Meet Me Underneath The Mistletoe

Brittany had never been kissed underneath the mistletoe. She’d had New Years kisses and Valentines kisses. She’d even had a celebratory “our team won the Superbowl” kiss. But never had she stepped underneath the mistletoe with someone else and had them kiss her. She’d never had that experience and this year, it seemed this would not change. She got up the eve of Christmas eve like she did every morning and headed into her decorated living room. Her small tree, covered in ornaments and lights, sat in the corner beside the bookcase. There was a small pile of presents that her parents and friends from back home had sent her, and another small pile of presents should would be giving to her friends that lived here tomorrow at the Christmas Eve party that John was hosting.

“Brit? Are you awake?” her best friend asked as he walked in, without knocking. She looked at him and he grinned. “Good morning, Miss Brittany!”

“Why are you awake, Garrett?” she asked, tugging her robe tighter around herself and padded out into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee.

“It’s Christmas Eve Eve! I need to finish shopping and you’re coming with me!”

“You’re not gonna make me carry around my own present again this year, are you?”

“What? No! I already got your present. Besides, that was one time.”

“One time? Try the last 5 years, Garrett!”

“We haven’t known each other for 5 years, Brittany.”

Brittany shrugged and left the coffeepot to brew while she headed to take a shower. She washed quickly, following by toweling off and heading back to her room to pull on a fresh set of clothes. She walked out, drying off her hair and found Garrett drinking a cup of coffee. Lucky for him, she’d made enough for two cups. She couldn’t imagine what she would have done to him if he’d drank her coffee a second time.

~

She’d been friends with Garrett ever since he all but saved her life 3 years before. She’d been on her cell phone, fighting with her boyfriend at the time and had started to cross the street. Had Garrett not been outside the venue, talking to his fans, she probably would still be in a coma, or worse. She hugged him for quite a while as she calmed down. He asked her for her number, so he could make sure she made it home alright. After that, every day she’d get a good morning text from Garrett and then they’d talk all day until she had to go to bed. This went on for another year before Brittany got sick of living at home and decided to strike out on her own. She couldn’t think of any better place to live than in the same city as her best friend. Now, two years later, their friendship is as strong as ever.

Except for when he dragged her to every store in the mall twice without letting her stop for a snack. She got kinda cranky when she wasn’t allowed food.

“Garrett, I swear, I’ll start gnawing your arm off if you don’t let me eat something!” Brittany said, stopping in the middle of an aisle in FYE. She was sure she’d been in this store at least three times before, all in a span of 3 hours. She was tired, hungry and wanted to sit down.

“Right. Sorry. I just need to buy something for John. He’s difficult to buy for.”

“You bought something for John,” Brittany reminded him, shaking the bag that held John’s present.

“Oh. Really?”

“Come on, you’re delirious,” Brittany said, pulling him along. She found her way easily to the food court and sat him down at one of the tables, leaving all his bags with him while she walked up to the counter at Subway and ordered two subs, specific to each of their favorites.

“You know, I think I might need a nap. You should take me home, make awkward sexual advances on me and then we can cuddle for the rest of the night,” Garrett said tiredly, his head resting on a pile of gifts he’d bought. They had a strange relationship where he could say things like this and neither of them would take it seriously. They should’ve though, of course they didn’t know that at the time.

“And what would you do if I did make awkward sexual advances?”

“Pee my pants with excitement,” he mumbled, sniffing the sandwich she set in front of him.

“You’d do something in your pants, but I’m not quite sure it’d be peeing.”

He shrugged and the conversation was abandoned as they ate, the tables around them emptying and then filling again. The day passed as the pair finished shopping and returned to Brittany’s apartment.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Garrett said, strangely kissed her cheek and disappeared out into the hallway, pulling the door shut behind him. She shook her head and relaxed for the night, staring at her small piles of presents. She didn’t want to be alone on Christmas, but everyone would be with their families. Maybe she could video chat with someone from back home. She sighed and dragged herself to bed way ahead of her normal bed time. Holidays weren’t known to be the greatest point in the year, not for Brittany anyway.

~

The next morning, she woke up to her alarm and got ready as usual. She pulled on a pair of jeans and a white tank top, slipping a thin Christmas sweater on over it. She left her room and walked out to her kitchen, passing the front door. There was an envelope sticking out from underneath the door. She knelt down and pulled it free. On the front, in a familiar handwriting, was her name. She opened the thin, off-white envelope and pulled out the index card.

Meet me underneath the mistletoe, just before midnight tonight. You know where.

It wasn’t signed. There wasn’t even specific directions. It was vague and slightly threatening but at the same time, Brittany was curious and thrilled at this invitation. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to make it to midnight without bursting from impatience. And somehow, she did make it through the day. She paced and tapped her fingers too much, annoying everyone around her. John had reached over and taken her hand at dinner plenty of times and just stared at her until she’d murmured an apology.

