2009 Holiday Song Challenge
Here is my story at last! I do not own these gorgeous, handsome men, yada yada yada... this is purely fiction, please don't sue me, ect.
I used the song "Baby, it's Cold Outside." The story is about a lonely Justin wishing for companionship right before Christmas. Enjoy!
December twenty-second was always a hard day for Justin. This year, he was spending it sitting in the window seat at his house with his head on the window, waiting for snow that he knew would never come. The night was dark, and his features were reflected in the glass. In some ways, he still saw her face in his own.
With a sigh, he swung his feet to the floor and put his elbows on his knees. He’d left the television on in the living room across the house, and he could hear the news coming on. His stomach grumbled with hunger, and he realized he hadn’t eaten yet. Maybe he’d feel better if he had some food in his body.
When he passed the living room, he turned the volume of the television up even louder. Noise seemed to comfort him when he was feeling sad. There were a few slices of leftover pizza in the fridge, and he stuck them in the microwave. They were still in the process of heating up when the doorbell rang.
JC was standing on the porch holding several department store bags. His hair and jacket were wet, and it was then that Justin noticed it had started to rain. “Hey,” JC greeted, setting the bags down. Justin closed the door. “Do you mind if I leave this stuff here?”
“Yeah, sure. What is it?” Justin stuffed his hands in his pockets, watching JC fuss with the bags to make sure they wouldn’t fall over.
“Christmas presents. For Tracey. I think last year she went snooping around and found everything I bought her.”
“Well, that’s not fun,” Justin said. “You want anything? I was just gonna have dinner.”
“No, that’s okay. I should probably get home.”
“You sure? I’ve got that tea you like.” Justin put a smile on and raised his eyebrows in an attempt to be coy. Misery always loved company, and Justin was afraid to let his only shot at it walk out the door without staying for a bit.
“Yeah, okay. Maybe for a few minutes.”
They went into the kitchen, and Justin started the tea. “So how’s your day been?” Justin asked, trying to break the silence.
JC shrugged. He slid onto one of the barstools near the center island of the kitchen. “Not bad. I’ve been keeping busy. Tracey’s parents are coming in tomorrow at like six in the morning.”
“You picking them up at the airport?” When JC nodded, Justin bit his lip. “So you’ll probably need to go to bed early. You’ll…need your sleep, I guess.”
“Yeah, I guess.” JC frowned at him. “Are you okay? You seem kind of down.”
“No, I’m fine.” Justin paused. “But listen, maybe you should just stay here tonight. By the time you get home, it’ll be after ten, and well, I live closer to the airport anyway. You could sleep a little longer and then leave later.”
“Well, I wasn’t planning to go by myself,” JC said with a light laugh.
“It’s kind of chilly outside though, don’t you think? You don’t really want to go out in that.” Justin nodded to the window.
“What are you talking about? It’s like seventy degrees out. It’s just a little rain.”
“It’s pouring,” Justin said firmly. “It’ll be raining too hard and too fast for you to see anything. It’d be dangerous.”
JC regarded Justin for a moment, and it wasn’t hard to see in JC’s eyes that he was onto him. Justin couldn’t blame him. He could hear his own voice, and he knew he wasn’t sounding all that casual.
“What’s going on Jus?”
Justin looked down at his hands, feeling his older friend’s strong gaze on him. He took a deep breath, prepared to remind JC why he felt so depressed on this particular day, but instead told him, “You know that jacket you were wearing isn’t a very good rain jacket. You’ll get soaked, and then-”
“Justin,” JC said in a warning tone.
“Well, how would I feel if you got pneumonia and died? I’d never be able to live with myself. You should just-”
“Justin.”
“You should just stay.”
JC sighed. “You won’t tell me what’s going on?”
Justin shrugged. “You should know.” He turned to finish making the tea, and to finally get away from JC’s intense eyes.
“What do you mean I should know?” JC asked, but Justin didn’t turn around. He poured the water into a tall mug. A few seconds later, there was a soft, “Oh geez,” behind him, and then JC said in a sad, sorry tone, “Justin.”
Placing the cup of tea in front of JC, Justin immediately went about tidying the kitchen to keep himself busy. He remembered the pizza in the microwave and went to take it out. His appetite was pretty much gone and he let the pieces slide off into the garbage before putting the plate in the sink.
“Hey,” JC said softly, and Justin felt a hand on his shoulder. JC had gotten up and was now standing right beside him. “I didn’t mean to forget. I just…you lose track of days around Christmas, you know.”
