By Amethyst
 

         Hope just couldn't take it anymore. Curtis was driving her crazy! She understood his agoraphobia prevented them from going out and doing the things a normal couple would. She understood his addiction to television and dried cereal. Well, okay, she didn't understand it but she had learned to cope with it. She tolerated his habit of finding the worst possible roommates and putting money above their own comfort in the small apartment.

         She could handle sleeping in the closet that she had turned into a bedroom. She could handle doing all the shopping, cooking and cleaning in the apartment. She didn't even mind being the bread winner of the family, when she could keep a job. She sanctioned Curtis' minute attention span toward anything but his television shows and renting out space in their cramped apartment.

         This time, however, she had finally had enough. Curtis had crossed the line of no return and she didn't know how to get through to him. She was angry, really and truly fed up with him, his television and his stupid cat!

         She had finally managed to obtain a decent paying job at a telemarketing firm working twelve hour shifts, in a four day on three day off weekly rotation. She had even managed to put some money away for a rainy day and even get a credit card, which she had not been able too before.

         She thought it would be nice, being so close to Christmas, for she and Curtis buy one big gift for themselves. She of course would be paying for it on her new credit card, but she was okay with it. She had shown Curtis a picture in the Sears catalogue of a new sofa. It was bigger than the one they had, which was worn and uncomfortable to sit on for everyone but Curtis. He had gotten his spot just right from so many hours of sitting there.

         As usual, a conversation with Curtis involved mostly grunts or absent minded comments, while Hope did all the talking. Hope was used to this, however, so she had managed to figure out that Curtis agreed to the idea. So she ordered the sofa and waited for it to arrive.

         That was almost three weeks ago and when she entered the apartment that evening she was shocked and dismayed to find, not her beloved new sofa, but a brand new 56' television. Curtis had changed the order without telling her. Any attempt she made to ask him about it resulted in his usual inane request, wait for a commercial.

         Hope grabbed up her coat and purse and stormed out of the apartment, furious. She ended up down at the local convenience store and found her friend Newbie restocking the shelves in the back. He was dressed down today and wore just a plain navy sweatshirt under his yellow store smock. As always he wore the regulated navy uniform, pants with the blue stripe up the side. A saucily tilted Santa's cap was perched atop his head, for the holiday season.

         He glanced up at her entrance and smiled that special way Hope suspected was just for her. His peroxide blond hair stood at attention, as usual, and his blue gray eyes sparkled warmly, as he rose to greet her. Her heart skipped a beat and she forced herself to remember that she was in love with Curtis.

         "Hi, Hope," he offered, cheerfully. "What do you need? We have a special on cat food today." She started to smile at his teasing, but her lips didn't want to oblige. He often teased her about her anything related to cats ever since she told him of that odd dream she had where cats ruled the world instead of people.

         "Hi Newbie," she returned with less enthusiasm. "I don't need anything, I'm…I just thought I'd stop in and say hi."

         Newbie tossed her a questionable look, then returned to his work. Hope moved forward and knelt beside him, handing him the cans off the cartons he'd set on the floor. She missed working with him sometimes, he had always made work fun for her. She wished he and Curtis hadn't been so competitive about that stupid TV, or they might all still be roommates.

         "Squirtis being an ass again?" he deduced, as he accepted the cans from her and placed them on the shelf, quickly and efficiently. She shrugged.

         "Yes," she finally admitted. "I walked out on him." She sighed, "Not that he'll notice."

         Newbie didn't pause in his task and showed no sign of hearing her, yet Hope knew he was listening to every word. Unlike Curtis, Newbie always listened to her. He just refrained from commenting until he had something relevant to say.

         Newbie was not one to meddle in other's affairs, each person had to make their own choices and live by them. He wasn't here to judge. However, Hope and Curtis were his friends and a man had to look out for his friends.

         "I just don't know why he does things sometimes," she continued as they finished the case and Newbie flattened the boxes to set in the recycling bin. He rose and offered her a hand up as well.

          Hope noticed he held onto her hand longer than was necessary, but didn't comment. She suspected he liked her as more than just a friend, but she also knew he would not betray Curtis.

         "Yeah, he's pretty complicated, our Squirtis is," he agreed, solemnly. "Can't live with him, can't shoot 'em. What's a girl to do?"

         Hope smiled and tried not to laugh. Newbie could always cheer her up. Maybe that was why she sought him out whenever she feeling bad about Curtis. She watched him pull two cans of soda from the back cooler then move behind the front counter. She joined him and stood on the other side.

