Chapter Fifteen

Ryan stared at the snow that had drifted into the window during the night. Outside, it was light. Miles’s bedroom door was pulled closed but not entirely shut, the room gaining all its light from was little sun there was outside. His best friend was fast asleep beside him curled up in blankets. The room was peaceful. Ryan glanced at the clock and saw it said 9:02. He was surprised Linda and Richard weren’t up yet. He knew Charlie was still probably dead in his room.

Ryan slowly pushed himself out of bed and immediately missed Miles’s body heat.

No, no I don’t, Ryan shook his head to try to rid himself of the thought. He tiptoed over to the window to stare out at the front yard. Snow covered the ground, a thick layer of powder that Ryan knew wouldn’t stick. The street was quiet, as it would be on Christmas morning. Ryan felt weird being up when the rest of the family was still in bed, but Ryan was no longer tired. Ryan turned around to stare at Miles, who didn’t budge. He couldn’t get back into bed with Miles without it being weird, Ryan knew. He wasn’t willing to test things.

Ryan found one of his hoodies underneath Miles’s computer chair. He pulled it from the ground and slipped it over his head and torso. A pair of slippers that Ryan almost never wore was kicked under the windowsill, and Ryan slipped them on. As he headed to the door, Ryan took one last look at Miles. He looked better. The medication he was on was apparently starting to kick in. That brightened Ryan’s mood.

Ryan pulled open the door and stepped into the hallway. It, like Miles’s room, was getting all its light from outside. The sky was grey with clouds, a not particularly jolly Christmas Day. Down the stairs Ryan went until he got to the kitchen. After digging through the refrigerator, he found the tins of Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls that Miles’s family always ate on Christmas morning while opening presents. After pulling from the fridge two of the tins, Ryan heard stirring from upstairs. Guessing it would be safe to begin breakfast, Ryan pulled the cookie sheets and muffin tins from the oven where they were stored. He began preheating the oven. By the time Ryan had managed to get some hot water boiling for coffee, Charlie had emerged in the doorway wearing a pair of pajama bottoms and a bright pink robe.

“Dude…” Ryan said when he saw Miles’s brother.

“Shut up,” Charlie said as he rubbed his eyes, “This thing’s ridiculously warm. It’s fleece.”

Ryan smirked. “Congratulations.”

“Starting the cinnamon rolls?” Charlie asked.

“Yeah. And the coffee.”

“Excellent,” Charlie approved. “Mom and Dad will be happy they don’t have to do it.”

“Merry Christmas,” Ryan said.

“Merry Christmas,” Charlie replied, “And P.S. I better be getting something good from you.”

Ryan laughed. “I think you’ll like it. I got it in Seattle.”

“Give me a clue.”

“No.”

“Come on,” Charlie whined, “Where’d you get it?”

“Stop acting five,” Ryan laughed again. He started placing some of the cinnamon rolls onto one of the cookie sheets. “You’ll find out soon enough. Why are you in such a good mood, anyway?”

“It’s Christmas. Everyone should be in a good mood, even you and my dumbass brother.”

“We were never not-”

“Yes you were, so shut up and pay attention to those rolls. Cinnamon side up, remember?”

“Shut up.”

Charlie laughed. “So I’m just going to tell you what I got you, alright? Because I know you don’t like surprises.”

Ryan looked up from the rolls for a second and raised his eyebrows at Charlie. “Okay?”

“Gift cards. One for twenty five for American Eagle so you can buy that jacket you’ve been eyeing up for a few months. It’s officially on clearance; you get twenty five percent off. So I figured you might want to buy it. And I got you a Regal gift card for twenty five so you can officially take my brother out on a date.”

“Charlie…” Ryan warned.

“Just saying,” Charlie defended himself, “You’ll thank me one day.”

“Don’t count on it,” Ryan said. The oven started beeping, signaling the end of its preheating. Ryan pulled open the door and slid in the cookie sheet. He set the timer on the oven and turned to face Charlie. “You really think I’m going to take Miles on a date?”

“You make it seem like it’s never going to happen,” Charlie said.

“Not in this lifetime,” Ryan said, turning his back on Charlie to stare out the window at the snow falling.

“Don’t discount it,” Charlie explained. “You get too ahead of yourself sometimes.”

“Are those cinnamon buns I see?” said a voice.

Ryan turned in time to see Linda and Richard entering the kitchen, fully dressed, with Richard eyeing up the oven excitedly. Richard saw his oldest son’s outfit and rolled his eyes. “Merry Christmas!” he greeted.

“Merry Christmas!” repeated Linda.

