The Broken Holiday

"It's been sold out for weeks."

"I know someone at the radio station. They still have a few for promos," he replied truthfully.

Although she didn't say anything, he could hear the turmoil of Noel's thoughts as she vacillated between resisting and caving in.

"So," he finally continued, "Will Miss Hannigan let you out tomorrow?"

"I don't know. Normally she chains us in the dungeon after our dinner of gruel and crust of bread."

"Ha-ha."

She gurgled in frustration. "You swear you can get tickets?"

"Yes."

"Okay. I'll go."

"Pick you up at seven?"

"I'll be here."

* * * * * * *

And she was. He drove up and his headlights found her standing on the steps of the reception office, wearing her signature black sweater and no coat, but at least with a hat, gloves and scarf, all black as well.

After she got into his truck and he drove away from St. Isidore's, he realized that she probably had to be back by a particular time.

"How long do you have?"

"Teachers have a midnight curfew."

"We should have plenty of time, then," he smiled. "So, do you own a coat?"

"Yes, I own a coat," she rolled her eyes. "It's not cold out."

"It's twenty degrees."

Noel shrugged. "We're not going to be outside much, are we?"

"Guess not."

"God, I can't believe I'm really going to see Linkin Park," she squealed. "Thank you so much!"

"You might not want to thank me just yet. Our seats are up front in the pit, and after everyone gets to thrashing, you might get crushed. They get kind of crazy, so watch out, and stay close to me."

"Don't worry so much. I can fend for myself."

* * * * * * *

"Ow, ow, ow, ow. Careful!"

Noel, seated on the tailgate of Kyle's Chevy, hissed as he applied rubbing alcohol to crisscross scrapes on her arm. He'd already tended to her bruised knee.

His own arm bore scratch marks where a girl with long fingernails had grabbed it in a last ditch effort to keep from going down to the floor, and his blond hair clung to his forehead in wet strands.

The arena parking lot was a throng of energy. Pumped-up groups of Linkin Park fans streamed through rows of vehicles. Headlights flashed, horns honked, cell phones rang, and shouts reverberated through the crisp air. Two youths with matching shock-blond, spiky hair, shirtless and still damp with sweat, noticed Noel and Kyle as they walked by.

"Yeah-yeah-yeah, baby!" One of them shouted along the way, pointing at her. "You got fuckin'rocked! Nowthat was a good fuckin' concert!" With a high five to his buddy, they walked on their adrenaline-pumped way.

"Yeah, thanks! Thanks a lot," she called out with not a little sarcasm, and then lowered her voice. "Assholes. I think those were the guys that kept slamming into me."

Kyle smirked, patting a gauze pad onto her arm and grabbing some medical tape.

"Oh, it was probably just their demented way of flirting with you."

"If that's the case, then I feel sorry for their girlfriends. Deeply."

"They probably don't have any," he chuckled. "I'm sorry I lost track of you."

"Ah, don't worry about it. It hurts now, but I had fun."

"I have to admit, you gave them a run for their money," he smiled at her in admiration, recalling how well she'd held her ground, dancing, refusing to be pushed or shoved, before finally being swallowed by a jumping throng. The next time he saw her, she was a little torn up, but alive with energy; eyes wild with excitement. "You really had a good time?"

She smiled almost dreamily, rolling her sleeve down now that he was finished. However scratched her arm was, the sweater was unscathed.

"It was awesome. Thank you."

Snapping a first aid kit closed, Kyle just smiled at her. Noel hopped down so he could shut the tailgate, and then he turned to her.

"I told my parents that we met," he said. "And that we were going out tonight. They were wondering if you'd like to come have Christmas with us; spend the night on Christmas Eve. They'd love to meet you, especially my Mom."

Just as he'd thought, she went rigid, struggling to find a polite way to say, "no." He'd already devised a little persuasive trickery should it be needed, and it was time to bring it into play.

"Of course," he shrugged. "I told them you wouldn't be interested in meeting them."

"Kyle!" she said, horrified. "Why did you tell them that?"

"The other day-"

"I can't believe you said that! Of course I'll meet them. It's just…"

"What? Do you have plans?"

"Well, there's the gift openings and dinner at Saint Isidore's, but that's mostly for the kids," she said. "And then there's Mass, but I don't think they'd mind if I missed it just once…"

"Then what's stopping you?"

