An Aurora Skies Christmas Romance Tale

Chapter 6

Later that night, Miriam stirred in her sleep. She was having the most interesting dream. Somehow she found herself inside Jaron's warehouse home, snuggling with him...on his bed.

Jaron: Oh Miriam, I've wanted you ever since that first day you visited me.



Miriam: Oh Mr. Hodge...I mean...Jaron! I...I don't know what to say. I mean, you've turned out to be a much nicer man than I could've ever imagined, but...you always seemed so...old to me.
Jaron: Nonsense. Allow me to show you just how young I still am.
Miriam: Ooh...



The moans in her sleep began to increase, especially as she felt Jaron's lips stroke hers and as he pressed his body harder against hers.

It felt so weird! So strange! But at the same time...pleasurable. She found herself willfully kissing him back.



The heat was rising, her brow perspiring, and she began to feel a great deal of ecstasy. Boots were kept on and everything!



Then suddenly her greater subconscious snapped her awake as she bolted upward from her pillow, gasping for breath. Her heart pounded with pleasure and anxiety all at once. The dream had felt so real! It weirded her out for a bit, but soon she was able to bring herself back to reality and only hope she could erase the whole dream from her mind.

And even though she didn't find Jaron particularly attractive, she couldn't deny how much she was really becoming attracted to his change of heart.

****

The next morning she found it a bit...awkward when visiting with Jaron.

At least the weather was much nicer this time around so they could carry on another nice conversation outside as usual. If he had invited her inside again, she most likely would've declined.

Stupid dream! she thought with gritted teeth, but oh...WHAT a dream!

****

Early in the morning on December 21st, Jaron studied himself in the mirror a bit.



Hmm, he thought. I think it's time now to let these go...

****

Right at 10 o'clock was the time that Miriam usually arrived and Jaron greatly anticipated it.

He was really beginning to wonder how he was going to move on in this new chapter of his life without seeing her every day once Christmas came and went. The thought caused his heart to ache greatly. Would they stay friends? Would she want to keep seeing him, even if not every day? She'd become so special to him. He had a plan, but didn't want to scare her away while instituting it.

The tables had now turned, where it was he who had to tread lightly.

Outside, Miriam raised her head to the sky, eyes closed, longing for the light kiss of each and every snowflake upon her cheeks. She felt it necessary to thank God for this greatest of miracles. Never did she believe just how much Jaron would change through her small - it seemed to her - gesture of kindness.



Christmas Day was coming soon and she wondered...how things would be between her and Jaron afterward. She felt an ache in her heart at the thought of not coming to see him as often anymore.

Back inside Jaron's home, once that firm, yet gentle, knock on the door rang through his ears, he took in a deep breath and opened the door.

As Miriam's eyes met his she was quite taken aback.

"Uhh," she stammered, leaning in to take a peek inside the house. "I'm looking for Mr. Hodge...I mean...Jaron?" Who's this guy?
Jaron chuckled for a moment and said, "Miriam...it's me."



Miriam's eyes bugged out, recognizing the voice, but in awe at the face. Was this REALLY Jaron Hodge!?
"Oh wow!" she whispered, her feeble fingers dropping her gift into the snow.



"Oh gosh!" she instantly cried, picking it up from the ground and rapidly dusting it off. "I am SO sorry!" Oh my GOSH!
Still chuckling while watching her, Jaron said, "It's alright," as he took the present. "Happy December 21st Miriam," he said for her.
"Uh huh," she barely spoke, like a love-struck school girl. Pull yourself together Miriam...geez!
"Forgive me for startling you," Jaron went on to say. "I just decided this morning that it was finally time to change my look of 12 years..."

Miriam's heart pounded from this brand new array of feelings suddenly encompassing her soul. "No," she assured, "you didn't startle me. I mean, you DID, but in a good way." She quickly brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.
Jaron smiled.
"But yeah, I mean, wow! No more dreadlocks and facial hair...you look like a completely different person!"



"I feel like a completely different person."
"Uh huh," she breathed, staring at his shockingly beautiful self again, almost drooling. No WAY this is the old 'Scrooge McHodge!' "So, uh," she started again, in a more composed tone, "what prompted this sudden change in your looks...and yourself?"
"Well, I should think it'd be quite obvious," he smiled, lowering his head a bit to fully gaze into her eyes.
Hearing that Miriam's cheeks grew a beat red. "Oh Mr., I mean, Jaron! Geez, that's gonna take some getting used to!"
He laughed. "I understand. And you really don't have to say anything Miriam. I'm just...so grateful to you."
His words and beautiful smile warmed her soul. "You're very welcome," she said, her heart still fluttering.