“Merry Christmas,” Ryan and Charlie said in unison. He turned back to look out the window, embarrassed. He hadn’t heard Miles’s parents coming down the stairs, and he didn’t know how much they’d heard.

“Where’s Miles?” Ryan heard Linda ask.

“Still in bed,” Ryan answered while turning himself back to face the Barons.

“Someone should get him up before those rolls are done,” Richard suggested, “I’m sure you guys will want to start on your presents-”

“Ooh!” squealed Charlie, “Let me go wake him up!”

Before anyone could protest, Charlie flew from the kitchen and up the stairs. Ryan shrugged his shoulders when Linda shot him an exasperated look. “Well,” she said, “Charlie always did love Christmas.”

Richard snorted. “Charlie always loved the presents that come along with Christmas.”

“You’ve got to give him props for enthusiasm, though,” Ryan pointed out.

The whistle on the pot started screaming, and Linda hurried to the stove to take the pot from the heat. She began spooning Folger’s coffee into three cups knowing that neither Ryan nor Miles would want any. By the time Charlie returned to the kitchen with Miles in tow, Linda had added French Vanilla CoffeeMate creamer to the steaming coffee. Miles looked ready to kill someone. That was Ryan’s signal he was feeling better.

“Is there a reason why you sent him up to herd me out of bed?” Miles asked bitterly, plopping into a seat at the table next to his father.

“We’re starting presents,” Linda replied, “Attitude, young man.”

“Mom…” Miles groaned.

“Let’s all congregate in the living room, shall we?” Richard suggested, standing up from his seat. “Your mother and I took the liberty of putting all the gifts under the tree last night.”

Charlie wasted no time in hurrying off to the living room where he promptly shoveled through the gifts until he found the presents with a tag with his name on it. Linda stared disapprovingly while Richard rolled his eyes, amused. Ryan and Miles sat next to each other on the couch. Miles curled his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his knees. Ryan sat cross-legged. Charlie threw Miles and Ryan each a present, then handed one each to his mom and dad.

“Age first,” he reminded everyone. To make it fair, they went in order of age one at a time. That meant Richard went first.

“From Miles,” Richard noted. He pulled at the wrapping paper on the present Miles had done up weeks ago. It was tiny and flat, and that could only mean one thing in Richard’s mind. His face lit up when he saw what was wrapped. “Lottery tickets!”

Miles managed a small smile. “Merry Christmas, Dad.” His dad loved the scratch-off lottery tickets. He’d given Charlie money and asked him to buy him thirty dollars worth of their father’s favorite scratch-offs.

“Merry Christmas!” Richard said, setting the present aside.

“Alright, you’re next Linda,” Ryan commented.

Linda nodded and ripped the tape from her own wrapping paper, but not before peering at the tag. “From Ryan.” She slid from the wrapping paper three DVD boxes. She separated the boxes from each other to look at the titles. “Fried Green Tomatoes, Steel Magnolias, and Field of Dreams!” she laughed.

“I knew you didn’t have any of them on DVD, so I figured…” Ryan said sheepishly.

“No, no! They’re lovely, Ryan. Thank you! You know how much I like these movies…”

“Merry Christmas, Mrs. B.”

“You too, Ryan.” She sat the DVDs next to her.

“Okay, my turn!” Charlie said excitedly. He searched through his presents for the one Ryan got him. “Aha,” he said when he found it. He didn’t spend time pulling at the wrapping paper neatly. He clawed at it with his fingers until he saw the white clothes box underneath. It was taped, so he used his fingernail to slice through it. He lifted the lid and his jaw dropped.

“No fucking way,” he said when he managed speech again.

“I hope you like it.” Ryan shrugged.

“Like… Like it? Dude, this is amazing!”

Ryan smiled.

“What is it?” Linda asked.

It was then that Charlie lifted from the box a white t-shirt with the Nirvana CD cover “Nevermind” on the front and the track list on the back. On the front, very distinctly, was a scrawled black “Kurt.”

“Am I supposed to know what that is?” Richard wanted to know.

“Dad,” Charlie said impatiently, “It’s a Nirvana shirt with Kurt Cobain’s signature.”

“Dave and Krist signed the back, under the track list,” Ryan added.

Charlie turned the shirt over to get a closer look at the back, and sure enough there were two other black signatures, though slightly smaller than Kurt’s on the front.

“Oh my God,” Charlie said. He looked up at Ryan and stared. “How did you get this?”

