Love Letters

Winter seasons in Maryland are colder than what one would expect. The level of snowfall tends to get heavy, and the roads can get dangerously icy.

Titus however was not stressing about the ice when driving. His grip on the steering wheel tightened but it was not because he was worried about the tires slipping in the road. Nor was he most worried about the fact they were driving further from the city.

He has been dreading this trip ever since his mother sent that daunting invite in the mail. The invite had a hand written letter all in cursive.

'My son,

It's been so long since I'd seen your face. I know we've had our differences, but won't you come and spend Christmas with your family this year?

We'll be spending the holiday week at the Feremore family winter cabin. I expect you to remember which one.

It's tradition for the entire family to get together for the week before Christmas. I eagerly expect your attendance, along with this new little lover of yours.

Your Mother, 

Penny Feremore'

On the other side of the card was an address to the Feremore holiday lodge.

It was so like her to send physical cards in the mail for every time the family hosted a party. That little tradition used to be fun at first but when Titus found that family invitation in the mail box, the first one he'd seen and held in nearly seven years, it was no longer fun.

A gloved hand reached over and gently laid on his shoulder.

Titus took a quick glance to his right.

Rosary sat in the front passenger seat, also glancing at him. She wore her cute green sweater dress, complimented by her red scarf, and black gloves. Over her entire outfit was a brown winter coat with large buttons.

"Will you really be ok?" She asked softly with concern.

"Yeah. Of course!" He insisted while pretending to smile as he brought his eyes back to the road.

"I mean, why else would I agree to visit them if I wasn't gonna be ok with it?"

"Because the invitation card shows that we're invited, but the wording makes it feel less like a choice and more that your mother expected us to show up." She said as she took the invitation out from her purse which was sat in her lap.

"I don't know much about your family, but the wording is a bit, condescending? And emotionally manipulative in a way?"

Titus sighed.

"Yeah. It's hard not to notice. But it has been a few years since they've seen me."

"Mostly because you were in prison." Rosary worded carefully and slowly.

"You didn't have a choice. And even when you got out, they didn't exactly give any sign or reach out."

Titus bit the inside of his cheek, knowing that he too thought the same but, no matter the feelings he had with his family, he was the one who ultimately decided they should go.

His right hand left the steering wheel, crossing over the console and gently placed over her left thigh.

"I know. And I'm well aware that they're a lot of things. But I think this week will go well. You've been needing a vacation! Add to that, you'll be meeting my family. I can't wait for them to see how great you are."

Rosary tried to suppress a smile. Failed. And patted her hand over his.

"What if they don't like me?"

"They don't like a lot of things so, don't take it personal. I just care about them seeing how great you are."

"Focus on the road honey." She smiled and gently bat his hand away.

The man chuckled as he placed both hands back on the steering wheel.

Rosary looked at the invitation card a final time before placing it back into her purse.

Behind them, there came the breathing sound that got louder until the passenger in the back seat fully woke up. The passenger poked his nose in between the front row seats, peering out the dashboard window. His little round eyes were enamored by all the snow. Rosary looked to her side, gently brushing her fingers through his fur.

"Did you have a good nap, Wolfie?" She asked.

The dog answered with a huff, moving his snout up to lick her hand.

"How's he doing in the back?" Titus asked.

"So far so good. He'd been quiet the entire time and nothing smells bad"

She turned to look at Titus.

"Is it really ok to bring him with us? I don't know how well a rich, posh family, much less your family, will react to us bringing him."

"Trust me I will never let anything happen to our boy. It's better than leaving him with a dog sitter, and I'm not planning for us to bend over backwards, pleasing my 'dear relatives' just because we agreed to visit." He said, using one hand to air quote the word 'dear.

"But he'll also help us score some good points with my younger relatives. Thankfully not all of my family has the personality of Cruella."

"Hmm... Why exactly are you so adamant about us going to see your family anyway? I remember when your mother called you for the first time, you literally went to a different room and talked to her on the phone in a quiet voice."

He shrugged, not able to find the right words at the moment.

