Together by This Christmas Tree

john o'callaghan
It wasn’t supposed to rain. But I had my apartment decorated for Christmas, and I wanted Cally to see it, despite her hating Christmas. She told me to not worry about her hate for Christmas, that it was more personal that anything. And she said that she’d love to come eat with me then help me decorate my tree. Her exact words were that she loved decorating trees, since that was always her mother’s job when she was a kid and it was okay.

I was pacing the foyer, tugging on my sweater and hoping I looked okay. I truly didn’t understand how my heart already wanted Cally and I didn’t understand it at all, but I liked Cally on the simplest of ways. She was different, real.

And there she was, standing in my doorway, wearing tights and a long sweater, boots on her feet and her hair trailing down her back. She smiled at me, hugging me and speaking quietly. “Hi, John.”

I could hardly speak. She was so beautiful, traveling didn’t do her any justice at all. “Hey, Cally,” I said, hugging her gently. She smelled like vanilla and cinnamon, my favorites. She gently slid her boots off, smiling up at me. She was considerably shorter than I was, but it was cute. She was leaning into me, and I liked it.

“So, what’s first? Food, or playing with glass ornaments and trees?” Cally asked, and I was struck with her all over again. I smiled, leading her into the messy kitchen, where I had a pizza box set out with candles and a bottle of wine.

“I would have cooked, but well, I suck at it,” I admitted, and Cally giggled, gently touching my forearm.

“You’re fine, dear,” She said, giggling as I pulled her chair out, offering her a piece of pizza and poured her a glass of wine. “Your apartment is so nice, how’d you find such a nice one for sale?” She asked, looking around with her wine glass in her delicate hands, a slight smile on her tanned skin.

“It was a piece of shit before I started working on it,” I said frankly, and Cally laughed, sounding like Christmas bells as she took a delicate bite of her pizza, smiling and shaking her head.

“My apartment is a piece of shit, so I get that indefinitely,” She said, leaning on her elbows and looking over the candles at me. “I never noticed before, but you have really green eyes,” She said, then blushed. “They’re cute.” I smiled.

“Thanks,” I said, sneaking a wink at her before lapsing into a comfortable silence, wanting to make her mine more than anything else. But first, tests, stupid ones that actually made and broke my relationships.

“So, tell me about your past.” She smiled, shaking her head.
“It’s not all that great. I grew up in Scottsdale, and just never left. I tried going to college, but it wasn’t for me. I ended up working at a pub and ‘wasting my life away’, but you knew that.” She shrugged cutely, nibbling on a piece of crust, her bangs, recently cut short, fell in her face. “I don’t know, I’m boring. Tell me about yours.”

I smiled. “I grew up here, in Tempe, and I just .. I was always that kid in high school you hated, I guess. The cocky prick?” I sighed as she nodded, biting her lip. “I didn’t like who I was in high school. I still don’t like who I am, especially when I’m drunk. But I’m working on it,” I said, and wasn’t quite sure why I was telling her what I was afraid to tell my friends. She reached across the table, and stopped short of my fingers, biting her lip.

“I like you’re fine the way you are, John,” She said, and giggled a little. “And not even referencing the song,” She added, and I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. She just made things easier, just being with her.

“Okay, your turn again.” I put my hand to my chin and rubbed it, biting it indefinitely and thinking of something to ask her, which was harder than it seemed with her eyes boring into mine. “Family?” Cally laughed.

“I have my mom, my stepdad, Aaron, my half sister Bella, and the twins, Brandon and Brad, but I hardly see the twins.” Cally looked at me, and smirked. “How about you?”

I put my hand back on my chin, fake thinking. “There’s Mama Oh, John O’Callaghan IV, and my two brothers, Shane and Ross,” I said, smiling at her and ignoring my wine. “Why don’t you see the twins?”

“Brandon is doing mission work in Africa, and Brad is a second string quarterback on the Detroit Lions,” Cally said, shrugging. “Brandon comes home for Christmas, and Brad usually does too, unless by some slim chance the Lions make the playoffs.” She shrugged again. “I just miss them a lot. How old are Shane and Ross?”

I did some quick math, having not seen either in awhile. “Ross is nineteen, and Shane is fourteen.” I exhaled quickly, murmuring beneath my breath. “They’re getting old.” Cally laughed.

“I think all older brothers feel like that, John. Hell, I’m the middle and I feel like the twins are getting so old.” She smiled, and took another sip of her wine, settling gently into her seat and took the last bite of her pizza, her eyes twinkling. “Shall we decorate the tree now?” She asked, her eyes lighting up.

I laughed. “If that’s what you want, my dear,” I said, flirting a little as she gently gathered my dishes and took them to the sink, and refilled my wine glass before allowing me to lead her to the living room, where the tree was. She was so beautiful illuminated by the lights I had already strung on the tree, and she was just so .. so unlike any other girl in all of Arizona.