My "Three Kings" of Christmas
Hey everyone! 😀 🎄 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 🎄 I am SO excited to share my 2022 Christmas story with y'all this year. 😊 I've been working tirelessly on it since October and it has been a real joy. It...
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This is quite the eventful Chapter y'all and I'm so excited to share it with you. :mrgreen: <3 So get comfortable - with hot chocolate or coffee ;) - and enjoy. :kissing_heart:
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Chapter 4
*Christmas Day*
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It was a lovely Christmas morning opening presents with mom and dad. With classic Christmas tunes lightly playing in the background and the scent of my mother’s favorite candle encompassing the air. “Holiday Wreath” is its name. She’s been burning it every year at Christmastime for as long as I can remember. And how she’s managed to keep it aflame for so many years I’ll never know, but I love it. And all the Christmas morning memories that come flooding back when the scent enters my nostrils.
We obviously didn’t get up super early, but I could imagine that Amaya woke up the entire Yamamoto household before sunrise for sure. I was super curious what else she got for Christmas and thought, I'll definitely ask her about it at dinner.
The Yamamoto's gift to me was completely unexpected. I was imagining some kind of a cute knick-knack or piece of jewelry, but no…it was (I actually had to look it up to be sure) a Qipao! The Japanese version of a Chinese Cheongsam dress. And a rather fancy one at that! Made out of light blue silk taffeta with intricate designs weaved into it by silver thread. I was in awe! It was gorgeous and I wasn’t sure how exactly I was going to thank them for such a gift. I think I’ll wear it for dinner tonight, I thought with a smile. That’s how I would.
After a breakfast of bacon and egg fried rice, yum, I got myself ready for the day. I kept wondering if Kai was thinking about me as much as I was him as I dreamily combed through my hair before curling it. It’d been a long time since I felt this way about a guy I just met - and feeling this giddy about it too. I guess work really did keep me busier than I realized. Or maybe, the men from New York just weren’t my type...
The curling of my hair slowed as I thought about that for a moment, strangely beginning to question where I was at currently in my life and some of the choices I've made along the way. It produced some very unsettling feelings in my gut. “No,” I said aloud while shaking my head, pushing it all away, and continuing to curl. “You’ve worked very hard to get where you’re at Malai and life is great! New York is where you’re supposed to be. You know this! So there’s no need to worry–”
The doorbell rang.
“Malai would you get that please?” my mother called from her and dad’s bedroom.
I was more than happy to answer the door, so with a pep in my step I promptly exited the bathroom. My heart greatly hoped it was Kai, unable to wait any longer to see me as I was him. I quickly fluffed my hair before opening the door.
It wasn’t Kai…but I was pleasantly surprised to see Amaya all the same.
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“Merry Christmas Malai!” she happily greeted, with her gloved hands outstretched and bouncing in her boots. Could she be any more adorable?
Of course I gave her a quick hug. “Merry Christmas sweetie! Did you get everything you wanted this year?”
“YES! It was the BEST!”
“Wonderful!”
“Did you?”
“Yeah…I’d say so.” I was about to ask, does your dad know you’re here, but she anxiously went on to say:
“Do you wanna come over and make Christmas cookies with me!? I always want to make them, but daddy never does,” she scowled. “He’s always ‘too busy.’”
That honestly didn’t surprise me to hear.
“And grandma can’t cause she’s gonna help your mom with dinner. So will you make them with me? Pleeeease? I want cookies SO bad!”
How could I resist that adorable little face with those longing eyes and toothy grin? I liked making cookies and it’s always fun to do with kids. Plus I’d hopefully get to see Kai before dinner. I wasn’t sure what kind of plans he had before then. I certainly didn’t have any, except helping mom and Mami prepare dinner, but I figured they were good without me. “Yeah, that sounds like fun,” I answered Amaya. “Do you want to make them now or–”
“Yes! Now!”
I chuckled. “Alrighty, just let me grab a coat real quick.”
“Ok!”
The cold air outside bit down to the bone, even though the sun was out. With her hand in mine, Amaya and I raced to the front door of the Yamamoto home, dying for warmth, nearly bumping into Mami on her way out.
“Oh hello Malai,” the matriarch greeted me, pulling her coat tighter around herself. “Merry Christmas!”
“Same to you Mrs. Yamamoto.”
“Please, call me Mami. I’m just off to help your mother prepare for dinner.”
“Ok. You two have fun!”
“You two have fun as well,” she ended with a wink and raced across the road herself.
My brow narrowed at the curious wink she gave me. Okaaay.
“Come on inside Malai, it’s freezing!” Amaya screeched.
The little girl gleefully skipped into the kitchen after removing her coat, mittens, and boots in the foyer. I finished up doing the same.
In the kitchen, Amaya handed me her grandmother’s apron to wear while she put on hers as we decided on what kind of cookies to make. Sugar cookies, of course! I got out the ingredients for it while Amaya picked out the cookie cutters.
“Oh! We can’t forget the sprinkles!” Amaya declared.
“Definitely!" I agreed. "They’re a must!”
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“Amaya?” I heard Aizen’s voice call, coming into the kitchen with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. “Do you know where the - geez!” he hissed at the sight of me, jerking back in surprise. “What are you doing here!?”
Does he have to be so rude? was my initial thought, but I immediately found myself unable to respond; so mesmerized by his incredibly sculpted, bare torso, with plump pecs and a six pack. Oh wow.
