Chapter 58 | Christmas p1

Isabella:

I wake up on Christmas day to the sound of loud childlike giggles and someone jumping on my bed dangerously close to my head.

Peeking an eye open, I see Sofia's small frame bouncing up and down excitedly. Her brown curls bouncing around her head crazily.

"Christmas! Belly Christmas!" She squeals loudly and I wince at her shrill voice. If my mom hadn't been standing in the doorway, I would have thrown Sofia off the bed already; firstly, for waking me up at this ridiculous hour of 9 am and secondly because of her use of that horrendous nickname of mine.

"Merry Christmas mija!" My mother cheers as I unenthusiastically roll out of bed, goosebumps raising up the length of my arms and legs from the chilly winter breeze flowing in through the open window where, at the same time, warm light is flooding through, giving my entire room a golden tint.

"Merry Christmas," I grunt, rubbing my eyes and raking a hand through my hair. Sofa places a chubby little hand on my shoulder before bending down and smacking a sloppy kiss on my cheek.

"Christmas! Belly! Christmas!"

I grab her little body and swing her around before gently dropping her on my bed and tickling her stomach. "Christmas! Sofia! Christmas!" I mimic her as my baby sister breaks out into peaks of laughter and begins to squirm.

My mom chuckles as she strolls over to us. "Bella hurry and get ready, some of the guests are starting to arrive," she announces, bending down and swiftly grabbing Sofia when she almost topples off of my bed.

I furrow my eyebrows. "Already? It's still early in the morning and I didn't even know we were having other guests."

She nods and shrugs her shoulders at the same time. "Abuela invited some people, now hurry and get changed out of those pjs!"

As I'm strolling over to my desk chair where I had laid out my new outfit for today, my mom sets Sofia off to the floor and she begins to run in my direction.

"Belly Belly Belly!" She shrieks and I scrunch up my nose disapprovingly.

"Mom can you get Sofia to stop calling me that."

"I've tried, " she sighs as my baby sister begins running around in circles so fast she merely looks like a little blur of red, the colour of in the dress she is dolled up in.

"I don't even know where she learnt that ridiculous name from but she doesn't stop."

I press my lips together and immediately send a glare in the direction of my window, the one that is opposite to Lucas' room.

After grabbing my clothes and my towel, I begin treading over to the bathroom, my mom tapping my ass to usher me along faster as she heads into her own room to get ready. She has already done her hair and make up but was yet to put on her outfit. Sofia on the other hand, is already dressed up in a tiny, red frock and had shiny, matching ballet pumps on her little feet.

I take a shower before blow drying and curling my hair slightly. I then get changed into the outfit I had picked out yesterday night; a black milkmaid skater dress paired with sheer black tights. I do a full face of makeup just because I don't want to look like a corpse today, layer a few gold necklaces around my neck, put on a matching bracelet on my wrist and a couple rings on my fingers. Once I'm done and satisfied with how my makeup turned out, I turn away from the mirror, trying not to dwell on my appearance to much and promptly step back out into the landing, the same time my mom does too.

"Wow Ma you look great!" I gush, my eyebrows flying up in surprise as I rake my eyes down the length of her body. She's wearing a gorgeous, white, form fitting dress with a lace design, her long, brown hair cascading down her back in soft waves and with silver earnings on her ears completing the whole look.

"Thank you honey! So do you!" She beams, sending me a large smile. "The dress looks so good on you!"

I gaze down at myself, palming the material of the dress and straightening out any creases. I push away the thoughts pounding in my head, telling me that she's only saying I look good just for the sake of it and not because I do and heave out a sigh, forcing my self to smile slightly.

"Thanks mama."

We both begin to descend down the stairs where my fathers loud chuckling can already be heard from the kitchen alongside Sofia's pattering of foot steps, my fingers trailing down the cool material of banister.

I halt however, just as I'm about to step into the hallway, when I hear the sound of the front door unlocking.

When I gaze up, I see my abuela's barely 5'0 frame peek out from behind the door. Sofia runs out into the hallway the moment she hears the door opening and my mom has to grab her and swoop the baby into her arms before she runs outside.

"Don't be silly! Come in!" My grandmother says, speaking to someone outside, her back turned to me. I try to peak over her head but only a sliver of the door is open so I'm unable to see who she's speaking to.

