An Autumn Dream by Melissa Giorgio

look very comfortable.
    “You’ve got a weird look on your face,” Rafe said. “You’re thinking something perverted, aren’t you?”
    “Shut up, I’m not.” I shoved him, trying to downplay the blush that was spreading across my cheeks. I wasn’t a pervert, dammit! It was just that Rafe was so damn cute and such a good kisser and of course I could easily imagine doing some hardcore making out up here, amongst the tacky wreaths and angels. I pulled away and pointed to the box of angels. “Ready to put your muscles to good use?”
                  “Sure.” He picked up the box with one hand, grinning when I rolled my eyes. What a show off. Thirty minutes later, he was no longer grinning, not after I had made him haul every single box down both sets of stairs and into the living room. Rafe collapsed on the couch, sweaty and panting, while I moved from box to box, opening each one. Mom had labeled everything on the outside, but I still wanted to see the decorations for myself. It was like being reunited with old friends, and I couldn’t stop the huge grin that spread across my face.
    “The penguins!” I gasped, pulling the fuzzy black and white stuffed animals from the box. “We put them on the couch! Right where you’re sitting, in fact.” I snapped my fingers when Rafe didn’t respond. “Move, Rafe.”
    “Are you serious?” He took one look at my face and shook his head. “Yes, you are.” He got to his feet with a loud groan and said, “Can I grab a bottle of water from the fridge?”
    I was already pawing through another box. “Sure. Then hurry back so you can help me put everything up.”
    Rafe groaned again as he walked out of the room. “Are you trying to kill me before Christmas?”
    “Um, don’t have huge muscles if you don’t plan on using them.”
    “I do use them!” His voice echoed down the hallway. “For things worth using them for!”
    “This is worth it!” I replied as I unearthed a mini-tree. Shoving aside a pile of Chloe’s fashion magazines, I set the tree in the middle of the coffee table. There sho uld be ornaments to go with it…I shifted through the decorations. Aha! There they were, neatly collected in a container. I shook my head in amazement. I had to hand it to Mom; she was completely organized when it came to her decorations. Me? I would have ripped everything down and shoved them into any old box, but she made sure to put each and everything back where she found it. Would I do the same now, when it came time to put everything away?
    Yeah, I would. I didn’t even have to think about it. This, like the garden, was Mom’s legacy. It was a way to connect with her, the woman I had loved, instead of the woman I hated for abandoning us. That, I thought, was something Rafe would approve of, even if it meant he had to get dirty and sweaty to make it happen.
    “What are you smiling about?” Rafe asked, returning with two bottles of water. He handed me one before drinking half of his in one gulp.
    “Oh, just enjoying the sight of you all hot and sweaty. A girl could get used to that, you know.”
    Rafe choked on his water, his face turning bright red.
    Cackling to myself, I went back to unpacking the boxes. We had always set up a snow village in the living room, and if I could just find it…
    Rafe settled back on the couch. He used his water bottle to point at the small tree I had set up and laughed. “That’s about the size of the tree we had every year.”
    “Is it really?” I paused to give him a sad look.
    “What is with that face you’re making?”
    “Christmas trees should be big—no, huge! With ornaments hanging from each branch!” I went over to the tree, crouching down next to it to get a better look. “You can’t even put presents under here!” A sudden, horrible thought occurred to me. “Please tell me you got presents!”
    “Of course I did!” Rafe shook his head. “You don’t need a huge tree for presents! And I already told