of their relationship, Emily trying to educate him in music and movies while he taught her more about the sport and team she had grown up with.


With their mugs full of steaming coffee Sidney and Emily sat in front of the lit up Christmas tree. The colours touched their messy hair, content smiles. She reached out an touched one decoration in particular, three ships with holly rested on the anchors. It reminded her of her favourite Christmas song. I Saw Three Ships

None of the gifts were too lavish; Sidney had known she wouldn’t want that.

After they were done Emily went to have a shower and get changed, Sidney getting in after she had finished. She found the nice sweater she had brought and fitted jeans, clasped on her gold bracelet her parents had given her after graduation. It was as she slipped her earrings into her pierced ears, looking at her reflection in the downstairs bathroom, that her phone vibrated. The new text message made her realise that there were three more unanswered ones. Her brother wished her a merry Christmas, Mischa as well, then Alex, and finally a picture message from Max. He stood with his nephew in the middle of torn bits of wrapping paper, pointing to his chest where his dorky red Christmas sweater had the words Joyeux Noël written in green. His nephew had one to match.

It means Merry Christmas, Jambes
Mdr

She smiled, sent him a message back.

---

The first stop was to be Sidney’s house. Barely anyone was on the road as they drove passed Christmas lit houses. The sound of the wind was almost louder than the soft Christmas music playing on the radio. She was bringing everyone some butter tarts.

“So what do you think your parents’ reaction will be when they see me?” Sidney wondered as they neared the Crosby residence.
“Shock, horror, fear for their daughter…”
Sidney rolled his eyes, “Joke but the first time I met your father I don’t think he liked me.”
“The first time you met him he was looking out for his daughter. Once he realised you were harmless, about 10 minutes later, he loved you.”
“Harmless?”
“He knew you were too afraid to ask me out so he didn’t have to worry about us dating and you turning out to be a jerk.”
Mock offence took over Sidney, “I wasn’t too afraid. I just didn’t know how much I liked you until the concert.”
The small piece of information took Emily by surprise, “That early?”
“…yeah.”

The car pulled into the Crosby driveway behind his mother’s familiar van and the conversation was done. Light and sound radiated from the home. Emily took a deep breath before exiting the car into the wind a strong arm was thrown around her when they met, trying to shelter her from the cold of the wind.

The door was one she had stood before many times, the tatty welcome matt dusted with a few remnants of snow.

Sidney rang the bell and they waited. Listened to the footsteps approaching and finally his mother opened the door, the warmest and most welcoming smile on her face.

“Sidney! Emily! Come in out of the cold” She ushered them in and waited as they took off their coats.
“I’m so glad you two decided to come for Christmas. I feel like I haven’t seen my son in a year.”
“It’s been 6 months.” The hockey player laughed while placing Emily’s coat on the large antique wooden rack.
“6 months is too long, I’m your mother.”
Emily laughed at the exchange and when his mother finally turned her attention to the young brunette she smiled proudly. Emily supposed, in a way, they had her to thank for them reuniting. Mrs. Crosby could almost take credit for the entirely new direction Emily found her life moving in. But there was no smugness about it, only the sense that the woman was glad to see the two together.

In the living room a large, fresh cut tree, towered to the ceiling, decorated with a hodge podge of collected and home crafted decorations from when Sidney and Taylor were kids. In the corner of the room the fireplace glowed yellow and orange with flame, the warmth was felt easily in the room. Sidney’s father sat on the coach closest to the tree, discarded wrapping paper stuffed into a garbage bag at his feet. Eric sat on the couch closest to the fire, watching Taylor as she sat at his feet and marvelled at her new hockey skates.

“Sidney,” his father greeted, getting up to give his son a hug, “Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas,” he replied in the loose embrace.
“and Emily, it’s nice too see you back so soon.” She got a hug as well.

Taylor looked up from her skates. “Merry Christmas, loser!”
But she skipped his hug and went straight to Emily, “So, the tabloids got one right, eh? When were you going to tell me?!”
Taylor’s youth was refreshing, such a reminder of her own teenage self. Emily felt with each hug more at ease with the familiar family. Like over all those years nothing had changed except her and Sidney.
“Didn’t have much of a chance.”
“You remember Eric,” she gestured to the boy on the couch and Emily could remember him from her short time back in Cole Harbour. Sidney on the other hand had only heard of the blond haired kid. Sidney thought he looked harmless enough, he could understand now what Emily had meant in the car.
“Yeah, hi Eric.”
“Eric this is my brother.”

---

Emily and Sidney spent hours at the Crosby residence, leaving sometime in the afternoon after they had exchanged presents and had time to catch up. The next stop had Sidney a little more anxious. It was Emily’s parents. They were the ones that didn’t know anything of their relationship, or if they did, hadn’t mentioned it. It was them who weren’t expecting to see the two.