"Who's here?" I ask my mom quizzically and she shrugs her shoulders as Sofia squirms, trying to free herself from my mother's arms.

"I don't know who she invited, maybe Patty or Joanne or some of her other bingo frie-"

The deep voice responding to my grandmother's protests, cutting my mom off from speaking rules out her guess completely. Recognition floods through me and I supress a groan as I realise who the low, rumbling voice belongs to.

"No no, abuela it's alright-" He says, whilst my grandmother tugs their arm, trying to pull them forward but with no avail.

"No it's not alright! I'm not letting you spend Christmas alone!"

"I don't want to intrude abuela! It's honestly fine-"

"NO cariño, I will not take no for an answer, you're coming in!" She argues back, tugging with more force.

"No, no it's oka-ouch ouch OKAY OUCH-"

The door finally flies fully open and in stumbles abuela. I watch as she hauls in Lucas by his ear, his entire body slanted over to the right due to the fact my grandmother has a deathly grip on his earlobe, his eyes shut and his face screwed up in pain. The moment my eyes land on him, I stay rooted frozen on the stairs.

Ugh I knew it.

Lucas opens his eyes but keeps his gaze downcasted to the floor as he rubs the ear in which abuela had been gripping whilst my gaze stays trained onto him. I hate how my breath hitches and my heart begins to hammer the moment I rake my eyes up and down his tall frame. I don't know if I want to turn around and run back upstairs and lock myself into my room away from him or continue standing here ogling at how good Lucas looks dressed in black pants and a white button down shirt.

Unable to move my body, I choose to do the latter.

His dark hair is tousled in the most perfect way and I internally scream at the slightest sliver of skin he his showing from the way he had left the top two buttons of his shirt open. He's wearing a couple of silver chains around his neck: one normal and one with a cross pendant. On his hands his nails and freshly painted in black polish and he's wearing a different variation of rings, the veins in his hand protruding as he fists he clenches and unclenches his knuckles; a tell that he is highly at unease here.

"Can you believe he was going to spend Christmas all alone in his house!" My abuela tells my mom and I in disbelief, her eyes narrowed and I draw my eyes away from Lucas and back onto her. "I had to drag him out of there, make him get ready and then come over!"

"I would've been fine by myself," he mutters under his breath, shifting from from foot to foot uncomfortably. "I've done it before."

"Nonsense! Mijo you are practically family, I will not allow you to be all by yourself just because your silly parents went off to work," she shakes her head disapprovingly before snapping her attention to me. "Isabella why are you just standing there!" Abuela she exclaims and I blink. "Come, take Lucas to the kitchen and give him some food!"

When I still don't move she sighs exasperatedly. "Chop chop!"

I finally urge my feet to move and begrudgingly jump off the last step on the stairs. Instead of taking Lucas to the kitchen to get him food however, I take the chance to escape when my mom stops to greet him but as I try to move past her, she steps in front of me and takes a grasp of my arm.

"Merry Christmas Luke," my mom beams, reaching up and pecking Lucas' cheek whilst still gripping my arm. "Ma is right, you're literally family, are you kidding me? You're not spending Christmas alone!"

"I seriously would've been fine but...thank you." He responds, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly before a smile crosses his face, dimples and all, when his gaze moves onto Sofia who has her arms outstretched.

She practically flies out of my mom's arms and onto Lucas who chuckles when takes a hold of her and balances Sofia with one arm. "Merry Christmas Sof," he beams at my baby sister and tickles her stomach. "I got a present for you!"

She gasps before beginning to cheer, causing a loud rumble of laughter to erupt from Lucas and he waggles the large gift bag clutched in his hand that I hadn't even realised he had been holding.

My mom finally lets go of her death grip on my hand and begins to make her way up the stairs as my grandma's booming voice echoes from the second floor, calling her name. I hadn't even noticed my grandmother disappear upstairs.

When it's just the two of us standing in the hallway, I slowly begin to turn around to leave when Lucas extends his arm and gently grabs my shoulder, halting me.

I immediately flinch at his touch and he quickly recoils and retracts his arm. He presses his lips into a thin line at my reaction as I warily turn back around to face him.

I watch as he opens and closes his mouth a few times, seemingly unable to find the words to speak before he lets out an exhale.