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All I managed to get out was a jarring, “Uhhh…”
“I invited her over to make cookies with me,” Amaya so graciously chimed in. “Because you never want to…”
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I raised an inquiring eyebrow at him.
He wasn't very amused by it. “It’s not that I don’t want to Amaya…I just don’t usually have the time to.” He glanced at me again, seemingly nervous about his response in my presence.
I could see Amaya’s frown out of the corner of my eye, like she’d heard that excuse one too many times before.
“Well…it’s Christmas day,” I softly, yet frankly said in Amaya’s defense. “So you should have plenty of time to spend with your family.”
Aizen’s unamused look at me turned into a glare and that’s when a nervous lump formed in my throat. Perhaps I had overstepped my bounds.
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He rested his hands on his hips, breathing like an angry bull, and responded with, “Normally, but…there’s a leak in the hallway ceiling that needs repaired and patched up so that’s what I’m going to tackle today.”
My eyes lowered in shame. “Oh…”
Then, to add insult to injury, he threw out one of those smug, “take that” expressions before turning and exiting the kitchen.
Geez..., I thought while squeezing my eyes shut in remorse.
“Oh yeeeah,” Amaya spoke, remembering. “I stepped on the wet part of the carpet when I woke up this morning. With my bare feet! It was COLD!”
I expelled a breath, trying to suppress it from the sweet girl's ears. “Oooh, that’s no fun,” I said, turning around. “So do we have all the ingredients pulled together?”
“Yep! Gotta start the oven first. I know how to do it.”
“Ok...”
C’mon Malai, don’t let Aizen’s snarkiness ruin the fun, I told myself as I read the recipe card. Then again I was the one who had been snarky. Once again my feistiness - and snap judginess - got the better of me…
Will I ever learn?
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“The cookies turned out perfect!” Amaya exclaimed, arranging them nicely on a tray. Of course we munched on a few while decorating. They were warm and soft and yummy.
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“Yeah,” I breathed, wiping a little sweat off my brow. It got hot in the kitchen fast! “I think I might need to take a breather outside before frosting the next batch.”
“Ok. They’re almost ready.”
I played to groan as I went to exit the kitchen, but was stopped in my tracks when I heard:
“Man it smells good in here,” from Kai as he entered the kitchen. “Oh. Hey,” he greeted me, his eyes lighting up.
“Hey,” I returned with a smile. My heart immediately fluttering.
His rosy cheeks definitely weren’t from the hot kitchen. “It’s nice to see you again so soon,” he said.
“You too,” I whispered.
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“Want a cookie uncle Kai?”
“What!? A cookie?” he exclaimed to his niece. “You made cookies without ME!?” He proceeded to tickle her. It was cute.
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Amaya giggled as he did so. “I wanted to ask you, but grandma said you were busy. So I asked Malai instead,” she said, gesturing her head towards me.
“Well I think that was a great choice,” he acknowledged, giving me a flirtatious look again. He removed the Bluetooth earpiece from his ear and stuffed it into his pants pocket as he approached me.
“Busy making some calls?” I inquired.
“Sorta,” he replied. “I’m off work until after New Years, but I’m on call in case of any mental health emergencies.”
I nodded. “Well I hope whoever you talked to is going to be ok.”
“They will be. No worries.” He smiled at my consideration.
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My non-stop blushing smile must’ve really made my red cheeks pop because the next thing he said was, “Your cheeks are as rosy as red Christmas bulbs." He smirked.
“It’s warm in here,” I replied, wiping a little more sweat from my brow. “I was actually going to step outside for a bit to cool off.”
“Good idea. Mind if I join you?”
“Not at all.”
Gosh that biting cold felt nice for once! The two of us stood on the porch, without coats, hands on the railing, and gazed out at the ocean for a moment.
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One of Maplewood Falls beaches is right next door to my parents house. It was awesome having it so close when I was growing up. And I always loved the soothing sound of the waves lulling me to sleep every night.
“So where’s Ryu this morning?” I broke the silence by asking. “Back in bed?” I chuckled.
“No,” Kai replied with a chuckle as well. “He actually went to the airport to go pick up Tara.”
“Oh, right.”
“Apparently her flight got delayed, so he’ll be hanging out there for another hour or so until she arrives.”
“Bummer.”
“Yeah. At least she’ll make it in time for dinner.”
I nodded.
Kai then turned his head and studied my face for a moment. “Your cheeks are looking normal now; a beautiful pink,” he said with that handsome smile of his.
“Thanks. Do I hear your teeth chattering a little bit?” I teased.
“Nah,” he played along, folding his arms together. “I’m used to the cold. I live in Canada.”
I chuckled. “Well even those of us who are used to it can’t handle these single digit temps for very long!”
“True,” he chuckled as well. Then something caught his attention which made his brow furrow as he studied my face. “You have a little something by your lip there…”
“Oh?” I asked, touching the wrong side of my mouth.
“No, it’s on the other side.” He pointed with a grin. “I think it’s some frosting.”
Frosting!? On my face! This WHOLE time!? Gosh I felt so embarrassed!
I promptly went to wipe it off when Kai softly said, “It’s ok…I got it,” while gently rubbing it away with his thumb. The light touch sent an immediate warming sensation throughout my entire body, making my heart skip a beat.
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Suddenly I didn’t feel cold anymore.
Gazing deeply into each other’s eyes, with steam emerging from our breaths, we were feeling the heat...and longed for more. Next thing I knew Kai tenderly stroked my cheek and gently lifted my chin. My breathing grew heavier, his too; our hearts beating rapidly in unison. It was unavoidable.
