Eli was still letting Hae Mi live at his house since he didn’t trust her parents. She was recovering well, but she still had trouble with some things, like preparing her own food and getting from one place to another in her wheel chair. Eli always went out to buy the food without Hae Mi for two reasons: Hae Mi didn’t want to go with him and he didn’t want her being bullied by other people. But before he left the house, he made sure everything that could be used as a weapon was locked up and hidden so Hae Mi wouldn’t try to kill herself. He didn’t want to lose her.

            It was the night before Christmas, and the two friends were playing a game of Checkers. Hae Mi was smiling slightly, staring at Eli’s hand as it moved across the board with his red checker piece. It landed three squares from its original spot, and Eli picked up the black piece that belonged to Hae Mi. He placed it by the side of the board that had two of her other pieces. “Your turn.”

            Hae Mi raised her right arm, the one without the cast, and hesitantly reached for one of her black pieces across the board. If she calculated the move correctly in her head, then she could steal at least five of Eli’s pieces in one move. With shaky fingers, Hae Mi picked up the piece and moved it in every space she could, jumping over four of Eli’s pieces. She was disappointed in herself, but she was happy when Eli handed over the four pieces she had just taken.

            The game went on like that until Hae Mi had barely won, fair and square. She raised her hands high in the air in victory and giggled, feeling proud of herself. “I win!” she said with a bright smile.

            Eli looked up at her from collecting the checker set and putting it away. What he saw was the most precious smile he had ever seen on anyone before. It brought butterflies to his stomach and a red tint to his creamy cheeks. He smiled back at her and nodded. “Good job, Faline.”

            Hae Mi giggled playfully. “I can’t believe I actually won against you.”

            Eli chuckled, finishing up his job and putting the box underneath the couch where it belonged. “You really beat me this time. I don’t think I want to face you again. You’re that good!” Eli sent her one of his flirty smiles without knowing it.

            Hae Mi blushed and held back a smile as she lied her crutches down on the floor by the couch she was sitting on. Eli went into the kitchen and grabbed two cups of hot chocolate he had made before-hand from the microwave and stirred them up a bit. He took them by the handles and walked over to Hae Mi. Eli handed her one cup while he took the other, sitting comfortably close to her, their hips and arms touching.

            Worried Eli would push her away, Hae Mi didn’t lie her head on his shoulder, but instead grabbed the TV remote and turned the large television on. The first thing it opened to was a romance movie. The part it was on was the —the kiss of the movie that every viewer waits for. Hae Mi blushed and changed the channel. She could practically feel Eli smiling smugly at her embarrassment. She pouted and found a children’s show that was about Christmas. ‘Twas the night before Christmas, anyway.

            Half way through the show, Hae Mi had finished her whole cup of hot chocolate and was feeling warm inside. She smiled at the feeling, but the moment she thought all was well, a sudden chill ran up her spine. She shivered against Eli, who, in return, grabbed a blanket from off the back of the couch and wrapped it around both of them, snuggling them next to each other comfortably.

            Hae Mi didn’t know it, but he’d been dying to come in contact with Hae Mi all night. He was waiting for such a moment as this, and when he felt her shiver, he knew it was the time. So as they snuggled, Eli felt Hae Mi’s head fall onto his shoulder softly. He didn’t look at her, but instead lied his head on top of hers. Little did he know, she was asleep, and he was at the core of all of her dreams.

            Hours later, Eli kissed the top of Hae Mi’s head right at midnight and whispered to her softly before sleeping, “Merry Christmas, my beautiful Faline.”

Sun rays streamed in through cracked curtains. Pure white snow fell to the ground with soft grace while the gentle wind blew it slightly off-course. No sounds could be heard outside the large windows, but soft breathing resonated throughout the quiet house.

            Eli began to stir, his eyes slightly fluttering open, the small light hitting his brown eyes perfectly. They shined when they looked down at the sleeping girl in his arms. He smiled a little before taking his arms from around her to prepare her some more hot chocolate.

            In the kitchen, Eli grabbed two mugs and filled them with hot water just below the brim before adding in 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder to each mug. Then he placed Hae Mi’s in the microwave first so she’d be able to drink it when she woke up. While he waited, he walked back into the living room to find Hae Mi awake. He smiled at her, but her face was sour and she turned away. Eli was dumbfounded, but didn’t ask. He walked over to her and crouched in front of her legs. “Good morning, Faline. I started some hot chocolate for you.”

            Hae Mi didn’t look at him, nor did she make any noise. She kept her head turned to the side so he couldn’t see the gentle tear slip out from her eye.

            Eli sighed and stood up. He put a smile on his face and went into the kitchen to get her mug of hot chocolate. He opened the microwave, took it out, put his in, started it, and went back to Hae Mi. She was now looking down into her lap. Eli tilted his face in wonder before he walked over and sat next to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Faline, what’s wrong?”

            Hae Mi pushed him away by his chest, startling him. “Hey, what’s—”

            “I want to be left alone!” Hae Mi suddenly yelled. She sniffled and looked up at him, her red eyes apparent.

            Eli gasped and cupped her face. “Faline, what’s wrong?!”

            Hae Mi snarled and jerked away. She went for the floor to crawl away, but it didn’t work. Instead, she fell on her side, the one with the broken arm. She cried out in agony and held her arm. Eli nearly jumped for her, but stopped himself and calmly walked over, sitting down beside her. He grabbed her head and placed it in his lap, caressing her like he would a helpless child. “Faline… Why are you acting this way…?”

            Hae Mi wasn’t afraid to show her tears this time and looked straight up at him. “You left me, that’s what.”

            Eli furrowed his eyebrows, confused. “What…? No I haven’t. I’m right here.”

            Hae Mi shook her head. “Earlier, when you went to make the hot chocolate…” It sounded childish, yes, but Hae Mi knew she had taken a certain liking to being around Eli all the time. She felt abandoned if she wasn’t around him, and when he left her side, it broke her heart.

            Eli’s expression softened dramatically. “Hae Mi, I would never leave you. You mean a lot to me. To what extent, I’m not sure yet, but I know I’ll be by your side no matter what.” He placed a soft kiss on her forehead and wiped her tears. “Now, how about we begin opening presents?”

            Hae Mi sniffled a little. “But I still want to be alone.”

            Eli looked around. He saw some extra nametags and a sharpie from present-wrapping two days ago and grabbed it off the coffee table. He wrote “Hi, my name is: Alone” on the tag, and stuck it to Hae Mi’s shirt. She curiously looked down at it, and when she saw what it said, she couldn’t help but giggle a little at Eli’s goofy smile.

            Sure he wasn’t perfect, but he made Hae Mi feel a lot better no matter what he did—and that’s all that mattered at the moment.

~~~

A/N: I started writing this one day, then right when I was getting into writing all the details, I WAS FORCED TO GO TO BED. I was PO'd, but hey, I still wrote it <3 I hope you all liked it~ Tomorrow's my last day of 8th grade, and I'll be in high school! :D *celebrates* ouo So I'll have more time (a little, at least, cos I'm still gonna be in summer school ><) and I'll be able to update ^^ Please comment and subscribe~ :D <3