Holiday dangers

Chapter 9..Andrew

Chapter 9. Andrew

He wasn't planning on going to Thompson's annual party this year either. A crowd of curious eyes and ears closed in a small space was not his idea of a good time. But this year, David insisted that he show up. He even threatened him with their years-long friendship. David could be quite dramatic from time to time. Yet, he could never refuse his best friend, especially when he insisted so much.

But when he came and saw why David insisted that he come this year, he was glad that he listened. He just walked through the front door, and there she was, the person he longed to see for so many years. She was coming down the stairs.

Kate. His love from high school days. David's little sister. And she was absolutely stunning. He remembered her as a girl with a wide smile, but now she was a woman with elegant features, and her bright blue eyes shone with new light.

That green, long-sleeve dress fitted her perfectly; it enchanted every ounce of her perfect figure. God, did she turn out beautiful. He was left utterly speechless. He couldn't take his eyes off her. Her whole appearance was astonishing, and although she had changed since he had last seen her, he recognized her immediately.

They haven't seen or heard from each other in years, ever since she left to study design in the big city. But the moment their eyes met erased all those years of separation in a second. Between the two of them there was a connection deeper than time and space. It felt like it was only yesterday that he had asked her to save her first dance for him on her eighteenth birthday.

When she was almost at the bottom of the stairs, she noticed him too. And he could see something in her blue eyes, something that he couldn't wrap his finger about quite yet, but she used to look at him like that when they were younger.

"Look what the cat dragged in." He blurted out, facepalming himself mentally. "Ain't it a little Kate." i***t! He meant for himself. Who would say something so stupid to the beautiful woman standing in front of him? He definitely needed some practice in the basic human conversation department.

And yet, despite his bad joke, she smiled at him and his heart got instantly warmer. He felt like he could run outside in deep snow naked and not feel any cold at all.

"Oh ain't it old Andrew." She tried to match his bad joke. But he deserved it. He shouldn't have called her 'little'. She was not a little girl that chased him around anymore. And she definitely wasn't 'his Kate' anymore. That thought made him sad for some reason, but he didn't let it show on his face. He shouldn't be sad now that he has got the chance to see her again.

"Ha ha. Okay I deserved that." Andrew laughed. "I had gotten old." He said, scratching his stubble. He shaved yesterday, but his beard was growing fast.

He pulled her in a hug. And when she was nestled into his arms, he felt such peace, like they were meant to stay like that forever. "You look beautiful, Kate." He couldn't help but whisper in her ear, softly, so that only she could hear him.

She blushed, slowly pulling away from his embrace, and his arms suddenly felt very cold. He wished he could hold her a little bit longer, but it would not be appropriate.

"Well, you don't look so bad yourself." She said, checking him from head to toe. "Despite the jeans and leather jacket on the Christmas party look." She added.

He laughed again. Yes, in comparison to her stunning night gown, he looked almost rugged. They didn't go arm to arm. But he didn't mind. And he knew that she also didn't mind the difference between their clothing.

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

Now it was her time to laugh. "That does sound like David. With what did he threaten you?" She agreed with him wholeheartedly. The two of them were the closest to David and they both knew him and his personality very well.

"With our friendship." He admitted. "But I'm glad that I listened to him for once in my life." He paused a little bit, but then decided to say what he really meant. He missed her a lot during all those years. "I am happy to see you again, Kate." He gave her his best smile to show her that he was speaking from the bottom of his heart.

Kate looked like she wanted to say something, her face showed that her mind was conflicted. He waited patiently for her to sort her thoughts. But just as she was about to say what was bothering her, 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 courtly, hoping that she would notice that they were in the middle of the conversation and leave them be. But he expected too much from Natalie. She was never a subtile one.

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

"Duty calls." Kate excused herself with an apologetic smile, leaving Andrew alone with her mother.

He didn't like the sight of her back getting further away from him. He didn't want to let go of her again. But she wasn't his, and he didn't have any right to interfere in her family stuff.

"She'll we?" Natalie repeated when she saw that he remained frozen in place.

"Yes, yes I am going." He said, snapping out of his daze. "And now I would really like a cup of your famous punch."