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Our lips met. A light stroke at first, then soon a deeply pressed second. And a third, and a forth. Each kiss taking my breath away. Our arms gradually wrapped around each other. I don’t know how it happened so quickly, but I sure didn't mind it. My limbs started to go limp within his tender grasp.
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A sudden hammering from Aizen working on the leaky ceiling, startled us back into reality, which made us both laugh as we pressed our noses together.
“Sorry,” Kai whispered, “I don’t usually kiss a girl so soon after the first meeting, but,” he gazed into my eyes again, “there’s just something about you Malai. This…connection.”
“I feel it with you too Kai,” I revealed.
“I’m glad to hear it,” he grinned. “I guess this is…Merry Christmas.”
I laughed. “Merry Christmas.” I couldn’t believe our noses were still touching.
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“I want to get to know so much more about you,” he sincerely said. “Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?”
“Yes!” I instantly said, then in a calmer tone, “I mean, yes, I would love that.”
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He grinned. “Great! I can’t wait.” Then he kissed me again. Oh my gosh what a good kisser he is!
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“MALAI! COOKIES ARE READY!” Amaya called from the kitchen.
I returned my gaze to Kai with a shrug as if to say, Well, I gotta run, even though I kinda wish I didn’t have to...
He nodded, reading me perfectly. “Mind if I join you in the frosting of the cookies?”
“I dunno, you might need to get the head chef’s permission first.” I winked.
“Oh I won’t have a problem with that. I got her wrapped around my finger.” Which he twirled at me with a wink in return.
I giggled.
Hand in hand we went back inside.
All I could think about while starting the frosting was, Did that REALLY just happen!? Landon was going to flip! Heck my PARENTS were going to flip!
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When we finished with the cookies we promptly washed ourselves up. Kai flicked some water at me to which I flicked a lot more at him in return.
“Thanks for making cookies with me Malai,” Amaya expressed while drying her hands. “Oh and you too uncle Kai.”
“You’re welcome,” Kai and I both said at the same time. It made us blush.
Aizen then stepped into the kitchen, opened the fridge, and pulled out a Capri-Sun to chug. He was fully dressed this time, as I expected him to be. Though it didn’t stop my mind from producing the image of his beautifully ripped chest underneath that plain shirt. I tried to erase it from my mind.
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“How’s the leak repair going?” Kai asked him.
Aizen breathed heavily as he lowered the bottle. “It’s alright. I’m gonna go up into the attic and check for any more possible leaks before I do the patch. That part of the pipe wasn’t properly insulated so it froze and burst at the coupling. I wouldn’t be surprised if all the insulation in this house wasn’t done right.”
“Lovely.”
“Yep. Id'iot contractors…” He drank some more.
“Need some help?”
“No, I got it.”
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“Want a cookie daddy?” Amaya asked, holding one out to him.
“Sure,” he said while taking it from her. “Thanks baby girl.” Then he took a bite. “Oh…this is good.”
“Hee hee. Thanks!”
He raised the cookie with a nod and left the kitchen to get back to work.
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Amaya then turned to me and asked, “Hey Malai, you wanna see my bedroom?”
Bedroom? I curiously thought while briefly glancing at Kai and then back at her. “Sure!” Guess it made sense that Mami would make up a separate bedroom for her granddaughter with all the guys around.
“Sorry Uncle Kai, no boys are allowed,” she cutely informed.
“Oh, right,” Kai tapped at his forehead, “I forgot.” Then smiled. I loved how he was with his niece. It made my heart fall for him all the more.
“Follow me, Malai.”
As Amaya pulled me away by the arm, I turned my head and whispered to Kai, “See you in a little bit?”
“I’m not going anywhere,” he smiled.
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Amaya’s room was upstairs and Aizen brushed past us on our way up to it. I purposely didn’t make eye contact with him. I still felt bad about earlier and wasn’t sure how I was going to remedy it just yet. Honestly, the man intimidated me a bit.
“Here’s my bedroom!” Amaya declared after pushing open the door and running in, outstretching her arms and twirling.
It was the cutest little room, with a single draped dormer window as the focal point. The roof slanted downwards on both sides of the room and dark wood planks adorned the ceiling. The walls were decorated with dated, flowery wallpaper. There was just enough room for a single bed, dresser, toy box, and a chair for putting on shoes.
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“It’s lovely,” I told her.
“Thanks,” she said as she sat herself down in the chair.
As I continued to admire the room I realized, this wasn’t a “done up” room for temporary Holiday guests…this was actually Amaya’s bedroom. You could tell it had been lived in for years with the dust on the dresser and windowsill. No way Mami would forget to dust the room in preparation for guests, even family guests.
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Amaya and Aizen were living with his parents.
I don’t know how that wasn’t mentioned yesterday somewhere in our many conversations - or that my parents didn’t mention it before. Probably because they figure Aizen isn’t very proud of the situation, and I can’t say I blame him. The mystery surrounding that man suddenly developed into even more of a mystery.
I wasn’t meaning to use sweet Amaya to gather more information, but…
“How long has this been your bedroom?” I asked her.
“Since we moved here,” the girl answered, swinging her legs. “Daddy and I have always lived with grandma and grandpa…”
Always?
“...ever since my mom died.”
Ohhhh… Now it all made sense. My face fell. “I’m so sorry to hear that Amaya.”
