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“Kel, you idiot! You scared Basil for a moment!”
The angel right in front of me yells at Kel as she pouts angrily. I cannot help myself to find her being adorable whenever she acts like that, just like every other moment from her. It fills me with joy whenever I'm with her along with my friends. I hope this moment never ends…
SUNNY YOU MORON! STOP STANDING THERE AND GIVE HER THE GIFT ALREADY!
I immediately snap out from my train of thought and bring my attention back onto the scenery. Today’s Christmas and Mari has invited the entire friend group to my house for celebration earlier today. Everyone else has been spending their time cheerfully. After Kel’s shenanigans, Aubrey and Basil immediately went back to chatting with each other happily as the two of them always loved talking to each other ever since they first became friends. Speaking of Kel, he, as usual, has been making jokes and been goofing around among my friend group in order to lighten up the mood and get into the spirit of Christmas. I’m envious of him being energetic and lively as he is able to start a conversation immediately without feeling anxious. I feel the same way towards Basil and Aubrey too, where they are able to talk for a long time and their conversations are more lively and fun compared to whenever Aubrey and I have conversations. I just wish I don’t have to feel anxious before talking to anyone and have better social skills…
A sudden aroma catches my attention before I dwell on myself further. It seems to be coming from the kitchen, where my sister and Hero have been working there for the past hour or so. I remember her mentioning that she and Hero have been baking Christmas cookies for everyone to enjoy, which makes me excited to see what they had been baking in the kitchen. As I headed towards the kitchen, my imagination went wild into picturing how those cookies will turn out. Will the cookies be made in a variety of interesting shapes that are Christmas themed? How many did she and Hero have made? Will it be the sweetest thing I have tasted in my entire life? The questions in my mind makes me anticipate the outcome further, which I hope will surpass beyond my expectations just like the other dishes they have made.
“Hey Mari. I smell something delicious in here…”
“Oh, hey Sunny! Hero and I have just finished baking these cookies! From the looks of it I guess you are excited about them haha! Wanna try one of them out?”
She immediately gave me one of the cookies that she and Hero made. I did not hesitate to take it due to my high excitement. I take a glance at the cookie itself, where everything seems to be hand-crafted by god. For starters, the cookie I’m holding appears to have a shape resembling a Christmas tree, which is very appealing. What makes it even more appealing is that the cookie has been decorated in a variety of colours that enhances its appearances further, with it being coated in a dark-greenish colour sugary icing, along with red and yellow dragées that resemble Christmas ornaments. With the cookie itself being eye-catching, I immediately take a bite and slowly chew the cookie down to each of its crumbs to fully enjoy the taste.
THESE ARE THE BEST COOKIES I HAVE EVER TASTED IN MY LIFE!
I can’t believe what I had just tasted. It’s as if suddenly something transports me into heaven in an instant, where I feel like god gives me some holy spiritual energy that will remain for the rest of my entire life. How does one bake these cookies into even more perfection that she already has? I can’t figure out the process both Hero and Mari did in order to create a replica from heaven, but it didn’t matter right now. I’m currently witnessing a peak in my mouth right now that I will cherish for a long time.
“Hehe ... .I didn’t know you enjoyed those cookies that much.” Mari giggles. I couldn’t hear Mari’s soft tease as I am fully absorbed in my mind, processing the extreme levels of tastiness those cookies have. The sweetness is unmatched compared to any other sweets or treats I have tasted prior to this point. Mari and Hero never fail to impress every time.
“Hey Sunny! I have never seen you smile this widely before. You must be enjoying the Christmas mood haha!” Mari teases. Upon hearing that, I’m embarrassed at myself for acting weird earlier, with my face turning red and covering my face with both of my hand palms. Why, of all people, do I have to smile right in front of my sister? Oh no, I can’t imagine the many teases I would get from her for the upcoming hours. I still am not used to smiling in front of everyone except for Aubrey when we are both alone….
“Hehehe…silly young brother. You should smile more. I love seeing you being happy all the time!” Mari teases once again. “Come on, Sunny! Let’s enjoy the Christmas cookies that me and my handsome hubby have baked.”
After a while of standing still feeling completely embarrassed, I shake off my thoughts and follow Mari towards the dining room, where she serves the cookies neatly on the table. Every one of my friends has taken each seat on the dining table, with Hero being in the middle of Basil and Kel, and an empty seat between Mari and Aubrey. I can barely bring myself to move as my body is mostly shaking. Beads of sweat have been racing down on my face, accompanied with my heart beating at a faster rate.
