You Don't Know You're Beautiful

I had arrived home after dropping Steph off at home after our last exam before winter break. Walking through my front door, I could hear talking in the front room. I dropped my bag on the stairs and walked towards the living room. When I reached the doorway, I saw my family talking around the Christmas tree. I leaned against the doorway with a small smile. My mom spotted me and walked over to me with a smile.

“Sweetheart, how was your last exam.” She wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. I pulled away with a smile.

“It was okay, I guess. I’ll find out when the marks come in.”

She nodded and gave my hand a light squeeze. She looked at me. “Take your coat off and sit down.”

I did as I was told. Placing my coat on the coat hanger, I walked over to the couch and sat down beside Anna, Jill looking over at me with a small scowl. I didn’t want to get involved with her, so I slipped into a conversation with Anna. We began to talk about things we wanted to do over the break. I was so happy that Anna wasn’t completely taken under Jill’s spell, so she and I could still see eye to eye on some things. We both agreed we wanted to go sledding sometime when my Mom got all of our attention.

“Okay, I know normally we have Christmas on well, Christmas, but this year things have changed and we’re not all going to be together.” I looked around with a raised eyebrow, trying to see who wasn’t going to be here. I knew it couldn’t be Anna, as we just discussed doing things together. My thoughts on the remaining people in the room were interrupted by my Mom speaking once again. “So, we’re going to share gifts now, then have a nice dinner together, as a family.”

As a family, we exchanged gifts. While I opened my gifts, I couldn’t help but notice that all eyes were on me as I ripped at the wrapping paper. Just as I finished with unwrapping the new winter boots from my sisters that I had admired from the store window for some time, I sprung from my seat.

“I’ll be right back!” I was about to leave the living room when my mom caught my arm.

“Where are you going?” I pointed upstairs.

“I don’t have any of my gifts wrapped for you guys.” My mom gave me a small smile and let me go. I ran up the stairs to my room. Luckily, I had the majority of the gifts I bought gift-wrapped in the stores, so other than putting a few small things in a little bag with tissue paper. I ran back downstairs and handed out the gifts to their respective recipients. I sat down with a smile on my face, watching them open their gifts. After all of the gifts were unwrapped and hugs and thank-yous were exchanged, I went upstairs to put my gifts in my room. I was placing the new perfume that I got in my stocking on my dresser when I heard a slight knock on my door. I walked over to the door and saw my mom standing on the other side with a smile on her face. She had one hand behind her back.

“You have one more present.” She reached out from behind her back and handed me an envelope. I took it from her with a look of confusion on my face. I couldn’t understand why she couldn’t give it to me in front of everyone else.

“What’s this?” Her response came in the form of a shoulder shrug. She waved her hand in front of her, egging me to open it in front of her. I rolled my eyes and opened it. When I saw what was inside, on instinct, I dropped it to the floor. My mom bent down to pick it up.

“Ooh, a ticket to Pittsburgh. Oh, and a note from….ooo, it’s from Kris.” I snatched the note from her, then my jaw dropped once more.

“I can’t believe he sent me plane ticket.” I turned on my heel and walked in my room. My mom followed me and closed the door behind her.

“Honey, he loves you.” I turned around to face her. It finally hit me. I was the one who wouldn’t be home for Christmas.

“You knew about this, didn’t you?” She stuck her hands up in defense.

“He called me, asked if you had plans for Christmas that were too pressing, and I said no.” She walked up to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. My gaze moved from her to the ticket she placed in my hands. “If it makes you feel any better, he did invite us. But you know, we always go to Grandma and Grandpa’s.”

“I want to go to Grandma and Grandpa’s.” I sighed. My mom sat down on my bed, pulling me with her, so I now sat beside her. She sighed lightly.

“Sweetie, you’re growing up. You need a life of your own. Judging by the look on your face when you first told me about Kris, I can tell he makes you happy. I want you to be happy.” She squeezed my shoulder gently. “Go to Pittsburgh. You won’t regret it, I promise.”

