Publicity || Marco Reus

Chapter 20

🎄 Chapter twenty 🎄

Essi got downstairs fairly early in the morning on Christmas day.  She didn't expect Marco to be up yet, but instead she found him trying to get a Christmas tree standing up straight.

"You're putting up a Christmas tree now?" Essi asked, unbelieving. It was already Christmas day. "It's Christmas already."

"Yeah.." He said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "I may or may not have forgotten to do it earlier."

Essi shook her head smiling, "Want me to help?" She offered.

He nodded appreciatively, "Please."

Essi helped him decorate their christmas tree and put up some other decorations around the house. It reminded Essi of when she was younger and she and all of her family used to spend Christmas together. As she got older and things changed, they stopped doing that and Christmas turned into just another dreadful day for her.

"I'm just going to go upstairs for a bit." She mumbled and didn't wait for his response. Essi looked around her room for her phone.

Surprised, she found a few text messages. A few from her friends wishing her a merry Christmas, and one from Søren, who was now her boyfriend. It still felt a bit unusual for her to say. They went out together a lot more times and eventually Søren had asked her to be his girlfriend. She had accepted. When Marco found out, he kept on pestering her about it to a point it annoyed the hell out of her.

Essi had never met such a nice guy as him and she wondered what he liked about her. She would have never chosen herself is she were him. There was nothing special to her, she thought. In her eyes, she only brought trouble. Both to her parents, to Marco and everyone else in her life.

She quickly replied to all the messages from her friends and then she opened his text.

Søren: merry Christmas. I miss you x

His text left her smiling like a love struck teenage girl. She quickly typed a reply and sent it.

There was one text that she had yet to open last. Apart from that one time on her birthday when she got a text from her parents, she had not received any other. Until now. She debated on whether to read it or not. In the end her curiosity won and she opened it.

Mom: I understand you didn't answer last time, but I hope you are ready to do so now. I hope you are ready to forgive me. I want to talk to you, if you're ok with that. I have so much to tell you; so much has changed since you left. Most of all I'm sorry for everything. Despite what you might think, I love you.

Merry Christmas, Essi.

Her reaction was minimal. She threw her phone on her bed and went to sit by the window. The text didn't effect her much, but it got her thinking. There was no 'we' anymore like the last time. There was no 'your dad and I' anymore. It left her wondering why that was, but she quickly dismissed it. It didn't really bother her any longer.

Essi leaned her head against the window and closed her eyes for a moment. Flashes of Christmas celebrations from when she was younger crossed her mind. She opened her eyes again, and decided to join Marco downstairs.

"You okay?" He asked when he looked at her.

She nodded her head, "I'm fine."

Marco looked at her skeptically, but she ignored him. "Sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure." Essi said a bit irritated. Marco decided to leave it, and just make the best out of the day.

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A few days later it was New Years eve. It was just past midnight, and they were watching the fireworks through the big window.

"What are your resolutions?" Marco asked her.

Essi never made New Years resolutions, "I don't have any." She said coldly. She really did not want to talk about the subject.

Marco didn't seem to pick up on it, "Why not?"

"Because- " She sighed, "because I don't really think about the future. I don't have one."

To her that was true. She was made believe that it was that way. After years of being told she was never going to get somewhere in life, she started to believe it too. Never once had someone said to her that she could build up something for herself. That she was capable of doing such thing.

So she believed what she was being told. After all, what could someone like her achieve?

"What makes you say that? You have a whole life in front of you."

She looked out of the window, "I'm not so sure about that." She said.

Essi continued, "Look at me. What am I going to achieve? They don't want people like me." She shook her head softly.

Marco frowned, "Who even told you that? You are still so young and capable of so many things. Why don't you believe in yourself and what you can do?"

"Because I've been told not to. Can we please switch subjects now." She asked almost pleading.

He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again when he saw the look in her eyes. Though Marco wanted to push it further, he decided not to.

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The next day Essi felt a bit guilty. Marco's intentions were good, she knew that, but he would never understand.

Breakfast was silent at first, until Essi decided to break it,

"You never told me your resolutions."

"You never asked."

"Fair enough," Essi smiled. "What are your New Years resolutions?"

"To get fit." Marco said in the most serious tone he could manage, "and quit smoking."

Marco could no longer hold his laugh, "No, but in all seriousness I want to find more time to spend with my family. I am traveling a lot, and sometimes I don't see them for weeks and that bothers me."

Essi smiled at his words.

He waited for a bit and then added, "I'll help you see you can do much more than you think you do."

Essi had no idea what to respond, so she stayed silent.

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A/N: merry christmas everyone! Sooo here's a christmas update for you all, I hope you enjoyed it (:

Sorry for the long wait again. There's a few things that I need to sort out in my personal life, but I'm trying to update more often.

ily all xx