Chapter 1613 - Christmas 2020 (3)

Sarah and Aiden got on the stage and took a moment to admire the sight in front of them.

It is not about festive decorations or the massive glittery Christmas tree with presents spilling in all directions under it, but it's about the people. More than a hundred people, dressed up with smiles and cheerful expressions. Everyone is relaxed and having a good time. This is... priceless.

The seats in the event hall were filled and the staff was serving snacks and drinks efficiently.

Only the kids who are performing and the next two acts were not in their seats. And every kid staying at the Cliffside Villa prepared something.

Aiden remembered how lonely his Christmas holidays were before this. He would either spend them with his grandparents on the East Coast or with his parents. In any of those two cases, it was not a festive atmosphere. They would have a Christmas tree and a dinner and... that's it. They didn't have presents or matching pajamas or hot cocoa in the living room. And this morning he experienced all that, with Sarah. And the rest of the day is promising as well. His heart is full at the thought that he gets to spend Christmas with Sarah, finally. The last two years at this time they were a couple, but the first time the mood was off because Sarah had a conflict with her father and Aiden had no idea how to make it better, and the second time he was in a coma, which is worse. But now, it's wonderful. Everything related to Sarah is wonderful, and he feels lucky that an amazing girl like Sarah accepted a fickle guy with a shady past (aka Aiden before he fell for Sarah) in her life.

Sarah remembered that other than her sisters, she didn't have friends. She was excelling in academics and traveling with her mother, but most of the time she was lonely. Since she met Aiden, her life changed. She made friends, and they are closer than most of the families. And the most important thing is that Aiden is part of her life. Sarah knows that she can explore her interests and act recklessly because he is watching her back, and if she slips, he will catch her and help stabilize her. He saved her many times before… when Philip drugged her and Aiden found her unconscious; when she was lost in darkness and his voice helped her find the exit; when she slipped during training with Stella and almost fell on the sharp rocks in the river… more times than she can remember. Aiden is her pillar, a bottomless source of unconditional love and support, an irreplaceable existence.

"Thank you, love…" Sarah said while leaning into Aiden's embrace. "Because of you, all this is possible. Because of you, we have a home filled with people who are a family."

Aiden looked at Sarah with eyes full of love and smiled. "Silly… all this is because of you."

Sarah was lost in his endless dark gaze, and just like many times before, everything disappeared… but she didn't care because her whole universe is in his eyes.

"Oy! I thought there will be a show of talents, and not an R-rated public display of affection!"

JoAnna's loud cheeky comment triggered a storm of laughter.

Sarah laughed and glanced around to confirm that on the stage are only she and Aiden, holding each other. But really… no one other than JoAnna will be bold enough to call it out like that.

Sarah and Aiden took the microphones and thanked everyone for coming and making this day special.

Michael and Oni took over as MCs and started announcing the acts.

There was singing, dancing, music, magic, and even a play.

Daniel and Xiaohui were Hansel and Gretel in the play with the same name, which they adapted to their preferences. No one wanted to be the child-eating witch, so they turned the witch into a fairy which sucks the youth out of little kids in order to strengthen her magic, making the children older in the process. Rosa was the fairy, and Tejan was the hunter who is in love with the fairy, and his love managed to convince her to change her wicked ways. Nico and Merve were supposed to be parents of Hansel and Gretel, but Nico had a last-minute emergency with lights that he needed to fix, so Corey (Charlie's cousin) stepped in.

Corey was nervous, but luckily, he didn't have many lines and Merve was helping him with what he should be doing, so it all ended well.

Charlie and Emma were excited to see that Corey participated and they clapped and whistled when the show was over, and the actors bowed.

"Can we get a video of the performance?" Charlie asked Aiden. "I would like to show it to Corey's mother."

"Of course…" Aiden confirmed.

Charlie told Aiden that Corey's mother was not willing to be away from her son on Christmas, but Charlie explained how it will be a good experience for the boy. As a Christmas present, he and Emma gifted her a fully-paid two weeks long vacation on Hawaii, to make sure that the woman does not change her mind and demand that Corey spends the holidays with her.

Bo, Souta, and Wing came to the stage. They were not confident in their singing or playing any instrument, so they did what they do best: show off their fighting moves.

Their performance of speed and skill got Stella's attention and her gaze moved to their elderly master (aka Hong, aka Master Hollow). During lunchtime, Sarah introduced Stella and Edward to Hong and his three disciples and Stella noticed that the old man is gazing at her curiously, but she didn't think much of it. However, after she saw the moves Hong's disciples showed, Stella can't prevent herself from wondering who the old man is. He is definitely not simple. But then… it seems that none of the people present here are simple.

Ade and Hande came together on the stage. Ade in a sharp black suit, and Hande in a flowy light green gown.

Ade looked at Hande expectantly and she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and nodded to Ade that she is ready.

Ade's hand moved and the gentle melody filled the space like a breeze, making everyone fall into silence and pay attention to the performance. Hande took another deep breath and the sounds from her violin joined in. Everyone held their breaths and watched intently. It was obvious that they practiced a lot, and the result was brilliant. The pace increased. Ade let Hande play at the speed she is comfortable with, and he followed her lead because as long as their play is in sync, no one will care that it's slower than it should be. Ade was surprised when Hande reached the finale at full speed, without slowing down. She never played with such confidence and he was very proud of her.

The music stopped abruptly and after a second of complete silence, everyone stood up and the hall burst into applause.

Hande looked at their audience who clapped enthusiastically and her bright smile lit up the room. She turned to Ade and saw that he is smiling as well, but his smile was directed at her.

Ade nodded in approval. "You did…"

His praise was cut short when Hande crossed that two-step distance between them and wrapped her arms around him.

Ade's arms were in the air awkwardly, and he wanted to hug Hande back, but then he saw Merve's glare and hesitated. However, this is the first time for Hande to hug him, and if he does not reciprocate properly, she might not do it again.

Ade collected his courage and hugged Hande back. He will take the scolding (and possible beating) later.

"You did great..." Ade spoke only for Hande to hear.

She wanted to say how it was only because they did it together, and because he spent countless hours teaching her, and because when she messed up, he didn't scold her but he encouraged her not to give up… and before she could say anything, she heard whistles and teasing sounds from the audience and she became aware that they are hugging. In front of… everyone. Oh, gosh! How embarrassing!

"Let's bow and get out of here…" Ade said softly while releasing Hande from his hold.

Ade bowed and Hande curtsied and Ade grabbed her hand and they dashed off the stage.

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