He Took Her To The Lake We Promised To See Together Chapter 02

He Took Her To The Lake We Promised To See Together Chapter 02

The next morning, I headed downstairs to leave for the hospital just as the hotel’s holiday tree-decorating event was getting underway.

The old tree in the courtyard was covered in ribbons, ornaments, and strands of warm white lights.

Couples staying at the hotel could pick up a pair of matching Christmas ornaments, write their names on small brass tags, and hang them together on the tree.

When Ethan and I were eighteen, we’d promised that after graduation, we’d spend Christmas at Moonsea Lake and hang a pair of matching ornaments together.

That was why I’d reserved a spot for us as soon as we checked in.

A staff member confirmed our names and handed us the two ornaments.

Each ornament had half of a brass heart attached to it. Fitted together, the two pieces formed a whole.

Ethan handed one to me.

“You’ve been looking forward to this forever. Let’s hang them before you go to the hospital.”

We had barely reached the tree when Sophie hurried outside.

She was clutching a personalized remembrance ornament, her eyes red-rimmed.

“Ethan, could you help me hang this on the highest branch?”

“My mom used to spend every Christmas with me.”

“She’s gone now, and I just… I want it as close to the star as possible.”

Ethan took the ornament from her immediately.

“I’ll do it.”

I caught his sleeve.

“We haven’t hung ours yet.”

The staff member stepped in with a reminder.

“The matching ornaments have to be hung before nine. Once the ceremony ends, that’s it for this round.”

It was 8:55.

A staff member could have hung Sophie’s ornament for her, but Ethan headed for the ladder anyway.

“It’s just an activity. We can do ours later.”

“We made this promise four years ago.”

He frowned.

“They’re just ornaments. We can hang them anytime.”

Sophie immediately spoke up.

“You should stay with Emma. Mom’s been gone for a long time. She probably wouldn’t care whether I got this up there or not…”

Ethan’s voice softened at once.

“Don’t say that. I told you I’d hang it, so I will.”

Then he turned to me. “Don’t you need to get to the hospital? Go before you’re late for your appointment.”

I didn’t say anything else.

At exactly nine, the courtyard bells chimed.

The staff closed the sign-in list and announced the end of the first ceremony window.

I stood under the tree and watched Ethan climb the ladder to hang Sophie’s remembrance ornament on the highest branch.

Mason raised his phone and called out, “Sophie, lean a little closer to Ethan.”

The camera clicked as ribbons and lights swayed around them.

I looked down at my palm.

The two brass halves that were meant to form a whole heart still lay separate in my palm.

I placed Ethan’s ornament back on the table.

“Could you throw this away for me?”

The staff member asked, “Would you like to leave the other one too?”

I shook my head.

“No.”

If two halves could never make a whole, there was no point keeping one of them.

At the hospital, the doctor frowned when she saw my test results.

“Acute gastritis with bleeding. If you keep pushing yourself like this, you’ll end up admitted.”

While I was getting IV fluids, a nurse handed me a gingerbread cookie and told me to save it until my stomach felt better.

It was the first Christmas cookie I’d received all season.

And it came from a stranger who didn’t even know my name.

My phone lit up.

Sophie had posted on Instagram.

In the photo, Ethan stood on the ladder, hanging her remembrance ornament.

Her caption read:

[It feels so good when someone takes your wishes seriously.]

Mason commented:

[Someone would bring you the North Star if he could.]

I liked the post.

Less than a minute later, it disappeared.

A DM from Sophie came through almost immediately.

Sophie: [Emma, don’t get the wrong idea. Ethan only helped because he knew I was missing my mom.]

I didn’t reply.

When I got back to the hotel after my IV, the front desk clerk suddenly called out to me.

“Ms. Parker, Mr. Cole left something here during his last stay. He never came back for it.”

I stopped.

“His last stay?”

“He and Ms. Bennett stayed for three nights in March. Mr. Reed made the reservation.”

In March, I’d been preparing for my senior thesis presentation.

Ethan had told me his father was in the hospital and that he had to go home to take care of him.

I’d stayed up late revising the studio proposal for him and even sent him part of my living expenses so he could buy his father whatever he needed while he recovered.

So he’d never gone home at all.

He’d come to Boston with Sophie months before bringing me here.

The clerk handed me a paper bag.

Inside were several instant photos and a faded personalized Christmas wish ornament.

In the last photo, Ethan stood behind Sophie with his arms around her as they hung the ornament together on the lakeside Christmas tree.

Written across the ornament were the words:

[By next Christmas, I hope I can stand beside Ethan openly.]

Beside Sophie’s message, Ethan had written:

[You will.]

Before we came to Boston, he’d told me this would be his first time at Moonsea Lake.

The Christmas I’d waited four years for had been nothing more than him going through the motions with me.

That evening, the three of them came back laughing and talking.

I asked calmly, “Is your dad doing better?”

Ethan paused.

“Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”

“Just wondering.”

When he saw how calm I looked, he quickly relaxed.

“He’s fine now.”

I nodded.

“That’s good.”

None of them knew I’d already canceled my return ticket.

This time, I wasn’t going back with them.