"Isabella...I know things between us are..." he begins, pausing for a beat before clearing his throat as Sofia stills in his arms like she's taken notice of the uneasy tension between us. The hand that had been fisting Lucas' dark locks pauses and she just stares at the two of us.

Lucas clears his throat again. "...I...got you a Christmas present."

I press my lips firmly together as he proceeds to pull out a little blue coloured gift bag from the bigger gift bag and cautiously holds it out to me. "I bought it a while back and still wanted to give it to you..."

I merely stare at the bag that he is holding between his slender fingers.

"Please, look at it at least," he urges me when I still haven't taken the bag from him.

Letting out a sigh, I hesitantly reach out and grasp the gift, taking it in my hands. He watches me as I untie the ribbons clasping the top of the bag together, his gaze boring holes into my head. I slowly pull out a little rectangular box  and I immediately take a large intake of breath the moment I see the familiar Pandora logo. I steadily open the lid before stilling and stare at the contents inside.

Sitting inside, is a thin, silver bracelet. Nothing too extravagant and fairly simplistic, but definitely my type of jewellery. There is only one small charm in the middle of the bracelet and as I take a closer look, I find my breath hitching for the umpteenth time this morning.

"The charm-" Lucas begins but I cut him off.

"Mr Bellucas," I breathe continuting to stare down at the gift and the small silver teddy charm on the bracelet.

Lucas nods his head, the corner of his lip quirking ever so slightly into a shadow of a smile when he see's that I've realised what the charm is.

"Teddy!" Sofia points a little finger at the gift and Lucas laughs softly.

"Yes, teddy-"

"I can't have this."

Lucas' laughter halts and Sofia scrunches her face up when she watches me shake my head, still staring down at the bracelet.

"I'm sorry but I-"

"Isabella," he interrupts as I continue to shake my head. "Please, just take it. I really want you to have it."

He speaks softer than I've ever heard him speak before and I slowly look up to meet his gaze.

His eyes, under the dim light of the hallway appear almost emerald, the typical sparkling glint in his eye no where to be found. Instead replacing it, is emotion so vivid and raw, that it is enough to cause me to snap my gaze away immediately and to cause storm of butterflies enter my stomach and the flutter in my chest picks up a notch. I curse my self for feeling things I shouldn't feel when looking up at him and that is why I shake my head again.

"Thank you," I tell him firmly, closing the box and placing it gently back in the bag, before holding it back out to him. "But I can't take thi-"

"Aw Lucas!" My mom's cheery voice cuts me off and we both look up at the stairs to see my mom beaming down at us as she and abuela walk down the steps, boxes of presents grasped in their arms. "You got our Bella a present!"

Lucas takes this as a chance to shove the bag back into my hands. "Yeah!" He responds, plastering a smile on his face. ""Isabella was just about to open it!"

He turns back to me and I narrow my eyes as I realise what he's doing. "Go ahead Bella, open it."

I open the bag open aggressively and pull out the box, prising it open. I barely glance at the bracelet before letting out an unenthusiastic. "Wow."

"Mija!" My abuela scolds, furrowing her eyebrows. "Don't be rude!"

"My bad," I say dryly before clearing my throat. "Wow!" I repeat but this time the slightest bit more enthusiastically. "I love it."

Lucas chuckles at my reaction before swiftly turning his chuckle into a cough when he sees the glare I send his way and he presses his lips into a thin line, the tension returning back between us.

My mom scowls and sends me the eyes. "Sorry Lucas," she turns to him and says apologetically. "I don't know why Isabella is acting so rudely but thank you, that is very thoughtful of you."

He smiles and nods his head once just as abuela clasps her hands together.

"Right, everyone in the living room! It's present exchange time! She exclaims and does a little shimmy on the stairs excitedly. She then ushers all of us into the living room and heads into the kitchen to drag my father out and join us.

I take a seat on the sofa and Lucas sits on the one opposite to me, Sofia bouncing up and down on his lap, her eyes zeroed onto the presents my mom is currently placing around the tree even though there is no point now seeing as they're going to be passed out in a second anyways.

"Oh look the first present is for Sof!" My grandmother says, picking up a small parcel wrapped in hot pink wrapping paper and handing it over to my restless baby sister who squeals when she gets her hands on her present.

Lucas helps her unwrap the gift and she shrieks excitedly when she picks up the blue coloured dress that was inside. Lucas takes out the little card that was inside the parcel also and opens it up.

