A Special Delivery Read online

  A NineStar Press Publication

  Published by NineStar Press

  P.O. Box 91792,

  Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87199 USA.

  www.ninestarpress.com

  A Special Delivery

  Copyright © 2017 by Laura Bailo

  Cover Art by Natasha Snow Copyright © 2017

  Edited by: Jason Bradley

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact NineStar Press at the physical or web addresses above or at [email protected]

  ISBN: 978-1-947904-33-0

  Printed in the USA

  First Edition

  November, 2017

  A Special Delivery

  Laura Bailo

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  A Special Delivery

  About the Author

  To everyone that has ever felt alone on Christmas. This story is for you.

  Acknowledgements

  I want to thank NineStar Press for giving this story a chance. I’m sure I’ve probably made my editors tear their hair out, and for that I’m sorry. But I’m looking forward to working with you again in the future. And hopefully Jason won’t need to answer so many questions when I do.

  Finally, a story without readers is just words on a page. So thank you for picking up this little piece of my soul, I hope you enjoy it.

  THE SNOW HAD finally given us a break despite the weather warning for a blizzard, and I was getting ready to take Anubis for his walk when I fell down, face-first, on my own porch. Nothing was harmed, except for my pride—although thankfully there was no one around to see it. I searched for whatever it was that had made me trip, and discovered a box sitting on my doorstep. That was weird; I couldn’t remember ordering anything, and Mom and Dad would have told me if they’d sent something.

  Upon inspecting the box, I found it was certainly not for me, since the name on the front was James Atwell, and that was in no way close to my own, which was Colin Owens. When I saw the address, I understood what had happened. I lived in a townhouse on Mounty Road and apparently, James lived at the same number as me, but on Mount Road. With those names, it was a surprise this hadn’t happened before. That road was about a thirty minutes’ walk from my home, so I picked up the box and started in that direction—box under one arm, Anubis’s leash on my opposite hand.

  I was halfway there when it started snowing again. I could turn back, but I’d already come all of this way, and I didn’t want to spoil Anubis’s fun. He was running as far as the leash would let him and trying to catch the snowflakes with his mouth.

  Of course, as soon as I decided to just keep going, the wind picked up and the snow started falling in earnest. By then, the way back to my house would be longer than the way I still had left to walk, so I kept walking. There were no cars on the street, and it seemed as if I was the only one that had disregarded the warning for a blizzard. Intelligent people had stayed in their houses where it was warm and they didn’t have to worry about their fingers freezing off. I hurried, Anubis trotting at my side, but even then, what I’d estimated to be a thirty-minute walk took us almost an hour.

  The storm had turned into a blizzard by the time I finally got to the address written on the box. I stepped on the porch, sighing in relief when the snow and wind couldn’t hit my face. I stood there staring at the door, the snow on my clothes melting and soaking through. I was shivering, and my fingers where so cold it took me two tries to ring the doorbell. Then it dawned on me that I was standing on a stranger’s porch with a box that belonged to him and I’d walked through a blizzard to get there. What was I supposed to do? Give him the box and walk back home? I was not looking forward to that.

  The house was similar to mine, and I studied it after ringing the doorbell. Mine was probably a bit newer, but this was well-kept, the paint on the door recent and the light on the porch quite bright. There weren’t any decorations up, even though it was almost Christmas. When there was no answer to the doorbell, I tried ringing again, and then I heard steps approaching the door quickly.

  “Whatever it is you’re selling, I don’t—” He stopped short when the door was wide open and he finally saw us. He looked at me, then at the dog sitting at my feet, and I could read the confusion in his face. I hoped he was confused enough not to notice me staring, because he was handsome, with dark brown skin and a mouth that curved upward as if hinting at a hidden smile. He was wearing loose sweats and a big T-shirt, but I still could see the outline of his shoulders, and I had no problem imagining his powerful frame without those clothes covering it. I’d gotten so lost in my own imagination that I startled when he finally spoke.

  “Sorry, I thought you were someone else.”

  I smiled wryly. “Yeah, I gathered that.” He seemed sheepish, and I wondered how he had gone from the confident guy that had opened the door to the one I was seeing now. I held up the package. “I think this is for you. I live on Mounty Street and it was left there by mistake.”

  “And you came all this way with this storm?”

  “To be fair, it wasn’t snowing when I got out, and I had to walk Anubis.” I petted the dog’s ears. “I couldn’t imagine we would be caught in this.” The snow on my head and shoulders was melting and water was starting to run along my back, making me shiver.

  James opened the door wider for us. “I’m so sorry! Let me take that.” He took the package from my hands. “And please, come in. I’ll get you some towels.”

  I cleaned my feet in the doormat and hesitated for a second. “Umm… Do you mind if Anubis comes in, too? It’s getting cold out there and I don’t like leaving him of his own.”

  “Of course he can come in!” He made a gesture towards a door on the left. “If you would please go to the living room, the fireplace is lit.” He disappeared up a staircase on the right.