“It’s ok,” she surprisingly brushed off quickly. “I don’t remember her since I was a baby when she died.”
“Oh.”
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No wonder Aizen is so grumpy and reserved, I thought, he was dealt a pretty hard hand in life. One of the worst… My shoulders slumped with a sigh. I didn’t know what else to say, or think.
All I knew was, my impression of the man - and my perspective - greatly changed in that moment. I was glad I asked Amaya about it, and that she was comfortable in sharing it with me.
“Do you have a picture of you mom?” I asked, curious what she looked like.
“Yeah,” Amaya answered, slipping off the chair and going to her dresser. She opened the top drawer and pulled out a crinkled physical picture and handed it to me. “Her name was Keisha.”
“That’s a pretty name, like yours,” I said as I studied the woman in the picture.
She was of African American decent, as I suspected, with beautifully frizzy dark hair with brown highlights, pulled away from her face by a denim headband. She wore no makeup and had a single stud nose ring on the left side of her nose. She was in a hospital gown, in a hospital bed, holding her - and Aizen’s - new baby girl with a weary smile on her face. “She’s beautiful,” I said, lowering the picture. “I can see her in you.”
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“Really?” Amaya asked with the brightest smile, taking the picture back.
“Definitely!” What, has your dad never told you that? I almost asked, but of course I held it back. Maybe anything related to her mother was too hard to talk about. Completely understandable.
“Thanks Malai,” Amaya said while setting the picture down on the dresser. “I keep hoping that someday I’ll get a new mommy.”
I smiled warmly. “Yeah. I hope you do too…”
Amaya sure deserved a mother…
The best the world could offer.
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After visiting in the bedroom, Amaya and I went back downstairs and joined Kai and Mr. Yamamoto in watching Elf. People think I’m crazy for not being the biggest fan of that movie, but I’ll admit it’s nicer to watch with a child that’s getting a kick out of it. Amaya’s laughs were so contagious! Kai and I sat somewhat close on the sofa, but didn’t hold hands or cuddle. We weren’t ready to make anything known yet and really, it was too soon.
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After the movie the four of us played Skip-Bo and had a lot of fun. Honestly, I was ready for a Christmas day nap by the time the game ended. (Mr. Yamamoto promptly went back to his lounge chair and did just that!) I also developed a headache, no thanks to all the noise Aizen was making while patching the ceiling along with all the voices. I just wasn’t used to it. Kai noticed me rubbing my temples and kindly got me some Tylenol. Even though Ibuprofen works better for me, I appreciated the thoughtful gesture. He actually got another work related call and excused himself as he retreated to the den to take it. Amaya then climbed into her grandpa’s lap and rested her head against his chest, taking a nap herself. I smiled at the adorable scene.
Just then I realized that all the ceiling repair noises had stopped. For a few minutes actually. Had Aizen finished already? If so, that was fast!
Maybe now was a good time to approach him…
I slowly and carefully stepped into the hallway with my hands clasped tightly behind my back. I could feel my heart racing. It’s never been easy for me to swallow my own pride. I just wanted to stop feeling so nervous and uncomfortable around him. It was wrecking the joy I was having with all of his other family members.
“Hey,” I timidly greeted him with a smile.
He looked down at me in acknowledgement from the ladder, staring for a couple of seconds, and then continued to finalize the job. I’ll take it, was my thought.
I then glanced up at the ceiling. “Wow. That looks really good.”
“It’s what I do,” he simply said.
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Now I could feel my rapid pulse beating through my temples, especially when he came down from the ladder. I couldn’t hold it back any longer. “Listen, uh,” I began, inching closer to him. “I wanted to apologize about what I said earlier. I really didn’t mean to–”
“I know,” he interjected, finally making eye contact with me. “How were you supposed to know about the leaky ceiling?” He slipped the last tool he was using into his tool belt. “You made a fair point otherwise so…don’t worry about it.” He looked away.
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Well that was a surprising response; still very dismissive though. I would’ve preferred an “I appreciate that,” or something, but whatever. “Ok,” I lightly accepted.
The feeling in the air still needed to change, pronto. It was wracking my nerves. “Amaya’s a really sweet girl."
“Thanks.”
“I enjoyed making cookies with her this morning.”
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“Yeah, about that,” he started in his normal, serious tone while pressing his shoulder against the wall. My stomach clenched. “I appreciate you being so kind to Amaya, but,” he briefly paused, “I don’t need you giving her any false hopes.”
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My jaw nearly hit the floor.
“False hopes?” I questioned. “I don’t know what you mean by that.”
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“You’re going home to New York soon right?” he spat out.
“Well, yeah…but–”
“So in that regard, please, just cut ties with her kindly and be on your way. Thanks.” And with that he swooped past me and disappeared around the corner.
Now my mouth dropped with a huff, my head twitching in disbelief. What!? I couldn’t believe him, and didn’t even know how to process that. Truthfully it was making me more angry than I cared to be. I almost called him a je’rk, but no, that wasn’t necessary. I sighed. It seemed pretty clear that he didn’t like me - NO clue why because I’m pretty likable and nice to everyone - and honestly…I didn’t like him. There I said it. No matter how good looking he is. In fact he was looking less and less attractive the more I interacted with his callous self. I huffed again.
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“I tried God,” I whispered to the ceiling. "I tried." But…aaaarrghh! Did he have to be so rude!?
