NEW HOME
1090 Words
“Just a few things you need to know about my kids… and about living with us.”
Alex’s voice broke the quiet between them as he turned slightly, catching Julia’s eyes.
Julia straightened in her seat.
“Okay. I’m listening.”
He cleared his throat.
“It’s nothing serious. Just… girl rules. Stuff they make up.”
She smiled faintly.
“Go on.”
“First—Anna hates her things being touched. She’s big on privacy. Always ask before going into her space.”
He paused.
“Secondly… we eat mostly take-out. I’m a terrible cook. But I’m trying.”
Julia nodded, her expression softening.
“By 9 p.m., she watches The Simpsons. Non-negotiable.”
A small smile tugged at his lips.
“She loves ballet and violin. Practices in the garage because she hates being watched. So… give her privacy.”
Julia nodded again, mentally taking notes.
“My aunt comes every Saturday. Sometimes takes the girls for the weekend. She’s nice. Just… don’t say too much, don’t say too little. Show her you’re useful and you’re good.”
“Okay.” Julia replied.
“My girls love Christmas. It’s… not exactly my thing, but I try. So don’t kill their vibe, and we’re good.”
He exhaled.
“Eve is easy-going. I’m sure she’ll like you.”
He stopped and looked at her.
“Hope it’s not too much?”
“It’s not,” she said with a warm smile. “I’ll follow everything. Promise.”
Alex froze for a second—her smile did something to him. Something he hadn’t felt in a very long time.
He looked away quickly and pulled into the garage.
***
“Took you forever.”
Anna burst out of the door, frowning. Then her eyes landed on Julia.
“Wait… why is she here? I thought she left.”
Alex kneeled so he was eye-level with her.
“She’ll be staying with us. Just for a while. Until after Christmas.”
Anna blinked, processing it.
Then shrugged.
“Sure. But she shouldn’t touch my stuff.”
“Already told her,” Alex replied.
“Then we’re good. Now what’s for breakfast? I’m starving.”
She grabbed the pizza and milkshakes from the backseat and disappeared inside.
Alex let out a nervous, relieved laugh.
“See? She’s not that bad.”
“Yeah,” Julia chuckled.
He opened the trunk.
“Give me a second to get the decorations.”
Julia’s eyes widened.
“These are all for the house?”
“Told you—they take Christmas seriously.”
She grabbed a box beside him.
“Let me help.”
Together they dropped the decorations by the unlit Christmas tree.
“Let me show you to your room,” Alex said.
The guest room was simple, warm, and neat. Gray and white like the rest of the house; a bed, a nightstand, a desk by the window, a mirror by the wardrobe.
“We rarely get visitors, but it’s always ready for emergencies… like this.”
Julia’s eyes swept the space.
“It’s perfect.”
Alex turned on the heater and shut the window.
“Bathroom’s stocked with everything. Take your time. Breakfast’s waiting.”
He turned to go.
“Wait.”
Julia’s voice was small.
He paused.
“Yeah?”
“I… don’t have spare clothes.”
His eyes widened.
“Right—give me a minute.”
He left quickly.
The moment he stepped out, Julia darted into the bathroom, stripping out of her cold clothes. She filled the tub with warm water, added soap, and sank into it with a long, shaky exhale.
“Finally…”
She closed her eyes, letting the warmth melt through her.
She hummed another love by Tom odell gently with her angelic tune echoing off the tiles.
Alex stepped back inside with folded clothes—only to stop when he heard her voice behind the bathroom door.
For a moment, he just stood there… listening.
Her voice was beautiful. Effortless.
Like something you’d stumble on once in a lifetime.
He placed the clothes quietly on the bed and slipped out.
The clothes were far too big—his polo almost swallowed her, hanging like a dress. The pants didn’t fit at all, so she left them. Her damp hair framed her face, soft and wavy, clinging slightly to her cheeks.
Her n*****s pressed faintly against the fabric through the cold, and Julia flushed, tugging the shirt closer as she stepped into the living room.
“Hi…” she said, shy.
Alex looked up—and froze.
The oversized shirt, her bare legs, her damp hair, her soft face—
He snapped his gaze away immediately.
“Didn’t know they’d be that big,” he muttered.
She laughed nervously and headed to the microwave.
After eating—devouring, actually—she tossed the box away.
“Wow,” Alex teased. “Didn’t know you were a big eater.”
She almost choked.
“Only when I’m hungry.”
Then she knelt beside the tree.
“So… how can I help?”
His lips lifted.
“We can finish this before the girls get back.”
They spent the entire afternoon decorating—wrapping gifts, hanging lights, fixing ribbons, setting up the tree. Working together felt oddly natural, like they’d known each other longer than a day.
By the time they finished, the sun was dipping.
“Thanks a lot,” Alex said, tossing trash into the bin.
“It’s the least I could do.”
“I’m going to pick up the kids from their ballet practice. Want dinner? What do you want?”
“Whatever you’re having.”
He nodded.
“Want to come?”
Julia glanced at her oversized shirt.
“In this?”
He laughed softly.
“Fair point.”
She headed toward her room.
“I’ll wait here then.”
As soon as she hit the bed, she was out cold.
Alex drove toward the ballet studio—but his thoughts were nowhere near the road.
He kept replaying the day.
Her laugh.
Her voice.
Her softness.
Her strength.
Her beauty—gentle, unexpected, disarming.
And her in his shirt…
Her n*****s visible like it was begging to be sucked.
Her hair dripping…
Her smile so natural that you would feel lost in it.
He gripped the steering wheel tighter.
“Jeez… stop it, Alex.”
He shook his head as if trying to fling the thoughts out the window.
But they stayed.
Every single one of them.
- Writer
