A Christmas Story: Winter Winds

Things that make me laugh:
My best friend Julie
Revenge
James Cordon
Thinking about my family
All the stories my granddad used to tell me
Stupidity
People playing dumb
Weed
My dream last night
Laughing

‘You like Game of Thrones?’ The guy asked me as he paid for my Magners.

‘Yeah I do. Well, I haven’t seen much of the TV-series but I love the books.’ I told him. ‘Look, I’m sitting with my friend just right in the corner, if you and your friend would like to join us?’ I offered him and pointed at the table in the corner where Julie sat looking lonely as ever as she inspected her empty wine glass. I chuckled as I imagined what was going on in the drunken brain of hers. I was not shy around guys and I knew how to keep it cool if I was turned down. After all I was only offering them a seat at our table. The almost black haired, dark eyed boy looked at his friend who nodded.

‘Will your friend drink a Magners too?’ He asked. I nodded and smiled.

‘I’ll go join her before she gets too lonely and starts wondering what that wine glass is made of.’ The guys chuckled as I went back to Julie with my Magners.

‘Took you long enough,’ She said as I sat down and collected my scarf and hat from the table and put it in the window sill at the end of the table.

‘I got us some company.’ I told her and smiled as I nodded in the direction the two men were.

‘Wow, honkey dudes.’ She slurred out while looking at the men.

‘How did you get so drunk?’ I asked her.

‘I can’t hold my liquor like you can and you know it. I’m a lightweight.’ She said just as a glass with ice and a Magners was sat on the table in front of her.

‘Here you go.’ The brown-black haired guy said. They both sat down at the table.

‘I’m Richard and this is Kit.’ The friend said as he sat down next to me. It wasn’t until now I could get a good look at him. He had brown curly hair and his chin was covered in facial hair just like the brown-black haired guy. The beard looked very attracting on both of them. It made them look like men.

‘I’m Reilly.’ I told them. ‘And this is Julie.’

‘Oh my goodness!’ Julie exclaimed as she looked at Richard. ‘You’re Rob!’ I chuckled as I had no idea what she was talking about. ‘And you’re Jon.’ I burst out laughing.

‘I just said the same thing at the bar. Doesn’t he look like Jon Snow?’ I asked Julie completely ignoring Kit and Richard.

‘He’s not Jon snow?’ She asked a disappointed look crossed her face. ‘I sure as hell would have bet on it.’ Julie was ignoring Kit and Richard too. Sometimes we would slip into a world of our own and completely forget everything round us.

‘No, Jon Snow is taller.’ I told her the same thing I had told Kit.

‘How do you even know how tall Jon Snow is?’ Richard burst our little bubble with his question.

‘I just picture him taller that’s all.’ Kit chuckled.

‘You are Jon Snow and you are Rob Stark.’ Julie said and pointed intensely at both guys as she said Jon Snow and Rob Stark.

‘We are.’ Kit said. I did not know if they were playing tricks on me. I refused to believe it.

‘Do you come here often?’ I asked them dropping the topic of Jon Snow and Rob Stark. I loved Game of Thrones but I had only just begun to watch the series. I had refused to watch it until I had finished the books.

‘When we go out for a drink we usually come here.’ Richard said and took a sip of his beer. ‘What about you girls?’

‘First time tonight, my boyfriend told us to go here. Apparently it’s the best pub in town.’ Julie explained.

‘Also the smallest,’ I added. ‘But I like the atmosphere.’ With the atmosphere I meant that is was nice that there hardly were any girls in the pub. It seemed like a place only guys came to. That had me wondering if that was the reason Marco had told us to go here, because there would be mainly guys with only little to none competition from girls. I also admired him for sending Julie into a man cave. Most men would get jealous if their girls were surrounded by unknown men drinking alcohol. I didn’t mind being the only girl in the group. Of course there was always Julie but she was no tread to me; hence Marco. Other girls made me insecure and sometimes uncomfortable even though I knew there was no need for that. I had a normal looking face, a skinny body and healthy hair, but still it made me insecure whenever I saw someone pretty. I wasn’t always dressed up in high heels and a short dress. Most of the times I liked wearing jumpers, jeans and high-tops and with a snapback on my head. And today was no different. I was wearing a pair of tight denim black-washed jeans with a cropped black jumper, red Nike high-top wedges and thick black-rimmed glasses. It made me feel comfortable and it was just that sort of clothes I always ended up buying. I would make exceptions when I knew I was going to night clubs, because many of them had a dress code, but when I was just planning on going to the pub I would wear my daily outfit most of the times.