"I just, really think you deserve to see something beautiful. Seriously, their- our winter lodge is huge and has so many rooms-"

He took the chance to stay silent when needing to turn on his blinkers as soon as they got to the small town. The place was as he remembered, and as per tradition, was all decorated from top to bottom for the holidays.

He slowly pressed on the gas as they passed through, and let out a whistle at the decorated sights of the town.

"Good to know not much has changed about this place." He commented.

Rosary looked out her passenger window. Her pupils widened at all the lights and decor.

As the car was passing through the edges of town, there were people waving to any visitors, returning relatives, or tourists coming to visit the town.

They had Christmas trees scattered throughout, the front of buildings decorated with fairy lights and Christmas reefs, and jingle bells could be heard all around.

The bustling sounds all around were of people going around finishing their Christmas shopping as they prepared for the week, stores blasting the typical Christmas carols and songs, and children playing in the snow. 

It was like a scenery out of a hallmark movie.

They drove past all of that to get to the richer side of town. The one that had a big and popular hotel where most tourists would stay, where there were vacation homes all rented out, and where the Christmas decorations became less about the holiday spirit but more about competition and appearance.

Titus looked around as he tried to remember which direction the family winter lodge was, but shook his head and opted for the map on the screen on the console. Rosary turned down the volume of the music. 

Nearly all stations were playing the same Christmas songs over and over again anyway.

It wasn't until they spotted the large mansion near the outskirts, clearly built with material similar to a cabin but much larger than any normal cabin or lodge.

The lodge was surrounded by a tall black fence with intricate designs, further marking not only that it was there, but also the amount of land that came with the property. 

Titus drove down the road that he remembered led to the gates, stopping right in front and positioned next to the gate intercom. He was close enough so that his window could roll down and he could simply lean his head out and speak into the big gate intercom set outside the entrance. 

The man took a deep breath as he paused to roll down the window, and then he seemed frozen as he looked at the call button. His hands stayed glued to the steering wheel. 

"Would you like me to speak instead?" Rosary asked, already unbuckling her seat belt. 

Titus shook his head. 

"It's alright." He stammered with mimicked charisma, putting on a fake smile for her. 

"They might recognize my voice. Besides! I know what to say so that we can just be let in without the hassle of questions."

He turned his head back to the intercom, poked his head just enough out the window, and reached to press the call button. 

It buzzed this low, white-noise effect before a clicking sound came along with a voice. 

"Hello! You are at the gates of the Feremore family's property. Could you please give your name and purpose for your visit?" Said a woman's voice that mixed just a bit with radio static. 

"My name is Titus Feremore, we came here because we got an invite from my mother, Penny Feremore, to spend Christmas here. Do you also need the invitation card shown to the camera?"

The woman on the other side stuttered, as evidence by the radio static increasing. She likely bumped her hand into something when listening. 

"M-mr. Titus? I-" She let in a breathy, caught-off-guard laugh. 

"Let me see." The voice said, the sounds of paper moving and pen rolling could be heard through the intercom. 

She cleared her throat. 

"Please show a form of ID to the camera so that I may confirm your identity."

As Titus turned to pull his ID out, Rosary leaned in and whispered to him. 

"Is there really a camera on the little intercom?" 

He moved to the side so she could see the little black dot at the top of the intercom box, where the camera is. 

"My family is, ah, really posh." He whispered to her as he fished his driver's license out. 

He held it up to the camera, and after some typing sounds emitted through the radio static, the gates began to move slowly to the side. 

"How wonderful to see you Mr. Titus Feremore! Your family was hoping you'd arrive! Just drive through the gates and I'm sure you remember where all the relatives park their cars!" The women said, hear smile could be heard through her voice. 

The intercom clicked, turning off right before they could say 'thank you', and Titus turned his head back to the front, seeing the gate slide to the right. 

He stepped carefully on the gas, slowly driving through, letting out a deep exhale. He was becoming more nervous. 

Rosary looked at the land around the property, all the trees that seem to have been place individually, like coordinated decoration, and the little path that likely all cars took when entering the property line. 