This is gonna be so awkward. I think to myself as I head towards the empty seat, feeling unprepared on what I should say to Aubrey before giving the gift to her. I try to think of dozens of sentences that would make a natural conversation between me and her, but all it does is make me more anxious. My mind becomes more messy as thoughts keep jumbling up to the point of them being a wild mess. I’m gonna mess up again like the loser I always am.
I take a few deep breaths to calm myself down, and then adjust myself on my own seat, before turning my face to initiate a conversation with Aubrey…
“Hey, Sunny! You look very cute today! Perhaps it's due to the Christmas spirit?”
The moment those words were spoken from Aubrey, my whole body froze for a moment, as if I can't move anymore even on the slightest inch on my pinky finger. My anxiousness has skyrocketed to an all time high as I didn’t anticipate her to speak first. Her adorable smile while looking at me doesn’t help to calm me down. I struggle to find the proper words to say without making myself appear extremely awkward in front of her, leaving me in an unstable mental state.
“Hey… Aubrey… Did I… really look … cute at all … haha…” I fumble through my words. My heart is racing, and I have butterflies in my stomach seeing how awkward my response is towards Aubrey. Am I leaving a bad impression on her? On Christmas? Oh god I can’t let this live down forever… My mind dreads my horrible response towards her. I feel like I screwed up already. I may as well give up on giving the gift to her and focus on enjoying the Christmas cookies that Mari prepared…
“Of course you do, Sunny! I love that you’re always quiet and calm even how energetic everyone else is today. I find it quite cute!” Aubrey remarks, with her smiling wider along with closing her eyes. I flushed instantly as I didn’t expect her to say this out loud in front of everyone else. Now they know how Aubrey perceives me. Oh god…
“Oh Sunny… I think your little angel likes you now hehe…” Mari teases while staring at me with her smug look. WHY MARI WHY?! My mind can’t handle it anymore. I love my sister and all, but sometimes she just takes her teasing too far to the point of being genuinely embarrassing for me.
“Come on now, Sunny… It’s nothing to be shy about. I’m glad that you have been a good ‘friend’ to Aubrey.” Mari chaffs as she continues displaying her smug expression onto me. PLEASE MARI JUST STOP THE TEASING I CAN’T BEAR IT ANYMORE AHHHHH!!! I feel like screaming loudly right now but I don’t want to ruin the mood for everyone here, especially given how Aubrey is still greeting me happily while blushing. The combination of both of those factors makes me even more anxious as I currently have no idea how to act afterwards apart from making myself appear more embarrassed. When will this end? Help me please…
“Kel! Stop eating all the cookies! Leave us some please!” Basil cries. We divert our attention to Kel, who has been keeping the plate full of Christmas cookies for himself.
“Hey! Kel! Stop being greedy and give us some cookies please!”
“Nuh uh! Finders keepers!” Kel declares while displaying the widest grin ever.
Before he could land his taste in another god’s own gift, Aubrey immediately stood from her seat and started a fight with Kel to prevent him from eating anymore of those cookies.
“HEY! WHAT’S YOUR DEAL?! YOU LITTLE-” Aubrey firmly grasps Kel’s mouth with her left hand before he can yell any further. Her right hand goes for the plate full of cookies and both of them begin fighting each other to have full control of the plate.
“KEL! STOP! YOU HAVE ENOUGH COOKIES ALREADY! JUST LET GO AND LET THE REST OF US HAVE SOME!”
“NO! AUBREY! AS I SAID! FINDERS KEEPERS!”
“KEL! YOU GREEDY PIG! THINK OF THE OTHERS!”
“THINK OF THE OTHERS?! IT’S IRONIC YOU SAID THAT CONSIDERING WHAT YOU ARE DOING NOW!”
“BOTH OF YOU STOP!” Hero yells angrily as he begins taking action to stop the fight. Mari also helps Hero into preventing the chaotic situation from escalating any further, with Basil unfortunately being in the middle of it. I sit still, silently, watching the situation unfold in front of my very own eyes, unsure what I’m supposed to do. Everything just happens at a glance. I went from being extremely anxious a second ago to back to feeling lifeless once again, sitting still frozen like a statue. My mind still hasn’t fully processed the teasing Mari made a while ago, and I’m still not confident about my scheme now given what is happening. Part of me should be relieved that I’m saved further from Mari’s teasing, but another part of me is yelling how useless I am, demanding me to do something instead of watching it unfold…
“AHHHHH!” Basil screams as he tumbles on the floor.
“BASIL!” Aubrey squeals. “Oh no Basil… I’m so sorry… I didn’t mean to hurt you…” Aubrey mumbles through her dialogue with her mood gradually becoming sadder. “ I hope you aren’t hurt too badly…”
Basil has a cut on his finger.
