Back to December

"Better now." Henry winked, a hopeless flirt. Even with ex-girlfriends. "How...are your parents?"

"They would have!" Kale said indignantly and then sighed. "So...this is quiet the shin-dig huh?"

Tara smiled, blushing a bright pink as she kissed him back. "Merry Christmas, Adrian." She couldn't help the happyness that bubbled up inside her, over flowing into her eyes, her laugh. She couldn't have asked for a better Christmas.

Jarred chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "Want to dance?"

Meredith shrugged and looked around at the party. "A lot of couple drama, which is...annoying. Otherwise it's...alright." She wasn't a huge fan of parties, not really a social butterfly. Her friend had dragged her here.

"You missed," Anna said with a smirk when he kissed her head. She quickly kissed his lips, but then pulled away and stood. "Yeah, let's dance."

Adrian swayed back and forth with Tara in his arms and a smile on his lips. This was better than any Christmas present he could have gotten. He rested his chin on the top of her head.

Celia frowned, "Well," she paused for what to say then sighed. "Still hating yours." Wow Celia, she grumbled to herself. What a wonderful reply.

Henry shrugged. "Hating yours too," He said with an easy smile. "But still not quite hating /you/."

Celia forgot her hesitation in speaking to him for a moment. "Really?" She asked eagerly. She valued his parents opinions more than her own. She knee her parents were, well, she didn't really have a word to describe them besides Mainstream and that was kinda nerdy.

Henry chuckled. "I meant /I'm/ not hating you, love." He used that pet name on everyone.

Tara sighed, closing her eyes contentedly. "Adrian, I love you." She said, her head resting against his chest, the small bruise on her neck poking out from the top of her dress.

Jarred smiled and walked with her to the dance floor, twirling her into his arms, and then began to dance with her.

Kale laughed at her and smiled, shaking his head. "I have noticed that. Lot's of people with issues."

Celia blushed, "So they do hate me?" She fretted. Glancing at the door again she twisted a lock of hair on her finger nervously. Maybe she shouldn't be talking to him in that case......

Anna smiled. "We never really danced together when we were dating."

"Me included," Meredith muttered to herself with a sigh. She looked over at him. "Hey, the red on your head is gone. That's one issue down."

Henry shook her head. "They hate your parents."

Celia smirked, "Most people do." She hesitated. "So, what have you been up to?" Surely that wasn't too bad of a question. She really wasn't good at small talk.

"The usual. Football, " Soccer. "Studying...not much involving girls anymore." He glanced at her. "How about you?

Jarred chuckled. "That's because I had two left feet. I have since learned to dance." he said as they twirled about the dance floor.

"What issues do you have?" Kale asked as he went cross eyed to see if the red mark was gone. Of course he couldn't see it.

Meredith laughed slightly when he did that with his eyes, but then shook her head. "They don't matter, really, just mistakes...." She trailed off, not sure how to change the subject.

"You're doing okay now," Anna said, with a sort of shrug.

"Usual also. Gardening and reading." She smiled softly. "So, no girls?" She couldn't figure out why that made her heart flutter happily.

"Nah." Henry smirked. "Any guys in your life?"

Jarred chuckled. "Like I said, I've gotten better."

Kale looked at her, taking a moment to let his eyes focused. "Am..I one of those mistakes?" He asked softly.

"Nooo." Meredith shook her head quickly. "Breaking up with you was one of them, though." She bit her lip, realizing what she'd just said, her eyes wide. "Um, so, anyway...what color would you say the floor tiles are? Cream?"

"How did you learn?" Anna asked. "Dance with some Australian girls?" She was just kidding, she wasn't making jabs at him anymore.

Celia smirked, "Well there was this one....." she let her voice trail off to see his reaction.

Kale stared at her with wide eyes. Did he just hear, what he thought he heard? "Egg white." He said as he watched her carefully.

Jarred chuckled and shrugged. "Had to. It was a class."

Henry's smirk fell a little. "Oh really now?"

Meredith nodded, not looking at him. "You're right, that's much closer."
She stared at the ceiling then. "What color's ... " She searched for another question to ask to fill the silence/tension/whatever this was and failed.

"Why did you take a class like that?" Anna smirked, amused, with an eyebrow raised. "Besides needing to work on your skill...."

"Meredith?" Kale watched her and took her hand gently. "What's on your mind?"

Jarred chuckled and shrugged. "For the fun of it."

Celia smirked further, "No." She let that hang in the air for a moment before turning from him. "I'm gonna get a drink." Maybe he did care, a little......

"Lots of fun things in Australia, you'll have to tell me about them sometime," Anna said, daring to say there'd be a 'sometime.'


Meredith paused when he took her hand and looked down in surprise. She knew it wouldn't do her any good to try and make something up. Or maybe it would, Kale wasn't insanely smart. But she'd be honest, anyway. "You. You're on my mind."

"I'll come with you," Henry said, a smile creeping on his face. He followed her to the table where the punch was and poured two glasses of it, handing her one. He looked at her for a moment before taking a sip. "So...what books have you read lately?"

Small talk still.