“Well, they’re from Seattle, and I was in this music shop that sells older stuff. And I was looking at the Nirvana and Pearl Jam merch, and one of the guys that works there asked me if I was into them. I said I had a friend who was a big Nirvana fan. So he took me into the back section that’s roped off where they keep all the signed insignia, and in a case he had this shirt. He said it was signed right after ‘Nevermind’ came out. So I bought it.”

“…How much was it?” Charlie asked.

“Not saying,” Ryan said, “It was worth it. I thought you’d like it. Besides, it’s better it’s with you rather than collecting dust in a case in some old music shop.”

“Well, I really like it, Ryan. Thank you.”

Ryan smiled and nodded. He glanced at his best friend who was staring at the shirt in something akin to wonder. He didn’t seem particularly enthused to be ripping open his own present, but he did it after Richard ushered him along. The present was from his mother, a new set of wheels for his skateboard.

He smiled tiredly. “Thanks, Mom.”

“Merry Christmas,” she said.

“Okay, Ryan. Looks like you’re last before we start all over again,” Charlie said.

Ryan grinned. “Alright, let’s see. Who’s this from?” He looked at the tag. “Miles…”

Suddenly, the present was ripped from his hands. He looked over at Miles and gave him a strange look. “Dude, what-”

“Don’t open that here,” Miles whispered urgently.

“What’s the problem?” Charlie asked.

“Miles wants me to open his later,” Ryan said slowly, “Last.”

Linda, who had still yet to be let in on the Big Secret, looked at the males confusedly, but Richard just nodded and Charlie shrugged. “Oh kay,” Charlie said, “Then open…this one.” He threw another box to Ryan.

Ryan looked at the tag. This one was from Richard and Linda. Ryan peeled the tape back carefully and slid the box from the wrapping paper. Ryan opened the box to reveal a new pair of black and tan batting gloves.

Ryan looked at Miles’s parents and smiled brightly. “Thanks! You know, I really needed these!”

“You’re very welcome Ryan,” Richard replied. Richard and his wife smiled in return.

And so it went until all of the gifts were opened. Not long after Richard opened his second gift, the oven beeped, signaling the cinnamon rolls were done baking. The presents were paused for a few minutes while everyone snacked on the rolls.

It was quite apparent that nothing could quite beat the autographed Nirvana shirt for Charlie, though he was appreciative of the DVDs and CDs that his parents and brother splurged on. The group dug out some black garbage bags and shoved all of the wrapping paper thrown carelessly on the floor. Then Miles, Ryan, and Charlie took their presents upstairs.

Once in Miles’s room by themselves, the two dumped their gifts on the floor next to Miles’s bed. Then Ryan said, “So… Can I open yours now?”

Miles nodded and pulled from within his pile of gifts the wrapped package that he hadn’t let Ryan open earlier with the family. Ryan took it from him. It was small, and when he shook it lightly he couldn’t hear any noise to give him a clue as to what it was.

Ryan wasted no more time. He ripped the paper open. Out slid a small black cube, a jewelry box. Ryan flicked open the lid.

Inside was a rather large silver ring. It was shiny and polished and looked new, but Ryan knew better. Sure enough, when he lifted the ring from the box and peered to its underside, he clearly saw the engraving: Leben ist nichts ohne Liebe.

“Life is nothing without love,” Ryan said aloud.

“Do you like it?” Miles asked. Ryan thought he detected a hint of apprehension in his voice.

Ryan looked at his best friend and smiled. “Of course. But, Miles… This was your grandfather’s. I distinctly remember when he gave it to you. He told you how your grandmother gave it to him after they got married. He told you to keep it yourself until you found someone special worth giving it to.”

“I found someone special worth giving it to,” Miles insisted. “And look, I know it’s not a locket like Gabrielle gave you, but-”

“It’s better,” Ryan cut him off. “And I love it.”

Ryan didn’t know what confused him more, the fact that he truly did find Miles’s ring better than Gabby’s locket, or the fact that he wasn’t at all nervous when he leaned over and kissed Miles.

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Notice: Woohoo, new chapter! You have my permission to kill me. Believe it or not, it’s taken me over two months to write this chapter. I lost inspiration and I didn’t want to write something really shitty. Hopefully this isn’t too awful. I can’t tell you when I’ll update again, unfortunately. I wanted to update today because it's May 22nd, meaning I have exactly six months until my birthday. I wanted to update as an anniversary sort of thing. So yeah. I hope you enjoyed this chapter in any case. Review, please? Until next time…

P.S. The German sentence in this story may be wrong. I had to use an online translator since I only know a few phrases and words in German, and that sentence is not one of them. However, I used two translators and they both said the same thing, so it very well might be right. If you happen to know German, and it’s wrong, then let me know and I’ll edit it accordingly.