“Oh no no no no no!” Aubrey panics. I can’t believe what I saw too. On all of the days, someone gets injured on Christmas, and it happens to one of my longtime friends too. My mind is even more empty afterwards due to a lot of processing the events leading up till now. Should I have joined in to help Hero and Mari to deescalate the situation earlier? Is Christmas now ruined because of this incident? I don’t wanna think about this anymore…
“AUBREY! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!” Kel screeches while feeling upset. “IF YOU DIDN’T START A FIGHT OF ME EARLIER, BASIL COULDN’T HAVE BEEN HURT!”
“OH YEAH KEL?! HOW ABOUT MAYBE YOU SHOULD THINK I STARTED IT TO BEGIN WITH?! IF YOU WEREN’T BEING SO GREEDY WITH ALL THE COOKIES, THIS WHOLE THING COULDN’T HAVE HAPPENED!”
“ENOUGH!” Hero shouts angrily, causing both Kel and Aubrey to stop fighting immediately. His shouting also catches me off guard as I have never seen him shout this loudly and furiously in my life until now. “I’m sorry for my shouting earlier… but Kel, please learn to share with others! You don’t own all the cookies just because you have just eaten the first cookie! And Aubrey, please learn to stop starting fights with Kel again! How many times do I have to tell you that violence isn’t the answer to everything?!”
Both Aubrey and Kel shamefully face their heads down, regretting what they had done earlier.
“I’m sorry I have to do this… I don’t wanna ruin the fun for both of you during Christmas, but as punishment both of you aren’t allowed to have any of those cookies for the rest of the day!”
“Hey! That’s not fair! I haven’t tried a single cookie!” Aubrey protests, with her feeling extremely upset. I cannot blame her, considering how unfair it is from her perspective. Then again, she did cause the chaotic situation earlier…
“Heh! Serves you right!” Kel retorts while feeling upset too. I start to fear that another fight is gonna happen again given how Kel has made Aubrey even more mad now…
“Ow!” Aubrey slaps Kel on his face. “Okay! Fine! Guess I have always lived to be treated unfairly throughout my entire life! I guess it’s my fault that I have a terrible mother that I always have to live with every single day! I guess it’s also my fault that my family is poor, something that is entirely out of my own control! Treat me unfairly all you guys want! I don’t deserve anything anyways since I am always born and live as a piece of junk! I guess that my life will end as garbage considering how garbage I am everyday!”
“Aubrey…please listen…” Hero says calmly, but Aubrey cuts him off with her own dialogue. “Nuh uh! I already get it! I guess I don’t deserve to enjoy anything tasty all because of what I did earlier! Fine! Screw all of you and this stupid Christmas holiday! Hmph!” Aubrey sarcastically remarks as she storms off into the living room.
“Jeez…what a whiny child…” Kel retorts, still feeling upset about Aubrey’s behaviour and him being upset that he can’t enjoy any more cookies. He also leaves the dining room as well to play in the living room, while avoiding eye contact with Aubrey.
The rest of us are in the dining room, with the plate still containing a lot of cookies. It’s an awkward atmosphere. Hero goes back to eating the cookies, although he seems quite down while chewing them. I think he didn’t mean to make Aubrey feel incredibly upset today even though I understand his intentions. Mari, meanwhile, is treating Basil’s cut by using bandages and medicine to hopefully heal his injuries today. As for me, I silently munch down on Mari’s cookies, trying to forget the incident that happened earlier. Those cookies suddenly don’t taste good anymore.
“Hey Sunny…” Mari comments, with her feeling awkward intensely. “I’m sorry for what you had to witness earlier today… Aubrey and Kel can be very foolish at times, even though I think Aubrey deserves a little better…”
“I understand Mari…” I respond quietly, hopefully to halt the awkward tension between us. I didn't want Aubrey to be in a bad mood for the rest of the day, given how many more hours we still have left. At the same time, I sense that Aubrey doesn’t want to talk with anyone today. There goes my scheme I guess…
“Sunny…you seem to be weird today. I think there is something bothering you for a while now, isn’t it?” Mari questions. I am not prepared to be hit by that question, as I originally intended to keep the scheme a secret from everyone else as I fear them ruining the moment for me. Plus, the incident earlier has unintentionally made my scheme more awkward and I didn’t want to bring anymore awkwardness for today, leading me to want to cancel the scheme and move on from it. However, given how upset Aubrey is currently, I can use the scheme to help cheer Aubrey up and leave her a happier mood for the rest of the day. Furthermore, if I don’t commit to it now I may regret it for the rest of my life. I just need some help to work on my anxiety as I still have butterflies in my stomach, and I don’t know the proper steps to execute my scheme properly. I just need someone to lend me a hand…
I guess I have to reveal my scheme to Mari after all…but not now.
