Exactly Where We're Supposed to Be

Kennedy hated Christmas. Well, not exactly hated. It was more that Christmas had become a reminder of how lonely he was during the holiday season. Usually tour, writing and recording and other band related things kept his mind off the thought, but during the holiday break it was always in his mind. Kennedy didn’t have a family to come home to during the holiday season, which was where the other four members of The Maine were currently.

It wasn’t always like this for Kennedy, in fact the past few years Christmas’s had been wonderful to him. Not having his family in his life didn’t matter back then. He had Harper. But when Harper left to attend Berkley in California, everything changed. He no longer had anything to come home too. While the Kirch family were nothing but lovely in offering for Kennedy to spend Christmas Eve with them, he felt like he was intruding on a family even. As much as that wasn’t the case, Kennedy decided it was best for him to stay home.

So here Kennedy sat. Christmas Eve of 2013. Alone with a beer in one hand, TV remote occupying the other. His small and ratty Christmas tree sat in the corner of the room, while a single mistletoe hung from the archway from the entry hall into the living room. Harper had hung it there last year. Kennedy couldn’t bring himself to take it down. It was the last good memory he had of her before she left.

”Oh come on, Kennedy,” Harper’s voice rang from the archway. The pair was bickering over Kennedy’s lack of Christmas spirit. It was the same as every other year, Kennedy was too lazy to help decorating and Harper was left to kick his ass into gear. “Just the tree and mistletoe. That’s all I ask!”

Kennedy couldn’t say no to the girl. She was like a kid in a candy store when it came to Christmas time and he knew it. “That’s all!” Kennedy grinned, watching his girlfriend try and reach the top of the arch to hang the mistletoe. “If I come home one day and it looks like Santa threw up over our apartment, I’ll know who to blame.”

Harper grinned as Kennedy placed his beer down on the coffee table, and walked over to her. Grabbing the mistletoe out of her hand, he reached up and hung it in its place. “Our apartment hey?”

Giving Harper a sly smile, he walked over to the Christmas tree. Picking up the smallest box out of the few presents and handed it to her. “Open it.”

“But Christmas isn’t until tomorrow, Ken.”

“Just do it.” He grinned at her. He watched his girlfriend carefully unwrap the small box and open it. Pulling out the key the box held, Harper looked up at Kennedy, a grin on her face.

“Our apartment?” She asked once again.

“Our apartment.” He grinned down at her.

Kennedy knew Harper would be disappointed in his lack of Christmas spirit this year, but in a way he was thankful for that. The bitter part of him thought that it didn’t matter what she thought, she wasn’t here to care anyway. The worst part of it all was that Kennedy couldn’t even hate Harper for leaving him. The broke up on good terms purely because with him being on tour and her being away at college, it wouldn’t have worked. Even after a year it still broke his heart to think about what could have been. This time of year made it harder.

Kennedy was on his sixth beer by around seven o’clock that Christmas Eve. He hoped that the amount of alcohol he had consumed would make him tired enough to sleep though everything he was feeling. The TV was on, an old re-run of How I Met Your Mother was playing, but Kennedy was too consumed in his thoughts to really even pay attention. Snapping him out of his trace, was a knock at the door. He knew it could only be carollers considering everyone he knew was currently having dinner with their families. Staying in his spot on the couch, he simply turned his attention back to the TV and took another swig of his beer.

“I do have a key, you realise?” A female voice came from the entry way. This made Kennedy snap to attention. Harper Harrington’s figure came into view and Kennedy practically leapt from his chair, heart racing a million miles an hour. “I see you’ve gone to such an effort this year.”

His eyes looked around the room, then back at her. “Harper.”

“Kennedy.” The girl mimicked, a grin hitting her face as she ran over to Kennedy. Still in shock, Kennedy couldn’t allow himself to let go of the girl in his arms. He couldn’t believe that she was actually here.

“How. . .why?” Kennedy couldn’t form his words, his mind was running a million miles an hour trying to figure out why she was here and more importantly, what it meant for the pair of them.

“I couldn’t let you spend Christmas alone.” Harper said, finally pulling away from the boy. “Besides, I missed you.”

Kennedy could have jumped around like a twelve year old girl at a one direction concert. She missed him and that’s all Kennedy needed to know. Harper had traveled hours, catching a flight in peak time just to come see him. Out of anywhere she could have gone, she was here.

Feeling confident, he placed his hand in hers. “Do you want a beer or something?” He went to walk towards the kitchen, pulling Harper in tow before he was pulled back to her.

“Kennedy.” She started. He couldn’t read the tone in her voice. Kennedy felt nervous now, not knowing if he had done the right thing. Harper pointed upwards from where they were standing. Finally, Kennedy understood.

“Mistletoe.” He grinned, before pulling Harper into him. Their lips meeting for the first time in almost a year. The pair remained there for what felt like hours, before finally pulling away from each other.

“Hot chocolate sounds good.” Harper answered Kennedy’s previous question before heading into the kitchen. Kennedy followed, smiling from ear to ear. Maybe Christmas wasn’t so bad after all.