The radio blasts Christmas carols as my little sister, Nancy, and I decorate the tree.
Each year brings a new tradition for the Bree family. We spend our Christmas in a different state or country every year. This year my mom and dad chose Australia. The beaches were everything I ever imagined a beach to actually be. South Carolina beaches had nothing on the beaches that were here in Australia. The sand is white and light.
“Do you think you’ll run into that guy who you met on the Internet last year? You said he lived in Australia,” Nancy throws tinsel on top of our real Christmas tree.
Hanging an ornament, I think of Will. I met him on Twitter nearly a year ago over the bonding of a book series. We were actually fighting over a book and then we became best Internet friends. Originally, I thought the idea of having an Internet friend was weird. But the more I talked to him, the better I wanted to know him. We’ve been talking for the past year almost every day.
Pursing my lips, I say “maybe. He mentioned that we could meet on Christmas Eve before dinner with our families. I’m kind of nervous.”
“You’re seventeen and have never had a boyfriend,” Nancy states. “I say go for it!”
I roll my eyes at my sixteen year old sister. She is the definition of boy crazy. “I want to, but he lives here and we live across the globe.”
“Then go to college here. It’s as simple as that,” Nancy stands on her toes to reach for the tree topper.
“Because Mom and Dad would be all for that,” I mumble thinking of going away to college next fall. I only have a few months to decide on the college I’m going to. Mom wants me close by, but my eyes have been set on NYU for fashion design school. A dream that I’ve had since middle school.
Nancy scurries around the tree, draping candy canes all around it. The tree is medium sized, but the decorations make it seem bigger. Mom and Dad decorate the outside while Nancy and I take care of the inside. My eyes settle upon the angel on top of the tree. It’s been in our family for a few generations. After Papa and Gramma died six years ago, the angel went with us every vacation. Their deaths were the reason we travel on Christmas. They died the day before Christmas.
“He texted me,” I stare down at my phone to see Will’s text screaming back at me.
“Open it already!” Nancy jumps back over to where I stand, motionless.
Scamming my text, a small smile appears upon my face. Will wants to meet up tomorrow at the beach after lunch. Then we can finally meet and decide from there our fate. Fate. It seems like I’m, deciding upon a life or death situation.
I smile, “we’re going to meet up tomorrow.”
Nancy screams. “This is amazing! It’s just like in all the books you read where the girl meets the boy of her dreams. Oh, it’s so romantic.”
“My hopeless romantic little sister. Don’t get too excited because we’re leaving here in a week.”
“Eight days to be precise, but whatever. Anyway, we have to go shopping to make you look drop dead gorgeous!”
Looking down at my hand sewn sun dress, I scrunch my face at my little sister. She has never been a huge fan of my designs or my hand sewn clothes. Nancy lives in designer clothes. I guess that’s what happens when both of your parents are doctors and can afford to buy designer clothes from all over the world. Me, I prefer simple clothes from the mall. Wearing designer clothes makes me feel like a prude. My Christmas dress is designer though, per directions of my mom. She wants our Christmas photos to scream elegant. Nothing screams elegant more than standing on a beach in Australia with our designer dresses. Even Dad wears a designer suit that Mom picks out. It’s all routine for us.
“I’m going to wear whatever I have picked out for tomorrow. It shouldn’t matter what I’ll be wearing when I meet him. And if he cares about my looks that much, then I’m better off without him.” As far as I know, Will is not a snob. He’s a surfer boy.
“Fine, but it better not be an Aria original.” Nancy walks out of the room.
Leaving me alone to finish the tree, I turn the volume of the radio up. A solemn Christmas song comes on and I am struck with the memory of the Christmas Eve six years ago. I was eleven. Nancy was ten. We were waiting around the Christmas tree awaiting Papa and Gramma’s arrival. They never showed up late and the clock showed that they were fifteen minutes late. I could hear whispers of Mom and Dad coming from the kitchen. My aunt Isabella and her family would be here later.
Wondering into the kitchen, I listened as Mom sobbed on Dad’s shoulder. She kepy whispering to Dad, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. Something bad had to have happened. Why else would Mom be crying on Christmas Eve? It was one of the happiest days of the year. Nancy was lying on the ground, staring up at the star on top of our tree. She was singing a Christmas song repeatedly. Her gold dress was spread around her. Blonde ringlets littering the floor.
“Mom?” I padded into the kitchen.