It wasn't until they drove to a neater ground where flat stones were tiled into the ground, highlighting the big spot where all the cars were meant to be parked. 

There were multiple vehicles, some parallel parked neatly, others very sloppy. Titus found a neat slot for their car and turned off the engine, getting out and rushing to the other side to open Rosary's door. 

"You didn't have to." She said before laying her eyes upon the large winter lodge in front of them. 

The view from the car window didn't give enough credit. Standing in front of the house was a different story. 

The lodge was more of a mansion made with a cabin or cottage aesthetic, three stories and you could see the guard rails around the entirety of the second floor. There were doors on the second floor leading out onto the balcony behind those very guard rails, showing how they were so carefully decorated and the snow cleaned off. Large wood logs made up the walls, Christmas trees were neatly lined up by the windows at the perfect size. Each one was decorated along with the whole building, from lights lining the edges of the roof, to hanging photographically from the guard rails. 

Even the large circle window, the only indication of the third floor, was decorated all along it's round frame.

"Unless a lot of things changed, this is how most of the women in my family are treated or expected to be treated here, and I want you to feel the same." Titus told her as he opened the door to let Wolfie out. 

He took Wolfie's leash, hung the gift bag in his hand by the straps, offered his arm to Rosary, and as she took it, they headed down the smaller, neatly made path of bricks to the door. 

The front entrance were these double doors, with large, half circle windows on either sides of the porch. The bushes lined at the porch were sheared into perfectly rectangular shapes and upon a closer look, the windows also had garlands, fairy lights, and red bows. 

Rosary noticed some snowmen outside and thought those were created by the kids, but upon a second glance, they were all too photographic to have been made playfully. They were just as staged as all the other decorations. 

As they stepped onto the porch, she looked for where the doorbell was, until Titus pointed to the wall right next to them. There was a gold, metallic button that was closer to the outer edges of the porch wall than it was closer to the doors. 

"I think it was so that whenever they open the door, the person inside can have a full body view of the guest expected to stand next to the doorbell. They measured a lot of things when constructing this place." 

"Your family sure is good at appearances."

He chuckled, agreeing with her as he shook his head. 

Back then, years ago before the incident, Titus thought it was normal, a prestige that they were right to take advantage of they had the money to enjoy such whimsy. Now, it still seems fun but also unnecessary. 

He asked Rosary if she wanted to ring the doorbell anyway, since it was a gold button. She lit up and decided to indulge, reaching over to press it. 

Out came this sound of bells ringing, or more like jingle bells. 

The double doors made of polished mahogany and fine carvings creaked open, revealing two people at the threshold. 

One was a servant of the house, based on her uniform comprised of an all black long sleeve polo shirt tucked into black pants and flat shoes, and an apron around her waist with many pockets. She was the one who opened the door, and stepping to the side, she revealed one of the hosts, Penny Feremore. 

The woman had a regal posture yet an expression you'd see on most women at the country clubs. At least, that seemed to be the expression she was trying to show at the moment. She had the same wavy blonde hair like Titus, only shown by the two strands purposefully let down to frame her face, and her blonde hair tone was more bold, like died hair. Her gloves hands were folded at her waist, pressing on the soft fabric of her winter dress, and a large fur coat was draped over her shoulders.

As soon as Titus fully came into view, her half-lidded eyes lit up and her body moved as if rehearsed. 

"Titus! You finally arrived! I was so worried that you didn't receive my invitation."

She glided past the door and spread her arms out, smiling at him, clearly expecting him to fill the rest of the distance and hug her. 

The man internally cringed, Rosary let go of his arm and motioned for him to try as she took Wolfie's leash. 

He stepped forward, awkwardly, and leaned in, his hands hesitating to wrap around his mother just as easily as she theatrically wrapped her arms around him. The sleeves of her winter dress draping around him, like a snow queen welcoming a child into her home. She patted his back with a cupped hand, gingerly, as if he were a boy. When the woman let go, she then pointed her eyes over to Rosary and Wolfie. 

"Mom," Titus said carefully as he stepped back and put himself next to Rosary again. 