“It’ll be fine. They’ll be excited. Trust me.” She had comforted him but it only helped a bit.

When the moment came to finally ring the doorbell it was Emily who pushed it. The Greene family had less lights put up, and less noise radiating from the house. But when Emily’s father opened the door a surprised smile managed to feel welcoming coming from him. The man pulled his daughter into a hug before calling back into the house, “EMILY’S COME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS!”

He brought her and Sidney in, words lost in the excitement. Her mother was in the front hall in minutes.

“Oh wow, I didn’t know you were coming by for Christmas.” She pulled them both into a hug, “and Sidney too.”
“Yeah ma, I wanted to surprise you.”
“Oh, well this is certainly a surprise. Your brother couldn’t make it this year, he got stuck in Winnipeg so it’s just me and your father.”
Emily felt kind of guilty for not making plans with them but at least, she thought, she was there now.
“I was kind of hoping to see him. It seems we always miss each other.”
“I don’t know how long you’re planning on staying in Nova Scotia but he’s going to try and make it here before New Year’s.”
Emily looked over at Sidney, “We were going to leave Boxing day or the day after, he has The Winter Classic to get ready for, it’s on the first.”
“Well, I’m sure you’ll find a way to see him,” her father suggested optimistically.

---

Her parents had already started making dinner when they got there. Emily helped her mother in the small kitchen while Sidney and her father talked in the living room. The fireplace’s heat roaming throughout the first floor.

“I’m so happy to see you two together again.” Her mother was chopping turnip. The sound of the knife hitting the bamboo board and boiling water on the stove was all the background noise they had. “That boy is good for you.”
“What makes you say that?”
“The difference I see in you since you first came back.”
Emily stared at the potato in her hand as the blade of the peeler slide over the skin, revealing the ivory inside. “Do I seem happier?”
“No that’s not it.” She dumped the bits of turnip in a large bowl, “you seem more certain, more focussed.”
Emily laughed, “Okay…”
“Are you still living with the friend you were telling me about?”
“Yeah. Mischa’s been a great roommate. It’s just over a week and I’ll be starting school again.”
“So you’ll be working and studying?”
Emily placed a peeled potato in the pile, “I suppose. My hours at the café are pretty flexible though. They give me a lot of input in my schedule.”
“That’s going to be hard on Sidney and you. I hope you realise it’s going to be a lot of work.”
She shrugged, no fear of what was to be come “I know. I can handle it.”

In the other room Sidney sipped at his small class of eggnog.
“So you and my daughter are in a relationship now?” The older man asked from his armchair, curiosity in his tone, not accusation.
“Yes, Sir.”
The man laughed, “no need to be so formal. We all saw that one coming.”
Sidney too let out a resemblance of a laugh, feeling more at ease.
“I was hoping that you and your family would all come down to Pittsburgh for the Winter Classic. I know Emily would really like to see her brother and she wanted to have a longer visit with you guys. My parents will be there as well.”
The man pondered for a minute, resting his glass on the arm of his chair. “I think that’s a great idea. It might take some convincing for Lisa, she’s pretty loyal to her team. But we’d love to.”
“Great. We can make the arrangements so that you can make the trip with my parents, if you like. And you can stay and see Pittsburgh a bit. I know Emily would like to show you around.”
And the wheels were set in motion. Everything was coming together so easily.

---

After dinner and gift exchanges Emily and Sidney drove back to the house. The wind had settled and the dark black sky showed endless amounts of brilliant stars. They lay in the bed, blankets abound, bodies grappled together for heat.

“I think that was a pretty wonderful Christmas,” She kissed the tip of his nose. “Thanks”

It wasn’t long before they feel asleep, tired from the long day.

---

Boxing day was spent packing up. Sidney took the decorations off the tree and packed them in a box. Emily packed up all the presents.

When the hockey player left on his own to dispose of the tree he returned the decorations to the small company, sliding the cardboard box into the mail box. A simple note attached. “Thanks” “Merry Christmas” and Sidney Crosby signed at the bottom. Every decoration and light had been returned, expect one. He slid the three ships in his pocket, a souvenir for Emily of their first Christmas together. He picked up Tim Horton’s on the way back. They sat and drank coffee from paper cups, ate homemade butter tarts and Emily tried to memorize the scene, their last day in the house.

“I kept this for you,” He passed the decoration from his pocket to her as they sat on the couch. She held the porcelain in her free hand and smiled.
“Now you can put it on your tree every year and think of this Christmas.”
“You’re amazing.” She kissed him on the cheek, trying not to spill the hot coffee.
“Oh, and your parents and brother are coming to the Winter Classic.”
Emily put her coffee down and launched herself at him. Her arms clasped around him tightly. “Best Christmas. Officially.”
And that statement made him happy, he had accomplished what he set out to.