“Can I tell you later? I wanna enjoy the cookies you baked.”
“Sure!” Mari says happily. Honestly, it is relieving now that I have help for my scheme to work. Maybe I should have told Mari in the first place… Eh, whatever, that will wait for later. I’m just gonna happily enjoy the cookies that both Mari and Hero have prepared as I don’t feel as awkward now. I should leave some for Aubrey though. Maybe I can give some of these alongside my gift to her?
Two hours had passed and the awkward tension from earlier had died down, mostly. The rest of us tried to enjoy the remaining hours we have in order to forget the incident earlier, as Basil had immediately forgave Kel and Aubrey despite what they did earlier. It started with Hero telling everyone a Christmas story he and Mari came up with and planned many days prior today. It’s very cheesy but all of us enjoyed it regardless since it has a lot of funny moments.
Afterwards, we played around with the plushies and toys Mari and I had and used our imagination to create many interesting scenarios for our playtime, and it has been the most fun hours we have spent today. I’m very glad that I can celebrate the rest of Christmas in a happier mood now.
Despite all of that, Kel and Aubrey still haven’t forgiven each other. Throughout the two hours they never spoke to each other, nor did they have eye contact. They also purposefully distanced themselves from each other as they are still mad at each other. Currently, we are getting our seats ready to watch a Christmas themed movie. With me sitting next to Basil, while Kel is with Hero and Aubrey is with Mari.
“Hey Sunny…” Basil whispers worriedly. I lean my ear closer to his mouth, so that I can fully hear what he has to say. “Kel and Aubrey haven’t forgiven each other yet, and I’m getting worried about them. They haven’t spoken or looked at each other for a while now, and I fear that they are gonna remain like this for the rest of the day…”
I continue to listen to what Basil has to say regarding both Aubrey and Kel. It is sorta relieving to know that I am not the only one who also feel the same way regarding the situation earlier and towards Aubrey and Kel’s hatred for each other. However, Basil appears to be more concerned than I thought, as I notice his face turning gloomy and sweat beads forming on his head, with his body slightly shaking too.
“Sunny… will they remain like this forever? I know I might be exaggerating, but I have had this feeling inside me for so long now, and I’m afraid that it may be true. I just don’t want this friendship we have for so long to be broken now…”
I immediately calm him down by placing my hand on his back gently.
“Basil, just focus on enjoying the rest of the day. I’m sure both Kel and Aubrey needed some time and space before finally talking to each other.” I assure Basil. Internally, I’m still feeling just as nervous as Basil about both of their current friendship status, but I try my best to hide those emotions and calm myself down, along with helping others who are also nervous about the situation too.
“Thanks Sunny… I’m sorry I’m just nervous about Kel and Aubrey’s future…” Basil whispers, now feeling more calm. I smiled, knowing that I did something worthy today no matter how little it is. This is the reassurance I need in order to remind myself that I’m gonna give Aubrey my gift today no matter the circumstances.
“Hey Sunny, you said there has been something bothering you. Is it okay for you to talk with me about that now?” Mari questions. Frankly, I nearly forgot about that since I currently feel confident about giving her the gift myself without needing any sort of guidance anymore. However, I also remember that I can become anxious quite easily as well no matter how confident I might have been in many scenarios before, and how the anxiousness I get always hits me hard to the point of me not being able to say or think anything due to how overwhelming it can be.
“Mari…is it okay for us to discuss in my room?” I whisper to Mari since I didn't want to let everyone else know. Mari agrees and both of us head to our room.
“Hey Sunny, Mari! The movie is about to start! You don’t want to miss it!”
“It's fine, Hero! Just give us a while, we have something important to do first!”
With Mari closing the door, I finally take this opportunity to tell Mari everything regarding my scheme.
“Alright Mari, I initially wanted to keep this a secret from everyone else, including you. However, due to my constant anxiousness, I realize that I need someone to help me, and I felt like I can count on you on this since you have experience with Hero before…”
Mari immediately gives the same smug expression.
“Mari…please not now…”
“Hahahaha!” Mari chuckles. She headpat me afterwards, leading me to have a mixture of emotions of shyness and slight annoyance towards her. At least I’m saved from her teasing for now.
“Alright…the secret is…I have a gift prepared for Aubrey.” I head towards my desk, which has a Christmas gift wrapped with pink paper and purple ribbons on top of it. I grab the gift and show it to Mari. “I prepared this gift a while ago and planned to give it to her today after we have finished our cookies. However, I was very anxious at that time and I didn’t manage to accomplish everything at all, as I always tend to before initiating any conversation with any people, even in our friend group. Plus, the argument Kel and Aubrey had earlier sorta made the timing of me gifting her kinda awkward, and it demotivates me to even give a gift to her. I wanted to cheer her up after feeling down a while ago, but I lack the communication and social skills in order to commit my plan into gifting her due to my internal anxiety. Mari, is it okay for you to help me? I really want to make Aubrey happy today!”
