“And I just want you for my own…more than you could ever know…” I heard a voice sing beautifully.

  As I walked through the streets of New York, I heard plenty of Christmas music.

  In fact, I had been hearing Christmas music since November 1st, it had just gotten a lot more frequent and public now.

  And honestly, I had no issue with that.

  While I walked, I noticed small, white, seemingly incorporeal objects falling from the sky.

  ‘It’s snowing…’

  It had been about 2 years since the last time it snowed during the Christmas season so seeing snow then was a pleasant surprise.

  But it was a bit colder than I expected.

  ‘Man I hate winter…’

  I shivered as I walked, resisting the urge to curse.

  I walked a little more until I saw someone, which caused me to stop.

  The individual noticed me as well and waved.

  “Hi Elliot,” Soriel said.

  “Hola,” I replied back with a smile.

  Soriel had chosen our hangout spot the previous day, and we were there now.

  We were at the movies.

  Looking at Soriel, I saw she was wearing a complete Santa costume.

  Just like me.

  You see, we had decided to wear matching outfits the day before since we both thought it’d be funny.

  And although both of our costumes were comedically large, I still shivered.

  Maybe it was out of nervousness, not from just the cold.

  “You ready to head inside?” I asked casually.

  Soriel nodded.

  “Yes, let’s go,” Soriel answered.

  Together, we entered the building of the movie theater. And then we went to the counter to buy our tickets.

  “Two tickets for the Merry Massacre, please,” Soriel said to the person behind the counter.

  The man nodded.

  “Ya want any food or snacks?” he asked.

  Soriel shook her head.

  After a few moments, we bought the tickets, each of us paying for our own.

  I didn’t say much since I didn’t like talking to strangers.

  “What movie did you want us to watch anyway?” I asked as we walked to our theater.

  “A Christmas horror,” she answered.

  The blood in my face quickly drained out and I turned pale.

  “Ah, that’s great…” I muttered.

  Soriel then had a look of realization.

  “Oh I’m so sorry! I forgot you hate scary things…I’ll go back and buy a different movie…” she apologized, clearly guilty.

  “Wait no it’s alright. I don’t mind,” I stated confidently.

  Soriel looked at me with slight doubt.

  “Are you sure?” she inquired.

  “Yeah, I’m sure. Sometimes we have to try something new, right?” I confirmed as I made a smile that was supposed to be reassuring.

  Soriel sighed and relaxed slightly.

  “Okay, if you say so,” She said as we began to walk to the theater again.

  Once we reached our assigned theater, we headed inside and found our seats.

  When we did, ads were still rolling on the screen.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  As the ads played, I noticed Soriel taking things outside of her large Santa costume.

  ‘Are those…snacks?’

  Soriel took out a variety of different snacks. From chocolate to gummies and from chips to Pocky sticks, she had it all.

  Then, Soriel turned her head towards me.

  “Do you want anything?” Soriel offered calmly.

  I stared at her and blinked a few times.

  “Um, I didn’t expect you to be the type of person to smuggle snacks into theaters. I thought you would’ve been a bit stricter for the rules,” I mentioned.

  Soriel tilted her head to the side in confusion.

  “Our first meeting was when we both skipped class. Why would you think I care that much for rules?” Soriel responded.

  “Fair enough. Can I have those gummies?” I asked.

  “Of course,” She replied, handing me the pack of gummies.

  Then, she put on some hand sanitizer, causing me to do the same.

  Soon after, the movie began to play, and my heart slowly sank.

  ‘I really hope it’s not anything too scary…’

  The movie started off slow, focusing on the story of two young men growing up together.

  However, on Christmas Day, they get teleported to a Victorian era town, where they have to survive until sunset while also figuring out the mystery of serial murderers that December.

  The visuals of the movie were great and the acting was as well.

  But it was pretty scary, even though for most of the movie we never even saw the killer completely.

  It gave me a surreal sense of thrill while also leaving a sinking feeling in my stomach.

  I glanced at Soriel a few times throughout and she seemed pretty calm.

  While I, on the other hand, did everything in my power to not cover my eyes.

  Eventually, the movie arrived at its climax.

  The main character decided his friend was the murder.

  But his friend was not the murder. It was himself.

  The main character had actually committed the murders, in an attempt to revive his friend who had died long ago.

  It worked but in exchange they had to lose their memories and always having to rediscover them each Christmas.

  In the end, his friend ends up being murdered. Meaning the main character had to always watch the person dearest to him die from own actions.