“No, I know. I’m not mad,” Justin replied. When his voice shook, he knew he was in trouble. He didn’t want to lean on JC and make him stay out of pity. He’d only wanted someone to spend the evening with.
“I’ll call Tracey,” JC said. “She doesn’t need me there to pick up her parents. I can just meet them later.”
“No, don’t.” Justin’s chest throbbed as he held in his tears. “I don’t want you rearranging everything.”
Justin’s face must have given away his pain. JC pulled him into his arms, holding him tightly, but not too tightly. The hug made it all real again, and Justin broke down, shaking in JC’s embrace.
“C’mere,” JC whispered. He led Justin back into the living room and eased him onto the sofa. In seconds, JC was beside him, pulling him back into his arms to allow him to cry some more. “You’re okay.”
Justin tasted the salt as the tears dipped into the space between his lips, and he tried to continue breathing through the sorrow. His chest heaved, and even though he knew JC knew, he felt like it was necessary to explain himself. He felt embarrassed, but secure, and comforted that his friend was there for him.
“I miss her,” Justin said, his voice muffled his tears and the material of JC’s shirt.
JC didn’t say a word. He continued to hold him as he grieved over the love he’d lost exactly two years ago. They’d been spending Christmas with her family in Illinois. She’d wanted to do some last minute Christmas shopping, and Justin had elected to stay home, wanting to avoid getting recognized.
The roads had been icy. The car had swerved. And she had died.
The weather had been horrid that day, but Justin hadn’t worried over it. Every time he thought of her, he wished he’d listened to the weather report. Wished he’d heard the newscaster’s warning that the roads were treacherous. She used to complain that he protected her too much, and the one day she’d needed him to fret and fuss over her, he hadn’t. And it was something he was still living with.
JC was shifting beside him, and Justin pulled his head back, disengaging from the embrace. “I’m gonna get your tea,” JC said.
Justin didn’t point out that he had made the tea for JC. He only waited for his friend to bring it to him. While he was in the kitchen, Justin heard JC talking and realized he was on the phone.
“I’m going to stay the night here,” JC was saying. He paused. “Sweetie, I know, but I can’t leave him like this. It’s the anniversary of-” He stopped. “Right. So…” JC’s sigh seemed to echo throughout the house, and finally JC said, “Thanks honey. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
When JC returned, Justin accepted the tea. The hot liquid warmed his throat and his stomach, and his friend’s presence beside him warmed him heart.
I used the song "Baby, it's Cold Outside." The story is about a lonely Justin wishing for companionship right before Christmas. Enjoy!
December twenty-second was always a hard day for Justin. This year, he was spending it sitting in the window seat at his house with his head on the window, waiting for snow that he knew would never come. The night was dark, and his features were reflected in the glass. In some ways, he still saw her face in his own.
With a sigh, he swung his feet to the floor and put his elbows on his knees. He’d left the television on in the living room across the house, and he could hear the news coming on. His stomach grumbled with hunger, and he realized he hadn’t eaten yet. Maybe he’d feel better if he had some food in his body.
When he passed the living room, he turned the volume of the television up even louder. Noise seemed to comfort him when he was feeling sad. There were a few slices of leftover pizza in the fridge, and he stuck them in the microwave. They were still in the process of heating up when the doorbell rang.
JC was standing on the porch holding several department store bags. His hair and jacket were wet, and it was then that Justin noticed it had started to rain. “Hey,” JC greeted, setting the bags down. Justin closed the door. “Do you mind if I leave this stuff here?”
“Yeah, sure. What is it?” Justin stuffed his hands in his pockets, watching JC fuss with the bags to make sure they wouldn’t fall over.
“Christmas presents. For Tracey. I think last year she went snooping around and found everything I bought her.”
“Well, that’s not fun,” Justin said. “You want anything? I was just gonna have dinner.”
“No, that’s okay. I should probably get home.”
“You sure? I’ve got that tea you like.” Justin put a smile on and raised his eyebrows in an attempt to be coy. Misery always loved company, and Justin was afraid to let his only shot at it walk out the door without staying for a bit.
“Yeah, okay. Maybe for a few minutes.”
They went into the kitchen, and Justin started the tea. “So how’s your day been?” Justin asked, trying to break the silence.
JC shrugged. He slid onto one of the barstools near the center island of the kitchen. “Not bad. I’ve been keeping busy. Tracey’s parents are coming in tomorrow at like six in the morning.”
“You picking them up at the airport?” When JC nodded, Justin bit his lip. “So you’ll probably need to go to bed early. You’ll…need your sleep, I guess.”
