Holiday dangers

Chapter 7. Kate

Chapter 7. Kate

As she descended the stairs she heard her brother's voice calling her.

"Kate!" He shouted. "Come over here, look who I brought to the party!"

She went to look at why he called her, and she was taken aback when she saw who her brother was referring to.

Standing in the hallway, right in front of her, was no one other than her childhood crush and her brother's best friend, Andrew. She recognized him immediately, despite the fact that they hadn't seen each other in almost ten long years. As she laid her eyes on him, it was as if time had stopped and only the two of them remained.

And, oh boy! He grew up fine! This was the first thought that crossed Kate's mind. He was so strikingly gorgeous that Kate's jaw dropped all the way to the floor. She felt immediately drawn to this alluring man in front of her, and the fact that that man was her Andrew, only enchanted this magic that was happening between the two of them right now.

She almost jumped over the few steps that separated them. She was in a hurry to catch up with him, to say 'hi', to find out what was new in his life, just to speak with him one more time. She missed him terribly for all those years.

In that rush, she nearly fell right under his feet. How embarrassing that would be, but she managed to hold back. Although the dress was wider and more comfortable in the lower part, it was still not easy to move in it, especially down the steep stairs. And those beautiful eyes in front of her attracted all her attention, everything else disappeared.

She felt like a little girl again, and it was as if the butterflies in her stomach, which she thought had died long ago, fluttered again. She couldn't fully explain the wonderful feeling she had when she saw him again. In her life she dated many gorgeous men, but no one could ever compare to him.

He was always a cute boy, even when he hid his face behind the nerdy glasses. Many girls wanted to date him even back then. But now, all grown up and in full strength, he had put on some muscles and broadened his shoulders. And she noticed that he was not wearing any glasses this time. He was no longer looking like that nerdy boy she remembered. Ladies must have been throwing themselves at his feet all the time.

The biggest change on him was his hair. When they were younger, she remembered that his hair was always messy from sleeping and no matter what he did, he couldn't fix it. But now he let his hair grow into a long silky mane, which fell in waves over his shoulders. It looked so enchanting, and Kate got the urge to run her hand through it.

It suited him well. The long hair and leather jacket gave him an alluring bad boy aura. Something she had never before experienced from him. But they are both grown up now. Of course, both of them have changed. They are no longer the children they used to be. And he is no longer 'her nerdy Andrew'. But she liked this new version too.

She wanted to say something so badly but her mouth just didn't work properly. Her brain froze, and of everything she wanted to ask him and tell him, not a single sentence could come out of her mouth. And so she just stared at him, but luckily Andrew broke the silence.

"Look what the cat dragged in. Ain't it a little Kate." He finally spoke after a moment of just looking at each other speechless.

His deep voice sent shivers down her spine, but she managed to maintain her composure.

"Isn't it the old Andrew." Kate joked in the same manner and emphasized the word 'old'. He wasn't that much older than her, and she definitely wasn't 'little Kate' anymore.

Despite all the awkwardness, she hugged him. He was the one person she missed the most after moving to the big town. And despite her feelings, they hadn't heard or seen each other since she told him she was leaving. Maybe they both thought that it would be easier that way, but seeing him now, after all those years, everything surged back to her. The possibility of a life they could have led, if only she hadn't left. But there was no point in thinking about what could have been. She left and that was the end of their story. She chose her dreams and career over him.

"Ha ha. Okay, I deserved that." Andrew laughed. "I have gotten old," He said, scratching his stubble.

Kate fumbled, trying to explain that she didn't really think he looked old and that it was just a stupid joke. But before she could say anything, he leaned closer to her. She could feel his warm breath on her cheek, and it made her skin tingle.

"You look beautiful, Kate." He whispered into her ear so only she could hear him.

Kate blushed at his unexpected compliment. "Well, you don't look so bad yourself." She could still feel the sensation of his warm breath on her cheek. "Despite the jeans and leather jacket on the Christmas party look."

He laughed again, and it was the most wonderful sound she had heard in a while.

"I wasn't planning on coming here tonight, but David threatened me." He confessed.

Now it was her time to laugh. "That does sound like David. With what did he threaten you?" David inherited his mother's personality. And speaking of David, she didn't even notice when he disappeared after he called her to come downstairs. She was too engrossed in her reunion with Andrew to care for anything else, and David probably wanted to give them some time alone.

"With our friendship. But I'm glad that I listened to him for once in my life. I am happy to see you again, Kate." He smiled at her just as he would back when they were children and her heart melted.

She wanted to tell him that she was sorry for leaving the way she did, for not calling all those years. But just as she opened her mouth to speak, her mother barged in.

"Andrew!" Natalie chirped. "I am glad you've made it this year!"

"I'm glad to be here too, Mrs. Thompson. Happy holidays." He replied sweetly.

"Come, come inside, get yourself comfortable," Kate's mother ushered. "And Kate, aunt and uncle want to see you."

"Duty calls." She excused herself with an apologetic smile, leaving Andrew unwillingly.

She walked slowly, one foot in front of the other, but she didn't look back to see if he was still looking in her direction. She wanted to spend some more time with him. They had just met again. But she didn't want to appear too eager or worse, pushy. She was the one who decided to move away and leave everything. She had no right to chase after him now.

"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" She muttered to herself furiously.

She is already twenty-eight years old. When will she learn to stand up to her mother for once? Apparently never, because she wouldn't be walking through the crowd, looking for her old aunt and uncle now, she would still be with Andrew, talking about every little thing she wanted to ask him. She would apologize to him for leaving like that, for not calling all those years.

Emotions swarmed inside her mind, this whole situation was overwhelming. That's why she decided to do what she always did when her thoughts burdened her too much, to push them aside.

But there was no point in crying over spilled milk. What happened in the past happened and cannot be changed. Straightening her back, Kate continued with more determined steps to make her way through the crowd of people. She will find Andrew later, and then they will have time to catch up for all these lost years. But now she needs to survive her aunt and uncle.