His Words (bxb)

chapter thirty-four

Thursday, December 10, 2020

✧noah✧

"So when can I come over to give you your gift?" Elijah asks as we walk home together after school.

"We're lighting the menorah around sunset and then having dinner and opening presents around six o'clock. I'm pretty sure Ava and Charlotte already invited your mom, but please make sure she knows we want her there. Your sisters, too," I add.

"You're not even going to ask what I got you?" Elijah asks and I turn to him to find him smirking.

"I'll find out in two hours," I say with a sly grin of my own. "I'll survive."

After a moment of hesitation (I can tell by the look on his face), Elijah asks, "Is your mom going to be there?"

Mom was in no rush to get to meet the two women who are currently parenting me and I had a feeling it had something to do with the obvious disdain she did not hesitate to express towards their relationship. Their lesbian relationship, to be precise. Nevertheless, I told her that I would not be celebrating Hanukkah with two separate families and that if she wants to spend the holiday with her son, she's going to have to suck it up.

"Yea, she'll be there," I reply vaguely. The whole situation is making me nervous - my homophobic, biological mom who abandoned me as a child in a room with my two lesbian foster mothers. It's a recipe for disaster.

I feel Elijah's warm hand easily wrap around my much smaller one. "It'll be alright, Sugar," he reassures me as we near my house.

I am about to stop on our driveway, but Elijah walks me all the way to the front door.

"I'll see you later, handsome," I whisper in his ear as I plant a soft kiss on his cheek.

"Bye, Sugar."

As I walk into the living room to greet my foster mothers, I am shocked by the state it's in. Festive lights in the shape of small menorahs hang from the corners of the large room, emitting a soft blue light on the pale walls. A large banister that reads 'Happy Hanukkah' both in English and Hebrew hangs above the fireplace, and the slightly rigid Hebrew handwriting lets me know it's homemade. On top of the fireplace, a beautiful silver menorah gracefully sits behind a few boxes wrapped in dark blue and metallic silver gift wrap.

"We hope we didn't go overboard with the decorations. We weren't even sure if Hanukkah decorations were a thing." I don't notice Charlotte standing in the kitchen with her apron on and her long hair tied up in a messy bun. "We wanted to put up the Christmas tree, but that didn't feel right," she adds and her facial expression makes it seem as though she's debating the idea in her head all over again.

"It's perfect, Charlotte. Thank you," I say sincerely as I approach her for a hug.

"Did I mess up the Hebrew?" she asks as she holds me in her arms.

I shake my head. "It's perfect."

"When's the boyfriend coming over?" Charlotte asks as we pull apart. She heads into the kitchen again.

"I told him to come around six. He has swim training, anyways," I respond as I follow her into the kitchen and jump up onto the counter.

"Whatchya making?" I ask cheekily as I peek over at the bowl sitting in front of Charlotte.

"Latkes... I said that right, right?"

"Yup," I respond between chuckles. Charlotte visibly relaxes.

"Charlotte, I swear I won't be offended if you call them 'potato pancakes' or forget how to light a menorah or don't remember the rules of dreidel. I just care that you're trying... honestly. I appreciate the effort. It makes me feel like I matter, you know?" I say with a shrug.