"This is Rosary, my girlfriend. And this is our boy, Wolfie." He said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

Her smile was the same, photographic, and stiff. She took a step back from Titus and folded her hands again, taking careful steps toward the young woman. 

Rosary cautiously held her hand out, offering a hand shake. 

"It's very good to meet you ma'am." 

Penny looked the young woman up and down, taking her time as she stepped toward her. 

"Ah. I was told about you. And, how exactly did you two meet again?" She leaned closer to the young woman's face as she asked, towering over her with a picture-perfect smile.

Rosary awkwardly cleared her throat. 

"We brought a gift." She said, referring to the gift bag hanging on Titus' wrist.

"Oh, how polite of you." 

Her hand lowered in regret and doubt. Titus cleared his throat and stepped forward, wrapping both arms around Rosary. 

"Mother, as I've told you, it's a long story." He said in a firm tone. 

"Yes, you did tell me exactly that on the phone." The older woman said as she stepped back, giving the young woman her space. 

She briskly lifted Rosary's hand back up and shook it in a very dainty grip. The way you'd hold a wine glass. 

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you." She smiled with her pearly whites and swiftly pulled her hand away. 

Her eyes looked down at their Anatolian Shepherd, and this is where her smile nearly faltered. 

"And, you brought your pet?"

Wolfie sat close by Rosary, looking up at the woman silently. He blinked and wagged his tail just a little. The little flurries on his coat was beginning to melt now that they were under the roof of the porch. 

"Yes, just as I said I would."

"It's, still very surprising." She looked up and at him with full eye contact. 

Penny wrung her hands together as she observed him, not noticing any movement but she did notice the dog's coat. 

"Think of him as a guard dog and entertainment for my little cousins, that I was also surprised to recently learn existed." Titus responded, less as a form of biting back, but more to stay on equal footing with her. He still gave his friendliest, customer service worthy smile to his mother.

Penny was silent, and huffed out a precautious laughter, lightening the mood as she agreed and told them that their dog would be allowed inside. She spun around and walked back inside, waving for them to follow. 

As soon as they did follow, the woman looked over her shoulder and frowned, surprising them both. 

Penny turned around confused. 

"Titus, aren't you forgetting something?"

The man frowned in thought and then suddenly realized, hand reaching into his pocket for his car keys as he was muttering about getting their luggage from the car. 

His thought process was interrupted by his mother's laughter. The older woman laughed with a hand over her chest, slightly bewildered. 

"Ah, right. It has been years." She cleared her throat and turned to the servant standing still at the doorway. 

"It seems that my son has forgotten the customs at the family lodge, so just for today, I will help him. Melissa, you and another take the luggage from their car." 

"Yes ma'am."

She turned to her son. 

"Titus, give her your keys. That is what you are supposed to do when you get here." She said before swiftly turning back around and walking inside. 

"Ah, r-right." The man responded as he took out the car keys, giving them to Melissa. 

The two watched as Melissa and another servants went out and unlocked the car, grabbing the luggage from the trunk.

Rosary grinned politely, watching them roll or carry their bags inside. She turned to give Titus a nervous frown. He nodded and hugged her tighter in reassurance, rubbing her shoulders. 

The servants stepped aside as all three of them walked inside, following them. 

Rosary checked to make sure Wolfie was right by her side as she could hear the taps of another servant's shoes moving, and then the click of the double doors closing behind them. 

Inside the house was the polished wood floor, a cabin aesthetic across all walls, warm red carpets, stairs to the second floor that also appeared to be made of polished wood, and even taxidermy on the walls. What took away from the illusion of the winter lodge aesthetic was the chandelier hanging from the ceiling of the entrance area. 

The woman who closed the door silently welcomed them inside, then told the couple to follow the previous servants to their rooms. She pointed behind them to the two who were waiting for the couple to follow.

As her eyes went around the place, looking down the entrance hall to the living room, Rosary noticed how many of the servants did indeed have the same outfit. 

All black long sleeve top and slacks, flat shoes that only make gentle taps, and aprons around their waists, holding items that may be convenient depending on the demand. 