I smiled at her, remembering the first time I told her about Kris. It was a little awkward at first. I wasn’t sure how to tell my mom that I was dating a professional hockey player, and that I would only get to see him when he was close to town or if I go 5 hours away. She took it a lot better than I had expected. I thought she was going to blow up on me, tell me that I can’t truly be dating someone that travels with his career or whatever cracked-out excuse she could come up with. Thankfully, she was happy for me. I guess the smile that I never felt leaving my face whenever I spoke of Kris showed her that I truly was happy. She made plans to talk to him the next time he called, which went over surprisingly well, not long at all, which I liked even more.

I looked back at the ticket in my hand, still letting the feeling of spending Christmas with my boyfriend sink in. I gently squeezed my mom’s hand and smiled.

“It’s not going to be the same.” She let out a small chuckle.

“Honey, of course it’s not, but it will be exciting. You’ll be with the boy who loves you, and more important than that, you’ll be happy.” She stood up from my bed and looked down at me. “That’s all the matters to me.” She smiled at me and walked out of my room. I finally took this as my chance to read the small note from Kris in my hands. I read it to myself and couldn’t help but giggle.

Roses are red,
Violets are blue.
Come to Pittsburgh
Because I love you.

I put the note down and looked at the ticket one more time, as I never got a chance to look at the date as to when I’d be leaving. My eyes widened when I saw that I would be flying out of Toronto in less than 16 hours. I began to frantically run around my room, trying to pack everything I could before dinner.

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Kris’ POV

I sat in my apartment, patiently waiting for a phone call from either Steph or Kaitlyn, freaking out about the envelopes that were delivered to them today. I had a smile plastered on my face, imagining about what Christmas will be like with Kaitlyn with me in Pittsburgh. Normally, I go back home for the holiday, but with the limited amount of time off, and my buying my family a vacation to say thank you for helping me get to where I was, I chose to stay in Pittsburgh. When Sid found out of my plan to stay in the Steel City, he had invited me to his house for his family dinner. I agreed right away, feeling more comfortable knowing Kaitlyn will at least have her best friend with her. I had invited her family, but her mom had insisted on Kaitlyn coming alone, saying the rest of them had pressing plans that they could just not back out of. I had question what it could be that wouldn’t involve Kaitlyn, but her mom just brushed it off, saying Kaitlyn could afford to miss it if it meant she would be happy being with me.

To be honest, I was shocked with how well her mother had taken to our relationship. Sid told me about how well Steph’s mom took to him being with Steph, but Steph’s family in the Maritimes had witnessed first-hand how Sid treated Steph. I was just coming in out of nowhere. Nevertheless, Kaitlyn’s mom welcomed the idea of me dating her daughter, even though we rarely saw each other, which was something that let a weight lift off of my shoulders.

While I was laying on my couch, phone clutched in hand, I heard a knock on my door. Groaning as I sat up, not wanting to be disturbed, I got off the couch and walked to me door. Opening it, I saw Sid standing there on the otherside with a shy smile on his face.

“What’s up with you?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. Did one of the girls call you yet?”

I shook my head while I stepped back, letting him in the apartment. “No, not yet. Maybe they’re packing or something.”

He nodded. “Yeah, maybe. Well, I just kinda wanted to be here if Steph phones you.”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh, come on, man. What if she doesn’t call? You’re not gonna stay here all night?”

I heard Sid scoff. “Obviously, I’m not going to stay all night. I know she’ll call. She’s gonna see the note you left her and call you freaking out.”

I couldn’t help but feel a smirk form on my face. I knew that Sid was right.

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Kaitlyn’s POV

After dinner, I called Steph.

“Hello?!” I heard her ask with a slight squeal after the second ring. I tried to play it as coy as I could.

“Did you, by any chance, get any mail of any sort this evening?”

I heard some shuffling on the other end, hoping she was probably packing, too.

“Yes, I did. Did you?”

I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I began to jump up and down like a crazy person, screaming. “WE’RE HAVING CHRISTMAS IN PITTSBURGH!”

I heard Steph squeal on the other end and after we had our mini-freak out, we began to plan out what we should be packing, followed by discussing the craziness of how well our families had taken to the idea of us being away for Christmas. I still couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that I wouldn’t be waking up to my mom’s lovely Christmas breakfast, but I knew as soon as I saw Kris, all of that will pass.

