I was starting to get used to spending my days with William. The first few days we didn't talk much, but slowly we got used to each other's presence and we started talking more. In general, the times when we were able to see each other the most were the mornings, which were also my favorite moments. He always woke up before me, so I had plenty of time to get ready, and his presence didn't change my routine much. The only thing that bothered me a bit was the fact that he couldn't help but catch me every time I was late. And there wasn't a time when he didn't point it out to me. Like, for example, one of our first days living together.

"Good morning Sleeping Beauty," he greeted me that morning.

"And what do you mean by that?" I replied annoyed.

"I've heard you snooze your alarm at least five times." he wasn't entirely wrong, after all.

"It was four times, to be exact," I replied firmly.

"Same thing," he replied.

"I'm always on time."

"If you say so..." he replied with a stifled laugh.

I would have continued the conversation about my punctuality very willingly, but I had been thinking about things I wanted to ask him for a couple of days, so I took the opportunity to start the conversation. "Look, could I ask you a couple of things? You've been here for almost a week now, and I'd like to get to know you a little better," I said, trying not to sound inappropriate. I just wanted to get to know my roommate better.

'I have to leave for work in like, ten minutes, but that's all right,' he answered.

"Perfect, thank you. So, what's your favorite color?" I began.

"I see that we are starting from the basics. I would say... blue. My turn now. Why did you accept me into your house even though the flyer said only girls?" I didn't expect him to ask questions as well, but I didn't mind a bit of conversation.

"Because you made me a good offer and my bank account was begging for some extra savings. Favorite place from your childhood?"

"The park behind the house. Why do you get weird when I smile?" the question took the words out of my mouth. I couldn't explain it either, but he had a really nice smile.

"I'll pass. Favorite animal," I replied, trying to avoid the question. "Saved," I thought.

"Cat. And I don't think there's pass option."  he was really putting a strain on me.

"Yes, if the questions are too uncomfortable."

"Fewer uncomfortable questions then. See... why do I feel like you and your friend Evelyn are only talking about me?"

"I would say we have different points of view on what an uncomfortable question is. Anyway, we often talk about you because I'm a girl and my best friend needs to know everything about the people I meet, especially if it's a guy. Do you consider me your friend?" I decided to throw myself into a somewhat uncomfortable question.

"We've only known each other for a week, but I think you're a very nice girl, I like you as a roommate... So I think I can say yes," he said with a smile.

"Oh, well," I replied, blushing slightly. I have to say that I was pleased to hear him say that. Being a shy girl, many times I struggled to make friends, and so knowing that he already considered me as such made me happy.

"So you talk about me a lot, huh?" he asked, going back to what he had said before.

"Sometimes... only when Evelyn asks me..." I replied vaguely, blushing even more.  An amused expression appeared on his face, he knew very well that he had put me in an awkward spot.

"It's up to you," I added immediately afterwards to change the subject.

"Why are you so attached to Christmas?" he asked, turning serious.

"When I was a child I always spent the whole month of December with my grandmother in this house, because my parents were always away for work at that time. We had a beautiful relationship. Sadly, she passed away five years ago, but every year the Christmas season makes me relive all those beautiful moments." I replied with eyes starting to get teary. Maybe I shouldn't have talked about such personal things to a boy I'd just met, but every time I talked about my grandmother I felt the pain of the loss lessen a little, and I trusted William enough to confide something about my past.

"Noelle... I'm sorry I made fun of you the other day..." after listening to my story.

"Don't worry, really, the joke made me laugh too," I replied reassuring him.

"Anyway, there's one more important thing I wanted to ask you."

"Tell me everything."

"Ever since I moved in, I've been thinking back to your flyer that said the offer was for one girl only, and me being... well, not a girl, I wanted to make sure you were really okay with having me as a roommate. I know I've asked you before, but it's something I really care about."

"No problem, really. I had written no guys to avoid finding myself with older men or teenagers who ran away from home, but I don't feel uncomfortable with you. You don't need to worry," I replied with a smile. I was glad he was worried about the matter, not many would have done that. Another reason why I was sure I had made a good choice.

"Perfect then. I wanted to make myself clear."

"Nothing, thanks for telling me about it."

We were silent for a moment as we finished breakfast, and then William went to his room to get ready for work, while I went to retrieve my computer to start organizing my new job. Or at least, what I hoped would become my job.