Dad and Mom broke apart. Her eyes were filled with tears and she tried to erase them from her eyes. It was too late though, I already saw her crying. Dad rubbed Mom’s back, giving her a slight nod. That’s when my whole world fell apart. Papa and Gramma had gotten into a car accident. They were hit by a drunk driver a few miles from our home. They weren’t coming to Christmas. I would never see them again.
Shaking myself back to the present, I realize that the song playing is the song Nancy was humming when I found out about my Papa and Gramma. I change the song quickly. An upbeat song blasts through the speakers. The door opens to a laughing Mom and Dad. Dad has a string of lights in his hand. Mom has a stocking that is meant for the chimney in the corner.
“Aria, are you done with the tree?” Dad asks me.
“Yeah,” I set down the rest of the tinsel. The tree has enough on it as it is.
“Why don’t you go and relax. It’s getting late. We’ll see you tomorrow morning for Christmas Eve breakfast?”
I glance at the clock. It’s only a quarter past seven. Nancy is leaning against the door frame giving me a wink. I grimace at her for ditching me. I head upstairs to my room and log onto my Twitter account. There’s a picture of Will with his siblings next to their Christmas tree. His blonde hair is short. His blue eyes are as clear as the ocean. He’s tall which is definitely a plus because I’m five foot five. All of his siblings resemble him. The smile he wears on his face is genuine.
Closing out of my account, I watch movies on Netflix the rest of the night. My nerves are eating me alive and there’s no way I’ll be sleeping much tonight. Not when my stomach feels like there are butterflies flying all around. My eyes stay glues to the window overlooking the ocean. Mom and Dad made sure to rent a house that overlooked the ocean. Go big or go home, I guess. I have never been materialistic or into expensive things. This house screamed expensive. Getting out of bed, I sit on the nook by the large glass window. The night sky is beautiful in Australia. Calmness sweeps around me, lulling me into a peaceful sleep.
The next morning I wake up to banging on my door. Stretching my neck from sleeping on the nook all night, I rush to the door. Nancy stands in my doorway wearing her silk robe that she bought for three hundred dollars last month. Mom wasn’t too happy about the purchase. I roll my eyes at her. She reeks of coffee. I hate coffee.
“Breakfast is in ten minutes. Just so you know.”
“Thanks for the lovely wake up call. A call on my cell would have been better, but when in Rome right?” I slip on my sandals before heading down stairs. Mom wants to serve our breakfast in the sun room this morning. The kitchen apparently didn’t scream Christmas Eve breakfast like the kitchen in Vail last Christmas Eve.
“Aria,” Dad nods at me. “Nanc,” she accepts a kiss from Dad.
Mom is busy setting the table with silverware and place mates. She likes to play chef on holidays. Coffee is brewing in the kitchen. The smell of bacon makes me gag. After a couple minutes of small talk about our day plans, Mom comes into the room with multiple dishes. There’s so much food that she probably won’t even bother to make any lunch today. Christmas Eve dinner is usually outlandish too.
“Remember Will?” I ask between bites of my pancake.
Mom looks up at me with a smile on her face. She was the one who suggested that I continue talking to him. Dad looks at me with an eye brow raised.
“He’s the boy from Australia that I met online last year. Anyway,” I glance at Nancy, “we’re meeting up at the beach at one.”
Dad sets down his coffee mug with a clank, “you’re telling me that you’re meeting up with someone boy you met off the Internet. That doesn’t seem very wise to me.”
Nancy butts in, “Dad, this is like a fairy tale from all those books that Aria reads about. This could be her ticket to her first relationship. Ever. She’ll be eighteen in April and never kissed a guy.”
I shoot Nancy a glare. She shrugs and continues to eat her scrambled eggs. “I do know him, Dad. We’ve talked. Mom encouraged me to talk to him last year. I promise I’ll be responsible. My cell will be on the whole time.”
“If your mother thinks it’s okay.”
“I do,” Mom smiles at me brightly.
Nancy and I share a knowingly smile. “Thanks Dad.”

Part 2
I stand in an emerald sun dress, my blonde hair cascading down my back. My palms are starting to sweat. The sun beats down bright on me as I wait for Will to show up. I arrived ten minutes early just in case he too was early. Apparently time doesn’t mean anything in Australia.
Glancing down at my watch, I see that he’s not five minutes late. About to give up and call it a failure, I hear my name being called in the distance. I see a blonde boy running down the beach to where I stand at the shoreline. Will’s even taller than I expected. He’s carrying a single red rose in his hand. When he reaches me, I stare at his face. His eyes are clear blue, so clear that I can almost see into them. Will smiles down at me.
