The Tea Shop [mxm]

XXIV: Christmas Without You

I can't begin do describe the struggles of writer's block. This is very far from proofread and incredibly forced.

Elliot wasn't sure what was going on with Wren. He wasn't answering any phone calls or texts, and he was late.

Wren was never late.

It was Christmas morning and Elliot was sitting in Auntie Mae's living room all alone, surrounded by tinsel, christmas balls, candy canes, and all other kinds of ornaments you could imagine. They were to be placed in the tree standing in the centre of the room - in the centre of attention - and all round the house. Wren was supposed to be there to help him. Wren wasn't there. Elliot wasn't quite sure what to think, because he had just recently decided - more like realised - he trusted Wren and would stop jumping to conclusions like he did that morning he was convinced Wren would leave him. He didn't think that anymore, because Wren had assured him that he wouldn't just up and leave.

Elliot believed him. He had faith in Wren.

But Wren wasn't showing up.

He could be stuck in a traffic jam, that's what Elliot told himself. After all it was Christmas and people were on the move and the waterer wasn't all that reliably today either. The snow falling must have made it hard to see when driving, and perhaps Wren wanted to be careful and drive safer on the icy roads. That must be it.

That must be it, otherwise Elliot didn't know what he would do. How would he react if it turned out Wren wouldn't come? He wasn't sure of that himself. His anxieties and panic attacks had lessened considerably after he met Wren, but if the man had truly left, what's to say he wouldn't be back at square one?

He needed Wren's softly spoken reassurances whenever he could feel his anxieties acting up, but now that the man was increasingly late Elliot was growing worried. Not only because if Wren didn't show up Elliot would most likely break down, but because this time he wouldn't have anyone by his side to pick up the pieces.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. Auntie Mae would be there, of course, but that wasn't the same thing. The only way he'd be fine was if Wren held him close, while whispering in his ear over and over again that he wouldn't leave, that he was right there. Auntie Mae couldn't do that for him, all she could do was make sure that when Elliot went into the catatonic state, he wouldn't injure himself. All she could do was minimise the damage.

Elliot checked his phone once again, hoping that Wren had called back and he'd just missed it somehow. Of course, that was highly improbable since he'd been clutching the phone tightly in his hands the last thirty minutes, and not a single time had it vibrated or made a noise.

Auntie Mae had left just a short while ago, grocery shopping for the big dinner they had planned, stating there was something big in store for Elliot later that evening. He wasn't quite sure what she meant, because they had carefully planned this whole day together, down to the last detail and Elliot was sure there wasn't something he'd missed. There wasn't time for a surprise - not if they were going to do everything Elliot had planned and now that Wren was late it was even more important they stuck to the schedule.

He'd put so much effort into this day. Normally it was just him and Auntie Mae, since Abigail always celebrated the whole Christmas week with her family. Now, for the first time, Elliot was going to spend it with someone he truly cared for in a romantic way. He'd had a couple of flings before, but he never felt the need to get into an actual relationship. That all changed when he met Wren. He hadn't really planned to get involved with the man romantically, at first. He'd just enjoyed Wren's company while he could and then expected it to die out. He couldn't deny his attraction to the other man though, but he never expected it to be returned. He'd never truly felt desired in such a way, but Wren made him feel everything he hadn't before.