It was the night of Christmas Eve. The party was going according to plan. The apartment had been decorated, the food was all taken care of, all the guests would be arriving shortly and Josh still had no clue what was going on.

        Claudia could hardly contain her excitement as she drove Josh and herself from the soup kitchen back to her house, but there was something about his presence that calmed her nerves somewhat. Maybe it was the sweet smell of his cologne that lingered in the air.

        She looked at Josh, nervously out of the corner of her eye. He wore a deep blue sweater, that matched his cobalt eyes, and his hair was still damp from showering earlier. She noticed that he appeared to be a nervous as well. Without thinking, she reached over and placed her hand on top of his comfortingly.

        Surprised, he looked up at her quickly, wondering what made her take this sudden move. Claudia began to feel embarrassed, and turned her eyes back to the road as her face turned crimson. Seeing that she was embarrassed, he squeezed her hand in thanks. She turned back to him and smiled.

        “You seem awfully anxious about all this,” Josh noticed.

        “I suppose it’s just the holiday spirit,” she lied once again. “Are you nervous?”

        “No, not really.”

        They drove the rest of the way in a comfortable silence, except for the holiday tunes that flowed softly through the speakers. When they arrived at her apartment, butterflies were dancing in Claudia’s stomach. The two smiled at each other nervously as they stepped out of the car into the chilly, winter air, and walked to her front door.

        Josh admired her beauty under the dim streetlights. Her long, dark hair was pulled back into a silver clip at the nape of her neck, with a few loose curls framing her tender face. She wore a thin red sweater, a long black skirt that had red roses embroidered into it and heels that clicked as she walked.

        “You look really nice tonight,” he complimented, before he could stop the words from leaving his mouth.

        She smiled and blushed slightly. “Thank you. I was thinking the same thing about you.”

        Now they were at her front step. “You ready?” she asked, with her hand on the door handle.

        “Whenever you are,” he smiled.

        Taking in a deep breath she opened the door and walked into the dark room, with Josh behind her.

        “Well where is everybody?” Josh questioned. “I thought you said there was going to be a party.”

        Just then, the lights turned on and everyone jumped out to yell surprise. Josh looked around the room in confusion, with no idea of what kind of surprise this was, but his face softened when he saw the faces of the people in the room.

        This wasn’t a party for Jive; this was a party for him. His sister and brother were there, his grandparents and his cousins and aunts and uncles that he hadn’t seen in years were there. The next thing he saw was the families of his old four friends that he hadn’t spoken to in over a year. Justin’s mother Lynn and his younger brothers who were so grown up now, Lance’s family, Chris’s family…

        “There’s one more surprise for you Josh,” Claudia said in almost a whisper. She pointed to the balcony above them and to their left, where four men came out of a bedroom, and descended the stairs.

        First came Justin, then Chris, then Lance, then Joey. Josh couldn’t believe his eyes. He hadn’t seen his four friends in more than a year. They all looked just as he remembered them, only older, more matured and slightly jaded. Their hair had grown back to their natural colors, and they appeared to be normal people once again. Not the pop stars they had been years ago.

        Josh didn’t even notice as Claudia disappeared from behind him to sit at her baby grand piano in the far corner of the room. And suddenly, a piano introduction began behind him. Tears welled up in his eyes when he recognized the tune and Justin began to sing in the sweet, raspy voice that hadn’t hardly changed since Josh had heard it last.

        “I know great distance still remains…between us / But there's good reason to hold on / It's the happiest time of the year / Filled with laughter and good cheer / As you watch the snow / Sweet friend you'll hear me say…”

        The rest of the guys joined Justin to sing the chorus: “You've got my heart on Christmas / Inside my soul your love remains / Love's in our hearts / On Christmas day.”

        The room was silent for a long moment, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house as everyone watched the five men in the front of the room.

        “Merry Christmas JC,“ Justin finally said.

        It was then that Josh threw his arms around Justin in the biggest hug he had ever given. The five men exchanged hugs for next few moments, in an emotional reunion. It was certainly a sight to see. Claudia’s eyes were filled with tears of happiness as she watched the five men reunite. This was definitely what Josh needed for the holiday; his family and his best friends.

        “How did you guys get here? Who planned this?” Josh wanted to know as soon as they were done hugging.

        “This was the work of your little friend Claudia over there,” Lance told Josh in his deep, southern drawl, pointing to Claudia on the other side of the room. Josh turned to look at Claudia, who smiled at him with tears in her eyes and gave him a shy wave.

        “She told us that you’ve kind of been bumming lately, and that she thought you could use a little cheering up for the holidays,” Joey said.

        “So here we are, your own personal cheering up committee!” Chris exclaimed, much too enthusiastically. But that was typical for Chris, they hadn’t changed.

        “You guys came all this way…just for me?”

        “You got it,” Lance said with a nod. “But I suppose you’re worth it,” he teased with a wink.

        “Well come on! There’s a lot of people here who are dying to talk to you,” Justin urged, dragging Josh into the crowd.

        The music started and everyone began chattering amongst themselves. Claudia remained standing by the piano, with a proud and satisfied smile on her face, watching Josh as he gave hugs, kisses, and handshakes, greeting his loved ones that he hadn’t seen in so long.

        Nicole eyed her friend carefully from the crowd. She was simply glowing as her eyes followed Josh through the room.

        “You look quite pleased with yourself,” Nicole noted as she approached her friend. “Looks like you got the exact reaction you expected.”