“Yeah, I guess.” JC frowned at him. “Are you okay? You seem kind of down.”
“No, I’m fine.” Justin paused. “But listen, maybe you should just stay here tonight. By the time you get home, it’ll be after ten, and well, I live closer to the airport anyway. You could sleep a little longer and then leave later.”
“Well, I wasn’t planning to go by myself,” JC said with a light laugh.
“It’s kind of chilly outside though, don’t you think? You don’t really want to go out in that.” Justin nodded to the window.
“What are you talking about? It’s like seventy degrees out. It’s just a little rain.”
“It’s pouring,” Justin said firmly. “It’ll be raining too hard and too fast for you to see anything. It’d be dangerous.”
JC regarded Justin for a moment, and it wasn’t hard to see in JC’s eyes that he was onto him. Justin couldn’t blame him. He could hear his own voice, and he knew he wasn’t sounding all that casual.
“What’s going on Jus?”
Justin looked down at his hands, feeling his older friend’s strong gaze on him. He took a deep breath, prepared to remind JC why he felt so depressed on this particular day, but instead told him, “You know that jacket you were wearing isn’t a very good rain jacket. You’ll get soaked, and then-”
“Justin,” JC said in a warning tone.
“Well, how would I feel if you got pneumonia and died? I’d never be able to live with myself. You should just-”
“Justin.”
“You should just stay.”
JC sighed. “You won’t tell me what’s going on?”
Justin shrugged. “You should know.” He turned to finish making the tea, and to finally get away from JC’s intense eyes.
“What do you mean I should know?” JC asked, but Justin didn’t turn around. He poured the water into a tall mug. A few seconds later, there was a soft, “Oh geez,” behind him, and then JC said in a sad, sorry tone, “Justin.”
Placing the cup of tea in front of JC, Justin immediately went about tidying the kitchen to keep himself busy. He remembered the pizza in the microwave and went to take it out. His appetite was pretty much gone and he let the pieces slide off into the garbage before putting the plate in the sink.
“Hey,” JC said softly, and Justin felt a hand on his shoulder. JC had gotten up and was now standing right beside him. “I didn’t mean to forget. I just…you lose track of days around Christmas, you know.”
“No, I know. I’m not mad,” Justin replied. When his voice shook, he knew he was in trouble. He didn’t want to lean on JC and make him stay out of pity. He’d only wanted someone to spend the evening with.
“I’ll call Tracey,” JC said. “She doesn’t need me there to pick up her parents. I can just meet them later.”
“No, don’t.” Justin’s chest throbbed as he held in his tears. “I don’t want you rearranging everything.”
Justin’s face must have given away his pain. JC pulled him into his arms, holding him tightly, but not too tightly. The hug made it all real again, and Justin broke down, shaking in JC’s embrace.
“C’mere,” JC whispered. He led Justin back into the living room and eased him onto the sofa. In seconds, JC was beside him, pulling him back into his arms to allow him to cry some more. “You’re okay.”
Justin tasted the salt as the tears dipped into the space between his lips, and he tried to continue breathing through the sorrow. His chest heaved, and even though he knew JC knew, he felt like it was necessary to explain himself. He felt embarrassed, but secure, and comforted that his friend was there for him.
“I miss her,” Justin said, his voice muffled his tears and the material of JC’s shirt.
JC didn’t say a word. He continued to hold him as he grieved over the love he’d lost exactly two years ago. They’d been spending Christmas with her family in Illinois. She’d wanted to do some last minute Christmas shopping, and Justin had elected to stay home, wanting to avoid getting recognized.
The roads had been icy. The car had swerved. And she had died.
The weather had been horrid that day, but Justin hadn’t worried over it. Every time he thought of her, he wished he’d listened to the weather report. Wished he’d heard the newscaster’s warning that the roads were treacherous. She used to complain that he protected her too much, and the one day she’d needed him to fret and fuss over her, he hadn’t. And it was something he was still living with.
JC was shifting beside him, and Justin pulled his head back, disengaging from the embrace. “I’m gonna get your tea,” JC said.
Justin didn’t point out that he had made the tea for JC. He only waited for his friend to bring it to him. While he was in the kitchen, Justin heard JC talking and realized he was on the phone.
“I’m going to stay the night here,” JC was saying. He paused. “Sweetie, I know, but I can’t leave him like this. It’s the anniversary of-” He stopped. “Right. So…” JC’s sigh seemed to echo throughout the house, and finally JC said, “Thanks honey. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
When JC returned, Justin accepted the tea. The hot liquid warmed his throat and his stomach, and his friend’s presence beside him warmed him heart.