"Nothing, I guess," Noel looked down, plucking at a sweater cuff.

"Then come on over," he reached out and took her hand, pulling her close.

She smiled but didn't look up as he tugged, and he lifted her chin with his finger.

"Will you?"

"Yes," she sighed in exasperation.

Before she could lean away, Kyle slid his arm around her waist and kissed her. At the first touch of his lips, Noel flinched, blinking. But he didn't move away, his cold nose nudging her cheek. He left his mouth near hers, waiting with warm, beckoning breath.

Closing her eyes, Noel lifted her face the slight inch needed to brush her lips against his. There, she lingered moving her lips only when he did. After a minute of damp caresses, he opened up and let his tongue graze against her mouth.

Without any conscious decision, Noel did the same, falling deeper into euphoria. Nothing seemed to exist beyond what she was feeling with Kyle, and she held on tight.

He couldn't help but notice what was becoming a familiar embrace- so tenacious, ferocious, and yet not clingy. It was as if, when holding someone, Noel was straining to give something that could only be given if she got her heart right up against the heart of the person she was holding.

She followed Kyle's lead when it came to the kiss, however, and he could tell it was new to her. So he taught by example, patient, teasing, lips pressing with gentle insistence and tongue dipping softly. Noel responded, seeking fulfillment of an unfamiliar need that only grew with each passing moment, with each new sensation that his lips brought. And though that elusive satisfaction slipped further away, the singular, emotional chord of perfection that they'd felt the other day upon meeting only clarified.

They fell into a trance, thrumming with sensual energy, hands caressing, lost in the simple act discovering each other through a kiss that turned into another kiss, and then another after that.

When they finally broke apart, hearts pounding in their ears, eyes glazed, they stared at each other for a long moment before realizing that Kyle's pick-up was one of the few vehicles left in the lot.

On the drive back to St. Isidore's, neither spoke until he pulled up in front of the reception office.

Noel reached over and squeezed his gloved hand in one of hers. She stared at the knot.

"I'm not sure what's happening here," she said softly.

The motor of his truck ran in a soft hum, heater pushing warm air through the cabin. It was the only noise, and comforting somehow. Kyle looked at the wintry landscape of the St. Isidore campus, vaguely wishing that they both could just stay in the truck forever, and never have to move away from this moment.

"Me either," he said, eyebrows furrowing. "But when I introduce you to my parents on Christmas Eve, it won't be as the girl they've been sending cards to for years. It'll be as my girlfriend." But he knew, somehow, that "girlfriend" didn't even begin to cover it.

* * * * * * *

Later that night, as Noel undressed, her body felt more alive than ever, even at the simple sensations of slipping out of her clothes. Every nerve quivered, electrified, when she thought of Kyle. The memory of his lips against hers was so intense that she could still feel them. The stuff of ecstasy. Even the ache behind her bruises felt sensual somehow.

She wanted more, but not from just anyone. She wanted more of Kyle. Her heart beat faster, stronger when she thought of him. She felt drawn to him more powerfully than she'd thought it was possible to be.

But it was the thought of what all that meant that exhilarated, and even scared, Noel beyond anything else in her experience. Love? She hadn't planned on that for a long time to come. Love was supposed to happen later in her life. Not now. And not in the form of Kyle Oberman. But there it was. And she'd felt it in him that he felt the same. It was strange not to need words, but with Kyle, there was so much they could say without speaking.

When she stood at the mirror, Noel searched her own face for some recognition of the girl she'd been only a few days before. She was still there, but altered. There was a spark in her eyes that hadn't been there. They were busy with hopeful thoughts and big plans. Christmas with Kyle. Going back to school after break, knowing that she'd be seeing her boyfriend… aboyfriend, of all things, in class. Busy looking forward to the future. She had about forty hours until Kyle was supposed to pick her up for Christmas Eve. Her birthday.Birthday…

"You've got a busy day tomorrow," she told the girl in the mirror.

She grabbed her discarded jeans off the floor to toss them into a wicker laundry basket, and felt a piece of paper in the back pocket. She fished it out. The check had bounced back.

