Maybe It's Been You All Along - Alex Turner

23

Christmas came covered in snow and cloudy skies. Everyone's houses and flats were decorated festive and throughout the streets of Sheffield were banners, multicoloured lights and bows on every lamppost. It looked like a winter wonderland.

Children carolled in the streets, their high voices ringing throughout the crisp evening air. Their carols still audible from Matt's flat where everyone had gathered — but only if listened to in dead silence.

Everyone was sat at Matt's dining table, paper crowns on their heads and cheesy jokes lying around all over the place. Before them sat a glistening roast that Matt had cooked everyone and the mouth watering scent of it reached even the furthest corners of his flat.

There was music playing somewhere in another room but it almost became inaudible when the chatter and laughter at the table layered on top of it.

Still in his leather jacket, Alex lifted his Christmas cracker and tapped Rosanna on the hand with it. She looked over and smirked at him.

"What you reckon you can best me do you?" She said raising an eyebrow.

"I'm not reckoning, I know I will," Alex teased.

Rosanna smiled and grabbed the other end of the metallic red and silver cracker. On a count of three, they pulled and Rosanna came out victorious with two thirds of the cracker.

"I love proving you wrong," Rosanna said cheekily and emptied the contents of the cracker onto the table.

"Ay ay, no need to get cocky," Alex chuckled and lifted a pint of Guinness to his lips.

"'ere you go, you can have the crown since you suck at crackers and don't have one yet," Rosanna teased and opened the thin green cut out.

"Oh how generous of you," Alex said sarcastically and bowed his head forward as she placed the paper crown on his head.

"Aight I think it's time for a toast," Matt announced and stood up at the head of the table. "To everyone at the table for taking time outa your holiday to come round to this dump, to 'Suck It And See' getting censored in America, and to having one helluva cracking Christmas!"

Some people cheered around the table and everyone lifted their individual glasses, clinking them together.

"Merry Christmas everyone," Matt smiled and sat back down. Everyone else cheered back their own 'merry Christmas's and dug into their food.

Rosanna and Matt lingered in the kitchen, washing up the dishes as everyone else gathered on settees and sat back talking to each other and drinking as they waited for the two to return so everyone could exchange presents.

"Where'd ya end up poppin' Al's present?" Matt asked in the seclusion of the kitchen.

"In yer bedroom. It's on yer bed, didn't think he'd go in there," Rosanna said.

Matt chuckled, "I wouldn't expect him to."

"When did you wanna give it to him?" Matt continued.

"After everyone else is done," Rosanna said.

"What, so you can upstage us all?" Matt teased.

"No!" Rosanna exclaimed, "so that I can just grab it at the end."

"Did y' want me to give ya a hand?" Matt asked.

"If you could cover his eyes, that would be fantastic," Rosanna smiled.

Matt could see how much they both cared about each other. It was so evident it was almost painful. He was stuck right in the middle of their love. He wanted to throw them together during the holidays because he could see in the way that they looked at each other that they must know how the other felt. What they said to him however, contradicted that completely.