Weeks passed and Christmas was getting closer and closer. Ethan was making progress and, even if he still didn't like physical contact, he was opening up.
"We should go out and buy a tree." I told Nazar who was snuggled against me under the covers.
"Already? We're only at the beginning of November!"
"I know but I'm sure Ethan would love picking a tree and helping us decorate it. I doubt his past Christmas were great."
"You're probably right. I'm not against it if you want to go shopping today. We could go this morning, stop at a restaurant and then go back to set everything up?" He asked, propping himself up on one elbow, his hand holding his head.
"Sounds like we have our Saturday all planned." I replied with a smile before giving him a quick kiss on the lips.
I threw the covers away from my body, decided to get up and get the day started when I felt a pair of arms wrap around my body. He pulled me closer until my back hit his chest.
"You're lucky Ethan is here or I wouldn't have let you leave this bed." He whispered in my ear, making me shiver.
"You're unbelievable." I chuckled, turning around slightly. "We will see what we can do tonight." I added before getting out of his grip and making my way toward the bathroom, the smile not leaving my lips.
I took a quick shower before stopping in front of the mirror to shave the part of my face that didn't have scars or burn marks. I looked at myself while doing it, being careful not to cut myself and stared at that particular scare right under my left eye. Imogen was nice enough to take Celine as one of her patients after I had explained her what I was feeling. Not having to relieve my past over and over at each session helped a lot with my nightmares and my self-confidence even if it still wasn't perfect. I was applying the advices Mr. Biersack gave me with even more rigor than before; I wouldn't risk falling back in bad habits. Nazar and Ethan were counting on me and, even if he wasn't with us anymore, I didn't want to disappoint Martial.
With one last sight, I turned away and dressed myself before going downstairs. I could hear Ethan and Nazar talk in the kitchen as I approached and a good smell reached my nose a few seconds later. I stopped at the entrance and watched Ethan standing on a chair in front of the counter, using the voice option of our coffee machine while Nazar was standing next to him. I smiled when I heard Ethan squeal with delight as the machine started.
"So, what are you two making?" I asked as I walked closer to the counter.
"I'm making coffee and Nazar prepared the batter for pancakes." Ethan replied, quickly looking in my direction before turning his attention back to the coffee machine.
"Oh, and who is going to make the pancakes?" I asked, putting my hand on Nazar's shoulder.
"Well, you obviously. We did all the work so far." Nazar replied as if it was obvious, making Ethan giggle.
"You can just admit that I'm the better cook in this room." I answered, taking the batter to start cooking.
Nazar laughed but didn't answer and I prepared the pancakes. During that time, he put two steamy cup of coffee on the table and gave Ethan a glass of apple juice. I put a plate full of pancakes in the middle of the table and we all started to eat.
"You should tell him what you have planned for today." Nazar said, breaking the silence.
I watched as Ethan raised his eyes curiously, waiting for me to speak. "Would you like us to go out and buy a tree for Christmas this morning? Then we will eat at the restaurant and go back here to decorate."
I watched as his eyes lit up at the word Christmas, making me happy. "Will I be able to decorate it?"
"Of course! You can decorate it the way you want."
"I've always wanted to do it." He replied softly, a smile on his lips. It was easy to hear the joy in his voice, it was contagious.
"It will be fun." Nazar said, a smirk appearing on his face. "But be careful, he likes to sing Christmas songs while decorating so your ears will probably suffer."
Ethan looked at me, trying to suppress a smile only letting it appear when he saw that I was smiling as well. "You're really in the mood to annoy me today. Stop telling him lies." I replied, pushing my shoulder against his softly.
Nazar teasing me never stopped over the years and he still managed to surprise me after all this time. But I had to admit that all this teasing helped Ethan trust me. Sure there was still work to do but he wasn't as afraid to speak to me as before and I was making sure to progress slowly during our sessions, not wanting to scare him or make him withdraw into himself again.
We finished eating breakfast and I booked a taxi which arrived just on time as we finished to get ready. We stepped outside and I sat at the front while Ethan and Nazar sat in the back. The trip to the mall was quick, only thirty minutes, and I paid once we arrived. I took Nazar's hand while Ethan stayed next to me as we entered the mall. Immediately, we were hit by the colorful lights and the Christmas decorations that were already up in a part of the shop. I watched as Ethan's smile grew bigger and I could see he wanted to run toward it but was doing his best to stay next to me.