Titus held her close and told Wolfie to stay close to them as they followed the servants who carried their luggage. 

They passed through the living room and over to the stairs at the right side of the room. The stairs also had red carpets with bright yellow stitching designs. As they passed, Titus could hear the murmuring of his relatives and looked over to the living room, just taking a glance. 

The living room was clear from his perspective on the stairs, and he took a pause to overlook everything. Thick, comfortable red carpet that marked exactly how big the living room was, the big round coffee table that was low to the ground was in the same place, except surrounded by furniture. 

Back then when he was still a child, it used to just be surrounded by pillows, used as a place to play board games or build gingerbread houses. Now, there was a decorative flower vase on it and it shined, like nothing was to touch it anymore. 

Along the wall was the grandfather clock, the shelf of books, and the cabinet shelf built into the wall. All of them had been repainted, and the items likely replaced. 

The fireplace he still remembered from his last time here was in the corner, surrounded by it's cozy brick design. His grandmother's rocking chair, along with the old loveseat recliner that used to belong to his grandfather, sat in front of that fireplace like they've always had. Those were the only parts of the room that truly never changed. 

Save for the relatives who now occupied those chairs casually. 

Some looked up, feeling him glancing down at the living room. One woman spoke loudly, pointing up at him as she looked at the man beside her.

"Oh, is that Titus? Your nephew who was in prison?"

Another shushed her, making her look at them confused. 

"Titus." A gentle voice called him out of his trance. 

He looked up the stairs to see Rosary and Wolfie waiting for him. 

He took his eyes away from the room and recontinued climbing up the stairs, muttering an apology as he caught up with Rosary and the servants. 

Up on the second floor, there was this hallway with doors all on one side, and the guard rails on the other, allowing them to look down to the first floor. 

The couple could still hear the muttering, relatives asking about them and such. Titus made sure to step between Rosary and the guard rail, as if to shield her from the eyes of his relatives until they walked out of view.

The rooms were marked by the name plates that hung from nails on each of them, and some were decorated. One that they passed had the name plate 'Paris' on it, another was marked by the name 'Atticus'. A young man who leaned against that door, likely the one named Atticus, looked at Titus and Rosary as they passed. He was giving this peculiar scowl as he leaned against the door with his arms crossed.

They passed him and the servants led them all the way to a door with the name plate labeled, 'Titus'. 

They went inside, and Titus was silent as he looked around at his old room. 

The bed was large as it was last updated from his Christmas before he started college. There was a flat screen TV in front of his bed, and a large window and a door that led out to the balcony that wrapped around the house. 

The servants laid the luggage down at his bed side.

One took the gift bag from his wrist, telling him she will place it beneath the tree with the other gifts. 

The other asked if they will require anything for their dog. 

Titus awkwardly asked if they could get Wolfie a dog bed, but aside from that, they already brought his bowl, chew toys, and other necessities. As much as they loved cuddling Wolfie during the cold seasons, he was a big dog. 

The two servants left soon after, one promising to bring back a dog bed after finding one. 

Rosary quietly exhaled, having felt like she was holding her breath the entire time. She briskly shed her coat off as she looked around the room. 

"Glad to know your bedroom looks the most normal."

Titus lightly chuckled, agreeing as he shed his own coat off and tossed it onto his bed. Rosary did the same, and she was preparing to take her shoes off by the door. She put down the leash so that Wolfie could roam around the room. He went straight for the large desk at the far side of the room, close by the window. 

"Yeah, my stuff was mostly electronics. After I got arrested, those of course got confiscated and well, you know the rest. Could you please close the door?"

He collapsed onto the bed as soon as the door was promptly shut, and Rosary went over and climbed onto the bed with him. 

"You forgot to take your shoes off." She told him, less to scold and more as a comment as she laid down on her stomach beside him.

"I know. But I just, feel so drained already. Just by being here, and then we passed by Atticus with his angry face- and I don't even know why he's angry? He got what he wanted, didn't he?"

"The guy we passed is Atticus?"