"Merry Christmas to my favourite little sister! Lot's of love Isabella!"

She gazes up at me and sends me a wide grin. "Thanks Belly!"

Lucas freezes behind her, his eyes flying wide open. In an instant he dives to the floor beside the tree and grabs a gift, still holding Sofia in his lap. "OO look the next gift is for Bella!" He chuckles nervously, changing the subject and avoiding my deathly glare as he hands the gift over to me.

I look at the top for the wrapping paper. "To Isabella from Dad," I read aloud before beginning to unwrap the gift. I see that it is a shoe box and gasp when I prise it open to see a brand new pair of doc martins sitting inside.

"Thanks dad!" I gush, leaning over and wrapping my arms around my father where he had been hovering over the sofa with a garbage bag ready to stuff all the wrapping paper in.

"You're welcome mija!" He responds with a grin before plucking the wrapping paper out of my hands and shoving it into the bag. He continues to hang around everyone as we carry on with handing out presents.

By the time every gift under the tree is handed out, the couch I am sitting on is packed with boxes of different presents. Overall, I have received a brand new makeup palette, a film camera and a nice set of silk pyjamas from my mom, a Chanel perfume from my grandmother and a cute little nude purse and my dad also gifts me airpod pros and fuzzy socks.

My mom gets two new moleskin planners, a handful of other decorative organisation things, perfume and a box of candles, my grandmother a photo album that I had put together, a 'painting' Sofia had made and some various other new baking materials. Lucas had given my grandmother and mother matching necklaces and had received a new gaming headset, a couple of hoodies and a new skateboard that I had apparently gifted to him. My abuela winks at me when Lucas opens this and I realise she had bought Lucas the gift on behalf of me.

Sofia gets a huge purple toy car which she rides around the living room, running over our feet and more toys and my father receives a new watch and headphones, a mug that has a cheesy saying on it and a 'portrait' of him painted by Sofia.

We're all testing out our gifts or trying them on, my mom gushing over how organised the new year is going to be now with all her organisation materials and my grandmother listing all the new recipes she's going to bake when the doorbell suddenly goes off, the shrill sound echoing through the house.

We all pause and all eyes go to abuela who furrows her eyebrows. "I don't know who it could be," she tells us. "My friends have grandchildren visiting them this year, they're not coming around."

My father suddenly perks up. "Oh it might be Sara," he says and my mom's head whips around so fast to look at him, I'm surprised her head doesn't snap off her neck.

"Sara?" She repeats through gritted teeth. "You invited Sara?"

My fathers eyes widen and he raises his hands up in surrender. "She called asking what I'm doing for Christmas and I told them I was flying over and she said they might pop by! But she only said that they might!"

My mom slaps her hand against her forehead repeatedly. "Dios mio, do you have to go and ruin everything! They didn't know we were back!"

"Yes they do, I told her..." My dad furrows his eyebrows confusedly. "And I do not ruin everything!"

"Yes you do-"

I cancel out their bickering and pinch the bridge of my nose frustratedly before gazing back up at my grandma who is heading towards the living room door.

"Abeula please don't open the door," I tell my grandmother in panic, my eyes widening in alarm as my grandmother freezes on the spot by the living room. "Can we just pretend we're not home?"

"They'll see the lights on and you know they won't leave," she responds defeatedly, her shoulder slumping forward. "They'll keep ringing until we let them in."

After the words leave my grandmothers mouth, silence suddenly follows and we all hold our breaths, my parents stop their bickering. Lucas doesn't say a word although I doubt he has no clue why we're all panicking and even Sofia doesn't utter a peep.

However, the silence doesn't last long and I bury my head in my hands as we all collectively groan when the doorbell goes off again only moments later, the loud chime reverberating throughout the house. And then the doorbell rings again. And again. And again....and again.

I have to physically stop my mom from lurching over and strangling my father as my grandmother begrudgingly steps out into the hallway to answer the door after we've grown sick of the sound and we all realise there is no avoiding this.

"Thanks a lot pendejo," my mother growls, sending the dirtiest look towards my father, her glare so intense I'm surprised my father's hair doesn't catch on fire. "Now Christmas is ruined!"

━

AUTHORS NOTE:

sorry guys this chapter isn't the best, this is the outcome of my writers block :/