We ended up stopping in front of the Christmas trees and I described the ones I could see to Nazar while Ethan was looking at one tree in particular: a green tree with sparkles of white there and there to imitate snow.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" I asked to Ethan who nodded, a small smile on his face.
"Why don't we take it?" Nazar asked, making Ethan look at him with hopeful eyes.
"Sure, why not." I chuckled, looking around me. "Ethan, wait here with Nazar for a few minutes, alright? I'm going to get a shopping cart."
Ethan nodded and stood closer to Nazar as I turned around to get a shopping cart. I found one right outside the shop and it took me only a few minutes to get back toward the Christmas trees where they were waiting. I put a tree in it. Nazar held on the cart while Ethan stayed next to it as we continued to walk around the shop. I let Ethan look at the various guirlands and balls, loving the way his eyes lit up every time he saw something catch his eyes. I let him pick some of his favorites and I put them in the cart next to the tree.
"Look Ethan, there's some snow balls over there. Why don't you pick one for your room?" I asked, showing him the direction with one of my hands. He looked in the direction I showed him and walked over there, looking at the various choices. "Once he picked one, we will go to the cash register to pay and then we will go to the restaurant."
"Sure but... Where are we going to put all these stuffs while we are at the restaurant?"
Nazar's question made me stop dead in my tracks. I hadn't thought about that. "Shit..."
This made Nazar laugh. "Why don't we order something and eat it at home instead? Or go to a restaurant close to home?"
"We could go to that small restaurant a few streets away from where we live instead... You know, the one we used to go to regularly before?"
"Sounds good to me." He nodded, making me smile.
Ethan came back next to me and showed me the snow ball he picked: there was Santa Clauss and a snowman in front of a cute Gingerbread house.
"It looks adorable. Just give me a minute, I will call a taxi and then we will go pay for everything." I said, taking my phone out of my pocket.
After getting a confirmation that a taxi would be here in about twenty minutes, we headed toward a cash register. Luckily, there were only a few people in front of us and the taxi didn't have to wait a lot for us to come out. I helped Nazar get into the car and made sure Ethan was seated next to him before putting our stuffs in the trunk and getting next to the driver.
Once arrived in front of our house, I helped Nazar get out of the car and led him toward the front door before paying the driver and getting our stuffs out of the trunk. I moved everything inside and put them in the living room. As I turned around, looking for Ethan, I saw him going downstairs. He saw me looking at him curiously and quickly told me. "I put the snow ball in my room."
"Perfect." I replied with a smile. "Ready to eat?"
"I'm starving." Nazar said while Ethan only nodded.
I took Nazar's hand as we left the house again, heading toward that little restaurant. Ethan was following us closely, his hands in the pockets of his coat. We stopped for a few seconds in front of it. The restaurant was in a refurbished, 19th-century chapel. Inside, there were high, vaulted ceilings, gorgeous stained glass and wooden floors. As it was too cold to eat outside, we entered and a waiter lead us toward a table on the left side. I took a menu off the table and, for the first time, I read it for two people.
"I'll pick the Brixham mussels with fries." Nazar told me a minute later.
I nodded and turned my attention toward Ethan, sitting in front of me. "I would like a burger with fries."
"Sure, with cheese and bacon?"
He nodded, sending me a small smile. I turned around, trying to see if a waiter was nearby and one of them caught my eyes. He made his way toward us as soon as he saw me, pulling out a small notebook out of his pocket. I told him what we wanted and picked Cornish pork shoulder with Cajun coleslaw. The young man went in the kitchen to give them our orders before coming back with our drinks: red wine for Nazar and I and a coke for Ethan.
"What are you the most excited about for this afternoon?" Nazar asked, trying to pass some time while we were waiting.
"Putting the balls on the tree. And the lights! And the decorations." He answered, an excited smile appearing on his face.
They continued to talk about what they were going to do this afternoon while I mainly listened, enjoying seeing them get along so well. For someone who was so sure of not wanting children, Nazar was a great foster parent and it was easy to see Ethan had an easier time trusting him. Obviously, him being blind helped him a lot but his sense of humor was a great plus.