I close my eyes, expecting Mari to tease me for a long time and I have to endure it. Once I open them again, however, Mari is ecstatic and impressed by what I said earlier, as her eyes shine brighter than the stars we gaze at night. Her smile is also wide, but not too wide to the point of being creepy. It’s just the perfect amount to convey her happiness towards me. She immediately proceeds to hug me.
“Aw, Sunny…I didn’t know you have planned this far for your beloved angel…” She jokes a little but is embracing me but hugging me warmly, accompanied by a few headpats. I’m not expecting this outcome to happen, given how she has mostly teased me multiple times before whenever I did something benevolent to Aubrey. I didn’t know what to do other than enjoy the warm hugs she is giving me.
Mari let go of me from her hugs. “It’s thoughtful of you cheering Aubrey up after what she had experienced earlier. To be honest, I tried to cheer Aubrey up many times when we were playing earlier. While she did smile on occasion, I noticed her mood becoming down again a lot of times. I think she really needed a glimmer of light to make her feel happy and hopeful again, and you are the perfect role for it.” Upon hearing those words, I feel a bit shy, but also happy at the same time as I’m more confident that the gift scheme is going to work out.
“Sunny, I can understand your struggles of getting very anxious before starting to communicate with someone else. Truth be told, Hero used to feel that way too whenever he tried to initiate or approach me with anything. I remember noticing his body shaking and him stuttering a lot when we were in our early friendship years. I find him kinda adorable whenever he’s like that, but I’m also worried if he keeps on being like this, because if he remained that way for a long amount of time, I fear that he would struggle a lot in making new friends, especially during school hours where he is teased and even bullied for it.”
Mari’s words surprises me, as Hero never mentions about him getting bullied before, along with his internal anxieties too. Maybe he’s hiding it because he fears how I and the others would judge him for it.
“Once I noticed it, I decided to take action and help him with it. Hero initially hid his anxiety over it, until one day he couldn't take it anymore and vented to me about it. It’s a long story but it’s basically due to his parents' high expectations of him wanting to be their perfect role model for the family. He is under a lot of pressure and tries his best to mask those emotions until he reaches a breaking point and has a meltdown. I calmed him down and helped him work on his anxiety. It started by sharing our interests and hobbies and seeing if Hero and I have anything in common. It turns out that baking and cooking is something we are interested in, so from then onwards we decided to bake cookies on Saturday mornings not only as a fun activity for us to enjoy, but also to discover each other’s hidden talent so that we can bond with each other further. I was pleasantly surprised and impressed at how he baked those cookies as I never knew his baking skills were this good, and this is where we truly bonded.”
All of what Mari says is so mind-blowing. It explains why Mari has been baking cookies with Hero on occasional Saturday mornings in our home, and why they enjoy each other’s company and have a lot of fun together.
“Weeks have passed, I noticed that Hero has gradually become more lively and cheerful, as he stops stuttering whenever we’re having conversations, small or big. He also becomes less anxious whenever he approaches me to have a chat and has made a lot of attempts to communicate with other people from school. Eventually, he has managed to make a lot of friends using his experience from the bonding we have from our baking sessions, even to the point of some of his friends joining us in our baking session. It’s a lot of fun and probably one of the best moments in my life. From that point onwards, he became the familiar Hero we all knew and love today.”
The moment Mari finishes her small anecdote, my perception of Hero shifts drastically as I’m impressed towards Hero now given what he has gone through and the obstacles he successfully overcome. Of course Mari is there to help him, but it’s still amazing that he’s able to successfully work on his anxieties to become a more confident and lively person, the Hero I admire a lot. Is it possible for me to become a more social and confident person in the future?
I must have done something funny, because Mari chuckles at me and gives me another head pat. “Oh Sunny, I love your ecstatic response to my anecdote.” Darn it Mari you’re embarrassing me again. I pout, with my cheeks turning red again. Why do I act embarrassed whenever Mari does this? Why do I secretly love and hate it?
“Sunny, I wanted you to know that from my anecdote, it takes a lot of time for you to successfully work on a person’s anxiety and your social issues. I know you internally know this inside, but that doesn’t mean the process of working with it can be tough and tiring even. Patience is the key you have to factor in when solving any real life issues you’re facing. You don’t necessarily need to solve them in a quick go, as it can only make you even more tired.”