         "Well, I'm not going back," she decided. She had said that before, of course, but this time she meant it. Curtis had gone too far. "At least not tonight."

         Newbie simply nodded and popped the tabs on the cans, pushing one toward her. He opened the register and dropped in some change to pay for their drinks then hopped up on the counter to stretch across it, as he was prone to do. She leaned her arms on the counter and cradled her soda between her hands.

         "Where are you gonna stay?" he inquired, taking a sip of his drink

         "I've got a little cash," she admitted. "I can probably find a motel room or something." Newbie shrugged.

         "They're expensive. Can't afford that for very long, not in this town." He took another sip of his drink. "What about work, you got a new job didn’t you?" Hope brightened a little.

         "Yes, but I'm off until Monday."

         "So what are you going to do for the weekend?"

         "I don't know yet," she sighed. "Maybe go to a movie or something." She shrugged and Newbie tilted his head sympathetically.

         "I have a new place. Did I tell you?" he stated and her eyes flew upward to meet his, in surprise. She shook her head, immediately interested. "Yah, it's not real far from here, so I can walk to work. It's only one bedroom, but furnished and rent controlled."

         "Sounds great," she offered. "How did you ever find it ?"

         "A friend of my Mother's passed away a couple of weeks ago and she lived in one of those rent controlled apartment buildings. Mom put in a good word for me and the landlord let me have it."

         "That's great, Newbie!" Hope encouraged, delighted. "I'm happy for you."

         "It's only one bedroom," he repeated and she nodded.

         "Yes, so you said," she reminded. "But that's plenty of room for just you, right? You're so lucky you don't have to share."

         "Yeah, but there's room for two," he commented and she shot him a puzzled look.

         "Excuse me?" She couldn't figure out which track Newbie's mind had suddenly taken.

         "I…I mean if you decided against the hotel thing," he explained. "I've got room for two, a spare couch anyway. The old lady didn't have any family and most of the furniture was hers, so the landlord kept it with the apartment." Hope stared at him, concerned.

         "Are…are you suggesting I stay at your place, Newbie?"

         "Your choice, like I said. It's just one bedroom, but it's warm and it's not far and…" he grinned. "It won't cost you anything."

         Hope continued to stare at him. Sure they were friends, they had even worked together at one time, but he was offering her a place to stay without having to pay expenses. Even Curtis still expected rent from her every month and she bought all the food. Hope wasn't stupid, she knew men rarely did something for nothing, but Newbie had never seemed to strike her in that way. He had always been honest and blunt about the things he wanted or didn't want. She didn't see him being subtle about something like this.

         "Is…is this for just tonight or…" she began as a customer entered and Newbie hopped of the counter.

         "A night, a week, forever, whatever you want, Hope," he offered as he turned to assist the man at his register. "That's what friends do. We can tell Squirtis where you are so he won't worry. Yes, Sir?"

         Hope was shell shocked by his generosity and a tiny inspiration seeped its way into her brain. She wondered what Curtis would do if he found out she was staying with Newbie. Would it bring him out of his coma finally and cause a reaction? Still, she didn't want to use Newbie like that, she certainly didn’t want to come between the two men. Newbie was Curtis' only other friend.

         Newbie retrieved the cigarettes for the customer then rang up the purchase. Hope continued to watch him and part of her wondered what it would be like if she was in love with Newbie instead of Curtis. She knew the store clerk found her attractive. He'd made that obvious from the first time she met him.

         Hope had to admit she was attracted to Newbie, as well, which she suspected was Curtis' real reason for challenging Newbie. Perhaps, he sensed their chemistry and felt threatened by it. Would that work again? She started to smile as the customer turned and left.

         Newbie regarded her, almost smugly and she knew he could read her decision. It surprised her sometimes how well Newbie did understand people, for someone so individual in his own way of thinking.

         "Thought you'd like that," he replied softly, and her smile grew.

         Newbie's new residence was in a restored three-story Victorian home. You entered through the front door and there were two doors on either side and the stairs leading up to the other apartments. Newbie unlocked the door to his apartment and stepped aside, so Hope could enter first.

         Preparing herself for the worst, after all this was a bachelor pad, she was surprised to find the cozy apartment in pristine condition. There were no dirty dishes in the sink, no clothes slung over the furniture and no food crumbs on the floor. The furniture was old, but sturdy and in good condition. High ceilings and antique Ivory walls accented the home's heritage.  There was a small corner fireplace and a large front window covered by heavy emerald drapes.

