My breath was visible as we stepped out of Rory’s BMW and onto the sidewalk in front of his house. Thankfully, my hiccups had subsided.
I could see Boris and his family through the window. Snowflakes were starting to fall. It was going to be a white Christmas after all.
When the door opened, Boris greeted me with welcoming arms. “There she is…the famous Amber. I’ve heard a lot about you, darlin.’ We only have two rules in this house. You make yourself at home, and you leave your troubles behind.”
“Well, this sounds like exactly the kind of place I need tonight.”
Rory took my coat, and I followed Boris into the kitchen.
“Rory told me you’re a Cosmo girl,” he said.
It didn’t register at first. “A what?”
“The drink. You like it, right? I had Stephanie pick up the ingredients from the liquor store to make you some.”
“Oh! The drink. Yes, it’s my favorite. That was really nice of you, Boris.”
Rory put his hand on Boris’ shoulder. “Thank you.”
Stephanie came rushing into the kitchen. She was wiping her hand on her pants so she could extend it to me. “Sorry…peanut butter hands. I’m Stephanie. You must be Amber.”
“So nice to meet you.”
Stephanie kissed Rory on the cheek. It was clear that they considered him like family.
After she introduced me to her husband and daughter, we sat around the living room enjoying our drinks and the appetizers that were laid out on the table.
The artificial Christmas tree was lit up with piles of presents underneath, and holiday music was playing on low volume.
At one point, Stephanie announced that it was time for the annual people decorating tradition. She divided the room into three teams: Boris and Sophie, herself and Mitchell, and Rory and me. The object of the game was that one person would decorate the other like a Christmas tree. Rory volunteered to be the tree for our team.
Stephanie gave out scissors, construction paper, tinsel, foil, tape, and little jingly balls. Each team had ten minutes to decorate their person.
Stephanie would then post pictures on her Facebook page and let her friends decide the winning team.
Rory was a good sport as I wrapped him up like a present. We would laugh every time pieces of paper or tinsel would fall off of him. Our eyes would lock, and for fleeting moments, I would neglect to remember that he wasn’t my boyfriend anymore. With just the right amount of alcohol in me and this fun holiday game, it was becoming easier to forget the heartbreaking situation I’d gotten myself into.
The game finished, and Sophie ended up taking the prize. Afterward, we all sat around the living room again for coffee and dessert. It was really hard not to love these people; they were warm and welcoming.
Rory was being very quiet, overall. He’d steal glances at me as he ate his pie, but we were both pretty much letting everyone else take control of the conversations.
“Let me tell you something about your Rory,” Stephanie said as she pointed her cheesecake-laden fork at me. My Rory. “He’s a saint. He is so gosh darn good to my dad. I don’t know what I would do if he wasn’t looking after him. I used to worry so much, but with Rory upstairs now, I don’t have to.”
Rory smiled. “Well, he hasn’t kicked me out of the house yet, so…”
She looked at me. “You have an amazing boyfriend there.”
The expression on his face dampened. Clearly, Stephanie assumed we were together. I was surprised she didn’t know, since Rory mentioned he told Boris everything.
Rory looked unsure of whether to correct her then said, “We’re not together anymore, actually.”
A look of embarrassment washed over Stephanie’s face. “Oh…I’m sorry. I just assumed…” She turned to her father. “Dad, you told me they were together.”
“I didn’t say that. I said…she was his love.”
The room went still for a moment.
She looked over at me and seemed to cringe. “Oh, my God. I’m sorry. I feel stupid now. Well, not that my opinion matters, but you two make such a beautiful couple. Truly. I hope you can work it out. You’d make beautiful babies someday.”
Her words were like a knife to the heart. I couldn’t believe she’d said that. A pain so enormous filled my chest. Just like that, our joyous, merry evening turned dark.
Rory was just looking down at his shoes. He’d been so cool and calm tonight, so positive, really putting his best foot forward to make me comfortable and to enjoy the evening without bringing up any drama. That couldn’t have been easy for him given the circumstances. But that comment was like a huge slap in the face, even though she obviously had no clue what she’d done.
He suddenly got up. “Excuse me.” Then, he headed toward the kitchen.
I wasn’t sure whether to join him or give him space.