“Mari, I did try to be patient with myself. It’s just that whenever I see my friends having fun with each other and stuff I tend to get envious easily, and it made me dwell myself for having such poor social skills…” My mood dwindles a bit, but Mari places her right finger and slowly lifts my head up, making both of us have direct eye contact.
“Sunny, don’t compare yourself to others. We, as humans, have our own journey to carve out, regardless how different it is compared to others. The most important thing to consider is whether you have made any progress compared to your past self. If not, you can start changing today, as it’s never too late to change even the tiniest bit. This is where patience comes into play, as it can take up to days to even progress at all and it can be rough and sometimes directionless, just like life. Don’t expect yourself to solve those problems immediately; try taking baby steps first and don’t be afraid to ask for help. I will always be there to help and provide you assistance, just like what I did to Hero.”
My perspective shifts upon hearing that. I recall that Hero also struggled a lot when he was younger, and how he used patience and Mari’s help to overcome them. It’s like putting the final piece of a large puzzle, making me understand a lot more about Hero’s character. I smile, being glad that under circumstances like this, Mari will always be there whenever I need help in whatever situations I’m in currently.
“Thanks for the help Mari, I’m grateful that you are always here whenever I need help.” I respond with a smile on my face. It’s strange to smile in front of my sister without being teased, but regardless I feel pleasant knowing that I have my sister on my side to help me. The pleasant atmosphere is emphasised as Mari smiles as well. I feel like we have bonded together as siblings further, and I hope the bond never breaks forever.
We head towards the dining room, where I place my gift on the table and begin preparing my speech to Aubrey by rehearsing multiple times, with Mari providing a lot of help by giving me tips on how to initiate and go along with the conversation. Currently, I'm confident that I can carry out the plan. However, I still feel nervous and anxious too, with my legs shaking and my breathing becoming a little faster. I wanted to surprise Aubrey but I’m afraid to. Is this normal to feel that way?
Mari immediately reaches out for me. She demonstrates a method of calming down by inhaling and exhaling slowly.
“Sunny…please remember that it’s okay if you mess up a little. Just make sure that cheering Aubrey up is your main priority on your plan and you will make her happy for the rest of Christmas.”
After hearing that, my determination reaches a higher level. I want to see the precious smile on Aubrey’s face for the rest of the day. I want her to cherish not only the gift, but the moment between us today. I want her to remember this moment for the rest of her life. I slowly breathe in and out, ensuring the air flows naturally in my respiratory system in order to calm myself down. My heart rate decreases, ensuring it's in a normal resting state. My stress level decreases as I have a clearer vision on how everything is going to work out. I still have the fear contained within me but my confidence and determination has overshadowed whatever doubts or worries I have regarding my plan.
“Mari, I’m ready.”
Mari nods. She goes out of the kitchen and heads toward Aubrey, who has been watching the movie with the others.
“Oh hey Mari! You have returned. You just missed the opening but that’s fine. We still have a lot of runtime left and I don’t want you to miss the rest.”
“Hey Aubrey. Sorry for keeping you waiting. Is it okay if you follow me for a while? There’s something important I have to show you.”
“Huh? Why Mari? I don’t want to miss out on the rest of the movie! By the way, where’s Sunny? He has missed out a lot!”
“Aubrey, please just for a while. Sunny is doing fine. He will catch up soon, so don't worry about him.”
“Alright then…This better make up for it okay? I have been enjoying this movie so much that I just wanna be glued onto the screen to enjoy every frame of it.”
“Haha! Sorry about that Aubrey!”
“Hahahaha! Mari you silly kitty! If it’s not worth my time I’m gonna tickle you as a punishment.”
“Oh no! I’m so scared!”
I can hear their footsteps getting slightly louder. Their fun little chit-chat is also gradually getting louder too, as if they are in close proximity to me. I clench my fist to ensure and remind myself that I’m brave enough to carry out the gifting plan. I have committed to it for a long time now and it would be a waste to ditch that plan at any point in time. I can do this.
“There you are Sunny!” Aubrey’s sudden loud words startle me, with my hair and skin flying a little. I did not anticipate her to say it out loud right behind me.
“Hehehe you’re so silly today! Maybe I should call you silly instead from now on hehe!” Her adorable chuckle, along with her bubbly appearance, causes me to flush again, just like every other moment with her. Once again, I find myself unable to say or do anything right in front of her. Why does this always keep happening? Has my anxiety taken full control of me again? Is the talk with Mari earlier all for nothing?
BREATH IN AND OUT SUNNY! BREATH!
I remind myself of what Mari taught earlier, and slowly take some short and slow inhales and exhales to clear my headspace again.
All right. No more hesitating.
“Hey Aubrey. I’m sorry I was gone for a long while. I was busy preparing something.”