"You know what I feel like doing?" Jaron asked, changing the subject.
Miriam studied him questionably. "What is that?" she asked, still fidgeting with her hair.
"I feel like doing something...silly. Something one would almost call...childish." He winked.



"What?" she grinned. Wow, he really HAS changed!
"You just wait right here while I grab my coat," he said, stepping back inside.
"Should I go grab mine from the truck?" she curiously asked the doorway.
"Nah...you don't need it." He let off a little snicker out of earshot.

Once he returned to the door, he lightly took Miriam's hand and led her to a wide opening in the front yard. "Were you ever any good at playing dodge ball?" he asked, stepping a few feet away from her.
"Pfft!" Miriam expressed. "I was one of the PROS at dodge ball!"
"Same here," Jaron smirked. "But how about dodging snowballs?"
"The undefeated champ!" she smirked back.
"You sure about that?"
"Yes I'm sure! You're talking to the biggest lover of winter and everything about it in the world here!"
"I guess I knew that," he said, squatting down to create a snowball.
Miriam did the same and then positioned herself. "Bring it Hodge!"



Jaron couldn't believe how much the giant grin on his face wouldn't fade. He'd never smiled this much since his family passed away. Nor had he bonded with anyone like this since then. More and more he found himself falling for this woman.

With every bit of strength he could muster, for he knew Miriam could take it, and feeling his competitive side take over, he chucked the baseball sized snowball straight toward her midsection.

Miriam dodged it effortlessly. "Too slow!" she teased.



"Now it's my turn!" Her snowball was even larger than his!

Ohhhh boy! Jaron thought, watching that ball come at him at sonic speed with no time to react.



SMACK!

"Holy cow!" he cried, gripping his stomach.
Miriam snickered. "See! You're too slow! You gotta hustle it Hodge!"



Many more snowballs were thrown and each time Miriam dodged Jaron's, except for one time where he almost got her. Jaron dodged hers about 50 percent of the time.

"That's it woman!" he cried out, rushing towards her and lunging himself onto her.
"Ah!" Miriam playfully cried as she fell and became impacted into the freezing, powdery snow.

For a moment the two wrestled with each other, trying to bury the other's face into the snow, but neither being successful. Joyous laughs and squeals filled the wintery air. And a victory cheer from Jaron as Miriam declared that she surrendered.

They continued to laugh as they both stood up and helped brush the snow off each other.

"Brr, my chest is freezing!" Miriam declared while rubbing at it, not really thinking about how that would appeal to Jaron.
He raised an eyebrow to it. "Would you like my coat?" he offered.
"Oh no thanks. I'll just grab mine from the truck." She stopped to catch her breath a bit before saying, "That was...really fun."
"Yeah," he agreed. "More fun than I remember. I sure used to be better at dodging snowballs, but...I'm just getting too darn old!"
"Yeah right! You SO aren't as old as everyone in town thought you were."
"Oh really?" he teased.
"Totally! My friends and I thought you had to have been at least 50!"
"Whaaaaat?" he playfully cried, but thinking about how much of a grouch he was, and how most 'Scrooges' are old men, he couldn't blame them. "I guess I can understand that."

"Seriously though, how old are you?" Miriam frankly asked.
"...Thirty-eight."
Fifteen years older than me... "Wow," she said. "So yeah, you really aren't that old..."

For a moment the two shot little smiles at each other, while digging the tips of their boots into the snow.

Jaron wasn't sure if this would be appropriate yet, but he couldn't hold himself back any longer. Nor his feelings. He yearned so badly for her touch.
He took her hands and humbly asked, "Would you like to go out and have lunch with me?"



It took Miriam by surprise, but not in a bad way. "Sure," she replied with a blush. "I would like that."
"It's been so long since I've been out to eat," Jaron admitted. "I hope the Diner will be fine for you?" It was the cheapest place.
"Definitely! They have the best burgers around!" Then she gasped. "Ooh! I bet they're serving their signature egg nog! Ohhhh yes we HAVE to go! You gotta try it if you haven't!"
He chuckled. "I haven't, so yeah let's go."

****

Miriam hoped Ciro wouldn't mind her taking his truck to go out on a "date" - if that's what this really was- with Jaron Hodge. She wanted to text him and ask, but this was all just too much to explain over a text. He'll understand, she thought.

Upon arriving at the Diner, tons of people were hanging out by the entrance. No doubt to drink their delicious egg nog, Miriam thought. However, Jaron was trying to hide his face without showing how obviously he was. Miriam wasn't sure why...these people certainly wouldn't notice him now after such a drastic change in his appearance! However any more thoughts on that vanished quickly, as his gentlemanly gesture of opening the door for her impressed her.