         The floors were hardwood, but had area rugs spread through out for effect. A small kitchen area was separated from the living room by a green tiled breakfast bar. Two large, colonial double doors led to another room, which Hope assumed was the bedroom. It was tasteful, cozy and just a little bit chilly.

         "This is wonderful, Newbie," she offered as he helped her off with her coat and hung it behind the door.

         "I'll start a fire, the place will warm up pretty quick then," he assured, noticing the way she was rubbing her hands together.

         Hope explored the apartment while he dealt with the task, quickly and efficiently. The kitchen was smaller than the one at her and Curtis' apartment, but then it was just for one person so she supposed it didn't need to be very large.It had all the modern conveniences of course and she was surprised to find the refrigerator and cupboards well stocked with food. Real food not just dried cereal and cookies. Of course Newbie worked at a small grocery store, so she supposed he would be stocked up. He brought all the soon to be expired items to her and Curtis.

         "Do you have an coffee or tea?" she called to him, looking for an excuse to search the cupboards further.

         "Over the sink," he called back. "No tea but there's coffee and chocolate."

         "Which would you rather?"

         "Chocolate, please," he requested as he finally got the fire going the way he wanted it and set the gate in front of it. He rose and rubbed his hands together as he approached. "I can do it, you're a guest."

         "Might as well earn my keep," she teased as she found the packets of hot chocolate and put the kettle on to boil.

         "Whatever," he replied, reaching into the fridge and removing the chicken he had taken out earlier. "You hungry?" She nodded. "Cool." He retrieved a saucepan and placed the chicken inside. He reached over her head to pull down a can of cream of chicken soup and quickly prepared the dish for the oven.

         "You can cook?" she observed, impressed.

         "I get by," he shrugged and set the timer for the supper. "It's not gourmet but it will be editable."

         "That's about how I cook too," she smiled and handed him the mug of chocolate she had prepared. "So, what do you do when you aren't working?"

         "Watch TV," he grinned, knowingly and she sighed dramatically. "Hey, I never said I was perfect."

         "You do other things though, right?" she encouraged as they moved to settle on the sofa. He shrugged.

         "Sure, I read, listen to music, sometimes I'll go out and just see what sort of trouble I can get into."

         Hope settled beside him, kicked off her boots and pulled her legs up under her as she sipped her hot chocolate. It was nice to actually sit and have a conversation with someone that talked back in sentences. She did notice that Newbie hadn't put up a tree yet.

         "Maybe later we can go and get a tree?" she suggested, hopefully.

         "If you want," he agreed and she gave him a dazzling smile. "I don't think I have any decorations though."

         "We can buy some at the dollar store," she assured, eagerly. "And we can use popcorn instead of garland.

         "Waste of a good snack!" he exclaimed in horror, then grinned and took a sip of his drink. "But okay. You aren't really gonna stay through Christmas, though are you?" She frowned.

         "I thought you said I could stay as long as I wanted?" she demanded, hurt and Newbie was quick to reassure her.

         "You can, I just figured you would want to be with Squirtis, it being the Holidays and all." His eyes glittered, mischievously. "You know the season for giving. Time of forgiving…that sort of stuff."

         Hope regarded him, suspiciously. She knew what he was trying to say and she didn't care to hear it. He didn't believe she'd left Curtis for good, well she'd show him.

         "Some deeds don’t deserve forgiveness," she stated, firmly. "But if you would prefer I leave then…" She set her cup on the coffee table and started to rise. Newbie grabbed her hand and pulled her back down.

         "Don't have a cow," he replied, mildly. "It was just a suggestion. You know you can stay here as long as you like." Hope nodded and retrieved her cup.
 

         They ate supper and afterwards went in search of a tree. They had a blast trying to get the large spruce in through the apartment door and it fell on Newbie twice. Hope was giddy with laughter and suspected at least part of Newbie's clumsiness was deliberate. He was trying his best to lighten the dark mood he had accidentally caused earlier by mentioning Curtis.

         Finally, the tree was set up in the corner and they started to pull out the bags of decorations they had purchased. Lights were first, of course and again Newbie was fanatic in his attempts to wind them all around the tree. Newbie popped two large bowls of popcorn and they quickly strung it with thread. Soon the Christmas tree was brightly decorated and Newbie plugged in the lights.