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Kris’ POV

After Steph had phoned me, Sid and I had begun frantically looking for the team party invite that I may or may not have sent to Kaitlyn. Sid wanted me to keep it a secret that he knew about Steph coming up. I didn’t really push it too far, especially after I had mentioned that I may have sent Kaitlyn the invite to the team dinner party. Once I heard Sid say he wanted to give it to Steph in person, I fetl a pang of guilt run through me. Of course, I wasn’t sure, hence why Sid and I began to look. I was looking in the kitchen, while Sid was looking around the living room. I had to admit, I had a habit of piling random pieces of paper in the stupidest places. I had a small pile in a bowl beside my toaster on the counter top. I dug through the papers, finally grabbing hold of a shiny square-ish envelope. I had yelled out to Sid that I had found it. He ran into the kitchen with a huge sigh of relief. I looked over at him, cocking my eyebrow.

“So, when should I give this to her?”

He gave me a look, a Sidney original, that could only mean he had a plan.

“I’ve got an idea.”

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Kaitlyn’s POV

After talking to Steph and having an early Christmas feast with my family, I ran back up to my room. I pulled out my cell phone and just as I was about to dial a number, a knock came to my door. I rolled my eyes, wanting to be left alone to call my boyfriend. Nevertheless, I walked up to my door and after opening it, I saw Anna standing there with tears welling up in her eyes. I gave her a sad smile.

“Anna, what’s wrong?” She shook her head and walked past me into my room and sat on my bed. She turned to me with tears now rolling down her cheeks.

“Do you really have to leave?” My heart broke at the sadness in her voice. I had been feeling guilty about leaving my mom behind, but for a split second, I forgot about how this would make Anna feel.

“I don’t have to, but I want to. Believe me, if I could bring you, I would. I really want you to meet Kris.”

She smiled. “I hope he makes you happy. You’ve been really happy lately.”

I smiled, “he makes me really happy, Anna. I was actually going to call him right now. Did you want to talk to him?”

She shook her head. “No, I came up here for another reason.” I raised an eyebrow at her, now noticing that she was hiding something in her hand. She held her hand out to me. I was still confused until she opened her hand, revealing a little locket.

“Oh, Anna,” I sighed. “It’s beautiful.” I couldn’t stop looking at it. It was a small, heart-shaped locket that had the word “sisters” engraved in the front. Opening it, it revealed two pictures, one of me and one of Anna. I felt my breath get caught in my throat. I tried to come up with words, but none would come out. I turned to Anna and pulled her into a tight hug. Pulling away, I finally whispered, “thank you.”

She tried to blink back more tears from falling as she spoke, “I know that you and Jill don’t get along, but I just want you to know that I’m proud to be your sister and I’m happy for you.”

I pulled her in for another hug, this time chuckling to myself. “And to think, I was going to hide Kris from you.”

She mockingly scoffed, putting her hand over her heart. “Ouch.” She said with a smirk. Backing away from me and walking towards the door, she sent me one last smile before opening my door. “I hope you have a good time, Kaity. Take lots of pictures for me. You kinda forgot last time.”

I stuck my tongue out at her as she closed my door behind her. I looked at the locket in my hands once she left, a smile forming on my face once again. I walked over to my dresser, looking in the mirror that was on the wall above it. I clasped the locket behind my neck, making a silent agreement with myself that I wouldn’t take it off during the entire time I was in Pittsburgh. After admiring the locket for a few more minutes, and wondering where Anna could’ve possibly got the money to afford it, I finally called Kris. One the third ring, he finally picked up.

“I was wondering when you’d call.” I rolled my eyes at his greeting.

“Well, I’m sorry. My family had some plans to have family Christmas tonight, since my boyfriend decided to go behind my back and plan the best surprise ever.”

I heard him chuckle lightly. “So, I take it, you liked the envelope?”

“You’re kidding, right? I get to spend Christmas with not only my boyfriend, but my best friend too? In Pittsburgh, no less? This is amazing. You really didn’t have to, Kris.”

“Sure, I did. I want you here with me on Christmas, and since I have practices, games among other things, the only option was for you to come here.”