        Claudia nodded, with her eyes still on Josh. “It’s just so nice to see him happy, to see him with his family and his friends again after so long.”

        Nicole studied the dazed and dreamy look in Claudia’s eyes. “You really care about him, don’t you?” Nicole asked with a serious expression.

        Claudia nodded. “Yeah. I guess I do.”

        Hours later, Claudia sat at one of the tables that had been set up in the back of the room that was covered with food. The room was packed with people. The furniture had been moved from the room and still it was jam-packed. She took off her heels to rest her aching feet for a few moments and sipped her punch while watching the party continue in front of her. She had been thoroughly enjoying herself tonight.

        Claudia had loved meeting Justin, Lance and Chris, but she hadn’t had the chance yet to snag Joe long enough to start a conversation with him; he was quite the crowd-pleaser and he certainly loved to party once he took in his surroundings. It was nice to finally meet the men that she has been a fan of for so long, and to find out a little bit more about Josh’s background.

        Claudia had also been introduced to the wives and children of Josh’s friends. Chris’s wife, Danielle was a beautiful, young blonde, and they had two young children, a girl and a boy, who both seemed to take after their father’s hyper-active behavior.

        Lance had been married for a few years now. His beautiful wife, Beverly, seemed to be chipper and very bright. They had one son, Tommy, who looked to be an exact replica of Lance, even though he was only three years old.

        Justin was engaged to Lauren and they planned to wed on Valentine’s Day the following year. Lauren had a wonderful sense of humor, and was also very kind-hearted. Claudia was told that they were expecting a baby late next year.

        Even the flirtatious Joe, had a steady girlfriend, Diana, whom he had been dating for a full year now. But Joe definitely didn’t give up his flirtatious side, though he always kept it completely innocent.

        “There you are, I’ve been looking for you,” Josh called from behind her, approaching the table.

        “I see you’ve managed to pry your adoring crowd off of you for a few moments to make time for little old me,” she teased with a smile.

        “Well that’s your fault,” he accused. “This whole party was your idea.”

        Claudia just smiled and shook her head to herself.

        “Do you have a minute? I was wondering if we could go outside and talk?” Josh suggested.

        Claudia nodded in agreement and followed him through the French doors, out onto the back patio, their feet crunching through the thin layer of snow that coated the ground. Although it was rather mild for Christmas Eve, goose bumps appeared up her arms. She hugged herself in attempt to keep warm as they sat on an old wooden swing, several yards away from the apartment building.

        “It’s a beautiful night,” Claudia noticed, dreamily, as she gazed up at the night sky. “Look at all the stars…there are millions of them.”

        Josh tilted his head back to look at the nearly full moon and the millions of stars up above him.
       
        “It’s so nice and peaceful out here,” she continued, “away from the city and the noise…It’s been so long since I’ve had the chance to just stop and admire the stars.”

        They sat in silence for a few moments, rocking slowly in the wooden swing.

        “Thank you,” Josh said suddenly in a quiet voice, breaking the silence.

        Claudia continued gazing at the sky. “Don’t thank me,” she objected.

        “No I really mean it,” Josh insisted, “you have no idea how wonderful this night has been for me.”

        “It’s obvious how wonderful it’s been for you. I saw it in your eyes, your smile, your body language…just seeing those things out of you is thanks enough.”

He was quiet for a moment, studying her profile that was lit only by the pale moonlight. “Why?” he asked meekly, staring straight into her. He paused for a long moment, but continued before she could answer. “You clearly went through a lot of trouble to put all of this together, I mean…there were so many people to call and arrangements to make…and the money…”

        “It was no big deal, really. Seeing the look on your face tonight made it worth all the hassle,” she assured him.

        “No one has ever done anything like this for me before. What you did tonight made me feel so special.” He knew he was about to get corny, but at this point it didn’t matter. He had to say what he was feeling at that moment. “I’ve been such a recluse for the last year that I had forgotten what it feels like to love, and be loved…until tonight.” He reached out and took her hand in his. “Being with my family and my best friends again, it was the best thing I ever could have wished for.”

        Those words were exactly what Claudia had wanted to hear. Her mission had been accomplished. A smile radiated from her, showing how truly happy she was to hear him say that.

        Above them, clouds began collecting and light snowflakes began to fall from the night sky. Claudia smiled and tipped her face upward, letting the cold, white flakes land on her face. Josh watched her for a long moment. He couldn’t stop the half-smile that crept across his face at the sight of her purity and innocence.

        “Well then,” she said, a few minutes later, standing up from the swing, “I guess the party was a success. But it’s pretty cold out here, I think I’m going to head back inside.”

        “No wait.” Josh stood up quickly, not wanting her to go.

        There was something about her that was truly comforting and heart-warming, and Josh wanted more of it. The more he learned about her the more he liked the things he discovered and the more he wanted to know.

        “Thank you,” he whispered.

        Without realizing what he was doing, he leaned toward Claudia and wrapped his arms around her in a firm hug. Josh felt her body stiffen in surprise, then slowly relax against him and return the hug. Her heart picked up speed and for a moment, her face felt flushed.

        Claudia was shocked at his notion. She never would have suspected that she could have touched Josh in a way that would cause him to break through the barrier he kept between them, to hug her. Hugging was something that had comfort and meaning behind it. This showed that Josh had at least set a foot outside of his secluded dome. He had enough reassurance that he could hug someone he had met only about a month ago.

        Josh pulled away from the embrace and smiled into her eyes. Without saying a word, he turned and headed back to the party.

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