ethan

"So, what are you getting Mark for Christmas?"

Amy looked up from folding down apart of a gift she's giving to Kat, smiling as she thought back to it.

"I getting him a sweatshirt that says 'doge' on it and it comes with a dog sweatshirt that says 'hooman' on it for Chica."

"Awe! That's so cute!"

Amy and I were jamming to some exquisite Christmas music as we continued wrapping presents in her dorm.

"What are you getting your mans for Christmas?"

I look up at her with confusion, to which she just matched with a grin, waiting for me to answer her question like it was normal.

"He's not my 'mans'..." I go back to wrapping my gift to Kat. "But, I made him a New England Patriots blanket."

Amy smiled at me, I smiled back at her, and we continued working on our gifts.

I really didn't know what to think about Tyler at that point. We'd been living with each other for a couple of months and I loved spending time with the big goof. But, there are things that we do that normal roommates don't do. Normal roommates don't make out with each other and get jealous because the other is getting hit on. Normal roommates don't cuddle with each other either.

We're not normal roommates though, we're...soulmates.

I don't know why I can't accept that yet. Maybe it's because I've lived in fear of my name for my entire life. Maybe it's because of the words that my parents forced into my brain as a child. That my name is a mistake, that I should never meet my soulmate because I have a male one.

Tyler doesn't feel like a mistake though.

Tyler is...amazing. He is so intelligent. He has the biggest heart in the entire world. He cares about me so much. I've never felt so much love from one person in my entire life.

Well, except Andrew. He was the only person that accepted my name. He always asked me if I met him or not, always asked what I thought he was going to be like when I met him. Andrew's name is a girl's so he never got the angry speeches from our parents, but he was always there for me when I did.

I always dreamt what my soulmate would be like, even though I was told that I would never be allowed to meet him. I dreamt that my soulmate would make me laugh and blush all the time, give me hugs and kisses when I was sad, help me when I was stuck in video games. I never really cared what he looked like, but I kinda always wanted him to be tall and muscular, like my favorite actor when I was a kid - Jared Padalecki from Gilmore Girls. 

After thinking about what I've always dreamt of my soulmate being like, I realize I have exactly that staring me right in the face.

Tyler is definitely not a mistake.

"Ethan..."

I look up from staring at the floor, broken from my contemplating, Amy taking a sip from her coffee.

"Yeah?"

"When are you going to tell Tyler?"

I look around the room, knowing that Tyler wasn't there but still paranoid.

"I was told right from the get-go that my soulmark was a mistake. I guess I still have that underlying fear of being told that if I show everyone." I took a quick breath. "I don't know when."

Amy smiles and pats my shoulder.

"I'll protect you from anyone who tries to tell you that your soulmark is a mistake." I smile at her. "Now, hurry up, we have to get these gifts wrapped before 5, we have a Christmas party to get to!"

I laugh and crank up the Christmas music, Michael Bublé's sultry voice filling the room along with our horrible singing.

-

"MERRY CHRISTMAS GAMERS!"

I burst through Mark's door along with Amy behind me, taking off my snow-covered shoes and running up to my friends to hug them.

"Do you have to yell every time you enter a room?"

I rolled my eyes as I hugged Tyler, a blush dusting my cheeks as Tyler kissed my head since the gang wasn't looking. Well, all besides Amy, who tried to contain her excitement when I went to stand next to her.

After some dinner and drinks for those epic 21-year-olds, we went to open our gifts.

Mark got lots of video games and Marvel stuff.

Kat got lots of film for her Polaroid camera and some video games too.

Amy got some sketchbooks, which she was very excited about, and Mark got her a Bob Ross painting guide where you watch a video of him painting and paint with him. She loved it.

I got gifts similar to Mark's, but Tyler did give me a gag gift as apart of his gift to me - he gave me a tank top with two holes in the chest, which made everyone howl with laughter at the reference. Tyler did also give me a card that he said to read when we got home.

Tyler got - yep, you guessed it - New England Patriots stuff, along with video games and a couple of Marvel movies that he didn't have.

We spent a lot of time talking and laughing, we watched Home Alone and How the Grinch Stole Christmas before we all called it a night to go home and pack for our bags to go home.

Well, I wasn't going home for Christmas.

When Tyler and I got home, I went to go get his special card that I didn't want him to open in front of everyone else. He smiled when I gave it to him.

We both sat across from each other on our beds, reading the cards that we received.

Dear Ethan,

These 5 months have been the best in my life. Thank you for being the best roommate and friend I could ever ask for. You are amazing and you have the cutest laugh known to man. You are so hardworking and the way you get so much work done in such little time amazes me every day. I was so scared of sitting in that hospital room with you laying there. I'm so sorry about that, it was all my fault. Amy had to calm me down in the car when we were driving you to the hospital, I was in so much shock. I thought I was going to lose you, I don't have any idea what I would've done if I did. You are the most important person in my life, I can't imagine life without you.

Merry Christmas, I hope you like the game I got you and, hopefully, we can play it together sometime :)

Love, Tyler

I finished my card before Tyler finished mine, trying to calm down my blush and smile from reading what he wrote. I set mine on my nightstand and waited for him.

Tyler looked up at me with a smile and quickly set his card on the table before knocking me into the bed in a hug.

"Thank you, Ethan."

I hugged him back with all my might, smiling and tucking my head into his chest, thinking about how amazing my life has gotten when Tyler came into the equation.

"We should probably start packing for going home."

Tyler hugged a little tighter before getting up and walking over to his bed.

"I...I'm not going home."

Tyler turned around to me with a confused look.

"Why not? Wouldn't your parents and your brother be upset?"

Why did he have to bring them up?

"No, my mom probably won't be home. Neither will Andrew. My dad and I don't have the greatest relationship."

Tyler looked like I broke his heart which only made me feel bad for telling him.

"Did...Did you want to come to my family's Christmas?"

I blinked after Tyler asked me that.

"S-Sure."

Tyler smiled, pulling me off of the bed.

"I don't want you to be alone on Christmas."

He kissed me on the cheek before letting me pack.

I'm meeting Tyler's family.

This is going to either go extremely well or horribly wrong.