"'Tragedian' is not a word!"

"Yes, it is,"

"So confident, aren't you?"

"Uh-huh,"

"C'mon, Rosh," April interjected. "It's Pelham we're playing with here. He's got a damn Oxford Dictionary in that head of his."

Roshon huffed, refusing to give in. "Where are you gonna fit it, then?" he challenged Pelham with a smug smirk plastered across his face. "A lot of letters are involved - more than seven."

"Well, there's a blank space between a and e," Pelham pointed at the green board between them, where squares of letters lay arranged in vertical and horizontal positions. His finger hovered over the space between the words GAME and BED, which, luckily enough for Pelham, were aligned vertically. "And I have enough with me."

Roshon's earlier smug expression vanished, prompting Pelham to cackle at the defeated look on Roshon's face.

"Scrabbles sucks,"

"You were the one who came over here instead of attending a New Year party," Pelham pointed out, aligning his blocks of letters on the board as he did so, spelling out TRAGEDIAN and covering two extra-point tiles.

"Hey, man, she dragged me along," Roshon remarked, jerking his head towards April, who gave him a somewhat betrayed facial expression.

"I mean, you did say you were gonna be playing house for a while since your parents and Oris are out," April reminded Pelham.

"Yeah, what loser does that on New Year's Eve?" Roshon said, earning a glare from Pelham.

"I just feel like eating Nutella sandwich till midnight, you know?" said Pelham in his personal defence. "A way to start 2017, huh?"

Roshon sent him a scrunched up look. "That's how you spend your New Year?"

"Don't act like we didn't stay up till three last December playing Half-Life not realising everyone was celebrating 2016,"

"You got me there, Pel. Don't expose me like this,"

"You two losers were playing Half-Life on New Year's Eve?" April frowned, as though she hadn't been well acquainted with the two geeks almost her entire high school life.

"Hey, it was Episode Three and Gordon Freeman nearly died 'cause Pelham sucked at the game," Roshon remarked, sounding relatively indignant. "Did I say 'suck' with a past tense? I meant sucks."

"You suck at Scrabbles," Pelham noted.

"Board games just generally suck,"

"You suck,"

"You suck di-"

"Guys, c'mon, it's my turn to play!" April cut them off, causing Roshon to slump his shoulders whilst Pelham grinned at him. "Honestly, the reason I came here instead of a New Year party like I usually do is 'cause Pelham's been lonely lately."

Sensing that he knew where April was going with this, Pelham spared her a glance with one of his eyebrows cocked. She merely shrugged, arranging her letters on the green board before her whilst doing so.

"Luc said he'll be back by new year since he left for the holidays," said Pelham, calculating April's points in his head and jotting down her score on his notepad. "Don't know exactly when. But hey, I'm cool."

"You didn't even spend Christmas with him, mate," Roshon observed.

"At least I got to spend it with you two - apart from my parents and Oris, that is," Pelham assured his two friends. "Honestly. Besides, he needed to reconcile with his parents. December provides him with that chance. Have some merry moments, right?"

April merely nodded whilst Roshon had his face twisted in a deep concentration as he tried to come up with a word for the game that might earn him five points higher than Pelham. The three of them, currently clustered around the coffee table in Pelham's living room, were only twenty minutes into the game, starting it at nearly eight in the evening after April suggested that they play something. Video games were off the limits for that night - especially when they were all looking ahead to celebrate the new year by eating sandwiches. That was how Pelham came up with the idea to play Scrabbles, despite owning various other board games in the house.

Just as April and Roshon had seemed to fear, Pelham was winning the game, all thanks to his Oxford-Dictionary-enabled brain, as April had so precisely described it.

Whilst it was true that Lucio was currently away for the holidays - visiting his hometown for the second time since that summer - due to the reason that his parents had a lot of catching up to do with their son, and that Pelham assured everyone as well as himself that he was completely fine with it, there was no denying the slight tug of dejection gnawing somewhere inside him.

Indisputably, April was right when she pointed out the fact that Pelham had been fairly lonely during the holidays, regardless of spending his time with his family and little circle of friends. For months - even having it all mapped out in his head - he'd been looking forwards to spending the holidays with everyone along with the company of Lucio.