No matter what he’d been through…
When Kai found me I did a pretty good job acting like nothing awful had just happened and told him I was going to go home and take a nap. He understood and squeezed my hand affectionately as we said goodbye. Until dinnertime.
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:mrgreen:
Chapter 5 will be released on the 14th. <3
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Chapter 4
*Christmas Day*
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It was a lovely Christmas morning opening presents with mom and dad. With classic Christmas tunes lightly playing in the background and the scent of my mother’s favorite candle encompassing the air. “Holiday Wreath” is its name. She’s been burning it every year at Christmastime for as long as I can remember. And how she’s managed to keep it aflame for so many years I’ll never know, but I love it. And all the Christmas morning memories that come flooding back when the scent enters my nostrils.
We obviously didn’t get up super early, but I could imagine that Amaya woke up the entire Yamamoto household before sunrise for sure. I was super curious what else she got for Christmas and thought, I'll definitely ask her about it at dinner.
The Yamamoto's gift to me was completely unexpected. I was imagining some kind of a cute knick-knack or piece of jewelry, but no…it was (I actually had to look it up to be sure) a Qipao! The Japanese version of a Chinese Cheongsam dress. And a rather fancy one at that! Made out of light blue silk taffeta with intricate designs weaved into it by silver thread. I was in awe! It was gorgeous and I wasn’t sure how exactly I was going to thank them for such a gift. I think I’ll wear it for dinner tonight, I thought with a smile. That’s how I would.
After a breakfast of bacon and egg fried rice, yum, I got myself ready for the day. I kept wondering if Kai was thinking about me as much as I was him as I dreamily combed through my hair before curling it. It’d been a long time since I felt this way about a guy I just met - and feeling this giddy about it too. I guess work really did keep me busier than I realized. Or maybe, the men from New York just weren’t my type...
The curling of my hair slowed as I thought about that for a moment, strangely beginning to question where I was at currently in my life and some of the choices I've made along the way. It produced some very unsettling feelings in my gut. “No,” I said aloud while shaking my head, pushing it all away, and continuing to curl. “You’ve worked very hard to get where you’re at Malai and life is great! New York is where you’re supposed to be. You know this! So there’s no need to worry–”
The doorbell rang.
“Malai would you get that please?” my mother called from her and dad’s bedroom.
I was more than happy to answer the door, so with a pep in my step I promptly exited the bathroom. My heart greatly hoped it was Kai, unable to wait any longer to see me as I was him. I quickly fluffed my hair before opening the door.
It wasn’t Kai…but I was pleasantly surprised to see Amaya all the same.
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“Merry Christmas Malai!” she happily greeted, with her gloved hands outstretched and bouncing in her boots. Could she be any more adorable?
Of course I gave her a quick hug. “Merry Christmas sweetie! Did you get everything you wanted this year?”
“YES! It was the BEST!”
“Wonderful!”
“Did you?”
“Yeah…I’d say so.” I was about to ask, does your dad know you’re here, but she anxiously went on to say:
“Do you wanna come over and make Christmas cookies with me!? I always want to make them, but daddy never does,” she scowled. “He’s always ‘too busy.’”
That honestly didn’t surprise me to hear.
“And grandma can’t cause she’s gonna help your mom with dinner. So will you make them with me? Pleeeease? I want cookies SO bad!”
How could I resist that adorable little face with those longing eyes and toothy grin? I liked making cookies and it’s always fun to do with kids. Plus I’d hopefully get to see Kai before dinner. I wasn’t sure what kind of plans he had before then. I certainly didn’t have any, except helping mom and Mami prepare dinner, but I figured they were good without me. “Yeah, that sounds like fun,” I answered Amaya. “Do you want to make them now or–”
“Yes! Now!”
I chuckled. “Alrighty, just let me grab a coat real quick.”
“Ok!”
The cold air outside bit down to the bone, even though the sun was out. With her hand in mine, Amaya and I raced to the front door of the Yamamoto home, dying for warmth, nearly bumping into Mami on her way out.
“Oh hello Malai,” the matriarch greeted me, pulling her coat tighter around herself. “Merry Christmas!”
“Same to you Mrs. Yamamoto.”
“Please, call me Mami. I’m just off to help your mother prepare for dinner.”
“Ok. You two have fun!”
“You two have fun as well,” she ended with a wink and raced across the road herself.
My brow narrowed at the curious wink she gave me. Okaaay.
“Come on inside Malai, it’s freezing!” Amaya screeched.
The little girl gleefully skipped into the kitchen after removing her coat, mittens, and boots in the foyer. I finished up doing the same.
In the kitchen, Amaya handed me her grandmother’s apron to wear while she put on hers as we decided on what kind of cookies to make. Sugar cookies, of course! I got out the ingredients for it while Amaya picked out the cookie cutters.
“Oh! We can’t forget the sprinkles!” Amaya declared.
“Definitely!" I agreed. "They’re a must!”
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“Amaya?” I heard Aizen’s voice call, coming into the kitchen with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. “Do you know where the - geez!” he hissed at the sight of me, jerking back in surprise. “What are you doing here!?”
Does he have to be so rude? was my initial thought, but I immediately found myself unable to respond; so mesmerized by his incredibly sculpted, bare torso, with plump pecs and a six pack. Oh wow.
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All I managed to get out was a jarring, “Uhhh…”
“I invited her over to make cookies with me,” Amaya so graciously chimed in. “Because you never want to…”
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I raised an inquiring eyebrow at him.