“Oh that’s alright Sunny. You have missed out a lot on the movie we are watching currently. It’s very funny Sunny, you have no idea.”
“Yeah haha. By the way Aubrey, are you feeling better now?”
“Eh? I mean I’m better currently, although Kel hasn’t spoken with me in a while. Looking back I shouldn’t have started a fight with him, it was foolish of me and I wasn’t thinking clearly back then. I guess I don’t deserve the cookies after all…”
Oh crap. I forgot to leave some cookies for Aubrey.
“ Hm? Sunny, why do you suddenly look nervous now?”
“Uh…I may have forgotten to leave some cookies for you Aubrey…haha…” Oh god the guilt is currently consuming me. Why did I forget about that? How foolish am I as a human being to even forget that in the first place?
“Oh that’s alright Sunny, haha! I've gotten over it and I’m enjoying the rest of the day. I mean, Basil and I had a lot of fun playing the plushies earlier, and he can be such a cutie too. I appreciate you for being considerate of me.” Aubrey smiles. Thank god Aubrey doesn’t take it too seriously anymore. I enjoy the happy atmosphere between me and her right now, as I smile back at her happy response. I want us to cherish this moment for much longer.
“Hey Aubrey…I have something I want to give you for a while.”
“Hm?”
I crouch to grab the Christmas gift, which has been hidden at the bottom of the dining table for a while in order to surprise the angel.
“Here it is!” I say with a high enthusiasm. Aubrey’s eyes shine brighter than the sun, as she glues her eyes onto the gift I’m holding. Her mouth opens wide, encapsulating the high amount of joy she has towards the gift. I have never seen her being this ecstatic before. Her face displays such a pure childlike-wonder joy that it also makes me joyful internally, knowing that my plan I have been working on for so long is extremely likely to succeed.
“Sunny! You have been keeping this a secret from me this whole time?!” Aubrey questions joyfully. I sense Aubrey filling herself with a high radiant energy due to how much happiness she has currently. I must take this opportunity to not lose this wonderful emotion Aubrey is currently feeling.
“Yes, Aubrey.” I respond with a huge smile on my face. My cheeks are turning red as I’m not used to talking with a person who has a high level of happiness. It’s both a moment that’s nervous and weird, while being extremely pleasant to experience at the same time.
“May I open it?”
I stare at her for a moment…knowing what’s inside the gift. Aubrey is going to enjoy the precious object inside the gift for the rest of her life, with me choosing that object. This is the moment that has been building up towards for a long while, the moment that originates from my plan to give the gift for Aubrey during Christmas, the moment that hopefully cheers up Aubrey after the incident. With anticipation building internally, I silently watch Aubrey finish unwrapping the Christmas gift…
“WOAH!”
A small, purple and soft eggplant plushie lies right in front of her ecstatic eyes. The plushie itself is tightly knitted by the smooth, fluffy and comfy purple exterior, making it soothing to have physical contact with it. Its eggplant-shaped head occupies a larger proportion compared to the rest of its own body, thus hugging its own head comforts, soothes and tranquilises the owner due to the softness present in the plushie. The simple design of the plushie makes it appealing to everyone, further emphasised by a cute drawing of a sleeping emoticon implanted on its face. All these factors make Aubrey instantly adore the plushie.
“SUNNY… YOU PREPARED THIS FOR ME?!” Aubrey’s joy ascends into many higher levels which I can’t even comprehend. Her smile shifts into a joy I imagined from a pure angel, displaying an euphoric aura surrounding her. I can’t imagine a more perfect smile than this.
The angel immediately hugged the plushie, with her expression and mood became more positive. She no longer has the indignation within her now, as she finds herself into a much better path than she could’ve ever imagined. Her fingers gently hug the plushie, embracing the softness present from the toy as it gives her headspace more tranquility, as she smiles softly. I find her to be perfectly cute, where neither she displays anything energetic nor her being gloomy too. It’s the perfect balance of adorableness that is the reason why I cherish Aubrey as a friend, even more than that.
“Thanks Sunny…” Aubrey whispers with her adorable bubbly face plaster with the same smile. I smile widely. I never smiled this hard before, and I remember the countless times Mari encouraged me to smile more often as she adores it. The same goes for my other friends too as they mentioned my smile being their sunshine to them. Maybe I should…
Aubrey kisses me on the cheek.
OH MY GOODNESS! SHE KISSED ME! ON! MY! CHEEK!
Compared to the Christmas cookies I tasted earlier, this moment immediately transports me into a place better than heaven, receiving some form of energy that is holier than the holy spiritual energy I felt from eating those cookies. My mind explodes into tiny particles scattering everywhere, as I can’t process and contain this high number of exhilaration I receive from the kiss. Words can’t describe how happy I am right now. I want to remain this way for the rest of Christmas. I want to celebrate joyfully, telling myself I succeed in my goals and priorities for the day, and that wide smile from Aubrey solidifies my success.