A part of him thought it seemed self-absorbing. But Pelham knew that he just wanted his family and friends to be with the open him this December instead of the timid, closeted version of him that he had been exhibiting as a facade for the past few years. Alas, as far as he was concerned, things never usually worked out as planned. Accepting it was the only way that Pelham could go by and deal with.

Besides, Lucio had his own family issues to settle with. And Pelham wasn't one to simply take it all away, was he, not when things were actually making a progress at Lucio's party. He wasn't that tactless. Apart from that, it wasn't as though he hadn't been staying up at night video-chatting with his boyfriend, catching up with the boy's events back in his hometown at the outskirts of Valencia. All in all, Pelham was doing all right.

If there was anyone in his life at all that had been paying an exceedingly close attention to Pelham's relationship with Lucio, it was April. And Oris, Pelham realised. While April would constantly bombard Pelham with queries when she sensed that something was off between him and Lucio - not that they were always mired in trifling conflicts, even if such issues were common to couples - Oris was perhaps the most observant one in the party.

The child had apparently grown accustomed to Lucio coming over every week - even knowingwhen he'd arrive, which was around five in the evening during the weekends - up to the point where she asked Pelham why Lucio hadn't shown up the day after the boy flew off to Spain. There were times where Pelham speculated whether his little sister had somehow found a way to note down the times of Lucio's arrival at the house and memorising them. "Why is Luca not here yet?" she'd queried Pelham once, a drawing of Lucio in crayons hugged to her chest, apparently having wanted to impress Lucio with her art skills should the boy arrive that day.

"He's visiting his parents, Oris," Pelham had answered. "Why? You wanna show him that?"

Oris had merely nodded then. So much for being a young artist. He'd simply snapped a photo of her drawing and shared it with Lucio, earning a reply from him that said "I look hot".

"You can't put 'dude' in Scrabbles, that's informal!" April's voice shook Pelham out of reverie.

"Yes, I can," Roshon countered.

"Pel, tell Rosh he can't put that in,"

"You can't put that in, Rosh,"

Roshon gave Pelham a betrayed look.

"Rules are rules," Pelham shrugged.

"Rules suck," Roshon huffed. "And of course Pel's gonna win this game. It's not fair that we're playing against a damn dictionary."

"Oi!"

Roshon gave out a bark of laughter, just at the same time that the doorbell rang. Pelham glanced at the wall clock at the opposite side of the room, which showed that it was only after half-past eight. "That's my parents with Oris," he said. "Rosh, get the door."

"I'm busy arranging letters,"

"April,"

"Why can't you get the door?" she sighed.

"'Cause I already got the door when the pizza arrived,"

"It's your house, though,"

"My house, my orders,"

April rolled her eyes and got to her feet, heading for the front door. With her gone for a while, Pelham took the chance and spoke to Roshon, "Looking forwards to a New Year kiss, I'm guessing?"

His friend sent him a taut expression. "She'll only shove me off the roof,"

"Speaking of roofs, we should go up there tonight," said Pelham, his head lighting up with the prospect of the three of them simply chilling on his roof - maybe not as much as chilling when it was already so bitter outside. "Watch fireworks go off at midnight while we eat sandwiches!"

"One; it's cold. Two; you and your sandwich-driven obsession should be gone by new year,"

"One; we have a cordless heater. Two; I'll make it the best while it lasts for only tonight,"

Roshon snorted.

"Hey, it'll be fun," Pelham noted. "Way to start 2017, right? Don't act like you don't wanna do it, Rosh. Us three on the roof."

"Make it four,"

At the sound of the familiar voice, both Pelham and Roshon's heads shot up, their eyes landing on none other than Lucio Alves who stood in the doorway with April behind him. Snowflakes were clustered all over his midnight blue snow cap, his skin pale in contrast with his jet black parka and dark strands of hair that peeked out from underneath his cap. The only colours that brought up his fetching features were his gleaming iridescent eyes along with his flushed cheeks and red-tinged nose.

