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.

Yeah I wonder what Jaron thinks about Miriam complaining that her chest is cold lol.

"Charlottesmom;c-16877504" wrote:
@emorrill , Now wait I feel ripped off...I've been literally binge watching Supernatural (and Supernatural Cons on youtube) for months now and have only had one dream with a character. He was way in the background, and wait it wasn't even a character it was Jared, when do I get my Misha dream??? *taps foot impatiently* :(

Chapter 7
(Part 1)

December 22nd

"Ice skates?" Jaron asked Miriam inquisitively as he opened up his newest gift from her that morning.
"Yes!" she replied excitedly. "I wasn't sure if you had any so I totally saved the receipt in case you do OR if you don't like ice skating you can return them." She winked. "I just thought it would be fun if we went out and ice skated at the park! The pond is frozen SOLID this year!"
"How would you know my shoe size?" he asked, studying the box.
"Well," she began, rocking on her heels. "I sorta asked the guy at the shoe store, you know, the one that's worked there forever, if he happened to know your shoe size from a previous purchase and...he did."
"Size 12," he read on the box. "Yup, you guys got it right."
Miriam grinned.
"You're sneaky..."
"I know!"

****

The temperature was colder than usual compared to the past few days, which Jaron didn't particularly care for. Nor did he feel like freezing his bu'tt off being outside for a good portion of the day, ice skating of all things, but...he just couldn't say no to Miriam's cheery face upon gifting him the skates. No he didn't own any, but he had skated before...years ago. He hoped he wouldn't fall and embarrass himself in front of her.

"Alrighty!" Miriam began as they "stepped" out onto the ice. "You ready? It's been a long time for the both of us so...if we help each other along at first we should get the hang of it."



"I guess so," Jaron sighed, staring off into the distance.
Miriam's face fell upon hearing his reaction. "Oh...uh...did I put you in a position where you felt like you couldn't say No?"
Well... He cracked a smile to help her feel better. "Maybe a little," he admitted, "but it's ok. Really. It was a very generous gift and honestly, I don't ever remember the pond being frozen enough to skate on so, this is kind of cool."
Miriam cracked a smile in return. "Ok, now take my hand," she said, outstretching them, "and together we can figure this out again."
Yeah...together.

In no time at all the two got the hang of ice skating again and before Jaron knew it, Miriam was cheering with joy again at her success. He was really beginning to love that sound.

He certainly didn't mind the view as he trailed behind her a bit to make sure he'd be there to catch her if she fell.



Then he let her go off on her own.

A couple of minutes later... "Woah, woah, WOAH!" Miriam cried, barely keeping her balance.
"Careful!" Jaron cried. Whew...



Before they knew it they'd been skating in circles, creating hundreds of skate marks in the ice, conversing for about two hours. The cold didn't even seem to phase them. However as the sun began to set, they were really starting to feel it.



As they stopped to catch their breaths on the ice for a bit, Jaron said, "This was really fun Miriam. Once again I regret ever regretting doing something fun with you." He winked.
She blushed. "Why Mr. Hodge I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me," she winked back.
"Please...call me Jaron," he said. "You make me feel like an old man when you call me Mister."
"It was an honest slip of the tongue," she said, skating closer to him. "You know how old habits die hard."
"Yeeeahh..."
"You're doing great," she assured, reading his thoughts. "I'm honestly very surprised at the way you just flipped the switch and have gone back to the," she paused, "kind man you used to be."
He took her hands into his and looked down at them. "Well...it's still a struggle, but," he hesitated a bit, "with you coming around every day...it sure makes it easier to be a better person."

Miriam's eyes glistened a bit as she smiled at him. "That's really sweet of you to say," she said, looking down at their hands too. "But really I'm just...being me. You make it sound like I have some inner magic or something."
"Well I think you do," he expressed. "Anyone who is willing to spread care and kindness toward someone who's heart was as cold and stone- hearted as mine, well...that's a gift Miriam."
She gazed into his eyes with a blushing smile.
"Everyone was afraid to do what you did and honestly...I can't say I blame them." He lowered his head again. "I just never expected the hate and pain to consume me the way it did..."
At that, Miriam gently lifted his chin with her finger. "Don't think about that ok?" she encouraged. "We've all made mistakes. Big ones that we aren't proud of, but...we learn from them and we move on. Don't allow yourself to wallow away in your regrets from the past. I've done that before and I felt it destroying me. Just always try to focus on the gift of each new day, that's why they call it the present," she chuckled. "And never look back."

In that moment Jaron desperately wanted to pull her in close to him and...

...but then they heard a violin begin playing. They both glanced over at the fountain to see one of the homeless men in town, playing his violin at the park like he so often did. Miriam's heart always broke for him, which is why she never hesitated to tip him when she happened to be around his playing.

"Dance with me?" Jaron asked her in a whisper.
"On the ice!?"
"Don't worry...I won't let you fall."
Miriam blushed as they carefully took each other's hands and danced, the best one could on ice, to the sweet tune of the violin. Jaron even twirled her a couple of times, which made her heart flutter.

Spinning among the faint light of the Christmas lights, it all felt so...romantic. Both of them loved every second of it.