He wasn't very amused by it. “It’s not that I don’t want to Amaya…I just don’t usually have the time to.” He glanced at me again, seemingly nervous about his response in my presence.
I could see Amaya’s frown out of the corner of my eye, like she’d heard that excuse one too many times before.
“Well…it’s Christmas day,” I softly, yet frankly said in Amaya’s defense. “So you should have plenty of time to spend with your family.”
Aizen’s unamused look at me turned into a glare and that’s when a nervous lump formed in my throat. Perhaps I had overstepped my bounds.
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He rested his hands on his hips, breathing like an angry bull, and responded with, “Normally, but…there’s a leak in the hallway ceiling that needs repaired and patched up so that’s what I’m going to tackle today.”
My eyes lowered in shame. “Oh…”
Then, to add insult to injury, he threw out one of those smug, “take that” expressions before turning and exiting the kitchen.
Geez..., I thought while squeezing my eyes shut in remorse.
“Oh yeeeah,” Amaya spoke, remembering. “I stepped on the wet part of the carpet when I woke up this morning. With my bare feet! It was COLD!”
I expelled a breath, trying to suppress it from the sweet girl's ears. “Oooh, that’s no fun,” I said, turning around. “So do we have all the ingredients pulled together?”
“Yep! Gotta start the oven first. I know how to do it.”
“Ok...”
C’mon Malai, don’t let Aizen’s snarkiness ruin the fun, I told myself as I read the recipe card. Then again I was the one who had been snarky. Once again my feistiness - and snap judginess - got the better of me…
Will I ever learn?
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“The cookies turned out perfect!” Amaya exclaimed, arranging them nicely on a tray. Of course we munched on a few while decorating. They were warm and soft and yummy.
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“Yeah,” I breathed, wiping a little sweat off my brow. It got hot in the kitchen fast! “I think I might need to take a breather outside before frosting the next batch.”
“Ok. They’re almost ready.”
I played to groan as I went to exit the kitchen, but was stopped in my tracks when I heard:
“Man it smells good in here,” from Kai as he entered the kitchen. “Oh. Hey,” he greeted me, his eyes lighting up.
“Hey,” I returned with a smile. My heart immediately fluttering.
His rosy cheeks definitely weren’t from the hot kitchen. “It’s nice to see you again so soon,” he said.
“You too,” I whispered.
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“Want a cookie uncle Kai?”
“What!? A cookie?” he exclaimed to his niece. “You made cookies without ME!?” He proceeded to tickle her. It was cute.
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Amaya giggled as he did so. “I wanted to ask you, but grandma said you were busy. So I asked Malai instead,” she said, gesturing her head towards me.
“Well I think that was a great choice,” he acknowledged, giving me a flirtatious look again. He removed the Bluetooth earpiece from his ear and stuffed it into his pants pocket as he approached me.
“Busy making some calls?” I inquired.
“Sorta,” he replied. “I’m off work until after New Years, but I’m on call in case of any mental health emergencies.”
I nodded. “Well I hope whoever you talked to is going to be ok.”
“They will be. No worries.” He smiled at my consideration.
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My non-stop blushing smile must’ve really made my red cheeks pop because the next thing he said was, “Your cheeks are as rosy as red Christmas bulbs." He smirked.
“It’s warm in here,” I replied, wiping a little more sweat from my brow. “I was actually going to step outside for a bit to cool off.”
“Good idea. Mind if I join you?”
“Not at all.”
Gosh that biting cold felt nice for once! The two of us stood on the porch, without coats, hands on the railing, and gazed out at the ocean for a moment.
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One of Maplewood Falls beaches is right next door to my parents house. It was awesome having it so close when I was growing up. And I always loved the soothing sound of the waves lulling me to sleep every night.
“So where’s Ryu this morning?” I broke the silence by asking. “Back in bed?” I chuckled.
“No,” Kai replied with a chuckle as well. “He actually went to the airport to go pick up Tara.”
“Oh, right.”
“Apparently her flight got delayed, so he’ll be hanging out there for another hour or so until she arrives.”
“Bummer.”
“Yeah. At least she’ll make it in time for dinner.”
I nodded.
Kai then turned his head and studied my face for a moment. “Your cheeks are looking normal now; a beautiful pink,” he said with that handsome smile of his.
“Thanks. Do I hear your teeth chattering a little bit?” I teased.
“Nah,” he played along, folding his arms together. “I’m used to the cold. I live in Canada.”
I chuckled. “Well even those of us who are used to it can’t handle these single digit temps for very long!”
“True,” he chuckled as well. Then something caught his attention which made his brow furrow as he studied my face. “You have a little something by your lip there…”
“Oh?” I asked, touching the wrong side of my mouth.
“No, it’s on the other side.” He pointed with a grin. “I think it’s some frosting.”
Frosting!? On my face! This WHOLE time!? Gosh I felt so embarrassed!
I promptly went to wipe it off when Kai softly said, “It’s ok…I got it,” while gently rubbing it away with his thumb. The light touch sent an immediate warming sensation throughout my entire body, making my heart skip a beat.
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Suddenly I didn’t feel cold anymore.
Gazing deeply into each other’s eyes, with steam emerging from our breaths, we were feeling the heat...and longed for more. Next thing I knew Kai tenderly stroked my cheek and gently lifted my chin. My breathing grew heavier, his too; our hearts beating rapidly in unison. It was unavoidable.
