Chapter 14

12/15/2056

Justin was in his bedroom, browsing through a magazine. When he heard a knock, he quickly slid the book under his mattress.

"Come in," he said. Justin let out a soft sigh when his mother walked in.

"Did I disturb you?" Nicole said.

"No," Justin said, shaking his head. "I was trying to find a present for Chad," he said.

"What are you thinking of getting him?" she asked.

"Well, he likes to paint," he said.

"Let me see where we can go." Nicole said, pulling out her phone and searching for art supply shops nearby.

Justin and his mother left the house a few moments later, headed to their destination.

"Thanks, mom," Justin said. "I want to make him happy," he said.

"I think that he's happy to have you around," she said.

"I know," Justin said. "I want to give him a gift," he said. They arrived and entered the store. A young man entered from the back.

"May I help you with anything?" he asked.

"I'm looking for painting supplies for my friend," Justin said.

The worker grabbed a book from under the counter and placed it on top.

"Is your friend a new painter, or does your friend have experience?" he asked.

"Well, I'm not sure," Justin said.

"I think we have one," he said, opening the book and flipping through the pages. "Ah, here it is," he said, turning the book around so they could see. Justin stepped up and glanced over the item.

"Do you have it in stock?" he asked.

"Let me check," the young man said, disappearing into the back. He came back with a smile.

"We have one left," he said. "They are popular," he added.

Justin's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Do you deliver?" Nicole asked. "It's hard to keep things hidden at my place," she said.

"I can bring it either the night before Christmas or that day," he said. "Do you want it wrapped?" he asked.

"If you can," Justin said.

"Fill this out," the young man said. Justin did as instructed and filled out the form. Once the supplies were paid for, they thanked the young man and headed home.

Chad greeted them happily at the door when they arrived. "Where did you go?" he asked.

"We did some mother-son bonding," Justin said.

"Were you Christmas shopping?" Chad asked, grinning mischievously.

"I can't tell you that," Justin said. "It's a secret," he said.

"Aww, come on," Chad said, pouting.

"If you keep pestering me about it, no Christmas for you," Justin said. giving Chad a peck on the lips.

"He is sexy when he plays hard to get," Chad said to himself. "Can I talk to you about something?" he asked.

"What do you need?" she asked.

"I was planning on asking Justin to be my boyfriend and needed some ideas on what to get him," he explained.

"When do you plan on doing this?" she asked.

"On Christmas," he said.

An idea popped into Chad's head for a good gift. "Can I use the truck for a little while?" he asked.

"Sure, just be careful," Nicole said, handing him the keys.

"I will," Chad said. "Don't say anything to Justin, please," he said. Chad's strategy was to obtain both a Christmas and a romantic gift at the same time. Chad arrived at the nearby jewelry shop and parked the truck. Chad had a general idea of what he wanted.

A jeweler stepped out from the back room when Chad walked inside.

"How may I assist you, young sir?" she asked.

"I'm looking for a necklace for a special someone," Chad said.

"Anything in particular?" she asked.

"Well, he is into flowers," Chad said. "I'm planning on asking him to go steady," he said.

The young man stepped over to a display case and motioned for Chad to follow.

"This necklace has a rose and a pendant where you can put someone's initials on it," he said, pointing to the necklace.

"How much does it cost?" Chad asked. "And how long would it take to have it engraved?" he asked.

"It costs $40, and engraving will take a week," he said.

"I'll take it, and can you engrave it with C + J Forever?" he asked.

"We should be able to do that," he said. "How would you like to pay for everything?" he asked.

"I'll be using this," Chad said, handing him the credit card. The cashier rang up his order and gave him the receipt.

"We will call when it's ready," he said.

"Thank you," Chad said, smiling as he walked away.

Later that day, Chad was on the couch, reading a recipe book. Justin sat beside him, flipping through the TV stations. He leaned back against the couch and sighed. "I've seen these movies a thousand times," Justin said. "I'm bored with the same ones," he said.

"I like them too," Chad said. "But it does get old watching them over and over," he said. They looked over their shoulders when Justin's mom walked in.

"This place needs color," she said, glancing around. "There's not even a decorated Christmas tree," she said.

"Well, ma'am, things have been hectic lately," Chad said.

"Hectic or not, this place needs decorations," she clarified.

Selene heard them talking and stepped into the living room. "What are we discussing now?" she asked.

"Decorating the house," Justin said.

"And getting a tree," Chad said.

"It was Mother's idea," Justin said, pointing at her.

"Well, boys," Selene said. "She is right; this place needs some festive colors," she said.

"We'll get a fake tree," Justin said. "If we had a real one, we'd be sweeping the floor for days," he said.

Everyone discussed more about how things would be decorated until Justin started yawning.

"I'd best go to bed," he said. "I'm tired," he said, yawning some more. Justin rose from the couch, hugged his mother, waved, and headed to his bedroom.

"It is getting late, and I'm tired also," Chad said. "It was nice to have met you," he said. Just was already under the covers and snoring softly when Chad walked in. Chad smiled as he undressed and got into bed.