Free An Autumn Dream by Melissa Giorgio Page B

left. Picking up an angel holding a candle between clasped hands, I smiled. “Do you know how long it took to put everything up?”
    “I can only imagine.” Rafe wandered over to another box and opened it to peer inside. “Wow. You guys went all out, didn’t you?”
    “What did you do for the holidays?” I dug through the box, unearthing angel after angel. “I remember these guys! We used to put them over the fireplace in the living room…”
    Rafe pulled out an incredibly tacky bright pink wreath and laughed. “We had a tree. It was fake and small and we had a couple of boxes of ornaments we reused every year. My dad was too busy hunting to bother decorating, but my mom felt bad and put the tree up for me.” He smiled again. “But I think she did it for herself, too.”
    I pictured young Rafe, gathered around the tree with his parents, eagerly awaiting Santa. It was a nice image that was also bittersweet. By the age of twelve, Rafe no longer had a family to celebrate Christmas with. At least with me, I still had Dad and Chloe. “What did you do…after?” I directed my question to the cardboard box in front of me and the angels inside. When he didn’t answer, I wondered if I had overstepped and pried too deeply. Last time we had discussed his parents in detail, we had both ended up crying. I didn’t want to ruin Rafe’s day again with my heartless questions, but before I could tell him to forget about it, he spoke.
    “I went to California with Evan and his parents,” Rafe said. “At the time, they lived in New York, but they were originally from California and returned every chance they had, until finally, they just stayed. Evan would go back for the holidays, and I’d go with him. Until he started dating Alex, anyway. Then he hung around in New York, sneaking behind her parents’ backs to see her.”
    “He left you alone on Christmas?” I demanded, ready to punch Evan in the face next time I saw him.
    Rafe laughed. “It’s okay. There’s always something to do in Manhattan for the holidays.” His eyes lit up. “We should go to the city this year!”
    That sounded awesome, but we always went to Vermont to see Dad’s family. I didn’t have the heart to tell Rafe that, not when he looked so excited. Maybe Dad will let me stay home this year? Haha, yeah right. Hell would have to freeze over, thaw out, and freeze over again before he ever let me stay home so I could partake in what he probably figured were illicit activities involving my boyfriend. Still, it didn’t hurt to ask. Until then, I’d keep the Vermont trip to myself.
    I heard Rafe approaching, his footsteps making the attic floor creak as he came up from behind and wrapped his arms around my waist. “Hmm, you didn’t answer. Maybe you don’t want to go?”
    “I have to see what my boyfriend says first,” I told him, wiggling in his embrace until I was completely turned around and facing him. “He might not want me hanging out with my stalker. He’s very protective of me like that.”
    Rafe rolled his eyes. “He sounds like a smart guy, this boyfriend of yours.”
    “Yep. He’s a good kisser, too.”
    “Oh yeah?” Rafe flashed a sexy smile as he leaned closer. “Is he better than this?” His lips captured mine in a slow, perfect kiss that sent shivers throughout my body. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he pulled me closer, our bodies touching in all the right places. When we pulled apart, his face was flushed and his eyes were very green and very bright, and it took all of my self-control not to shove him to the floor and attack him.
    Probably not the smartest of ideas, with Dad due home soon for pizza night. And yes, I had called him up asked his permission before allowing Rafe to step one foot inside of the house. Surprisingly, he had said yes. I wasn’t about to ruin my chances of ever seeing my boyfriend again by doing naughty things in the attic. Besides, it was dusty up here. And the bare wood floor didn’t