After loading the last item onto the truck, his mum pulled the roller door down and then turned to me. "Thanks for your help, Em," she said.

"You sure you don't want me to help you unpack too?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Frazer's paid the removalists to unload everything as well. And it will take me a while to decide where I want it all; I don't want to bother you with crossing to the other side of town for that."

"It's no bother. It's not like I'm doing anything these days anyway."

"Enjoy these moments of peace. Your studies are about to overwhelm your free time. And when Frazer's back, you know he will steal every second of yours. Take time for you while you have it. Which reminds me... did he tell you that he won't be back for Christmas?"

"... No he didn't."

"Oh... I'm sure he was going to soon. I only found out through a text myself when I asked what time he'd be arriving."

"How long ago was that?"

She hesitated, worrying her lip for a moment before she said, "Not long. I'm sure he's going to call you today about it."

"Yeah... probably." The truth was, he'd been even briefer than before. We had a video call when he was in his hotel room in Sydney, and a few texts when he was on the road to some small towns, but other than that his schedule had been packed. The last I heard from him was a few days ago. I was trying to not dwell on it, because every time we did speak it was as though no time had passed for him. His familiarity and adoration for me was all-consuming. And it was that which I clung to in my moments of doubt.

"Anyway... I was asking because I was thinking we could surprise him."

"What do you mean?"

"He said you two were spending New Years together."

We were supposed to spend Christmas together as well.

"He said he'd give me New Year's Eve Eve. The 30th."

"Alright." Where is this heading?

"He gets in though on the 29th... I was wondering if you'd like to come over then? Maybe wait for him and surprise him? That way you both get to see each other sooner, Frazer will be happy, and maybe he won't be distracted the day I get him because he will have seen you already."

Something about it all made me hesitate, though I ended up putting my uncertainty down to the fact that Frazer hadn't confirmed these dates with me. In the end, I agreed to his mother's request.

◁ㅤ ❚❚ ㅤ▷

Frazer's mum had done her best to replicate his room in the new house, with a few upgrades: a bigger bed, a much much larger room, and a wall that was plastered with his success—newspaper clippings, posters, photos, all of it. I very much approved of the shrine of Frazer.

I sat on his bed, waiting for the moment I heard the front door open downstairs to alert me he was coming.

As his mother had anticipated, Frazer had texted me the very night his mum moved to inform me he'd miss Christmas while also locking in our plans for New Years. But after that... he was silent.

It had been a week now since I had heard from him.

Given that his mother had picked him up from the airport, I wondered why he hadn't messaged me yet. He had assured me in his spare moments he'd find a way to reach out...

He's just being present, my conscience tried to assure me.

And I ran with that thought, not wanting to let the doubts ruin a moment like I did during our camping trip in Paluma or at graduation.

Don't blow things out of proportion, Em. Everything is fine.

Everything will be more than fine when Frazer walks in and sees you.

He will probably grin ear to ear and twirl you around like he usually does when it's been a while...

Any moment all that doubt and uncertainty will disappear.

Then, finally, the waiting came to an end. The door downstairs opened and shut, and Frazer's mother's voice trailed up the stairs as she boomed, "You should see your room. I really enjoyed decorating it."

"... should I be worried?"

"Definitely not. You'll love it."

He sighed and mumbled something inaudible.

"No, your laundry can wait. Go up to your room and put your things down."

"Fine."

My lips turned up.

I bounded off the bed in anticipation, pushing myself up against the wall by the door, heart thudding with each step of his up the stairs.

Then finally the door flew open.

"Mum!" he whined. "Seriously?"

"What?" she said back.

He exited the room to the landing, complaining down at her, "This is embarrassing. People will think I'm obsessed with myself."

"Who is going to see it other than me, you, and Emilia?"

"Emilia will!"

"And?"

"And this isn't cool."

I stifled the giggle at the thought he was still trying to look cool in front of me. With the laughter, some of the shreds of doubt also withered away.

"Then take it down... if you think you can in time," his mum countered next.

"What does that—"

Taking it as my cue, I rounded the door and called his attention with a simple, "Surprise!"

Whipping my way, his eyes were surely wide with surprise. Though the expression and tone that followed weren't ones I expected. "What are you doing here?"

"... Surprising you." I shrugged. Then, as his face contorted with disdain, I explained, "Your mother thought you might like it."

He pushed past me into his room, grumbling, "We had plans to meet on New Years Eve."

"I... I know." I followed him into the room, gently pushing the door closed so that his mum wouldn't be privy to our conversation. "But I thought maybe you'd like to see me a little earlier."

Though as the door softly thudded shut, his head snapped back, eyebrows twitching together in annoyance. "I was hoping to catch up on sleep when I got back."

"That's okay... I was just stopping by to see you home... I'll be on my way now." I turned to leave, not needing him to brand the iron further into my heart as he drew cards of rejection.

Yet he said, "Wait... Em..."

I turned with hope.

"Don't do that." His face was still marred with displeasure.

"Do what?"

"Act like I'm being a dick here."

"I'm not—"

"You're acting butt-hurt."

"Acting?"

"See?"

My eyes started to sting and my bottom lip quivered, but the anger bubbling inside me that was determined to prove him wrong won, allowing me to retort a steady, "I'm so sorry, Frazer Young, for spoiling your return home and impeding your rest. It must have been such an inconvenience to see your girlfriend outside of her allotted time." With that, I started marching towards the doorway.

"Emilia," he tried to stop me with, but the lack of conviction in his tone had me continue out of his room, down the stairs, and past his confused mother.

Though, unlike the movies, Frazer wasn't behind me to grab my wrist and spin me around.

He just let me go.

And he didn't even text or call me about it later.

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