One Kiss

Chapter 21

Seth nudged Zay with an elbow. "You okay?"

"I haven't decided yet."

"Hey, I know things look kinda bleak but it will all work out I'm sure."

Zay shifted around on the couch to face him. "How do you handle it, being without your family?"

"There wasn't much to my family, to begin with. Trust me I'm better off without them." There was bitterness in his voice.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Seth replied with a small smile. "It's different for you, despite how insane your parents are they did love you and you had that close family tie that I didn't. I can't imagine how hard this is for you, especially with the holidays coming at us full speed. Winter break starts at the end of next week."

Zay nodded and leaned his head on Seth's shoulder. "Yeah, this is going to be the first holiday in my life I won't spend with my parents, or go to church. I won't see Alyssa and Josh. Nothing I'm used to doing will happen."

"Well, we can start a new tradition. Pizza and beer in front of the tree."

"Funny. We don't have a tree."

"Then we'll go get one. If that's what you want." Seth grinned at him. "Zay, if you want Christmas then we'll have Christmas. It will be a first for us both. My first normal Christmas with no one screaming or my father absent and my mother hugging a whiskey bottle. For you, it will be your first holiday out on your own, living your life how you want to."

A smile appeared on Zay's face. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure! Let's go get us a tree!" He stood and held out a hand to Zay.

Zay took his hand and allowed him to pull him up off the couch. "We're going to need decorations too."

"All right well one-stop shopping, Walmart here we come."

"Fake tree?"

"You'd rather deal with a real one dropping needles?" Seth arched a brow at him.

"Yes, I would. It's tradition!"

He rolled his eyes. "I thought we were beginning new traditions? We get a real tree then you're responsible for it."

"It's not a dog, it's a tree!"

Seth groaned. "Fine, real tree it is. We'll hit up Walmart for ornaments and shit then get the tree. We'll have to take your car, hard to carry a tree home on a motorcycle."

Zay laughed. "Yes it would be. Let's go!" He grabbed Seth's hand and dragged him from the house. "I'm so excited!"

Seth laughed. "You are a small child."

"Yes I am! Get in the car already!" he shouted as he got behind the wheel.

Seth laughed as he got into the car.

***

Alyssa sighed and tossed several bags of chips into the cart. "I hate grocery shopping."

West laughed. "So do I, how exactly did we allow Josh to get out of coming with us?"

"He was muttering something about finishing his English paper so I let him stay home. I probably should have forced him to come and suffer along with us."

West laughed as they exited the aisle. "Are we planning on decorating for the holidays, as weird as they might be this year?"

"Josh will handle that."

West stopped and looked at her. "What? Josh?"

"Oh yeah, he loves Christmas. Don't get me wrong, he won't do it on his own, he hires a company every year to deck the house out, but he supervises all of it and he's not easy to please."