Heart plummeted, and almost as though his legs were moving of their own accord, Pelham was on his feet at once. Taking large strides, he crossed the living room to yank the boy who he hadn't seen in weeks into a tight embrace. The boy smelled like he was fresh out of the airport - that was, if airports even had a sort of ambience that could be physically breathed in - and Pelham buried his face into Lucio's neck, just holding him there on the spot. You didn't tell me you were coming? he wanted to say that, but they were apparently clogged by the lump that had formed in his throat.

"I did say I was returning by new year?" Lucio spoke as soon as Pelham detached himself from him.

"By new year and before new year are pretty different terms, Lucio," April pointed out, voicing Pelham's thoughts. Pelham was still rendered speechless for the time being.

"Yeah, man, and it's barely nine," Roshon called out.

"Sorry about that," Lucio noted, pulling off his snow cap and running a gloved hand through his already unkempt hair. "I came straight here, though." His eyes skimmed the living room, noting the absence of three more companions. "Where's everyone? Oris?"

"Having a good time with her parents, of course," Again, it was Roshon who said that. "Although Pelham here just wanted to stay home and play house."

Lucio chanced Pelham a glance with one of his eyebrows cocked, appearing critical to an extent. "So what am I missing?"

"Scrabbles," April replied. "You joining?"

Lucio took off his parka and regarded the idea, scrunching up his face. "No, thanks. I'm not playing when there's a dictionary involved," he discreetly nodded his head in Pelham's direction. "It's not fair."

Pelham finally found his voice. "I hate all of you,"

"It's a compliment, Pel," April patted him once on the back before joining Roshon at the coffee table.

"I'm getting water to dilute myself before my words become concentrated with salt," Pelham announced, beginning to make his way towards the kitchen.

"Suit yourself, petty one!" Roshon replied.

Lucio joined him not a few seconds later in the kitchen, somehow keeping his distant but checking Pelham at the same time. Really, Pelham was still stunned to see Lucio at all, his company uncalled for in the house at this kind of night. He'd been expecting the boy to inform him that he would return tomorrow morning. Not an unseen arrival tonight.

"Pel," Lucio spoke tentatively, his presence emitting a warmth beside Pelham as he grabbed a glass from the cabinet, moving towards the sink. "Are you ... angry?"

Taken aback by the question, Pelham whipped his head around to look at Lucio, who looked somewhat timid. Pelham shook his head, a small chuckle escaping through his mouth as he did so. "Luc," he whispered, his free arm snaking around the boy's waist, drawing him closer so Lucio had him lightly pinned against the edge of the counter, "do I look like it?"

Lucio's iridescent eyes swept up to Pelham, his irises appearing azure blue under the fluorescent lights as he locked their gazes together. Seeing him like this, having the boy back in his arms, the ache returned in his heart. He'd nearly forgotten just how much he missed Lucio, regardless of the boy only being away for the holidays. "I guess not?" Lucio said, looking unsure himself.

"See?" Pelham smiled. "Was just speechless, is all."

A smug grin crawled to Lucio's pink lips. "I made you speechless, Pelham Nixon?"

Hearing his full name being spoken by Lucio sure did its charm, for Pelham brought his lips down and kissed his boyfriend on the mouth, savouring the soft texture of Lucio's lips pressed against his. Forget New Year fireworks, his mind reeled when Lucio responded with similar sense of languid urgency, his lips stretching into a smile as the boy draped his arms over Pelham's shoulders, pecking him once, twice, thrice ...

"You're okay, right?" Lucio eventually asked.

"I am, really," he assured the boy, pulling himself off to fill his glass with water. "I'm just - you didn't say you were-"

"I was going to," said Lucio, reading Pelham's mind. "But there was barely any signal. And the flight back was scheduled earlier due to the weather condition."

"I see,"

"I'm sorry, Pel,"

Pelham was even more taken aback to hear that. "What for?"

Lucio shrugged. "For not being here?"

A soft laughter escaped Pelham's throat. "Luc, there's nothing to be sorry about," he said. "You had to see your parents again because summer clearly wasn't enough. And me? I'm good."

"Are you?"

"I mean, I did miss you a lot,"

A reserved smile tugged at the corners of Lucio's lips, and his already flushed cheeks turned an even darker shade of crimson. "I actually came here to see Oris, not you,"

"Oh, please,"

Lucio laughed; a sound that Pelham will never grow tired of hearing.