  The scene was horrifying yet beautiful. Not because of any gore, but because such a fate was so tragic, it scared the soul.

  Not only that, the music matched perfectly with the amazing visuals and acting.

  It made me amazed and instinctively, I turned to look at Soriel, to see what she saw.

  And when I looked at her I saw an even more beautiful sight.

  Soriel had her face focused completely on the screen, her expression shocked.

  Her eyes glistened as the scene reflected in them.

  Her body shivered, in the same way I did.

  Yet I could tell she felt something far more than just shock.

  It was fear. It was appreciation. It was amazement.

  And then, she turned her head to me and we locked eyes.

  At that very moment, time slowed down.

  I gazed into her amethyst eyes, admiring them.

  Just staring at them brought a smile to my face.

  For just a moment, I felt an indescribable emotion seep into my heart.

  **

  “That was amazing!” Soriel exclaimed as we exited the theater.

  I smiled.

  “Yeah it definitely was. Scared the crap out of me though.”

  Soriel chuckled and we exited the building.

  “Are you walking home?”

  Soriel nodded.

  “Yes, I live nearby.”

  “Alright then, I’ll walk you home.”

  Soriel seemed slightly surprised at my suggestion but didn’t seem to have any problems with it.

  So we began to walk, the snow falling down as we did.

  The sky had become much darker, signaling that it was now the evening.

  And that gloominess only supported the atmosphere.

  It didn’t make us feel solemn, on the contrary, it just made us happier to appreciate the small lights around us.

  I’m glad for those lights since they made it possible for me to see the slight blush on Soriel’s face caused by the cold.

  It was a cute sight.

  And as we walked, we talked about games and movies.

  It turned out there were a lot of things we didn’t agree on.

  That was okay though. That’s how people are. Everyone had their own opinions.

  If we didn’t, humans would be such boring creatures.

  Eventually, we arrived at her home.

  It was an average 2 story home, much different to mine since I lived in an apartment.

  Just then, I thought of something.

  “This is no good. You’re way too small for a house like this, maybe you should try living in a snow globe,” I blurted out.

  My comment, although exaggerated, wasn’t completely wrong.

  Soriel was pretty short.

  “Wha? How rude!” Soriel replied with a pout.

  I chuckled and walked up to the front door, Soriel closely following behind.

  Knock!

  Knock!

  I knocked on the door and after a few moments a man opened the door.

  He was an elderly man, with mostly gray hair, only a few strands of blonde mixed in.

  His eyes were amethyst, just like Soriel. Although, they were a bit less vibrant.

  Still, his expression reflected a warmth much similar to the one Soriel gave off.

  “Good evening, sir. Soriel and I finished the movie we wanted to watch so I brought her home,” I said, trying my best to be respectful.

  The man nodded and smiled.

  “It’s nice to meet you young man. What is your name?” He said, extending his hand for a handshake.

  “Elliot,” I said as I shook his hand.

  “Thank you for bringing my granddaughter home safely,” he said.

  Soriel looked at her grandfather with a smile.

  “Hey grandpa!” She said happily.

  Her grandfather greeted her back and urged her to go inside, saying he wanted to talk with me.

  Soriel looked suspicious for a moment but just said goodbye to me and entered the house.

  “You know, Soriel has always been very kind,” Soriel’s grandfather said.

  “Yes, she’s is an exceptionally good person sir,” I replied, still maintaining as much politeness as possible.

  Soriel’s grandfather chuckled.

  “You can just call me Mr. Roy,” he said.

  I nodded.

  Mr. Roy revealed a solemn smile.

  “Soriel tends to glorify me quite a lot. It’s almost funny,”

  “I’m sure you’re an amazing person sir. She has good reason to give you praise.”

  Mr. Roy chuckled once again.

  “For a while, I really wasn’t. It was only after meeting her grandmother that I realized I needed to be better. All I want is for Soriel to not become like how I used to be. And maybe help someone like how her grandmother helped me…

  Mr. Roy went silent for a moment, gazing at something invisible to me.

  Then he revealed a hopeful smile.

  “Please, watch over my granddaughter. Make sure she stays as amazing as she always has been,” he requested.

  I nodded and smiled back.

  “Of course, Mr Roy.”

  Mr. Roy’s hopeful smile turned into a grateful one.

  “Thank you. Well, I won’t keep you any longer. Stay safe Elliot, it was great meeting you,” Mr. Roy replied as he extended his hand for one last handshake.

  I shook his hand once again.

  “Of course. It was great meeting you as well,” I said.

  Then, I began my journey home, brimming with joy.