Episode 798: Home For Christmas

“You're awake! Perfect timing,” Lucy said, stepping into the living room with a tray laden with hot chocolate and pancakes that she set on the coffee table. “I don't know if you eat breakfast, but, well, I just always think breakfast is never better than on Christmas morning.”

“It smells and looks great, thanks,” he said, and accepted a plate from her once he'd pulled on his t-shirt. “And thanks for letting me sleep over, too, it would have been a cold walk home.”

“Well, it was late once we finished with the last movie, and like I told you last night, it's nice to have someone else around at Christmas, it feels more like an actual home if you're not all alone, you know? It's also nice to have someone to talk to, that's what I always tell my students, maybe talking about things won't instantly solve the problem, but at least you won't be alone in it anymore.”

“Does this mean you're ready to practice what you preach?” Xavier asked. “We talked about Tansy last night, and we watched Christmas movies, which, was, I mean, I liked that, it was one of the nicest Christmas Eve's I've had, but like I told you when you opened the door last night, the reason I stopped by was to see if you're okay after whatever went down between you and the guy at the mall. You never did answer, which is fine, I understand that, I'm like that, too, I don't do a lot of confiding in people, but if you wanted to… I mean, talking through things is what you do... I'd really like to help if I can, or at least listen. So, is everything okay?”

“Ever since I met you,” Lucy said after a moment, “I've had the feeling that something isn't quite right with you, either, I've had this feeling like I should ask if everything's okay with you. Last night I kept weighing it out in my head, I kept thinking maybe we should do that, maybe we should be brave enough to spill our guts, maybe that would be the best Christmas gift we could give each other, to listen and be heard.”

Episode 799: Hello