"My younger brother, and the middle kid." Titus kicked his shoes off, and shuffled to lay on his side, facing Rosary as he propped his head onto his hand. 

"Have I told you about the others yet?" 

Rosary hummed in thought, looking up before shaking her head. 

"Maybe off to the side, but not in a way that I fully remember. We met your mother, and then passed your brother,,, I recall you telling me your sister is Paris?"

He nodded. 

When laying down didn't help him feel relaxed, he sat up and looked around his room, looking for a memory to get reminded of. Wolfie was sniffing all around the room, his tail wagging slightly. 

Titus stood up to put his shoes next to Rosary's by the door. 

"Last I checked, she was in New York. Not sure if she's already made it to the party, but, everyone else has."

He noticed the shoe shelf on the other side of the door, narrowly missing it. When he went over to move both their shoes to the little shelf, he saw two pairs of slippers. 

The servants likely guessed that Titus' size shoe size hadn't changed, but how they got Rosary's was likely from the photo online that started this whole idea. 

He showed the slippers to Rosary, they slipped them on, and as they let Wolfie continue sniffing around Titus' old bedroom, they went out. 

The guard rails made of polished mahogany had a smooth texture as they rested their hands on it. 

Titus leaned his arms on it as he looked down to the living room below. He could even see the doorway to the kitchen if he took a few steps further left. 

This time, all the guests down below did not notice him, and so they did not pay him or Rosary any mind. 

"As far as I know, all of the relatives that I'm aware I have are all down there."

Rosary looked down at all the guests, counting twelve or more. It was hard to tell when she wasn't sure everyone was in the room as some looked incomplete. 

"That you are aware of?" Rosary repeated back in a questioning tone. 

Titus gestured down to one pair. A very laid back looking man who looked to be in his thirties or forties, but he acted as though he was in his twenties still. Unlike the other men who were dressed in the regular beige slacks, that guy was wearing a full on Christmas themed suit.

Beside him was a woman who laughed loudly and easily, standing very close to him as he saw no issue to her presence. An arm around her waist as two little kids ran circles around them every once in awhile. 

"Uncle Motley, the youngest uncle in the family, on my mother's side, and his latest girlfriend, Whitney. Those two kids who are wearing little Santa hats and running around? My mother told me that they are my little cousins. How long they've been together, I'm honestly not sure. Been literal years since I heard from him."

"He seems nice."

"Naive and falls in love easy is a better description. I knew that even back then." Titus shook his head as he looked down at the older couple.

Not exactly in sync but they did seem like the most liveliest characters at the party. 

"And their kids?"

"Monica and Whitley."

Rosary's eyes tried to follow where his went. She looked down and saw all the servants, the decor of the whole intending to give everything a cozy atmosphere, but really it all felt uptight with how nearly everything was an object that could be shined or polished. 

"And who is that side of the family?" She asked, seeing a more mature couple sitting at the couch by the coffee table.

Next to them was their son who was, from her perspective, trying his hardest to look as though he was pouring all his attention to the textbook in his hand. A notebook laid in his lap with a pencil in his other hand, tapping against the page. He seemed very studious, wearing a sweater vest and grey slacks, almost matching his father.

"Uncle Edgar, named after Edgar Allan Poe. Or at least I think that's what my grandma told me once." Titus answered as his eyes followed where she was looking. 

"The woman in the white blouse, big long pencil skirt, and the pearl necklace is Aunt Josephine. That boy you see sitting distantly from them on the couch is their son Edward."

"And the baby in Josephine's hands?"

"Baby George. My newest cousin. I really, did not recall having this many cousins before spending time in jail." 

"Well, your family does seem pretty difficult to keep up with, even if you had been there." She rubbed his arm and he nodded, still looking down at the crowd.

"You've met my mother, but my dad is over there by the fire place, trying to look studious and stern, reading a newspaper."

Rosary frowned as she looked over to the fireplace corner. 

The man appeared to be sitting int he loveseat recliner, so she couldn't get a good view of him. 

"Does he like newspapers." 

Titus huffed with laughter. 