         "Oooh, Ahhh," he commented, dryly and Hope swatted at him.

         "It's pretty," she insisted, giggling. He smirked and glanced at his watch. She noticed the gesture and frowned. "What are you waiting for? You've been looking at your watch every few minutes since we left the tree lot."

         "No reason," he assured and started to gather up the empty boxes of decorations. "Eager for Christmas now that I have a tree I guess." Hope shook her head at him as the phone rang. Newbie had already headed toward his bedroom with the boxes. "Could you catch that for me, Hope?"

         "Sure," she agreed and hurried around the sofa to catch the ringing instrument. "Hello?"

         "Hope? What are you doing there?" Curtis asked, softly and Hope's heart flipped over in her chest. When she didn't respond, he continued. "Hope, I'm sorry about the TV. I sent it back and the sofa should be here in a couple of days."

         "So," she retorted, belligerently. She wasn't ready to forgive him just yet.

         "Please come home," he requested. "I know I screwed up again, but I do love you." Silence. "I promise that I'll even eat at the kitchen table for Christmas dinner." Still nothing. "I…I won't watch any TV f…for the r..rest of the week."

         "Oh Curtis," Hope sighed, defeated. She couldn't ask him to do that. "You don't have to do that, I…I just…You really hurt me, Curtis. I feel like we don't communicate at all and that's important to me."

         "I know, I'll do better, I promise," Curtis vowed, contritely. "Please come home, Hope? I miss you." Hope bit her lip.

         "Oh, Curtis. I miss you too," she confessed then glanced toward the bedroom where Newbie had disappeared. "But what about Newbie?"

         "What about him?"

         "I don't want him to be alone for the holidays either, he's been very good to me."

         "Craig can take care of himself," Curtis scoffed. "He doesn't need you, I do."

         "Well, Okay, I'll come home," she agreed, finally. "But we will talk this time, Curtis."

         "Yes, Hope," he confirmed. "I'll see you soon."

         "Okay, see you soon," she replied.

         "Oh, and Hope?"

         "Yes?"

         "Could you pick up some cat food, we're almost out." Hope sighed.

         "Sure," she returned and hung up. "Newbie?" She received no answer and went in search of her friend.

        She found him on the bed, face down, and sound asleep. She smiled, benevolently and pulled the comforter over him. It was late, so she imagined he was tired. She would call him tomorrow to thank him for letting her stay with him.

         "Good night, Newbie," she whispered, bending to kiss the cheek available from the angle of his head on the pillow. "Merry Christmas." She switched off the light and left the room.

         Newbie listened for the sound of his front door opening and closing, before slowly rising from the bed. He didn't bother to turn on the light, since he knew the apartment well enough to get around in the dark. He moved into the living room where the lights of the Christmas tree offered a soft, colorful glow around him.

         He walked up to the tree and stared at it, wistfully. He wondered if Curtis knew just how good a friend Newbie was. When Hope had showed up at the store and announced that she had left her boyfriend again, Newbie had to struggle to hide his delight.

         He was in love with Hope as much as Hope was in love with Curtis. It had probably been a good thing that he hadn't remained their roommate. It would have been that much harder to watch Hope and Curtis together. Newbie could have taken advantaged of the situation and reminded Hope what a moron and reject Curtis was, but he cared too much about her to tell her the truth.

        She was happy with Squirtis, for whatever reason and Newbie had accepted that. Curtis also loved Hope in his own, unique way, even if he didn't deserve her. So, of course, Newbie did the right thing by his friends. He had called Curtis while Hope was arguing with the fellow at the Tree Depot and told him to get on the ball and repair the damage he'd done before he lost Hope forever. He reminded Curtis he would be there to pick up the pieces if his friend didn't do right by Hope.

        Hope had told Newbie what had happened over dinner and he told Curtis, clueless as usual, what was upsetting Hope. He had been waiting for Curtis to call and make up with his girlfriend once they arrived back at the apartment. It had taken all of Newbie's will power not to unplug the phone so he would have more time with Hope. Instead, he took the opportunity to leave the room so she wouldn't know how upset he was that she would be returning to Curtis. Pretending to be asleep was easier than saying goodbye to her.

         Newbie sighed and reached behind the tree to unplug the lights, leaving only the moonlight from outside to illuminate the room. He pulled a couple of pieces of the popcorn off the tree and popped them into his mouth, then settled on the sofa and picked up his TV remote.
 

The end

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