‘Do any of you girls smoke?’ Kit asked and looked from Julie to me.

‘If I can borrow a cigarette I do,’ I told him and send a smile his way. I had learnt that my smile worked to my advantage a lot of times. I did not know if it was like that with everyone, but I knew it was like that with me and maybe sometimes I misused it. I looked at Julie who rolled her eyes at me.

‘Yeah sure,’ Kit said and got up from his seat. I did the same and put on my coat.

‘I just quit smoking three weeks ago.’ I told him as he lit my cigarette.

‘Should you be smoking then?’ He asked and took a drag from his cigarette.

‘Probably not, but I’ve been dying for one for so long now. Quitting is just as hard as everyone says and sometimes I wonder why I ever did it. Apart from the addictiveness and the prices on cigarettes I like a lot of things about smoking. It can be cosy, it’s somewhat social, it’s time consuming and I just like sitting in silence smoking a cigarette and thinking about greater things.’ I told him. ‘Oh and I like the part where you blow the smoke out, but I hate the taste it leaves in your mouth.’ Kit chuckled.

‘I agree. As much as I wish to stop I don’t wish to stop and people never understand it,’ he told me and took a drag. I studied his face. He was very handsome and he looked more of a man than the previous guys I had been dating and I loved his eyes. They had such a dark shade of brown they almost looked black from some angles.

‘So, what do you like to do?’ I asked Kit trying to hold a conversation. I knew nothing about him, but I found myself wanting to know something about him. He was attractive, but could I get him to think I was attractive enough to like me and go with me to the Christmas party. I had no idea. Time was running low so I had to give it my best shot even though I had to fake it. I refused to go alone this year. Kit was handsome, had a cute laugh, I loved his curly hair and his dark eyes. I would be somewhat proud to bring a guy like him to the party. It would keep the other’s mouths shut. And I would even believe that my cousin, Nicole, who was my age, would be drooling over a guy like Kit. Her husband was tubby, had a receding hairline and a big nose. Nicole was pretty, but she was a bitch and I didn’t wonder one second about why she chose Kent. She could boss him around like no one else. Despite his receding hairline and big belly he had a heart of gold. He was helpful, good with kids and had some hilarious jokes. He was too good for Nicole.

‘Reading, writing, talking. I’m a relaxed kind of person who enjoys staying in with a good book,’ He told me

‘Me too,’ I said as I finished my cigarette and throw it on the ground and stepped on it. Kit did the same and we went back inside again. When I sat down again Julie looked at me with the weirdest look I had ever seen. It was a mix of a smirk, excitement and I told you so. I had never seen her with an expression like that and did not know how to read it instead I just burst out laughing. Julie was that kind of person who made me laugh no matter what. You know you’ve found a really good friend when they can make you laugh on the worst of days even without saying anything. Julie was that kind of person to me. And I knew I could trust her with anything and it wouldn’t be spilled to anyone.

‘What’s wrong with you?’ I asked Julie when I had pulled myself together from the laughing.
‘Nothing,’ she said still wearing that weird expression.
‘Whatever,’ I said and took a sip of my cider. I looked from Richard to Kit to Julie. A somewhat awkward silence had landed upon us. I hated awkward silences. ‘My dad’s Irish,’ I announced out of the blue. They all looked at me trying to figure out where I was going with that information. ‘I just hoped to start a conversation,’
‘Good one,’ Richard said and laughed whereas he began talking about Ireland and asking me questions. Julie and Kit joined in on the conversation and I smiled on the inside because it had worked. Sometimes the best you could really do was just to say something random and it would turn into something.