We all stood up and settled back down around the Christmas tree, laughing. I collapsed into an armchair and declared:
“I’ll go first,” pulling out all my bags from behind the couch.
“That’s the silliest place to hide gifts,” Ella proclaimed, but I just brushed her off.
“You hid them in the closet last year, in the most obvious spot, so don’t fuss too much,” the blonde stuck her tongue out at me. “Let’s start with you so you can finally calm down,” I handed my friend a package, which she tore open in one swoop.
“Well, this is a tradition,” every Christmas I gifted Elizabeth a new Marvel comic. “Wow, Delli, Doctor Strange! I’m thrilled!” her smile spread across her face.
“Now it’s my turn!” Dam declared, turning to me and extending his hands.
“Okay, then this is for you,” I handed him the biggest package, which he raised an eyebrow at in discontent, then joyfully whooped when he pulled out a box with two crystal glasses.
“I’ve been looking for these for three hundred years!”
“You looked, and I found them,” I hugged him.
Next, I handed Nicola his new black sunglasses, which he immediately put on, and I watched as Laura held back tears when I handed her shell and pearl earrings.
“Goodness, they are beautiful,” she declared, and I merely kissed her and smiled.
Leonardo was the last. I pulled out a tiny package from my bag. Finding this item took me so long that I didn’t want to think about it. But I was incredibly pleased with the result. The blonde threw his head back and laughed heartily.
“Can I not show this to anyone?” he asked. I shrugged, as if to say - your choice.
Inside the little box was a handkerchief. A copy of the one I had once accidentally taken from Leo, only with my initials instead of his.
I looked into his gray eyes, and they looked back at me. I don’t know how much time passed.
“Now it’s my turn,” Elizabeth finally proclaimed, and we shifted our gaze to her.
From Ella, I received an album filled with our photographs, which De Vil supplemented with his gift. A purple Polaroid. I had wanted one for ages and, unable to restrain myself, kissed Leo on the cheek, leaving a mark from my red lipstick. A brief flash from my new device. Ella stood with the Polaroid in her hands and a playful smile on her lips, holding a freshly taken photograph in which Leo, with red lipstick on his cheek, looked at me with warmth, while I smiled back at him. An awkward minute of silence was interrupted by Laura, who suggested we take a photo all together and add those to my new album.
After that, Damiano carefully handed me his gift - a record for the player with my favorite songs, Nicola - perfume with a tangy cherry scent, and Mrs. Karter — a gigantic illustrated book on the history of art that I couldn’t stop flipping through.
For Elizabeth, her mother handed her a book that was slightly smaller but looked incredibly old.
The woman had somehow found one of the first editions of her daughter’s favorite book - “A Doll’s House.” Nicola gave Ella a heart-shaped locket with their photo inside. It seemed very cute, as if this locket was a symbol of their connection. Leonardo decided to give a set of expensive oil paints so that Elizabeth wouldn’t stop creating her masterpieces. And Dam handed over a set of new painting tools.
Next was the blonde's turn. Elizabeth finally tearing herself away from the comics I had given her, presented him with a blue Ralph Lauren cap, and Nick - a gold bracelet that matched the wristwatch De Vil often wore. When Dam presented his gift, we all laughed heartily because he said: “I heard about the wedding…” and gifted Leo a white shirt. Laura decided to give her gifts to both Leonardo and Nicola at once, since it turned out she had found them incredibly beautiful knitted, matching socks. Blue for Leo and green for Nick.
Additionally, Mathieu received various chess from his “sock partner,” a cotton candy machine from Damiano (the guy explained it by saying that Ella was terribly addicted to sweets, so Nicola just couldn’t do without this gadget), and a T-shirt with the inscription “My love has chocolate eyes” from the girl herself.
“You’re booked,” Leo laughed at this.
“And you’re just jealous,” an incredibly happy Nick replied. I felt uncomfortable.
Damiano was second to last, receiving round, clear glasses from Elizabeth, an exclusive set of picks from Nicola (apparently, Ella told him about Dam’s intentions to learn guitar), small bottles of alcohol from Leo that looked more like collectible toys, and a vintage jacket with “Ferrari” written on it, which he had long wanted, from Laura.
Finally, we reached Laura herself. Ella chose a straw hat with a wide brim and a white ribbon tied in a bow for her. The woman immediately put it on, making her look almost tiny. Leo handed her a giant star map (I don’t know if he guessed or asked Elizabeth, but Laura adored stars). When it was Nick’s turn, he stepped out of the room for his gift, and when he came back, we all gasped: he was holding a pink-yellow surfboard.
“This is the best thing I’ve received in years,” Laura laughed and kissed Nicola on the cheek.
“We’ll have to send it by mail,” Ella smiled. “It won’t even fit in your suitcase.”
I watched all this chaos and, for some reason, felt so happy that it seemed no matter what happened next - I would always have the memories of this Christmas.
I stood on the balcony, listening to the sound of the sea. Voices could be heard from the house, but I concentrated on the sounds of the waves and the coolness of the evening. I heard the balcony door open and the voices of my friends grew louder, and then the quiet “click” as they closed again. Footsteps. I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.
“It’s surprisingly quiet here,” he addressed me.
“Yeah, it’s enchanting.”
“I'll stand here, you don’t mind?” I shook my head, and he leaned on the metal railing.
Somewhere far away, I heard music, a buzz, chirping birds, but I thought of only one thing - him. I couldn’t stay silent any longer:
“Leo…” he turned to me way too quickly as if he had been waiting for me to speak to him. “I have something to ask,” I paused for a moment so the boy would finally say:
“I’m listening,” a sign for me to continue speaking.
“In all these months we’ve known each other, events have unfolded so rapidly that I sometimes didn’t quite grasp what was happening,” I paused again, but this time out of nervousness. “My previous relationships ended in disaster, and I had almost forgotten what it feels like to have feelings for someone until you came along,” De Vil’s pupils dilated; it seemed he hadn’t expected such honesty from me, while I twisted the ring on my finger to calm myself down. “I don’t like not knowing what comes next, and these feelings are nothing but uncertainty, and it frustrates me,” I looked straight into the gray eyes that had become so familiar to me, “so I’ll ask you just once,” because I wouldn’t dare to ask again, “what do you feel towards me?”
At the second of his silence, I regretted what I’d said a million times and mentally prayed that he would say something. But in a moment, everything cleared when Leo, without even thinking about what he was saying, replied:
“I think I’m falling in love with you, Delli,” the boy smiled slightly. “I’m afraid I’ve already fallen head over heels.”
Another second of silence.
“You’re so sweet,” I tilted my head to the side and laughed softly.
For one long moment, we looked into each other’s eyes, and I swear he blushed.
“Did you just turn red?” I truly didn’t believe it.
“No,” but denying it was pointless. “It’s all because of you,” Leo suddenly blurted out.
“Oh really?” I asked cheekily. “And what are you going to do to me?” - nothing. I knew he wouldn’t do anything.
The blonde leaned closer, I got a bit scared and felt my cheeks flush. De Vil smiled contentedly.
“I can't believe you’re here,” I whispered, unable to adequately understand what was happening, instead laying out my feelings with crystal honesty.
“Merry Christmas, Delli,” Leo’s voice echoed in my head.
“I’m afraid I’ve already fallen head over heels.”
And then he finally kissed me.