  I stepped into the room and gaped. It looked like something out of one of those British period dramas, all wood and warm colors; there wasn’t even a TV I could see. However, everywhere I looked there were books—the room was covered in shelves. New, old, hardbacks, paperbacks; I’d never imagine a single person could own so many books. Then again, I had no idea if James lived alone or if there was someone else in the house. Thinking about it, I wasn’t even sure the person that had opened the door was James. I had just assumed he was. Well, it’d be weird to ask that once I was already in the man’s house, wouldn’t it? I had no clue about what was appropriate in this situation.

  I’d been there for three minutes when the man came back, still holding onto the box and carrying two big towels on top of it. He left the box on the table and handed me one of the towels. I was still holding tight onto Anubis’s leash, since I wasn’t sure about the policies on letting your dog run free while in a stranger’s home.

  He looked at the dog, then at me. “Do you think he’ll let me dry him?”

  The question surprised me. Anubis was a Doberman, and even though I’d refused to have his ears and tail cut to fit the breed’s standard, people were usually afraid of him. But I trusted my dog not to harm anyone unless someone was hurting me or him, so I handed him the leash. “Go ahead. Just don’t rub too strongly—he doesn’t like feeling trapped.”

  He crouched in front of him and started running the towel from hi
s head to his tail while Anubis’s tongue lolled out of his mouth. And then, on one of the passes, he just put his front paws on the man’s knees and licked his face. I dropped my towel and went to grab the dog’s collar. By then, the man—I really should think of a way to ask him his name—was on his ass on the floor and…laughing? Yes, definitely laughing. He was rubbing the tears from his eyes by the time he could talk.

  “I’ve never been so enthusiastically licked. Nor kissed, for that matter.” And that set him off again.

  I left him to his madness and finished drying myself as well as I could without taking my clothes off. My jacket and T-shirt were soaked through and I was still freezing, so I got closer to the fireplace, Anubis at my feet once more. Then a hand touched my shoulder and I jumped.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. And I just realized I never thanked you for bringing the package over or introduced myself.” He thrust his hand in my direction. “I’m James. Thank you for coming over.”

  “Colin,” I said, smiling. “And it was no trouble. The storm just got me by surprise.” We shook hands and stood there for a full minute, saying nothing. “I should probably go and change out of these wet clothes. Thank you for the towels, and the fire.”

  He waved his hand. “Don’t worry. They were already here.” Then he walked to the window and opened the curtain to look outside. “But I don’t think you’re going anywhere tonight, mate.”

  I went to stand beside him to see for myself. The snow was falling so fiercely all I could see was a white curtain. I agreed it probably wouldn’t be wise to go out and walk alone in that weather.

  James looked at me. “I can loan you some clothes, and even if electricity stops working, the fire will keep us warm.”

  I hated having to accept any favors, but I had no other option this time. Not unless I wanted to go out, and I didn’t fancy turning into an ice cube. I shivered.

  “I’ll take you up on that offer of clothes—thank you so much.”

  He disappeared again and came back quickly, this time holding some clothes. He showed them to me: sweatpants and a sweatshirt, which looked great. Although at this point even a penguin onesie would have looked heavenly to me.

  He put them in my hands. “I think we’re roughly the same size, so this should fit you. If you go to the hallway, the first door on the right is the bathroom. You can change there.”

  I nodded and left the room, holding his clothes as far away as I could from my wet ones.

  The bathroom had the same feeling as the living room: everything was in its place, but it still looked homey and lived in. I changed quickly, finished drying myself off with a towel, and put on the clothes James had loaned me. I felt oddly at home in a stranger’s house, wearing his clothes and trapped during a storm with no way out. I didn’t want to analyze that feeling closely, so I put my still-wet clothes over the shower rail and exited the bathroom. It was only then that I noticed Anubis hadn’t followed me there.

  When I made it back to the living room, James had opened the package and was wrestling with my dog, who kept trying to put his head inside the box. I yelled for Anubis to stop and hurried to help, catching on his collar and keeping him away from it.

  I shrugged apologetically. “Sorry.”

  “I should be the one apologizing. I thought he’d gone with you. Anyway, I should have known better than to open this with a dog around.” He was blushing, the skin on his cheeks getting darker, and he wasn’t looking anywhere near me.

  I was too curious for my own good, or so my mom kept saying when I was young and always getting stuck in small places I’d wanted to explore. I had to ask. “What’s in there?”

  “You can come and look. I don’t think I can tell you.”

  I approached the box, keeping my dog as far from it as I could, glanced in, and started laughing. James was still staring at the floor as if it was the most interesting thing he’d ever seen. “I don’t think I’ve ever delivered dick-shaped cookies to anyone before. I may have to rethink my career path.” I said that with my biggest smile, making James laugh with me.

  “I wish I could say I had never gotten dick-shaped cookies before, but I get a box like this every year.” He looked at Anubis, who was still observing the box closely. “Can I give one to him? They’re completely safe, and for some reason, dogs have always loved them.”

