She Could Make Hell Feel Just Like Home

As they pulled into the driveway, Mike came out of his car, shivering and holding a shaking cigarette.
“Where the hell were you?” Mike asked, shivering as the wind howled. He stubbed out his cigarette and moved to help Vic with the tree while Aria carried Mia inside to open the door. “What’s up with the cat?”
“Aria found it and wanted to keep it, so now we have a cat.” Vic replied. “And we just spent about 200 dollars on it.” Mike laughed as they both picked the tree up and carried it into the house behind Aria, who was coming back out to grab the bags from PetsMart. She looked at Mike, twisting her face into an odd shape and then grinning as Vic fell in next to her to get the cat condo.
“You can go inside and get something to eat or drink Mike.” Aria called as she grabbed the bags out of the truck and brought them back inside. “I’ll make cider.”
“How can we not be out of that?” Vic asked as he pulled the cat condo into the house and shut the door as Mike dropped his stuff on the floor and stretched.
“I always buy more.” Aria answered, shedding off her coat and hanging it up, then turning to Mike. “What kind of decorations did you pick up?”
“Lights, ornaments, tree stand, star.” He yawned. “All sorts of fun things, oh and a gingerbread house we can make.” He yawned again, then dropped onto the sofa, looking at Aria closely. “You look different.” He said slowly.
“That’s because I’m pregnant Mike.” Aria answered, sitting down next to him while Vic dug in the bags Mike had brought for the tree stand.
“Oh shit that’s right.” He said, sitting back up and turning to look her dead in the eyes. “Is it a boy or a girl?”
Aria shrugged. “Not sure, we wanted it to be a surprise.”
“No, you wanted it to be a surprise, I wanted to find out.” Vic answered, straightening up with the tree stand in his hand.
“There’s no find in finding out Vic.” Aria replied as Mike tilted her head down, looking at the top of her head.
“You’re blonde?” He asked. Aria nodded.
“Yeah, no one’s hair is actually that red.” Vic said. “I knew that when we first started dating.” He pushed the cat condo into a free corner just as Mia jumped onto it, purring loudly.
“I’m not stupid, I knew it wasn’t a natural red, I just didn’t know she was a blonde. What did you look like blonde?”
“Like me, but with blonde hair.”
“I mean, do you have any pictures?” He turned to Vic. “What does she look like?” Aria threw her hands up into the air and got up, walking to the office space they had and grabbing her laptop, then plopping back down on the couch next to Mike, opening it up and loading a file, then clicking on a picture.
“That’s me when I was blonde.” She said, pointing at the picture. Vic stopped what he was doing and came over, sitting down on the other side of her and peering over her shoulder.
“Well damn.” He said. “I don’t know which one I like better.” Vic looked from Aria to the picture and back again. “This one.” He decided, curling a hand around her waist and kissing her cheek. “You’re here.”
Mike hefted a pillow up and threw it at Vic, hitting him square in the face. “No being lame and cheesy while I’m here.”
“But Mike, we love being cheesy in front of you.” Aria exclaimed, hitting him on the shoulder. Mike caught her hand and looked down at it, then gaped up at both of them.
“You’re engaged? And no one thought to call the younger brother? Who’s going to be the best man, and the maid of honor? And oh my god when are you getting married?” Mike asked, his words coming out so fast they couldn’t tell where one word ended and another began. Aria turned to Vic, raising an eyebrow and shrugging.
“We are engaged, I was planning on telling everyone at Christmas, but now that’s ruined, I haven’t decided on best man and the maid of honor…” He trailed off and looked at Aria. “Who is the maid of honor? You don’t really hang out with anyone.”
“So I don’t, well looks like we can’t get married then.” Aria said, laughing.
“That’s not even funny.” Mike told her as Vic started laughing. “Guys, why are you laughing? Vic, she just threatened to call off the wedding because she doesn’t have a maid of honor. You should be scared.”
“Why? She’s not serious. We don’t need a maid of honor anyways.” Vic said.
“I never said I didn’t want one, I just said I don’t have one. I don’t really hang out with anyone at school, and the friends I used to have don’t really talk to me.”
“Are you like, a recluse or something?” Mike asked.
“I am not, I just don’t like people at my school. Or around me. Ok, maybe a little bit.” Aria finally decided.
“You like us just fine.”
“True.” Aria replied, shutting her laptop and putting it on the coffee table. “Its not that I hate people, its more of that I hate the way people act, and how see-through they are. They manipulate to get their way, and lie and steal.”
“Well when you put it that way.” Mike muttered, kicking his feet up onto the coffee table, then rolling his head to look at the two of them. “Can we eat, and then decorate?” He whined.
“How about we decorate and I’ll order Chinese food? I really want some Chinese food.” Aria said, getting up off the couch and starting to pull Mia’s stuff out of the bags, pouring her a dish full of food.
“Again? Babe, we just had Chinese food a week ago.” Vic sighed.
“I’m down with Chinese food; that sounds amazing.” Mike said, clapping his hands on his thighs and then getting up and pulling out three boxes of lights. “Lets get this bitch started.” Vic laughed and stood up.
“We need to put the tree up first Mike.”
“Shit, we do.”