* * * * * * *

1275 Juniper Lane was where one could find the Oberman residence. When the cab stopped and let Noel out, she looked up at the cheerily lit house with trepidation. Kyle was in there, which was no cause for worry. Over the last day or so she'd come to terms with the fact that she was falling in love with him. But there was a whole other gaggle of Obermans to deal with; people who'd been kind to Noel over the course of her entire childhood without even meeting her.

Although grateful, and wanting this chance to thank them, she didn't want to be drowned with a lot of sugary compliments and "Oh, poor thing"-ed to death. If they were anything like Kyle, though, she probably wouldn't have to worry about that. She just hoped that she wouldn't run out of energy before it was time to go to bed. She'd only slept about an hour the night before.

Grabbing her overnight bag, she paid the cabby and then walked up the steps to the Oberman's covered porch, which was festooned with lights. Even their bench swing was decorated with holly.

Gritting her teeth, she rang the doorbell, waiting while someone inside thumped across the floor in a run to answer it. When he opened the door, Kyle looked at Noel, surprised.

"Hey- you're wearing a coat! And it's only four. I not supposed to pick you up until six, right? I didn't remember it wrong?"

"No, it's not that. Sorry to be so early. I hope it's not inconvenient."

"Not at all," he opened the door wide so she could step in. "It's just that no one else is here right now. My parents went to pick my sister and her kids up at the airport."

Noel smiled, trying not to make it obvious that she felt relief. She could have some time to adjust to this new atmosphere with just Kyle. Besides, she'd made up her mind, and this might be just the opportunity.

"When do they get back?"

"Traffic, weather and flight schedules depending, an hour, maybe two."

She set her bag down and took off the red coat Kyle had noted. He hung it up for her on a rack and pointed at her shoes, and then at a row of shoes that rested on the floor by the entrance.

"Oh, okay." Noel got the message and kicked her shoes off, and then set them next to the others.

"My Mom's really picky about the floors," he smirked apologetically, and then he noticed something else.

She was wearing a green sweater, form fitting, and a black skirt and tights. She'd put on a touch of makeup as well. Her hair was curled to frame her face and shoulders. The effect was enchanting.

"You look gorgeous."

Noel stepped forward and hugged him, quickly followed by a kiss. Kyle welcomed it, though a little surprised. There was a new boldness in the way she moved her mouth, soft and pliant but demanding. She led him this time, with that embrace that was at first tight, but then her hands started to wander. One reached up to entwine fingers in his hair, and the other wandered down his back where it seemed to be mapping the contour of his muscles and shape.

He could do nothing but reciprocate, and traced the line of her back, around to her hips. There he hesitated. Kyle wanted to let his hands wander up her torso to her breasts, but he wasn't sure if that would be welcome, so he waited for more signals.

He got it when her hand inched down to his rear, then used it to pull his groin against hers. He broke off the kiss, nuzzling her forehead against his, wondering just how far she intended to go, here in his house, with so little time before his family would be back.

"What are you up to?" he whispered, kissing her quickly before she answered.

Noel was reluctant to say what she was thinking… feeling. To do it was one thing. To actually suggest it was infinitely scarier, but she finally found her voice when she looked into Kyle's moss-colored eyes.

"Take me to your room."

"That quick? Are you sure?"

"Yes. Quick. Before your family comes home, and before I change my mind. I'm sure."

Kyle regarded Noel, slightly puzzled. Since meeting her he'd freely indulged his imagination, but hadn't thought making love to Noel would happen so soon. But it was apparent that she meant to abide by her decision, whatever the mysterious logic behind it was, and he should be the last to object. On the other hand, he thought of his bedroom, and then of Noel in it, naked, and the two just didn't mix.

"My bedroom isn't the most romantic place in the world, you know."

"It is if you're in it."

He kissed her once more, then stepped back and took her hand.

"Follow me," he smiled.

As he led her through the hallway, Noel looked at the living room they passed, wondering if her eyes were playing tricks or if she'd really just seen a big, green Buddha sitting on the floor. As they rounded a corner, she caught a glimpse of the kitchen and lurched to a stop, agape.

"Whoa, that'sa lot of sunflowers."

"You should see the basement," Kyle chuckled.

"I'm afraid. Deeply. Does your Mom have a thing for sunflowers?"

"And Elvis," he tugged her back in motion and they laughed, heading upstairs.

They were still giggling when he shut his door behind them.