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Our lips met. A light stroke at first, then soon a deeply pressed second. And a third, and a forth. Each kiss taking my breath away. Our arms gradually wrapped around each other. I don’t know how it happened so quickly, but I sure didn't mind it. My limbs started to go limp within his tender grasp.
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A sudden hammering from Aizen working on the leaky ceiling, startled us back into reality, which made us both laugh as we pressed our noses together.
“Sorry,” Kai whispered, “I don’t usually kiss a girl so soon after the first meeting, but,” he gazed into my eyes again, “there’s just something about you Malai. This…connection.”
“I feel it with you too Kai,” I revealed.
“I’m glad to hear it,” he grinned. “I guess this is…Merry Christmas.”
I laughed. “Merry Christmas.” I couldn’t believe our noses were still touching.
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“I want to get to know so much more about you,” he sincerely said. “Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?”
“Yes!” I instantly said, then in a calmer tone, “I mean, yes, I would love that.”
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He grinned. “Great! I can’t wait.” Then he kissed me again. Oh my gosh what a good kisser he is!
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“MALAI! COOKIES ARE READY!” Amaya called from the kitchen.
I returned my gaze to Kai with a shrug as if to say, Well, I gotta run, even though I kinda wish I didn’t have to...
He nodded, reading me perfectly. “Mind if I join you in the frosting of the cookies?”
“I dunno, you might need to get the head chef’s permission first.” I winked.
“Oh I won’t have a problem with that. I got her wrapped around my finger.” Which he twirled at me with a wink in return.
I giggled.
Hand in hand we went back inside.
All I could think about while starting the frosting was, Did that REALLY just happen!? Landon was going to flip! Heck my PARENTS were going to flip!
When we finished with the cookies we promptly washed ourselves up. Kai flicked some water at me to which I flicked a lot more at him in return.
“Thanks for making cookies with me Malai,” Amaya expressed while drying her hands. “Oh and you too uncle Kai.”
“You’re welcome,” Kai and I both said at the same time. It made us blush.
Aizen then stepped into the kitchen, opened the fridge, and pulled out a Capri-Sun to chug. He was fully dressed this time, as I expected him to be. Though it didn’t stop my mind from producing the image of his beautifully ripped chest underneath that plain shirt. I tried to erase it from my mind.
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“How’s the leak repair going?” Kai asked him.
Aizen breathed heavily as he lowered the bottle. “It’s alright. I’m gonna go up into the attic and check for any more possible leaks before I do the patch. That part of the pipe wasn’t properly insulated so it froze and burst at the coupling. I wouldn’t be surprised if all the insulation in this house wasn’t done right.”
“Lovely.”
“Yep. Id'iot contractors…” He drank some more.
“Need some help?”
“No, I got it.”
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“Want a cookie daddy?” Amaya asked, holding one out to him.
“Sure,” he said while taking it from her. “Thanks baby girl.” Then he took a bite. “Oh…this is good.”
“Hee hee. Thanks!”
He raised the cookie with a nod and left the kitchen to get back to work.
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Amaya then turned to me and asked, “Hey Malai, you wanna see my bedroom?”
Bedroom? I curiously thought while briefly glancing at Kai and then back at her. “Sure!” Guess it made sense that Mami would make up a separate bedroom for her granddaughter with all the guys around.
“Sorry Uncle Kai, no boys are allowed,” she cutely informed.
“Oh, right,” Kai tapped at his forehead, “I forgot.” Then smiled. I loved how he was with his niece. It made my heart fall for him all the more.
“Follow me, Malai.”
As Amaya pulled me away by the arm, I turned my head and whispered to Kai, “See you in a little bit?”
“I’m not going anywhere,” he smiled.
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Amaya’s room was upstairs and Aizen brushed past us on our way up to it. I purposely didn’t make eye contact with him. I still felt bad about earlier and wasn’t sure how I was going to remedy it just yet. Honestly, the man intimidated me a bit.
“Here’s my bedroom!” Amaya declared after pushing open the door and running in, outstretching her arms and twirling.
It was the cutest little room, with a single draped dormer window as the focal point. The roof slanted downwards on both sides of the room and dark wood planks adorned the ceiling. The walls were decorated with dated, flowery wallpaper. There was just enough room for a single bed, dresser, toy box, and a chair for putting on shoes.
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“It’s lovely,” I told her.
“Thanks,” she said as she sat herself down in the chair.
As I continued to admire the room I realized, this wasn’t a “done up” room for temporary Holiday guests…this was actually Amaya’s bedroom. You could tell it had been lived in for years with the dust on the dresser and windowsill. No way Mami would forget to dust the room in preparation for guests, even family guests.
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Amaya and Aizen were living with his parents.
I don’t know how that wasn’t mentioned yesterday somewhere in our many conversations - or that my parents didn’t mention it before. Probably because they figure Aizen isn’t very proud of the situation, and I can’t say I blame him. The mystery surrounding that man suddenly developed into even more of a mystery.
I wasn’t meaning to use sweet Amaya to gather more information, but…
“How long has this been your bedroom?” I asked her.
“Since we moved here,” the girl answered, swinging her legs. “Daddy and I have always lived with grandma and grandpa…”
Always?
“...ever since my mom died.”
Ohhhh… Now it all made sense. My face fell. “I’m so sorry to hear that Amaya.”
“It’s ok,” she surprisingly brushed off quickly. “I don’t remember her since I was a baby when she died.”
“Oh.”