"Go play some Scrabbles, you nit."

*

Despite April's objections about climbing to the roof at nearly midnight, not when the temperature was mercilessly cold, the four adolescents found themselves gazing into the pitch-black, star-deprived sky at half-past eleven nonetheless, huddled under layers and layers of blanket Pelham had gathered from the storage room in the house.

The streets weaving through the neighbourhood was reasonably deserted as all of the dwellers took shelter under their roofs, either getting ready to celebrate the new year or simply getting to bed early while it was warm and cozy inside. A party could be heard raging a few blocks away from Pelham's house, the muffled beat of the music pounding across the street, no doubt that the people inside were already hot.

Pelham's father had called earlier to check in on him, informing him that Oris and his mother would be spending the night at an economical hotel. They were all supposed to be back before ten - which was Oris' curfew. But the girl had apparently found a friend to play with and refused to return home that night. That, and her new friend's parents happened to be old university mates with Pelham's parents.

Pelham was definitely playing house for the entire night.

So much for starting 2017, he thought randomly, snuggled close to Lucio in the thick layers of blanket encased around them both. A few feet away from them, Roshon had never looked so gauche sitting next to April, who was off babbling about who knew what random topic had come up to her head. Like Pelham and Lucio, the two of them had blankets draped all over them, while a cordless heater sat between the two pairs just next to an empty plate save a few bread crumbs.

A brief glance at Roshon just revealed that his friend was in it deep, judging by the way Roshon was simply gazing into April instead of listening to her. Pelham himself had had his fair share of having to listen to her rambling about nothing in particular. It wasn't anything bad, really. Not even exasperating. April was just exceptional like that, and she needed the love she deserved.

"What time is it?" asked Lucio, whose head was rested on Pelham's shoulder.

Pelham clicked his phone, squinting at the glare of light from his screen: 23:50

"Ten minutes till midnight," Pelham replied, resting the side of his head on top of Lucio's, his hand searching for the latter's under the blanket.

"Hey, Pel,"

"Yeah?"

Lucio was silent for a moment before he whispered, "I think Roshon likes April ..."

"Finally caught up, have you?"

"Not April, though,"

He nodded. "Sadly," he sighed. "I kinda told Rosh to make a move as soon as the clock strikes midnight."

"Seriously?" Lucio looked up. "How cliché can you get?"

"You like cliché things, though?" Pelham smirked. "No, you adore them."

When the boy didn't comment, Pelham could deduce that his face was red. Lucio always went quiet when Pelham pointed something out that was factual about the boy, having seemed to prefer the silence over giving Pelham the contentment of being correct almost all the time.

The four of them simply sat there on the roof, noting how a couple of their neighbours had begun to go out in the dark of the night to prepare some fireworks. Pelham could distinctly hear the muffled din of people making a countdown, especially at the party-raged house, whose music had long since quitened down, left for the ticking sounds of the clock.

23:59

Next to them, Roshon was murmuring something to April. Pelham couldn't register what he was saying, but he hoped it was something good.

"Thirty-eight ... thirty-seven ... thirty-six ..."

The time seemed to stretch into perpetuity. Pelham realised he hadn't made a New Year resolution. Does it matter?

He cast Lucio a brief glance. The boy looked content enough to be cuddling with Pelham on the roof in the cold night, fiddling with his fingers. Pelham pondered whether the boy had a resolution to attain in 2017.

"Twenty-five ... twenty-four ... twenty-three ..."

"Just this one?" Pelham heard April say. He couldn't tell what it was that Roshon had offered. Still, he hoped it was something good.

He focused on twiddling Lucio's fingers.

"Seventeen ... sixteen ... fifteen ..."

A question suddenly popped into Pelham's head that he glanced sideways at Lucio in a haste, causing the boy to straighten up. "What's wrong?" Lucio asked.

"Will you stay with me for the night?"

Lucio blinked once. "Of course, Pel," he said, a faint smile visible on his lips. "Aunt Fab's having people over anyway."

"Thank you,"

"No problem,"