SUNNY! DO NOT EMBARRASS YOURSELF IN FRONT OF HER!
I nearly did a dance as a celebration as I fully got hold of myself after experiencing an adrenaline rush of happiness. Aubrey giggles, noticing how silly of a pose I made. My embarrassment immediately replaces my exhilaration, with my cheeks turning red just like ripe tomatoes. I cover my face with both of my hand palms, lamenting how foolish I am for acting way too silly in front of Aubrey. Why do I always end up like this? Why?!
“Hehe, Sunny. I like the way you behave and speak whenever you’re with me. I always loved you being full of personality inside despite not showing it outside. I hope you remain this way for the upcoming years Sunny!” Upon hearing that, I feel like a love arrow piercing right through my heart, with Aubrey’s gentle delivery of those words polishing that arrow, making the blow extremely effective. I never know how much she has loved my introvert and shy personality and how much she enjoyed our conversations despite not much talking involved compared to other conversations she had with other friends we have. Seeing how much Aubrey has cherished those moments has made me grateful for who I am currently. There’s no doubt I still want to improve my social skills but it’s refreshing to witness someone loving the real type of person I am internally.
Both of us return towards the living room, where the rest of our friends have gathered together to watch the movie that has been playing for a while now. Kel notices us and dashes towards us with a huge excitement on his face.
“Sunny! Where have you been? You have been missing a lot, bro! The movie we are watching right now is super funny! Cmon, Sunny! You don’t want to miss out on much more! And oh…hey Aubrey…”
The atmosphere instantly becomes awkward, as none of us say anything for a while. Both Kel and Aubrey look away from each other for a moment as they are unsure how to act or react towards each other after not talking for a while. I’m in the middle of it and even though I’m not involved in causing the incident earlier I find myself to be uncomfortable from Kel and Aubrey’s facial expressions. I feel like I’m gonna suffer more the longer the silence drags on.
“Hey Aubrey…I don’t know how you feel about me right now…but I’m sorry for being greedy and a jerk earlier. I should have shared the cookies with everyone else, especially you…”
“That’s fine, Kel. I’m sorry for starting a fight with you. I should have never done that in the first place and I’m sorry for the injuries I’ve done to you.”
“Aubrey, is it okay for us to move on from what happened earlier? I don’t want our relationship to remain like this for the rest of the day, or even the days after that.”
“To be honest, Kel. I also felt the same way as well. Despite our flaws, we are still good friends and we still enjoy each other’s company. I would be happy to spend time with you and the others every day as I always look forward to that the most.”
“I guess we call it truce?”
“Truce indeed.” Both Kel and Aubrey shake their hands with a smile towards each other. It’s extremely relieving that the tension between them has finally faded away and their friendship is repaired. I hope both of them get to enjoy the rest of what the day has to offer, along with the future coming forward.
“Anyways, come on Sunny and Aubrey! What are both of you waiting for? Let’s finish watching the movie together!” Kel says excitedly. The three of us dashes toward the living room and return to our own seats to enjoy the remaining runtime of the movie.
Once I adjust myself on my own seat, Mari gives me another head pat, which catches my attention towards her. The moment I face her she gives me a thumbs up with a grin on her face, indicating that she’s proud of what I’ve accomplished today. I feel validated, knowing what I did today is for the greater good of everyone else.
As we watch the movie, Aubrey begins to share her plushie that I gave her earlier and everyone is amazed at me for doing something extremely considerate today. While I’m not used to my friends cheering at me as I still find myself shy in front of them, I also have the most gratifying experience among my friend group because of how much fun the conversations we are having regarding the gift, arguably even more fun compared to us watching the movie. We both enjoyed the rest of Christmas by playing around with the eggplant plushie just like what we did earlier with my other plushies and toys, with Aubrey having the most fun in her life because of the many interesting scenarios she can imagine while playing with her own toy, or a new friend as she calls it. The rest of us also enjoyed the new toy as well and had a fun experience. I want this moment to never end.
Currently, we are watching another Christmas movie. Everyone else except Aubrey and I have drifted off on the sofas while the movie is playing in the background. Both Aubrey and I sit right next to each other while enjoying the movie, with the angel hugging the plushie being tightly. Aubrey and I share a smile, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere we bathe ourselves into. I take this opportunity to have a conversation with her.
“Hey Aubrey, have you considered giving your toy a name?” I question, with a serene smile.
“I think I’ll name him Mr. Plantegg.”