The Tour

forty-six / merry christmas

The months leading up to Christmas were filled with hours of workouts, many attempts to work the tangles out of my wet hair, and afternoons spent on the phone with my manager. There was no chill in the air with one day left before Christmas Eve, but the kids running around the beach betrayed the holiday excitement in the air.

I was out on the back deck working on my balance with a Bosu ball when movement down the beach caught my eye. Will was running through the sand in his board shorts, a broad grin on his face. Noah was trailing behind him, jogging at a slower pace and laughing at his brother.

"Hey Riv," Will said breathlessly, scooping me up into the air seconds after I stepped down from the Bosu ball. I giggled and kissed his cheek, wrapping my hands around his back tightly. Will set me down before slinging an arm around my shoulders to face his brother. I waved at Noah, who nodded in return.

Noah had been home from school for a few days, but the other boys had to stay at school for a few extra practice sessions. Evan hadn't even appeared yet, but I assumed that he was probably taking his sweet time packing up.

"Want to go surfing?" Noah asked. I nodded and glanced in the direction of my boards, but one look at Will changed that plan. He already looked a shade paler, even in the blazing sunlight.

"Never mind, I'm sorry Will," Noah backtracked quickly, "Spikeball?"

"We only have three people," I noted.

Noah rolled his eyes, tumbling back onto the sand in defeat. A car door slammed on the other side of the house, causing him to perk up. "No way, Evan is finally home."

"What has he even been doing this whole time?" I asked while following them around the house. Sure enough, Evan was just opening up the trunk of his navy Toyota to reveal a pile of suitcases.

Will smirked and cupped a hand over his mouth to whisper, "Trying to get girls, probably."

Evan raised his eyebrows at Noah, who was running straight towards him. In one quick dance, Noah had slammed the trunk closed and was pushing Evan through the grass to the beach.

"I need to unpack, what are you doing Noah?" Evan asked, glancing back at his car.

Will was grinning and sprinted around them with the Spikeball net in hand. Evan rolled his eyes at the Sanders boys, but assumed his position around the net. "What are the teams?"

"You get your sister," Noah claimed.

This really got Evan fired up. "I have to be her partner every time!" He groaned, covering his face with his hands.

"As much as I would love to be Riv's partner," Will started in a tone that made it clear that he did not, in fact, want to be my partner, "tradition is tradition, and it is always Sanders versus Lancers."

"I don't understand why no one ever wants to be my partner," I complained. It was like I was five again, and the boys never wanted me on their team then either.

"It's because you suck at Spikeball," Will said with a straight face before he launched the ball at the net. Evan volleyed it to me, and I proceeded to hit the ball behind me. Evan rolled his eyes in defeat and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Fair enough."

△▽△

Christmas was one of the few holidays that our families spent apart. My parents, Evan and I would always celebrate together in the morning before eating an afternoon meal and facetiming relatives on the mainland in the evening.

On Christmas Eve though, we all joined together in the back pews of the church for the service. I wore a dark green sundress for the occasion, even though the air was slightly cooler at night. Will sat on one side and Evan was on the other, and we stood together to sing the Christmas carols. The pastor preached his abbreviated sermon, maintaining the attention of even the smallest kids as he told the story of Mary and Joseph taking the long trip to Bethlehem. Finally, we reached my favorite part of the service.