Lunch was lovely. Miriam casually sipped on the famous egg nog, as she listened to Jaron tell her a little more about himself and his life before the tragedy. She even told him a bit about her younger days too.

It seemed interesting to the both of them how much they already felt like best friends, even though they'd only known each other for 21 days and...really hadn't engaged in much conversation for most of it.

Every now and then Jaron would find many people in the Diner take notice and stare at him. He was running out of ways to hide his face. His reaction to their stares made things a little uncomfortable for Miriam, but she tried to understand his point of view. He really had been a recluse for over a decade! And besides, she thought, they're probably just wondering who this mystery man is that I'm sitting with. She blushed. But despite her assumption, Jaron knew they were staring for reasons other than that. Unable to handle it any longer, he told Miriam, "Excuse me," and abruptly left the place just as they were about to order dessert.

It took Miriam a few minutes to find him, after first paying the bill which she didn't mind. He sat on the picnic bench off to the side of the Diner, staring into nothingness, while the giant falling snowflakes swayed all around him.

He heard Miriam's light footsteps crunching in the snow as she approached him. Somehow he didn't have to look to know that it was her.

"I'm sorry," he spoke, turning his head to the side a bit. "I guess I wasn't ready to make an appearance in public like I thought I was. I'll pay you back for the meal."
"No...it's ok," Miriam assured, as she sat down on the other side of the table, respecting that he needed some breathing space. "You took a big step today," she felt the need to compliment, "and I'm proud of you!"



After a bit of silence... "Was it because some people were staring at you?" she asked. "I don't condone staring, but in this case I really can't blame them! You look so different!" Handsomely different. "They were probably just wondering who this new guy in town is."
"No," Jaron rebutted. "Most of the stares were from older folks. They had that look in their eyes like they'd seen me before, but just couldn't remember. Oh they've seen me Miriam," he sighed, "many, many years ago. That young man that abruptly vanished and now suddenly reappeared...as if nothing ever happened." He hung his head low in sorrow.

Miriam understood, especially thinking about how much pain that would bring back to him. She stood up and headed over to his side of the bench. "Come here," she beckoned to him, her arms outstretched. She didn't know of any other way to comfort him.

For a moment he stared at her inviting arms then gazed up at her with glistening eyes. She nodded in reassurance. Then in a matter of seconds he stood and entered into them, as she wrapped them gently around his back.

While holding him, Miriam said, "Look Jaron, don't worry about what the people in this town think anymore. To h*** with what they think!" That surprised Jaron a bit, but he loved how adamant she felt about it. "What matters now is you," she continued. "How do you want to make your life better? How do you want to mold your future into everything you ever wanted it to be? Let the past go...don't allow it or the thoughts of others affect your desire to begin anew like this. You're stronger than you think and you got this. I believe in you!"



Jaron couldn't help holding her a little tighter while sniffing in the aroma of her hair. The only thing he could think to say in return was, "Thank you Miriam. Thank you for everything."

****

"Guuuurll! You should hear the words on the street!" Angelica happily expressed to Miriam that evening, in front of Pedro.
"Here we go again," Pedro mumbled, resting his forehead into his hand.
Miriam stared at them both with a puzzled look. "What word on the street?"
Angelica playfully smacked her friend's shoulder. "Like you don't know!" she answered. "It's about YOU girl! And this mystery man you've been spotted with at the Diner today."
Oh no, Miriam thought, eyes shut.
"Apparently he is quite the hottie," she went on with a smirk. "A succulent sight for Chocolate lovers everywhere."
Pedro rolled his eyes.



"I guess your crush on 'Scrooge McHodge' rubbed off onto another, more attractive man, eh?" she asked Miriam with a wink. "Go on girlfriend, SPILL!"

Miriam hesitated, scratching at the back of her neck, trying to figure out how to say it. "It's not...another man," she nervously revealed. Angelica and Pedro stared at her intently. "It was Mr. Hodge...his first name is Jaron."
The two friend's mouths dropped. "Get outta here!" Angelica cried. "He didn't look nothing like Mr. Hodge!"
"Look?"
"Yeah! One of my friends snapped a picture!" She instantly whipped out her phone and once she found the photo, held it out for Miriam to see.
Pedro leaned in first though. "No way that's 'Scrooge McHodge!' He looks so...young...and normal!"
"WHY are people snapping pictures!?" Miriam cried out, throwing her hands in the air. "It's none of their business! But seriously, you two," she reiterated, "that's Mr. Hodge! He cut his hair and shaved off his beard."
"Dayum!" Angelica expressed, looking at the picture again. "He cleans up well! Mmm hmm!"
"Wow," Pedro said, unable to believe it.
"So, what are you like...dating him now?" Angelica asked, her eyebrows bouncing.
"No," Miriam casually responded. "We just went out for lunch, that's all."
"Mmm, hmm. You know girl, it's ok to admit you like him even more now with this new look."
Miriam rolled her eyes and leaned into Angelica's ear whispering, "I'll talk to you more about this later." Angelica squealed, liking that idea.

