Together by This Christmas Tree

john o'callaghan

Most people would have thought that fort building would have been childish, even insane for two grown adults. But Cally moved through the blankets and chairs and pillows like an expert, a smile on her tanned cheeks as she finally settled underneath the conglomerate of blankets and sighed. I chuckled, curling up beside her. “You’re an expert at this,” I remarked, and she laughed, brushing her hair out of her face, leaning on her elbow to look at me.

“I used to do it with the twins when I was younger.” Cally shrugged, leaning her head back on the bright yellow pillow beneath the pointy part of the tent, the very middle. Her fingers were inches from mine, and tapping against the warm floor. Cally had kicked Damien and Isabelle out of the apartment, giving it all to us.

I wasn’t sure how to feel, especially about Cally and how she made me feel. She was sweet, she was kind, she was bloody beautiful, and most of all, she was unlike anyone else I had ever met in my entire life.

She smiled. “Let’s order pizza,” She said, whipping out her phone and began pressing numbers. “What do you want on it?”

“Just pepperoni is fine,” I said, watching as she hit one button and pulled it to her ear. “You have the pizza place on speed dial?” I asked, laughing. She shushed me and angrily leaned her back into my chest, and without thinking, I wrapped my arms around her waist as she ordered.

“Hey Mario, it’s Cally. Can I get a large pepperoni pizza, delivered?” There was a pause, and Cally turned her head and smiled at me. “No, Mario, I’m going to pay.” She laughed, and this Mario guy seemed to love her. “Yeah, send up Seraphina. Thanks, Mario.” Cally hung up, and I looked at her with questioning eyes.

“Who’s Mario?” I asked, not letting go of her waist as she began to squirm, giggling a little as she leaned back to face me, her head resting on my shoulder, her lips moving against my neck.

“When my mom lived with me after her stroke, she made friends with the pizza delivery guy from the old place, and gave him a start up for his own pizza place. Mario and I are really close now.” She shrugged. I smiled softly at her, watching as her eyes closed.

“Your mom seems like a really nice lady,” I said quietly. “I’d like to meet her sometime.” Cally just nodded, smiling. She was asleep by the time the pizza came, and I left it on the counter.

My phone began to buzz on the counter, and I picked it up before it could wake Cally up. Before I could even get a word in, my mother began to speak. “John Cornelius O’Callaghan you have some explaining to do.” My mother wasn’t all that angry, but she always wanted to know what was going on with me and my brothers. “Garrett told me about this girl, Cally McGregor, but that you’re dating that awful Sumner girl again? I want details, John Cornelius.” I sighed.

“It’s confusing, Mama Oh,” I said, pulling my hair out. Of course, before I could continue, my mother was speaking again.

“Well, you know how I feel about Sumner-” My mother hated Sumner. She thought that she was fake and superficial, and cared far too much about what everyone else wanted and not enough about me. “But I want to meet this Cally girl. Will you bring her home to meet us all?” I sighed deeper.

“Mama, we’re going to England for her friend’s wedding-” As usual, my mother cut in.

“So it’s serious.” I rolled my eyes, and my mother seemed to realize this. I could see her standing in the kitchen of the house I grew up in, making a pie for my brothers, who were both still at home. “I’m sorry, John. But when you get back, bring her home. And before I let you go, while you’re there, figure out where your loyalties lie.” And with that, she hung up.

I stood in the kitchen, pondering between Cally and Sumner, when Cally poked me gently in the side as she entered the kitchen. “How come you let me fall asleep, John Oh?” She said, opening the pizza box and taking a slice, handing me one and grabbing two cans of soda from her fridge. I shrugged.

“You looked cute when you were sleeping,” I said, shrugging again. She blushed a deep scarlet and bit into her pizza, sliding up onto the counter. “What time is our flight tomorrow?” Cally pondered for a moment, shallowing.

With her hair up and almost not makeup on, she looked absolutely beautiful. Part of me wanted her to look like this more often, because this was magical. She laughed, squeezing her face together. “Our plane leaves at noon, so we have to be there by eleven. Looks like its an early night for us,” She said, winking and also blushing.

“Nope,” I said smiling and pulling her off the counter, throwing her over my shoulder and throwing her into the fort. “We’re going to watch a movie,” I said, and she began grabbing pillows, making herself a smaller fort while I dug out “The Matrix” as well as “A Walk To Remember”, knowing that Cally wouldn’t enjoy my movie. She rolled her eyes as I put “The Matrix” into the DVD player.

“Come cuddle with me, John!” Cally yelled from the fort, only about ten feet away. “You’re not just going to stand there, are you?” She asked when I stood rooted to the spot, her words almost chilling as I tried so hard not to smile.

“Of course not,” I murmured, curling up beside her as carnage began.