Once the cold had really started to become unbearable, the two went over and tipped the homeless man. Then they offered to buy him some dinner and hot chocolate from the Diner, to which he gladly accepted.

That small act of service made Jaron realize just how selfish he'd been in wallowing away in his own pain and sorrow for the past decade. He could've been out doing good...forgetting his pain, and healing it in the process. The cure was there all along, he'd just forgotten where to look for it.

****

December 23rd

On this day before Christmas Eve, Miriam and Jaron spent the whole day together.

After Miriam arrived with her gift, and Jaron gifting her with something too, they headed off to the movie theater to watch a classic Christmas film. Then they had a picnic lunch in the park...well...it was more like "a grill something in the warmth of the coals and eat it standing" kind of lunch. Snow was everywhere!

Then Miriam took Jaron to her home, to show off her humble abode and introduce him properly to her friends. Ciro was at work by then and Miriam figured that was probably for the best. Angelica was of course quite taken by this new Mr. Hodge, you could hear it in her giggles, and he and Pedro even talked about sports and shared some laughs. It warmed Miriam's heart how well they all got along and she hoped that Jaron just made a couple of new friends today.

As the afternoon came to an end, Miriam took Jaron home. He asked her if she'd like to stay a bit longer and join him for dinner as he was going to cook up his famous wild caught fish. She agreed and couldn't wait to try it! She didn't particularly like fish, but when she took a bite of one, coated in Jaron's secret spices, she was in awe over how delicious it tasted! I sure could get used to this kind of cooking...

After dinner they thought it would be fun to lay out in the snow and watch the stars. But quickly they realized what an awful idea that was!

"Should we just call this making snow angels instead?" Miriam asked while shivering. "I guess...they'll be 'Siamese twin' angels?" She chuckled.
Jaron laughed too. "Sounds good to me!"



The two hurried back inside for some warm cocoa and then Jaron expressed how he wanted to go back out and look at the stars with her. There was an old Christmas story he heard regarding a star that he wanted to find and tell her about.
"Umm...the star of Bethlehem?" she asked, looking at him in a funny way.
"Not that star," he said, "a different one."
Feeling warmed up enough they headed back out into the still, cold night.

For a time they sat huddled together, gazing up at the stars and taking in the beauty of the wintry scene surrounding them.



Sharing a few whispers and giggles as they made small talk.



Then Jaron finally found the star and pointed it out to her.



"...and it was that star," he concluded the story with, "that shone down and encouraged the cold and weary Christmas carolers to the home of old Marjorie Pay, making her very last Christmas a special one. Answering her prayer that she wouldn't take her last breath that night alone."
"Aww," Miriam expressed. "That's a beautiful story, but kind of sad at the same time."
Jaron didn't respond to that, but simply turned his head toward her and said, "I was so sure I didn't care if I spent Christmas alone for the rest of my life, but now," he paused, Miriam meeting his gaze, "I'm beginning to feel the same as Marjorie; I never want to spend it alone again."
Smiling brightly at him, Miriam gazed back up at the stars. He didn't have to say anything else, nor did she, they knew what the other was feeling.

When it came time to go their separate ways, they struggled to say goodbye.

Jaron held her in close, and longer, when she gave him a parting hug. "I'm going to miss seeing you every day after Christmas," he finally admitted to her. "I can't believe the day is almost here."



"Yeah," Miriam sighed, her heart sinking at the thought. "But we'll still see each other and get together," she said looking into his eyes. "I promise. I could never stop seeing you now."
That made Jaron very happy and filled his soul with relief.

"Before I go," Miriam said, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "Tomorrow is the Christmas Eve Ball, at the Ballroom next to City Hall. I wanted to," she paused, her heart fluttering, "invite you to it."
Jaron smiled. "I appreciate the invite," he said, "but...I'm not so sure." He scratched the back of his head. "I haven't attended anything like that in years and honestly--"
She knew he felt nervous and why. "Just think about it ok," she asked, gently touching his arm. "It was wonderful last year and there's always delicious food and...I'll be there so...I'd really love it if you could be there too." For a moment she held her hands behind her back, rocking on her heels and Jaron couldn't help thinking how adorable she looked.

"I'll think about it," he assured, lightly stroking her cheek. "Until tomorrow then."
"Yes."
"Goodnight...Miriam."
"Goodnight."

****

December 24th

That morning when Miriam arrived with Jaron's gift she found a note posted on his door. Curiously, she set the present down, ripped it off, and began reading:

My dearest Miriam,
Sorry to miss you this morning. I am out doing some soul searching. I need this time to sort a few things out and...I hope you'll understand. Please, do leave your gift by the door and I'm still not sure about attending the Ball, but no matter what...I'll find a way to see you.
Sincerely,
Jaron

Holding her hand to her heart, Miriam turned the note around, hoping there was more, but wondering what this could mean. What were these things exactly that he needed to sort out? Getting out in public more? Learning to ignore people's gossip? Figuring out what to do next in his life? It's gotta be that, she thought, but really it could be anything.

She left the gift right where she set it down and slowly walked away, hoping with all her heart that he'd come to see her at the Ball that night.

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Part two coming as soon as I can get it written perfectly! 😁

Thank you so much for your patience. 💜