He reaches forward and we throw our arms around one another. His grip is tight against my waist. I burry my face into his chest; it’s as if I have known him forever. In reality, we haven’t actually ever met. Will is here, in the flesh.
“Hi,” I pull back.
“Hey,” Will pulls the rose from his other hand, giving it to me.
I bring it to my nose which is so cliché. Nancy would have a ball of she ever finds out that’s what I did. A group of carolers pass us by. I laugh at the scene, a bunch of people singing Christmas carols in the middle of the day. Australia sure is interesting if anything.
“I can’t believe you’re really here,” Will looks me up and down.
I spin around. “It’s really me. I’m actually real.”
“I’m so glad your parents decided to come to Australia this year for Christmas. When you told me you were coming here, I told all of my friends. They expect to meet you sometime during your visit.”
“They want to meet me?” my cheeks redden.
“I told them all about you. I hope I’m not being too rash in my assumption that you’ll want to meet them?”
I let my concern falter, “No, no. I would love to meet them. My sister, Nancy, wants to meet you too. If that’s okay with you? Just be forewarned, she’s a bit abrasive when you first meet her.”
“So are my friends.”
We walk along the shoreline of the ocean. Out banter is natural, as if we’ve known each other since birth. There’s not awkwardness between us. We talk about our family, friends, books, school, and everything in between. I learn that Will is a freshman in college. He wants to become an English teacher. I find that extremely charming.
“How did you get into fashion if both of your parents are doctors?” Will throws a seashell into the ocean.
My hair blows into the wind, nearly blinding me. “When I was little, I used to create dresses for my dolls. It was my favorite thing to do. They all wore Aria originals. Then in junior high I took a sewing class. For my fourteenth birthday my parents bought me a sewing machine. Ever since then, I have been sketching my own designs and then sewing them. My plan is to make this gorgeous dress I designed for my prom. My mom wants me to buy one from some store in New York City. Designer clothes have never been my thing.”
Will meets my eyes as my smile turns into a frown at the mention of Mom not wanting me to make my own dress. “That’s awesome that you can make your own clothes. Not many people can do that. You have some real talent.”
“I’m glad you think so. My mom and dad want me to go into the medical field. Fashion is my calling though. I don’t-I’m not going to bore you with my family life.”
“No,” Will stops, making me stop along with him. “You’re not boring me.”
My cheeks redden again. The butterflies from last night are back with full force. This time I have no desire to fight them. In this moment, on this Christmas Eve, I know I will treasure this moment forever. Even though we both know how it’ll end. For now, I want to be in this moment. With Will. Meeting him has been just the thing I need to stop thinking about college next fall. Or the disappointment on my parent’s faces when I tell them that NYU is where I want to go, to study fashion design and marketing. This is my Christmas Eve. Not theirs, mine.
“Thanks,” I say shyly.
Will cups my face in his hands, “you’re nothing like your profile picture.”
“No?” I look up at him from under my long eyelashes. I don’t know whether he means it in a good or a bad way. Hopefully he means it in the good way.
“No. You’re much more beautiful in person.” Will’s face inches closer to mine; it’s as if he’s silently asking me if this is okay. It most certainly is okay.
“Wow,” I breathe because a boy has never called me beautiful before. Am I supposed to thank him or would that sound too cocky?
Will closes the gap between us, kissing me lightly on the lips. The air around us changes and in my head I hear jingle bells sounding. Maybe it’s all the Christmas cheer that has me in complete dismay. Or it’s this Australian boy telling me I’m beautiful. It’s definitely the second choice that’s making my brain go haywire.
His arms snake around my waist. I stand on my tiptoes to reach him better so I can wrap my arms around his neck. Our bodies are pressed together. You would think this would be awkward, kissing a boy whom I spent over a year talking to over the Internet, never having met in real life. In actuality, nothing was weird about this. It felt so right, and maybe it’s because I have never kissed a boy before. This all sounds so superficial, I am aware. I feel like this should be in one of those cheesy romance novels that my mom reads. Trust me, I have read a few in my time and I would rather block those from my memories. Talk about bad literature.
Will’s mouth presses harder against mine. I let out a content sigh in between our lips. He pulls away, almost too suddenly for my taste.
“Come on, let’s go meet my friends.”
Will grabs my hand and pulls me down the beach. I stare at the spot where we shared our first kiss. This Christmas Eve has been the best one yet.

The End