It was already Christmas eve. The whole valley lit up. Christmas trees lights, stars, stalls, music, skits, people, buzzing streets, food, wines, everything everywhere.
"I have never seen anybody celebrating Christmas like this before," Naila admitted. "I should have put up a tree too," she wished.
"It's never late. Why don't we do it?" Luke encouraged.
"What now?" Naila's eyes gleamed with joy. "Okay," she agreed to it.
They hurried to the market, got a small tree, got all the decoratives and got back home. It was only afternoon.
Luke played songs loudly and the two sat decorating the tree. It was a totally fun atmosphere. Neither of them had done it before and figured it out as they did.
"No, that's not how you tie it," Naila would laugh and teach him how to do everything.
Naila's phone kept ringing at that time. "I'm not going to attend it," she said.
"It's okay, go," he insisted.
Naila then walked to her room and checked the phone. It was from the school. She called back.
"Hi Naila, I need a favour," the coordinator texted her. "We are planning on publishing an article in our local newspaper here. We wanted to know if you can write one before 6 PM today, so that we can give it for printing," Naila knew that it would be another work.
"I'm so sorry. I cannot. I'm not home. And it's holiday. I cannot take it up," Naila said it. "Maybe next time ma'am," she said and hung up.
Luke liked it. He liked how she did not agree to it.
"Good girl," he praised her when she walked back to the study area.
"I cannot. As if she cannot do it herself. I will tell you. Head mistress would have asked her for it, and this lady tried to pass it down to me. So disappointing!"
Around two hours later, the tree was done.
"Okay. That's pretty," Naila enjoyed every bit of it. "Now, here your chance." She told Luke.
"What is it?" Luke got curious.
"Make a wish, and I will realise it for you," she offered.
"Really?" Luke raised his brows and Naila nodded, expecting him to say it.
"Wait, something doable okay. Not like I want the moon and stars and stuff," she warned him.
"Sheyy..." Luke expressed a fake disappointment.
"I was about to ask for stars," he laughed.
Naila playfully hit his arm and waited for him to say his wish.
"Well, I have three, one is not enough from you," he demanded.
"Really..." Naila was surprised. "Well well well Luke. I see you are cunning and a greedy little fox," she teased him.
"Agreed?" He waited for her response.
"Fair enough. You got me three presents and I'm gonna fulfill your three wishes. Agreed," she agreed to his demand. She had no idea what to get him and this felt like a better idea than getting something that he might not like or use. So she did not think twice before she said it out loud.
Luke had a mischievous smile on his face. "What?" She asked him.
"I will use the first wish now. And two later," he said.
"As you wish master," Naila waited.
"I want a proper Christmas meal. A dinner. You and me. Like how family's celebrate it, at home," he said. He looked really serious when he said that.
"Christmas meal," Naila asked again and he nodded. 'Even I have no idea what people do and how everyone celebrate at Christian homes,' she wondered. "No problem, I will look into it," she smiled and got up from the floor, only to collapse on top of Luke. She lost balance and fell right on his lap, hands around his shoulder and head and hitting her forehead on his chin a little.
"What just happened?" Luke was surprised.
"My legs have gone numb," she managed to say. He put his arms around her shoulder and helped her sit up and he ended up accidentally touching her knees. "Ow," she made a painful little noise. Luke got up and lifted Naila suddenly. "Luke," she called him.
"Keep quiet," he told her, sounding concerned.
He settled her on top of the study table and pulled the chair. He sat down, touched her legs, and placed them on his thighs and slowly lifted her pants till her knees.
"Luke, stop," Naila tried to stop him. But he insisted. He looked serious. He knew what it was before he even checked it and wished to confirm it.
Hitting her knees on the bench has left that area bruised. "We should have checked when we got back from school," he told her.
"It's just a bruise," she told him.
"And yet it aches in the slightest touch," Luke replied. He looked into her eyes, holding her leg. Her cheeks looked red. He hid a smile and looked away. He then got up from the chair, walking straight to his room. He grabbed the ice pack from his cup board and walked to kitchen to collect some ice cubes from the freezer.
Luke sat on the chair again, and placed the ice pack on her left knee. When he did that, she sat watching him. Something stirred in her heart. She could not tell what it was. "Let me do it," she said.
"No," he finished in one word. He sounded stuborn. A side of his, Naila was new to. "You should take care of yourself more," he said. He then looked at her face again, lifting his head. Naila was caught off guard.
"Ah," she did not know what else to say and looked away. She felt embarrassed.
Ten minutes later, Luke stopped and helped Naila step down the table. He carried the ice pack back to the kitchen emptying it. He then brought her a mug of warm black tea.
"I..." Naila did not know what to say.
"Don't like it?" He asked her.
"No..no.. give me," she accepted it. "So dinner tomorrow," she reminded him.
"Dinner tomorrow," he smiled as he answered. And that's when the two heard loud noises outside the door. They could hear the gate opening, people chatting, and a loud thud on the front door.
"Who is it?" Naila asked Luke who looked equally baffled.