Kyle's bedroom, still preserved in the state he left it before moving into a dorm room at the U, had models everywhere. Not bikini models, but carefully constructed miniatures of airplanes and sailing ships. The biggest one, easily three feet long, sitting on a shelf over his computer, was a sailing ship of such intricacy that Noel was drawn to it immediately. She gazed at all the details- little cannons coming out of the hull, the lines, sails, and masts, all of it painstakingly painted. It sat on a mount that had engraved on it:USS Constitution.

"That one took me three months," he said, wrapping his arms around her from behind.

"It's beautiful, Kyle." She looked over at the window. Already, the afternoon was giving way to winter's early darkness, and snow had started to fall. She relaxed instantly, the calm and quiet of the house as soothing as Kyle's embrace was exciting. "I happen to think your room is a very romantic place."

With that, she turned in his arms and they resumed kissing, the sensual feel of each other's mouths gradually banishing giddiness, bringing back the heat that had been building before.

Now that there was no question of what would happen, Kyle let his hands travel underneath her sweater, up the warm skin of her back. He massaged it with languor, rubbing out any tension he perceived, taking in every detail of her baby-soft skin, lingering before unhooking her bra.

Instantly, the surprise of a new act, however welcome, registered in Noel's posture, but he soothed it by taking his hands down to her sides and letting her focus on the kiss. A few moments later, he gave her something new to consider, holding tight and grinding his crotch to hers so she could feel the solid length of flesh growing between his legs, and moved his lips to her neck.

As soon as Kyle's lips had left hers, Noel gave out an involuntary moan. She'd have never thought that just feeling him, hard, aroused, hips rolling against hers, could awaken so much lust. With that simple motion, his body was seducing hers into an ancient dance. She felt a hot ache and deep tightening in her belly, and the flesh of her sex became slippery.

Her breathing quickened when his lips and tongue played on her neck, and one of his hands drifted up, under her sweater and loosened bra, cupping a breast. When his thumb grazed the rigid little pebble atop it, the pulsing between her legs flashed into a throb.

With his face in her neck, Kyle inhaled the sweet scent of vanilla, thrilling at the feel of her against his body coming to life and responding to every overture. Very slowly, he took the hem of her sweater in his hands and lifted it up.

She drew away from him, opening expectant eyes, and raised her arms. When it was off, she let her lacy fall to the floor as Kyle took off his t-shirt.

Noel's next instinct was to cover herself, but she kept her arms still and eyes bent to the floor. She'd always considered her bust too small, and the blush of sexual heat, now intensified by nervousness, crept from her breasts to her face. Kyle, however, gazed adoringly at the swelling mounds- ideal handfuls crowned by stiff, burgandy nipples.

With a hand around her slim waist, he pulled her back to him and nuzzled his face against hers, trailing kisses from her lips to her earlobe. Her nipples rubbed against his chest, and with a low, throaty groan, Kyle reached down and lifted her skirt, his hand traveling up her covered thigh to the damp heat that emanated further up. So very lightly, he caressed the covered lips of her sex with dancing fingertips.

Gasping, Noel threaded her arms through the maze of his, finding the snap and zipper of Kyle's jeans. She wasn't sure how, but all she wanted was to bring him the same craven desire he was provoking in her.

Carefully, she undid his pants, uncertain of how delicately he needed to be touched, keeping her eyes glued to what might be revealed. When she saw the bulge that filled his boxers, and the fleshy, wet crown poking up out of the waistband, she became still.

"Have you ever…?" he whispered.

She shook her head.

"It's okay," Kyle prodded, ceasing his ministrations and staying still for her. "Go ahead and take it out."

With trembling hands, she hooked her thumbs into the sides of his boxers, and slid them down over his narrow hips. In the pale, cooling light of a snowy winter afternoon, she saw a man naked for the first time.

If she hadn't been so aroused, Noel might have laughed. The way Kyle's penis bobbed from the inertia of being released seemed whimsical, but it was so hard. Almost ridiculously angled up and out from his abdomen, his shaft was rooted in a thick nest of smashed, golden hair. The skin around it was stretched taut, nearly transparent, revealing thick veins- except for the head, which was soft-looking, bulbous, and shiny with liquid seeping from a slit. The sac below didn't look anything like she expected- not low, but up against his crotch; tight. The more she saw, the less comical it looked. It was poised, ready, so full and wanting, anticipating.