"Doubt it, but it makes him look serious, and it works. Nobody wants to bother him."

Rosary hummed, still frowning as she looked over to the rocking chair that now also had a person sitting in it. 

"Is that...?"

"My grandmother. Caroline, or, grandma Carols, as I remember the locals of the town calling her once." 

As soon as Titus noticed his grandmother, his entire body became less tense. He watched his grandmother casually sitting happily in his rocking chair, and were it not for the daunting possibility of bumping into and being pulled into conversation by the other relatives, he'd have gone down there to hug her.

"She and my grandpa retired to this town, and that's why the house was built here. You could say this house is actually meant to be hers and grandpa's." He said, finally smiling when mentioning something about his family. 

Rosary was happy to see that smile on his face at last. He had been tense and only giving polite ones ever since they got here, and she scooted closer. Titus wrapped an arm around her as soon as he felt her come closer. 

The doorbell rang again, emitting that jingle bells sound. A servant went to open the door, and the person who came through was a young woman who wore sunglasses as she came inside. Her coat had a fur lining and she carried an expensive hand bag as some servants who went out came back in, bringing in lots of luggage. 

"Mooom! Daaad! I'm back!" She said cheerfully, gaining the attention of everyone.

Penny went over and swiftly hugged her, giving a kiss on both sides of the cheek as a greeting. 

Even the father sat up in his chair and acknowledged the young women. 

"Paris! Welcome back! We were all so worried you wouldn't make it for Christmas!" The mother said in that tone that was heavy with that maternal-ness.

The young woman took off her sunglasses and shook her head.

"And miss time with my family?" She asked in a shocked tone, as if she had heard something scandalous.

"Never!"

Rosary hummed at the sight happening on the first floor. 

"Funny, she's kinda like a friendly version of Regina George."

Titus shrugged, not knowing what to think. 

He was about to pull her over back to his room so they could unpack, but then Paris looked up and noticed him, even from the back. She shouted and waved for him. 

"Oh my god, Titus? Is that really you?" 

The young couple froze, and looked back. 

Paris was running up the stairs, not minding the murmurs and words from the other relatives as she hardly tried to greet anyone else. She ran all the way up to the second floor, all the way to Titus and Rosary, and greeted them with a smile. 

"Oh my god- I thought you would've come out of prison with a beard or stubble, not like this!" She looked him up and down.

Titus rubbed the back of his neck, awkwardly giving a small wave back to his sister.

"Well, it has been almost a year since I've been out..."

Paris soon turned he attention over to Rosary and looked at her, really looked at her. Less in a scrutinizing way, but more in a gawking way. Whether that was better or worse, she could not tell at the moment. 

"So like, are you the reason he's all put together now?" She asked, pointing to her brother.

"Oh, sorry- we haven't met- Hi! I'm Paris, I'm his younger sister. And, who are you? The person who helped make my this guy look more put together?"

"Umm, well, I wouldn't say I fixed him, more like helped him rejoin society?"

The young man pulled her close and smiled.

"This is Rosary. The love of my life, and the girl who gave me a chance when my sentence ended, and has helped me improve in practically everything! Were it not for her, I'd be still lost!" He said with utmost confidence.

Rosary lightly bat him on the chest as she looked up at him with a frown.

Paris only smiled and let out a loud chuckle.

"Wow! I gotta hear this story later! Well, Rosary- pretty name- it's nice to meet you. Thanks a bunch for fixing my brother!" 

Rosary hesitantly shook her hand, sort of happy that at least someone accepted a friendly handshake. 

"Well- I didn't really fix him, he-"

"And Titus! It's been how long? Six, almost seven years?" Paris unconsciously cut her off, moving her attention back to her older brother.

"Welcome back! We finally get to have you back for Christmas! This will be just like old times!" Paris cheered and smiled.

Titus and Rosary nervously looked to each other, already feeling the gazes of his relatives. The attention of the relatives now brought back to them because of Paris, and neither of them needed to look in order to guess how much of them were staring. 

Titus and Rosary both gave her a nervous grin. 

"Y-yeah... It'll be great..."