“Why are you so jittery?” he asked.

“I just am. I’m excited for tomorrow!”

Tomorrow meaning midnight, but John didn’t need to know that.

“Sure. But you hate the holidays,” he responded.

“I don’t hate the holidays. It’s the holidays that dislike me.”

“Sure. I’m sure they do. So, what’re you doing tomorrow that’s got you so excited?”

“Nothing, really.”

She was grinning ear to ear but John didn’t press any further. She wasn’t paying attention to him anymore. Her mind was elsewhere. She was trying to figure out where it was that she had to go. All it said was “You know where.” Who leaves notes like that without leaving their name or where to meet them? As soon as she was home, away from the boys’ curious eyes, she pulled the envelope out of her purse and stared at it. She knew that handwriting.

She began to rifle through her box of notes and reminders from her friends, comparing each person’s handwriting to the invitation. She analyzed the way John looped his Ls against the slanted L in mistletoe. Kennedy’s handwriting was completely out of the question and it was unlikely that Pat’s Ms were the same Ms on her invitation. And then, she pulled out the oldest note from the pile and placed it beside the envelope.

Her breath caught in her throat while butterflies burst into life within her stomach. Could it really be him?

She knew exactly where to go now and she couldn’t wait. She paced and paced, sat and tapped her fingers against the kitchen counter. She watched the Christmas movie marathon on one of the major channels, although she couldn’t tell you what had played. The clocked ticked slowly. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Minutes seemed like hours, seconds felt like minutes and hours were eternity. Finally, it was half past 11 and Brittany was pulling on her winter coat. She put on her mittens and matching knit hat, putting her feet into a pair of boots. She grabbed her keys and left, shutting and locking the door behind her. She was off, hurrying as she walked towards her destination. And then, before long, there it was. The park where they’d first kissed, although they both were drunk beyond belief. Brittany had never been sure that it had actually happened. Maybe she had imagined it. Maybe she had made it all up. Or maybe…

She shook her head and turned into the park, where they’d had John’s birthday party the first year that Brittany had moved down. She wandered through the park, past the monkey bars and the slide, past the jungle gym and the metal balancing beam less than a foot off the ground.

Mistletoe, mistletoe, she thought, heading for the place where he’d kissed her. And there, in the exact seat where it had happened the first time, he was. He wore a Santa hat over his normally messy brown hair, bundled up in a jacket and no gloves, his hands red from the cold. He pushed himself back and forth gently, staring at his shoes. Brittany stood and stared at the boy, smiling.

“You figured it out!”

She smiled at him as he stood up, almost towering over her. He did that. He dwarfed her, simply by standing beside her. And it’s not even that she was short, or he was that tall. He just had this presence that made her feel safe, that she didn’t have to try and be so tough to prove anything. It was quite relaxing actually. That’s what he did to her.

“Of course. Who else would leave me a mysterious note?” she said. He grinned and checked his watch. He held out his hand which she took unsurely and he pulled her into him, checking the time for a second time.

“You know, Britt, I have always thought you were the most beautiful thing on this planet. Ever since I saved you from getting hit by that car,” he murmured. Even though she was pressed close into him, they still managed to draw closer. This was long overdue.

“Oh yeah?”

“Mhm. Far prettier than any band slut or bartender,” he whispered.

“Go on.”

“And ever since we met, not to be cheesy, but all I want for Christmas is you.”

“Oh, shut up.”

“I’m serious. It’s Christmas now, you know. See?”

He showed her his watch and indeed, it was a minute past 12.

“And?”

“Kiss me, Brittany.”

“Why should I?”

“Because, it’s the only Christmas present I asked for this year.”

“Me?”

“As my girlfriend.”

He took in her silence for a moment before continuing, “But if that is not what you want, I will settle for a kiss. One kiss. One kiss and this will be all I need. Just-”

Brittany pressed a long kiss into his lips, gripping the hair underneath his festive Santa hat. He slipped his hands to the back of her thighs and lifted her easily off the ground. She whimpered and wrapped her legs around his waist. They had waited along time for this, both secretly wanting it the entire time of their friendship.

“So, is that a yes?” he asked, breaking the kiss. She smirked and kissed him shortly. He set her down and stared expectantly at her. They stood and stared. She leaned in to kiss him but he held her back with one arm.

“Yes. Oh my god. Garrett, it’s a yes! Now just freaking let me kiss you!”

And with a grin, he did, scooping her into his arms again and sinking down into the swing.

“Merry Christmas,” he whispered between kisses.

“Merry Christmas, Garrett.”