  I nodded. “Go ahead. He’ll be ecstatic.” I groaned. I’d just basically said my dog would be happy munching on a cock, and that’s not something someone wants to think about, really.

  James picked up a cookie and smirked—actually smirked!—at me. “I can break it in pieces first, if that’d make you feel better?”

  I sat down on the sofa behind me, defeated. “Just do whatever you want.”

  He laughed and showed the treat to Anubis, who, instead of jumping for it, remained seated. I’d trained my dog well. He wouldn’t go for the food someone was offering when he could see it, but expected the food to come to him. He was also just a big puppy sometimes, which explained why he’d been so curious about the box before. James fed the cookie to him in small bites, smiling every time Anubis took one carefully from his fingers. After demolishing the cookie, he showed his empty hands to Anubis, who understood there was no more and lay down on the floor. James then took two new cookies, gave one to me, and came to sit on the sofa.

  “You’ve had dogs before.” There was no doubt he knew how to deal with them, and while he’d been smiling when playing with Anubis, there was a tinge of sadness to it, too.

  He sighed. “Yeah, we had two dogs when I was a kid. I hated leaving them behind when I left for college, but they were always so happy anytime I came back for a visit. There’s nothing better than the love an animal can show you.”

  I glanced down at my own companion and nodded. “Why don’t you have a dog now, then? It’s obvious you love them.”

  “I do love them, and I miss mine every day. But I wouldn’t subject a dog to my schedule. It wouldn’t be fair to any animal.”

  “You could always adopt a cat.”

  “If I wanted someone to look at me as if they are better than me, I would bring my boss home.”

  I had to laugh at that. “No cats for you, got it.” I don’t know what got over me then, but I found myself inviting him over to my house. “Well, if you ever want to play with Anubis, you can come over. I don’t know where he gets the energy, but he’s always bouncing off the walls.”

  He smiled down at my dog. “Thank you, but I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

  “Believe me, I wouldn’t have made the offer if I’d thought you’d be intruding. It’s just him and me anyway, so a bit of company would do us good.”

  “I might take you up on that if we don’t kill each other tonight. Thank you.”

  The lights flickered, the storm getting worse. I felt safe inside with James. It was as if we inhabited our own small bubble while the world outside was torn to pieces. It was the kind of atmosphere that called for deep and meaningful conversations and midnight confessions.

  I sat down facing James and reached for the box of cookies. “I’m sure there’s a story behind this box and I expect to hear it. Don’t they say the best thing to do during a storm is tell stories by the firelight?” I pointed to the fireplace. “Start.”

  He sighed, but began talking, gaze upon the fire. “It’s not that long of a story, really. For as long as I can remember, my sister was the one making cookies for Christmas. She always loved baking, but there was something special in a ritual of cookie-making that soothed her, and she would never let any of us help her. And then there was the year I came out as gay to my parents.”

  He looked at me as if daring me to say something about it. I just smiled and offered a bit of myself in return. “Mine found out about me the first time I brought a boyfriend for dinner. I’d only told them I was bringing a date. And then the next thing I know my mother’s taking out my baby albums. Trust me, that’s not something anyone needs to see—espe
cially not at seventeen.”

  That got the result I was hoping for, and James relaxed a bit. He looked to me while he continued talking. “Mine didn’t do anything embarrassing. Just told me they loved me no matter what—none of that ‘we already knew’ you see on TV shows either. This was a few weeks before Christmas, and that year, my sister wouldn’t let us even come into the kitchen while baking. Needless to say, we were all a bit shocked when the cookies made it to the dinner table. Thankfully, we always had dinner on our own, and after the initial shock had passed, we just laughed hysterically and started searching for differences between the shapes. That was a really fun night and one of my best Christmas memories.”

  “Your family sounds amazing.”

  He smiled. “Yeah, we’re all weird, but we truly love each other. My sister has made me these cookies every Christmas since that year; she didn’t even stop when I moved to a different state. She just mailed them. My brother-in-law usually sneaks in a bottle of whiskey, but he left me a note saying he’d been caught red-handed this time. More’s the pity, since it’s a really good brand.” He rested his head on the back of the sofa. “I’m talking too much. What about your family? Your mother sounds like someone to be reckoned with, too.”

  I also relaxed against the sofa’s backrest. “Oh, you have no idea. I love my parents, even if they do make me lose my head on a regular basis. They’ve been living in Italy for a few years now, and I can’t afford to go to them for Christmas. But we talk almost every week, and they make their way here sometime during autumn. That’s when we exchange gifts, instead of mailing them during December. It’s become our own little tradition.”

  “That’s really sweet.” We were looking at each other, with nothing left to say for the moment, when I heard the windowpane rattle behind me and the lights went off. The wind was howling outside, and we both made our way to the window. The snow was still falling, and what had before been a patio was now a white ocean. The only things still visible were the trees, and with the wind howling and shaking them like that, they looked similar to those malevolent spirits legends talk about. While we’d been talking, I’d forgotten everything about the storm going on outside, but now it was as if it had snapped at me, and those trees’ silhouettes were burned in the back of my eyelids.