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No wonder Aizen is so grumpy and reserved, I thought, he was dealt a pretty hard hand in life. One of the worst… My shoulders slumped with a sigh. I didn’t know what else to say, or think.
All I knew was, my impression of the man - and my perspective - greatly changed in that moment. I was glad I asked Amaya about it, and that she was comfortable in sharing it with me.
“Do you have a picture of you mom?” I asked, curious what she looked like.
“Yeah,” Amaya answered, slipping off the chair and going to her dresser. She opened the top drawer and pulled out a crinkled physical picture and handed it to me. “Her name was Keisha.”
“That’s a pretty name, like yours,” I said as I studied the woman in the picture.
She was of African American decent, as I suspected, with beautifully frizzy dark hair with brown highlights, pulled away from her face by a denim headband. She wore no makeup and had a single stud nose ring on the left side of her nose. She was in a hospital gown, in a hospital bed, holding her - and Aizen’s - new baby girl with a weary smile on her face. “She’s beautiful,” I said, lowering the picture. “I can see her in you.”
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“Really?” Amaya asked with the brightest smile, taking the picture back.
“Definitely!” What, has your dad never told you that? I almost asked, but of course I held it back. Maybe anything related to her mother was too hard to talk about. Completely understandable.
“Thanks Malai,” Amaya said while setting the picture down on the dresser. “I keep hoping that someday I’ll get a new mommy.”
I smiled warmly. “Yeah. I hope you do too…”
Amaya sure deserved a mother…
The best the world could offer.
After visiting in the bedroom, Amaya and I went back downstairs and joined Kai and Mr. Yamamoto in watching Elf. People think I’m crazy for not being the biggest fan of that movie, but I’ll admit it’s nicer to watch with a child that’s getting a kick out of it. Amaya’s laughs were so contagious! Kai and I sat somewhat close on the sofa, but didn’t hold hands or cuddle. We weren’t ready to make anything known yet and really, it was too soon.
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After the movie the four of us played Skip-Bo and had a lot of fun. Honestly, I was ready for a Christmas day nap by the time the game ended. (Mr. Yamamoto promptly went back to his lounge chair and did just that!) I also developed a headache, no thanks to all the noise Aizen was making while patching the ceiling along with all the voices. I just wasn’t used to it. Kai noticed me rubbing my temples and kindly got me some Tylenol. Even though Ibuprofen works better for me, I appreciated the thoughtful gesture. He actually got another work related call and excused himself as he retreated to the den to take it. Amaya then climbed into her grandpa’s lap and rested her head against his chest, taking a nap herself. I smiled at the adorable scene.
Just then I realized that all the ceiling repair noises had stopped. For a few minutes actually. Had Aizen finished already? If so, that was fast!
Maybe now was a good time to approach him…
I slowly and carefully stepped into the hallway with my hands clasped tightly behind my back. I could feel my heart racing. It’s never been easy for me to swallow my own pride. I just wanted to stop feeling so nervous and uncomfortable around him. It was wrecking the joy I was having with all of his other family members.
“Hey,” I timidly greeted him with a smile.
He looked down at me in acknowledgement from the ladder, staring for a couple of seconds, and then continued to finalize the job. I’ll take it, was my thought.
I then glanced up at the ceiling. “Wow. That looks really good.”
“It’s what I do,” he simply said.
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Now I could feel my rapid pulse beating through my temples, especially when he came down from the ladder. I couldn’t hold it back any longer. “Listen, uh,” I began, inching closer to him. “I wanted to apologize about what I said earlier. I really didn’t mean to–”
“I know,” he interjected, finally making eye contact with me. “How were you supposed to know about the leaky ceiling?” He slipped the last tool he was using into his tool belt. “You made a fair point otherwise so…don’t worry about it.” He looked away.
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Well that was a surprising response; still very dismissive though. I would’ve preferred an “I appreciate that,” or something, but whatever. “Ok,” I lightly accepted.
The feeling in the air still needed to change, pronto. It was wracking my nerves. “Amaya’s a really sweet girl."
“Thanks.”
“I enjoyed making cookies with her this morning.”
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“Yeah, about that,” he started in his normal, serious tone while pressing his shoulder against the wall. My stomach clenched. “I appreciate you being so kind to Amaya, but,” he briefly paused, “I don’t need you giving her any false hopes.”
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My jaw nearly hit the floor.
“False hopes?” I questioned. “I don’t know what you mean by that.”
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“You’re going home to New York soon right?” he spat out.
“Well, yeah…but–”
“So in that regard, please, just cut ties with her kindly and be on your way. Thanks.” And with that he swooped past me and disappeared around the corner.
Now my mouth dropped with a huff, my head twitching in disbelief. What!? I couldn’t believe him, and didn’t even know how to process that. Truthfully it was making me more angry than I cared to be. I almost called him a je’rk, but no, that wasn’t necessary. I sighed. It seemed pretty clear that he didn’t like me - NO clue why because I’m pretty likable and nice to everyone - and honestly…I didn’t like him. There I said it. No matter how good looking he is. In fact he was looking less and less attractive the more I interacted with his callous self. I huffed again.
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“I tried God,” I whispered to the ceiling. "I tried." But…aaaarrghh! Did he have to be so rude!?
No matter what he’d been through…
When Kai found me I did a pretty good job acting like nothing awful had just happened and told him I was going to go home and take a nap. He understood and squeezed my hand affectionately as we said goodbye. Until dinnertime.
:mrgreen:
Chapter 5 will be released on the 14th. <3
