If We Jump

The months dragged on and I missed them more and more. Stephen, John, and Jess talked to me the most since they had gone. Stephen called me almost every other morning, although it was nighttime over there.

They were supposed to come home on January third. So far I had made it to Christmas Day. Stephen called me this morning and promised to call me tonight when he would be just waking up over in Europe.

My mom always made a big deal out of holidays. She felt like she had to make it up to Sean and me for only having one parent our whole lives, well for as long as we can remember. In the past, we would try and stop her but we knew it was no good. My house was all decked out in Christmas decorations. There was a huge tree, covered in blue and white ornaments that practically touched the ceiling. The table had been set with the china plates and silverware and there were cutouts of Santa and his reindeer hanging on the wall near the front door.

Each Christmas, mom went overboard on the presents too. They were stacked up high behind and all around the Christmas tree. Some of them had "Love, Dad" written on them but I knew better. He came to my graduation, but left early so I didn't even see him.

Anyway, I woke up this morning to find my mother cooking breakfast and Sean waiting impatiently by the tree. He was like a little kid when it came to Christmas. He always convinced my mom to let us open our presents before we even had breakfast. I felt like a zombie, going through the motions of opening present after present as my mom took pictures of us. I hadn't slept well the night before but I knew I had to do this for my mom.

I hadn't asked for anything specific, hoping she wouldn't spend too much money on me, but she managed to buy a lot anyway. She had gotten me a makeup bag filled with urban decay, MAC, too faced, and even more cosmetics. She also got me a bunch of clothes and a new iPhone. Sean opened up the newest Xbox and a bunch of games for it and like me, he got clothes too.

When we satisfied my mother we went to eat breakfast. She made eggs, bacon, hash, French toast, pancakes, and pretty much any breakfast food you can imagine.

When we were finished I went up to my room to take a nap. I ended up sleeping most of the day and didn't wake up until around 5 that evening. I spent the remainder of the night wrapping presents for family members and friends and helping my mom set up for the party tomorrow.

Every year she held a party the day after Christmas so that everyone could spend the holiday with their families but still have a celebration. She used to invite my aunts and uncles and all of our cousins, but this year I had requested a few additions to the guest list. This year Stephen and John's family was coming too.

There was no denying that I was nervous. I had met their parents many times before and they seemed to like me, but now Stephen and I were dating and I didn't want to mess anything up.

Before the party started I went upstairs to fix my makeup and make sure I looked alright. I was wearing a fancy grey dress and I had my hair in a side braid. I heard the doorbell ring and returned to the kitchen. Soon enough, my house was filled with people. Stephen's mom spent a lot of time talking to my mom while his dad stayed in the living room talking about sports with Sean.

The night seemed to drag on. Eventually we all sat down to eat dinner and Stephen's mother, Ella was talking to me about the boys.

"So are you excited for Stephen to come home?" she had asked me and I blushed a little.

"Yeah, I miss him. I miss all of them actually. I can't imagine what you're going through though with both of your sons gone" I said sympathetically. I was bored out of my mind with them gone. Work was the only thing keeping me sane.

"Oh, it doesn't bother me that much, I suppose it's just as if they were going off to college" she laughed and I nodded understandingly. College. I hadn't even thought about what would happen to us when I went away to college. Most of the colleges I had applied to were out of state.

Dinner ended soon and people started thinning out. When there was just my grandparents left, I kissed them each goodnight and went upstairs to wait for Stephen's call.

Fortunately I wasn't left waiting too long because I was pretty tired. The phone started ringing and I jumped up to get it. "Hello?" I said.

"Hey babe" he said groggily and I heard him yawn.

"Are you tired?" I giggled.

"Yeah, a little. Are you?"

"Kind of. What time is it over there?" I asked him.

"Six thirty" he yawned again. I felt really bad that he had woken up that early just to call me. He didn't have to, I understood he was busy. "Go back to bed Stephen, we can talk when you're not so tired." I told him but he didn't listen. He insisted that it was fine. We talked on the phone for another forty-five minutes before he had to go. He reminded me that he would be coming home in exactly seven days, Arizona time. I smiled to myself, he said goodnight, I said good morning and wished him good luck at his show, and then we hung up. Even just talking to him for a little while made me miss him insanely.

Seven days couldn't pass quickly enough. For the last four days I had been going to work, coming home, and being bored until it was time to go to bed, but tonight was New Year’s Eve so I had the next few days off.

My brother was having his friends over tonight and my mom was going out so I helped her clean the house a bit. I had no plans so I threw on shorts and a sweatshirt and put my hair up. I was sitting on my bed with my laptop, aimlessly scrolling through Tumblr to pass the time. I glanced at the clock for what had to be the sixtieth time. Eleven p.m. I had considered going to bed early but I wanted to at least be awake when the New Year came in. I was going to send him a text so he would see it whenever he got up. Just one more hour.

Eventually the time reached 11:55 and I could hear Sean's friends getting rowdy downstairs. I picked up the remote and turned on the television to watch the ball drop in New York City. This is a great way to spend New Year's isn't it? All alone in my bedroom. The more I thought about it, the more I started to miss my friends. Just a few more days, I told myself. I typed out a message telling Stephen how much I missed him and wished he was home, figuring he wouldn’t reply until tomorrow. He sent one back a minute later reading, I know baby I miss you too. Just a little bit longer.

It was getting closer and closer to midnight and I heard a knock on my door. I looked at the clock- 11:58. I figured it was Sean looking for something, but why would he come up here so late? I got up off my bed and opened the door. I didn't see anyone but for some reason, there was a dozen roses on the ground. I picked them up and looked at the card.

I'm sorry I can't be there to celebrate with you. I love you, be home soon. Love, Stephen.

I smiled. Sean must have brought them up here. I was about to bring them in my room when I heard a noise. I stepped outside into the hallway and looked around. On my right, was none other than Stephen James Gomez, casually leaning against the wall like it was no big deal.

I pretty much attacked him in a hug, dropping the flowers in the process. He squeezed me back just as tightly as I had squeezed him and kissed my head. "Hey beautiful" he said. I couldn't stop smiling. He was really here.

"I thought you weren't coming home until the 3rd" I told him. I actually felt like I was going to cry and I guess he noticed my eyes tearing up because he wiped his thumb across my cheek to catch the couple that escaped.

"I caught an early flight" he smiled.

"Why?" he didn't answer right away, instead he pressed his lips against mine and gave me a long, gentle kiss. I assumed the clock had struck midnight because all if Sean's friends we're screaming downstairs.

"I wanted my midnight kiss" he smirked and then bit his lip. I thought he was kidding but I still couldn't help letting out and "aww".

"Look at our sappy little love story" I joked and he laughed. "When did you get home?" I asked.

"I left the airport around twenty minutes ago and came straight here." he said.

"Won't your mom be mad you didn't go see her first?" I asked. He just shrugged, typical Stephen.

"They're not expecting me for a couple days" he said and my smile grew bigger. "Does that mean you can stay tonight?" I asked him. He nodded and smiled back. I missed him a lot so I was really happy he could stay with me tonight. "Do you want food?" I asked, realizing he just spent hours on a plane. He shrugged.

"Do you mind if I take a shower?" he asked. I went into my room and got him some clothes he had left here in the past and brought them to him. When he was finished, we sat at the kitchen table eating. We talked for hours about Europe. I was just glad he was home.