In that moment, Ciro entered the house, returning from work. He put his coat away and greeted Angelica and Ciro, while saying to Miriam, "Hey, can I talk to you alone for a minute?"
The two ladies shot each other some wide eyed glances as Miriam walked past and joined Ciro in the foyer.

"Is everything ok Ciro?" she asked him.
Ciro seemed nervous, yet disturbed at the same time. "Look Miriam," he began, "I've accepted that you don't have any romantic feelings for me and I'm going to have to live with that." Miriam frowned. "But," he paused, "I just can't help asking you about this other guy..."
So he heard too. Figures. "Ciro" she began, "it's not what you think. We were just having lunch together."



Ignoring that, Ciro asked, "So, who is he? How did you guys meet?"
Miriam opened her mouth to speak, but the words just wouldn't come out. She huffed a bit as she tried to find the courage to tell him the truth. She had a good feeling he wouldn't like it. "He's not new in town," she replied, "It's...Mr. Hodge."

Ciro didn't react the way she'd expected. He simply just stood there with a confused expression on his face, thinking. "How was it Mr. Hodge?" he asked. "People were saying he was some new guy."
Does this town have to be so gossipy? "Well...he appears new because he cut his hair and shaved."
"Ok...so," he struggled to say, "now he's turned into this new man and you're suddenly finding yourself attracted to him and are dating him?"
"I didn't say that..."
"You didn't have to!" Ciro snapped. "I mean, Mr. Hodge? Really Miriam!? Are you out of your mind? He's like what, TWICE your age?"



"He is not TWICE my age!" she snapped back. "More like 15 years older, but that doesn't really matter when you get to be our age Ciro! And why is that your business anyway?"



"Because I'm your friend! I worry about you!"
"No, as a friend you're supposed to be supportive! Trust my judgment. But right now you're acting like you're my Dad!" 



Ciro dropped his head towards the ground, sulking. He really couldn't argue with that and he honestly didn't mean for the conversation to get so heated like this. His jealousy had gotten the better of him.
"Miriam, I'm sorry," he sincerely said, clasping his hands together as if asking for forgiveness. Miriam gave him a nod of acceptance. She'd admit she allowed her frustration from all the gossip in town to affect her reaction to him as well.



"But I have to know," Ciro went on, "did you blow me off for him?"

Upon hearing that, Miriam's face immediately fell. "No," she replied in a whisper, taking his hand. "Not at all Ciro. In fact, I hadn't developed any kind of feelings for him when I shared my honest feelings for you."
He nodded, feeling a sense of relief. "So...you have feelings for him now?" he couldn't help asking.

There was a long pause, as Miriam lowered her head for a few seconds, biting at her bottom lip. When she looked up again she replied, "Yes."

Ciro nodded again, doing his best to accept her feelings and be that supportive friend he'd always strived to be. Next thing he knew he found Miriam wrapping her arms around him. "I'm so sorry Ciro," she said, "I never meant to hurt you...especially with this." She sniffed. "I care about you so much and I really am sorry that things can't be the way you want them to be with us."
"It's okay," Ciro said, releasing her and looking into her eyes. "Really. I'll be ok. I just don't want to lose what we already have."
"We won't. I promise you that."
"I just...hope you know what you're doing when it comes to Mr. Hodge."
She smiled, appreciating his concern. It was to be expected. "I do. He's really changed Ciro...it still blows my mind just how much he's changed!"
"Well," he blushed, "You certainly have that kind of affect on people."
Aww. Gripping both his hands now, she said, "You're sweet. Thank you Ciro."
"You're welcome."

With everything feeling right again in the world, Miriam perked up with a bright grin and said, "Now c'mon! We're going to bake some Christmas treats tonight and eat them while watching 'A Snowflake Day Story' remember?"
"I remember," Ciro said, slightly rolling his eyes. He never cared much for that movie. "But you guys go ahead," he politely declined. "Right now I just need...some time...alone."

Miriam met his gaze with one of understanding and said, "Okay." Her heart still ached, feeling terrible for revealing everything she had to him. But she'd rather be in an honest and sincere relationship, than a one sided one. She couldn't help thinking that this way was a less painful one for him, even though she wished she'd never caused him any pain at all.
"We'll miss you," she concluded with.

Nodding, Ciro simply headed up the stairs for his bedroom.