Kate's mother giggled, she liked compliments. He was practically raised in this house alongside David and Kate because his parents were constantly traveling for work, and were rarely home. He knew each Thompson down to their extreme personality traits. The father was a quiet and sincere man. Kate inherited most of his traits. But the mother was compleat opposite. She was a strong and independent woman, but she was often very loud and not aware of other people's personal space. She had a strong, big presence, but because of that she often tended to forget that other people had a different pace and way of life. From a young age, it was difficult for Kate to cope with this trait of her mother's personality, and because of this, a rift would often arise between the two of them.

"Here you go," she said, putting a cup of cold punch into his hands. "David and Jon should be somewhere around the couch, if you want to join them." She said with a wink. "I need to tend to other guests. But I am glad to see you, Andrew. You haven't visited in a while, and we missed you. Have fun at the party." She didn't even wait for his reply when she disappeared in the crowd, mingling with other guests.

There was no use going against Natalie, so he left to find his best friend. He will find an opportunity to talk to Kate later.

When he finally made his way through the crowd, all the way to the couch, he noticed that David and his father were already engrossed in conversation about some topic. But David noticed him immediately and waved at him, showing Andrew to join them. Andrew nodded gratefully to his friend. He certainly didn't want to stand alone in this crowd. He didn't like crowds to begin with. And the punch glass in his hand was already empty as he walked up to his best friend. The crowd made him nervous, and it gave him a nervous tic to focus more on the glass than on them. David immediately noticed that his glass was empty and offered him another drink.

"Here, I got you a beer." David said, giving him the bottle.

"Thank you." Andrew simply replied.

"So Andrew, how is life? Did you meet with Kate?" David's father asked him.

"Yes, we met earlier, but briefly. She had changed from that little girl she used to be." He replied sincerely.

"She had changed. You are right, but it is not for worse. It is just how life is. But something is bothering her. I can tell, but she doesn't want to tell me what." Jon, Kate's and David's father, told them.

"You worry too much, dad." David said. "You know that she doesn't like the holidays very much. Maybe it is just that."

"No, no it is something else, I can tell." Jon continued.

"What do you mean?" Andrew asked, confused. She did seem a bit awkward earlier, but he presumed it was because they hadn't seen each other for a very long time.

"She seems to be distant somehow, you know, like she is here physically, but her mind is somewhere else." Kate's dad said, reviling his distress.

"Maybe she is just in love," David added carelessly.

At the mention of Kate being in love, Andrew's heart started beating faster. And he searched the crowd hoping to spot her. And there she was, at the other end of the room, surrounded by older women. She looked as if she was bored, as if she would rather run away from this place. Her nervousness was also revealed by the glass of wine from which she sipped little by little, but too often. The two of them seem to share the same nervous habit at parties. But if she keeps it up, with her slight build, she'll soon get too drunk. Andrew was worried about her.

"What do you think of that idea, Andrew?" Jon asked him.

"I am sorry I didn't hear what you asked me?" Andrew apologized.

Jon laughed. "Don't worry, I tend to lose my nerve at these parties too," Jon said, understandingly. "I asked if you would be willing to help with decorating Santa's village for the orphanage? David suggested that we should all go this year."

"Ah, I can't make any promises, but if I found time I would love to help." He answered politely. He didn't really care about holidays, but if other commitments allowed him, he would like to help someone.

After that, their conversation turned to other topics. In some he took part, while in others he just nodded, secretly glancing at Kate from time to time. He hoped he could catch her alone, if only for a little while.

Once their eyes met, he couldn't help but smile at her. Fortunately for him, she smiled back. He was just about to move towards her and drag her away from the crowd if necessary when David's comment brought him back to the present.

David noticed where Andrew was looking at and decided to rile him up a bit.

"No luck there, dude, she is engaged." His best friend whispered into Andrew's ear, pitifully taping his shoulder.

Luckily, David said that in a whisper so no one else heard him. No one else would ask why that mattered or why his expression turned darker suddenly. Only his best friend knew that he had been in love with Kate since they were children.

But now she was engaged to someone else. She had someone in her life, and he was no longer part of it. Come to think of it, he hasn't been a part of her life ever since she moved out of this town. That thought stung him hard in the heart.