*** 

In the evening, I opened the fridge to prepare dinner and found it half empty. I didn't really want to go out, but I got to the conclusion that I had to go grocery shopping. I got ready, gathered my keys and wallet, and stopped for a moment in the mirror in front of the entrance to check if I looked okay. I was about to close the door behind me when I found William behind me putting on his shoes.

"Are you going anywhere?" I asked.

"I actually thought I'd go with you, wherever you're going. I saw that you were getting ready to go out, and since I have nothing planned for this evening, I wanted to know if I could come with you. Are you going somewhere interesting?"

"Well, that depends on whether or not you consider the supermarket an interesting place. I'm going to the grocery store."

"Oh," he replied dumbfounded.

"But if you want to come, that's no problem."

"It's better than staying at home doing nothing. I'm coming with you."

"Perfect, in the car then," I said, as I left the house.

 ***

When I arrived at the supermarket, I immediately got lost in the Christmas dessert section, buying both already-made cakes and ingredients, I couldn't wait to start baking them all. I was so focused on buying all the ingredients that I didn't even notice William was gone. "He must have gone somewhere, we'll cross paths later." I thought to myself. So I continued my rounds, going through the shelves and buying everything I needed. I found numerous offers, and stocked up for the next few weeks. Finally, when I reached the supplement department, I found William, concentrating on reading the label of some of the cans.

"There you are, I've been looking for you. I'm nearly finished taking everything, are you almost done?" I asked.

"I'm still missing a couple of things, go to the checkout when you're done, we'll meet outside in the parking lot," he said.

I did not understand why he wanted to part again, but I resolved to do as he asked; after all, I really had a cart full of things, and I would have made him wait a long time had we gone to the checkout together.

"Okay, I'll see you right outside then," I replied.

"See you later," he replied, going back to reading labels.

I retrieved the trolley and finished taking the last of my shopping, then went to pay and sat in the car to wait for William; It was too cold to wait for him outside. In the meantime, I played a few Christmas carols and got lost watching the snow fall. It was on days like those that I thought about my grandmother the most. I remember that the more it snowed, the more time we spent at home baking cookies and chatting in front of the fireplace. I really missed those moments. I felt my eyes starting to tear up, but I saw William approaching the car, and I pushed back the tears with a couple of blinks of an eye. William, however, was an excellent observer.

"Noelle, are you all right? Were you... crying?"

"No, no, I wasn't crying. I just got lost thinking about my grandmother, and I always react like that when I think of her."

"You're talking about the grandmother you told me about this morning."

"Yes..."

"You must miss her a lot."

"It's been five years, but the snow, Christmas, everything of this time brings me back to those days we spent together, and it makes me sad to know that they're never coming back."

"Maybe talking about it might help."

"Would it bother you if I told you something?"

"No, on the contrary. I'd love to listen," William said with a supportive smile. So I spent the next half hour telling William some of my favorite memories of my grandmother as the snow continued to fall and slowly covered the car parked in the parking lot.

"Thank you for listening," I said as soon as I finished speaking "I already feel so much better."

"I told you that talking about it would help you. Thank you for telling me about it, I know how important memories they are to you."

"No need to thank me, you're a great listener... You make it easy for people to talk to you."

"Oh... Thank you. Shall we go home now?"

"Yes, of course."

When we got home, I cooked a quick dinner for both of us, and then finished emptying the bags and putting away what I had bought. In doing so, however, I noticed that William had forgotten to put away a package, which had remained in one of his bags. I called him, not wanting to rummage through his things.

"Oh, that's actually something I bought for both of us," he said, earning a confused look from me. He opened the package, and revealed a small Christmas tree in a blue vase.

"Given your extensive collection of decorations, I wanted to make a small addition to my room. So I thought I'd take this. I think it would be perfect to put on top of the dresser," he explained.

I have to admit that I was blown away, I didn't really know how to answer. I never expected it, but I was pleased.

"I think it's a great idea. Also, I think it's a very nice decoration," I replied as soon as I found the words.

"I'm glad you like it. So, can I put it in my room?"

"Yes, of course," I replied, still shocked as I watched him go to his room. Evelyn was the only one of the people I knew who understood my obsession with Christmas, and the fact that William had taken that decoration... I was lucky to have a friend like him.