I sighed. “I can’t wait to see you.”

“Well, if you look at your ticket, I believe you’ll be landing here in about 13 hours.”

I looked at my ticket, and sure enough, I would be arriving in Pittsburgh in just over 13 hours.

“You’re right. So, that means, I should go to sleep now. Sooner I go to sleep, the sooner I’ll wake up and be on my way.”

He agreed, but tried to keep me on the phone. I really didn’t want to get off the phone, but after writing my last exam, having Christmas with my family, and packing, I was exhausted. I let out one yawn, and Kris finally agreed to let me go to sleep.

“See you soon, ma belle. I love you.”

I couldn’t hold back my smile. I loved how easily it was for us to say that each other.

“I love you, too. Goodnight, Kris.”

I hung up, placed my phone on my nightstand. Quickly changing into pajamas, I curled into my covers and drifted off to sleep.

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the next morning

Kris’ POV

Sid and I had decided to drive separately to the airport, even though we were going to meet up when we got there and had to go to the same gate. Sometimes, I didn’t understand his logic, but after thinking about this one, I finally got it. He wanted to take Steph back to his place, and I wanted to take Kaitlyn back to mine. Sure, we could meet up later that day and have dinner together or whatever, but all we cared about at this point was seeing our girls.

Looking at my phone, I saw that I had about an hour before the plane would be landing. I was just about to put my shoes on, when my phone went off. It was a text from Sid.

You are getting ready to leave, right? We have an hour.

I rolled my eyes. He was in full-on Captain mode. He had a plan, and would be damned if something went wrong. I shot him back a quick reply, telling him I was just about to step out my door. I finished putting my shoes on and gave my apartment a once-over, coming to the conclusion that it looked fine, and walked out the door.

When I got to the airport, I shot Sid a quick text, telling him what section I parked in. I hopped out of my car. No sooner than me taking three steps did I get a reply. Okay, I thought. He really needs Steph to get here. And fast. I walked through the doors and searched for Sid. I had bundled myself up, and tried to lay low as best as I could. I spotted Sid, sitting with his trademark Reebok toque in the coffee shop. I walked up to him and scoffed.

“Nice disguise, dummy.” He glanced up at me and rolled his eyes.

“Well, I was running a little late this morning, and put on the first hat I saw. Not the best choice, I know.” I shrugged my shoulders and looked up at the time. We had just over 35 minutes. I left Sid to go grab a cup of coffee. When I walked back over towards him, I saw that he was reading some kind of tabloid magazine. I chuckled.

“Dude! Why are you reading that?”

He looked up and glared at me. “People wouldn’t expect me to be reading this, would they?”

I shook my head, but still pulled the magazine out of his hands. “Just let it go, man. People know that you’re dating Steph. You don’t have to hide it. Now, let’s go over this plan about the invites again..”

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Kaitlyn’s POV

While the taxi ride from Steph’s to the Toronto airport may have sucked, the plane ride was quite smooth. Steph and I discussed what shops we were going to go into to look for something for Sid. I couldn’t believe that she still hadn’t got him something, but she had a valid point. What do you get the boy who has everything?

I looked out the window of the plane, watching the clouds roll by, when a voice came over the intercom.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, please put your seatbelt back on. We’ll be landing in 15 minutes.”

Those 15 minutes were the most nerve-racking of my life. The turbulence was awful, but on top of that, I was getting butterflies in my stomach at the thought of seeing Kris again. I looked beside me and Steph seemed calm. When the plane came to a stop, we shared a huge grin. I couldn’t wait to walk off of this plane. We finally got off the plane and looked around the airport. People who looked at us may have thought we were crazy, but I didn’t care. I looked around, trying to find Kris.

I spotted him, sitting just a mere 10 feet in front of me. He had my luggage with him, so I knew that I wasn’t going to a hotel. I waited until he lifted his head to walk closer. When he did, I felt my heart stop. He stood up and ran over to me, picking me up off the ground. After placing me of the ground, he pulled me in for a sweet, passionate kiss.

“You ready for the best Christmas ever?” He whispered, pulling away.

I smiled up at him. “Lead the way.”