Holiday dangers

Chapter 15. Andrew

She handed him the house slippers and he bent down to take off his boots. But when he got back up she was standing so close to him that they could almost touch.

Again, time freezed for them, it happened quite often when he was with Kate. He couldn't avert his gaze from her deep blue eyes and she wasn't taking her eyes of him either. He got the urge to scope her in his arms, and carry her somewhere where they would be alone. But he resisted that urge, it was too soon. She averted her eyes, and just like that their moment was gone.

She took his coat from him and hanged it on the rack. Andrew noticed the attention and admiration with which Kate was looking at his coat, slowly running her fingers over the fabric. For a moment he felt jealous of the coat getting so much attention from her. But at the same time he felt silly for such a thought.

"Do you like it?" He asked. But she looked at him confused, not knowing at what he meant. "The coat, I mean." He said pointing at the coat after seeing her puzzled expression.

"Oh, yes." She replied looking relieved for some reason unknown to Andrew. "The craftsmanship is simply amazing. Where did you buy it?"

He chuckled. "A friend made it for me. I knew that you would appreciate her work."

For just a second her expression changed but he couldn't quite figure it out what was happening in her head. So he let it go and didn't pressure her to tell him.

"Well, it is a really good work, I can't deny that. I am not sure if I could pull out such skilled piece with my current set of skills." She admitted.

The idea lith up in Andrew's mind. "Maybe I could introduce you two on one occasion. Perhaps she will show you how she did it." He offered.

"Yeah, that would be a good opportunity." She said, but somehow reluctantly.

He wanted to tell her more about his friend and how he thought that they would become good friends too, despite the age gap. But he was interrupted by Mr. Thompson who came down the stairs.

"Why are you two still standing in the hallway?" Kate's father startled them. "Let's go inside."

"Yeah, let us go inside, to the living room." Kate added obviously embarrassed.

"Ladies first." Andrew joked, making a hand gesture to let her go first. He wanted to make her smile at least a little bit more.

Kate chuckled like a little girl and curtsied as a response to his gesture. "What a gentleman." But she complied with his gentlemanly act and went inside before him. Andrew noticed that Jon was trying to hide his smile behind his hand but he was failing.

Kate lead them to the big couch and Andrew was just about to sit down when the front door opened again. And you could hear loud thumping of the boots. It was probably David cleaning the snow from his footwear.

Andrew was right. Soon after David announced his presence loudly.

"Hello family!" He strared with his usual charade which he performed when he was feeling happy for some reason. But his theatrical entrance was aborted when he noticed Andrew sitting on the couch, close to his sister. "And hello to you too, my friend."

That simple sentence may have seemed short and without too much content to other observers. But the two had spent most of their lives inseparable, and Andrew knew how every neuron in David's brain worked. Any pitch that would seem normal to another ear would reveal a whole novel of thoughts to Andrew.

In short, their unspoken conversation went like this:

David: What are you doing here?

Andrew: I came to do what I was supposed to do years earlier.

David: So you finally grow a pair of balls. And how did it go?

Andrew: Would I be sitting here now if it didn't go well?

David: Oh, you sly bastard. We will continue this later.

David broke their silent conversation and continued to talk. "Am I on time for dinner? I didn't miss anything right?"

"You are right on time hunny." Natalie chirped exiting the kitchen. In her hands was a large, steaming pot that looked very heavy.

Jon jumped from the couch to help his wife with the pot, and the two young man followed his lead. But Natalie refused their help.

"No need guys." She said. "Besides, it is hot and only I have kitchen mittens." She added, probably so as not to hurt their male egos. "Let's go into the dining room to eat, I am quite famished."

The Thompsons eagerly accepted her invitation, and they followed Natalie in the direction of the dining room, like mice after the flute piper. Andrew was no exception, the food smelled delicious and his stomach rumbled to tell him to walk faster. He couldn't deny that Natalie was a great cook, and the easy-to-prepare food he prepared for himself every day was no match for the wonders that came from her kitchen.

At the large wooden table they each had their own place where they sat most often, and he was made to sit next to Kate this time. She blushed slightly again at that gesture, as if she was suddenly embarrassed, although this was not the first time they had sat at this table and eaten together.

"Come on, everyone, help yourselves before the food gets cold." Natalie said, urging them to pour and passing them plates with numerous dishes.

Everything looked so delicious that Andrew didn't know where to began, but Natalie solved that problem when she put a full spoon of every dish into his plate. Suddenly there was so much food in front of him that he wasn't sure if he would be able to eat it all.

On the other hand, right next to him, Kate was already happily stuffing food into her mouth. She made adorable noises as she blissfully munched on her food. Andrew hided his chuckle behind his hand. He couldn't help himself seeing her enjoy like that. But while doing that he choked on his own food, and started coughing.

"Are you okay?" Kate said, while tapping him on the back trying to help him.

"Yeah, I am okay. The food just went the wrong way." He replied through a smile.

He felt a warm feeling spreading through him. This kind of a homey atmosphere is what he was yarning for. In that moment he could see himself getting old beside Kate. Every day they would sit down to have lunch together, and then he would clean the table and wash the dishes. He would easily get used to such a warm and slow life, only if he had Kate with him.

But he was a little too engrossed in his fantasies about a possible future when John's voice surprised him and jolted him out of his imaginary world. He got so easily distracted when Kate was in question that sometimes he couldn't even recognize himself.

"So Andrew did you think about what I asked you yesterday? Will you be able to make it?" Jon asked.

"Sorry, Mr. Thompson but you will have to remind me what exactly we talked about?" Andrew replied, trying his best to remember what they talked about yesterday but his mind was preoccupied with other things and he just couldn't remember.

"About that decorating event for children's Santa village. You remember David suggested that we all go together." Jon reminded him.

"What decorating event?" Kate butted in the conversation.

"Well, for a few years now, every year for Christmas we go to take toys and decorations to the children from the hospital and orphanage and then together we decorate the big Christmas tree that is in Santa village." Her father explained.

"That is something new. We didn't do that earlier." Kate said.

"But isn't it just a wonderful tradition to have." Kate's mother added. "Kate you too are going this year." That wasn't a question.

"I don't know how Christmas decorations could help anyone, but okay I will go. It is not like I have anything better to do." She agreed. "But," she continued, "Wouldn't it be better if we organized a fundraising or toy selling for that children instead of decorating a Christmas tree that they will remove after the holidays anyway?"

"You just don't understand the magic of the Christmas tree." Her mother said, clicking her tongue. "It is the happiest moment of the year."

"Not cleaning after that tree is my happiest moment of the year." Kate replied.

The tension between two ladies became almost palpable in the room. Jon and Andrew were searching their brains for the idea how to join the conversation and break up what looked like a possible beginning of an argument. The only one who was not taken aback was David, who was eating contentedly and watching the whole situation as if it was extremely amusing to him.

"That could actually be a good idea, Kate." Jon interjected, feeling a bit nervous going against his wife. "But how could we manage to organize something like that in such a short time?"

Thinking about what Kate suggested, Andrew brainstormed an idea. "Perhaps I have an idea how to do it all in such a short time." He declared.