A Helping Hand

The tears now gone but with her golden eyes still damp, Amber smiled up at him and shook her head. "No, without you I would have given up. Thank you." Then she pulled him closer and placed a kiss on his lips before pulling back and again repeating, "Thank you."

They spent the day relaxing, watching a couple of movies, listening to music and talking. Late in the afternoon they fixed the steaks and again had dinner with candle light and wine. When at last they were ready to head upstairs Amber said, "Thank you, Chris. You made what I was afraid would be an awfully lonely day into something wonderful." Then she gave him another quick kiss.

Chris answered her. "You did the same for me. This is the best Christmas I've had in several years." He pulled her close and for several seconds held her, quite unresisting, in a tight hug. Then they parted for their own bedrooms.

Christmas hadbeen on a Sunday. At dinner on Wednesday Amber suddenly said, "I've thought."

Chris looked surprised. "You have? Was it a difficult process?" he teased.

Amber laughed. They were comfortable enough with each other that such teasing didn't bother either of them. Then she turned a little more serious. "Probably more than you would imagine. What I've thought about, Chris, is what you suggested. If you are still serious I'll give the school notice about the dorm and plan on staying here. But you have to let me help pay for things. I'll tell the scholarship people about renting here. We'll probably need to draw up some kind of rental agreement for them."

He broke into a wide smile. "Wonderful! We can do that easily enough." Then after a second he said, "What about your job? Are you ready to give the coffee shop notice also?"

"Do you really want me to? I would be able to pay more towards the food if I continued to work there."

He shook his head. "Yes, I want you to quit. The money isn't really a problem. I have enough from the insurance to take care of things for another couple of years and it will let you concentrate on your studies a little more." Then in a teasing voice he added, "Besides if you kept working while I didn't I might begin to feel like a kept man. We wouldn't want that, now would we?"

Smiling, Amber shook her head back and forth, but thought to herself that if she were "keeping" a man, it would definitely be Chris.

The nextSaturday was New Year's Eve. Neither were party types. Not to mention that Amber had had no time to meet any men since she had arrived on campus. Chris had surprised her by not seeming to have a social life either. Once or twice she had casually brought up the topic and he just said that he hadn't met anyone that really interested him. Upon a little deeper conversation she had discovered that this state of affairs had not always been the case. In high school he had dated quite a bit, but after the death of his parents things had seemed to change. Not that he was really traumatized or anything. No, it was rather that he had just buried himself in his studies at first and later most of the women he saw on campus seemed either rather immature to him or just not his type.

Anyway, neither had any plans. Amber actually was the one to suggest they have their own New Years Eve party. Just the two of them. "We can pick up some more deli stuff, watch some movies until midnight." Then she hesitantly added, "Maybe we could get some more champagne?"

Chris laughed. "You've discovered you like that stuff, huh?" She turned a little red and gave a slight nod. "Don't worry, I've found I do too. I'll get another bottle. Maybe even two. I think I could like that kind of party."

About six on Saturday they brought out the meats and cheeses and other snacks. They placed a bottle of the champagne in a bowl of ice. Chris had gotten THREE bottles of the dry wine even though they had no intention of drinking all of them that night. Neither was interested in getting drunk and both knew that heavy drinking and a field like engineering did not go together. They both needed all the brain cells they could keep.

With the food spread out on the coffee table in the living room they placed a DVD in the player and sat back on the couch to watch and nibble and sip the wine. Two movies later it was nearing ten O'clock. They selected another DVD to take them up to almost midnight and placed it in the player. But before they started playing it, Amber said, "Chris, thanks for this. I was dreading New Years this year. I mean so much happened during the last year. And I came so close to blowing all my hopes for the future. I was just afraid to look forward to anything. I guess I was afraid something else would spoil things. Now not only have you helped me salvage next semester but you've made the future seem possible. Every time I look up at that plaque you gave me I feel that, yes, the future is possible again. Thank you."

Chris looked at her for several seconds. "Amber, you have done as much for me. No, before you try to deny it again, just listen. I was just getting along. Sure I was managing OK. I was able to handle the loss of my family and I was doing all right in my school work. But life had lost its sparkle, for want of a better word. Giving you a hand was giving myself one also. The last three New Years have been just like you were saying you were afraid this one would be. But now I don't think it will be either. I've said you've done as much for me as I have for you and I meant it. Let's just say we've given each other a helping hand."

She just looked at him for several seconds and then, without a word, just smiled and raised her glass in a silent toast. He answered by raising his own glass and they sipped, both understanding what had not been said.

The movie ended at about ten minutes before twelve. Chris rose and ejected the disc, returning it to its case. Then he shut off the player and TV. They had earlier opened the second bottle of wine and now he poured two more glasses and handed one to Amber. She stood and moved beside him over to the window where they looked out at the snow covered town. Then they turned towards each other and Chris raised his glass and said, "To the future."

Amber smiled and raised her own glass. "To the future. A bright one."

They took a sip and then looking at each other raised the glasses again and downed the remainder. As they lowered them Chris said, "Too bad we don't have a fireplace in which to throw them."

Amber laughed and added, "Then we'd just have to buy more as well as clean up the mess. Why don't we set them on the coffee table instead?" She reached for his glass and placed both on the low table.

Just then they heard the sounds of horns and probably firecrackers from outside just as the clock on the wall began to chime.

"Midnight," Chris said unnecessarily.

"Yes, midnight," Amber repeated. "A new year."

They turned towards each other and suddenly they were clinging tightly, their lips pressed firmly together. It went on a little longer than just a New Years kiss. When they pulled slightly back, Amber said, "When I first came here you promised not to make a pass at me and you have kept your word. Completely."

Chris smiled at her. "I won't say it has been easy, but I did promise."

She smiled back. "Remember what else you said? I asked what would happen if I made a pass at you and you said you would do your best to accommodate me."

Chris gave a little laugh. "I guess I did, didn't I?"

More seriously Amber said, "Chris. I'm making a pass at you now."

He froze, just looking at her. After a few more seconds, which seemed like hours, he finally asked, "Are you sure?"

"Very definitely. As I've said, I've thought."

"If you really mean that I can think of nothing better."

"I've agreed to rent that room from you but..." She cleared her throat. "I'll rent the room but I want to sleep in yours."

Chris didn't reply out loud but his eyes said everything for him as Amber's did for her. They reached out and took each others' hand and with their hands helping each other began to climb the stairs to their future.