Finally, the server came back with our plates and we ate. The food here was always delicious and it was great to see that Ethan seemed to enjoy it as well. When we were done, we ordered a dessert: chocolate ice cream for Ethan and apple pie for us. I then got up and went to the counter to pay before going back to Nazar to hold his hand. We left, making our way back home.
When we arrived, Ethan removed his shoes and his coat before going to the living room. I could see him waiting for us to arrive so I hurried before joining him. Nazar went toward the radio, wanting to put some music. I watched him touch the various CDs, not knowing which one to pick. I walked over him and took one with Christmas songs on it before putting it in his hands. He thanked me with a kiss before putting the CD in the radio player. I took this opportunity to set the tree up in the corner of the living room, close to the sofa.
"Ethan, do you want to help with the lights?" I asked as Nazar sat on the sofa, close enough to hear us.
He nodded and I handed him some lights, showing him how to untangle them. He quickly understood what he had to do and carefully sorted it out. I put the untangled lights on the tree as he progressed, making sure it would illuminate the whole tree. When we were done, I picked a box full of guirlands and asked Ethan to pick the color he wanted us to use for this year. He handed me the golden ones and I put them on, clasping my hands once it was done. The moment Ethan was waiting for was here and I could see that he knew it. He smiled as I handed him the balls he picked earlier.
"Put them where you want. I'm going to take the older ones we have." I quickly left the living room to go upstairs to retrieve our past decorations. Luckily for me, it was easy to find them: I put them in the cabinet in the office room. I went downstairs, a box full of stuffs in my hands and put it on the ground next to the tree. Ethan looked inside curiously before continuing what he was doing. "Come help us, Nazar. We can do the top of the tree."
He got up and went next to me, waiting for me to hand him the balls so he could put them on the tree. He was slightly taller than me so it was easier for him to reach the top without having to climb on a chair. My only job was to hand him different balls so the tree would have a great mix of colors and forms. We all decorated the tree while listening to Christmas songs, only stopping when there wasn't any room left.
"The only thing missing is the star at the top of the tree." I stated as I stepped slightly away, admiring the work we did. I took the golden star and handed it to Nazar who put it at the top without much difficulties. "Can you move it a little to the left? Sto-, just a little more on the right now. Perfect!" I exclaimed once it looked straight.
"It looks beautiful!" Ethan said, a big smile on his face.
"Wait, you haven't seen the final result yet! I'm going to turn the lights off. You just have to click on this button to turn the lights of the tree on. Do you want to do it?" I asked, showing him the button.
He nodded and took the little device in his hands as I moved to turn the lights off. When it was done, I went back next to Nazar, putting a hand on his back.
"So? How beautiful does it look?" Nazar asked a few seconds later.
"It's the best tree ever!" Ethan said, awe in his voice.
I smiled at these words, my heart swelling in my chest. "We did a really good job, I agree."
We stayed a few minutes in this position before turning the lights on again. I told them to sit on the sofa while I went back to the kitchen to get us something to drink. Just like Martial did years ago, I prepared three hot chocolate and added some marshmallow in it. Thinking about Martial made me nostalgic; I missed him a lot and I wished he could be here with us. I knew he would have loved Ethan. I went back in the living room and handed a cup to Nazar, making sure he was holding it correctly before letting go. I then gave a cup to Ethan and I sat next to Nazar. Ethan was blowing on the marshmallow, watching them float. He looked happy and relaxed and I hoped he was. I put my head on Nazar's shoulder and sighed silently. I felt a hand on my thigh and I smiled, putting my free hand at the top of his. Ethan was oblivious, concentrated on his drink.
We spent the rest of the afternoon like that while Ethan, done with his drink, got up to put it on the kitchen's table before going near the tree again to observe it and touch a few balls, a happy smile on his face. When it was close to dinner, I got up and reheated some leftovers that we ate in the living room, a cartoon of Ethan's choice playing in the background. After that, they went upstairs so Ethan could shower while I washed the dishes. After making sure everything was clean, I went upstairs to wish a good night to Ethan. I stayed in the door frame, watching him half hidden by the covers as he waved me goodbye.
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