Coffee House Writers

Top Menu

Main Menu

  • Home
  • Article Categories
    • Creativity
    • Culture
    • Design
    • Family
    • Fashion
    • Fiction
    • Food
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Home
    • Lifestyle
    • Memories
    • Nonfiction
    • Poetry
    • Politics
    • Relationships
    • Sports
    • Style
    • Technology
    • Travel
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Our Founder
  • Meet Our Admin
    • Chief Editors
    • Editors
    • Poetry Editors
    • Advertising Team
    • Recruiting Team
  • Testimonials
  • Apply
  • Login

logo

Coffee House Writers

  • Home
  • Article Categories
    • Creativity
    • Culture
    • Design
    • Family
    • Fashion
    • Fiction
    • Food
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Home
    • Lifestyle
    • Memories
    • Nonfiction
    • Poetry
    • Politics
    • Relationships
    • Sports
    • Style
    • Technology
    • Travel
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Our Founder
  • Meet Our Admin
    • Chief Editors
    • Editors
    • Poetry Editors
    • Advertising Team
    • Recruiting Team
  • Testimonials
  • Apply
  • Login
  • The North Wind – Part 9

  • Youngster

  • Parenting My Way With No Regrets

  • Cracks and Holes

  • Until Forever, Part One

  • The Mystery of Cash Castle: Part 12

  • I want to fly

  • Prayers of Lament and Gratitude

  • Circumstantial Truths

  • Bloom Everlasting

  • Ma Millie-5

  • Husband

  • Leap Year Killer

  • Making Peace With My Adopted Self

  • Platinum Moments

  • Evolution of Romance Novels: Part 1

  • Fairytale

  • The North Wind – Part 8

  • English Class

  • A Beetle Called Bertha

  • The Island Flamingo: Part 11

  • Mr. Keith’s House – Part V

  • Ma Millie-4

  • Mikligarður

  • Bloom Anew

  • Where is my wife Stacey?

  • My Teen Begged for Help and My World Stood Still

  • 8 Best Uses For Peppermint Oil

  • A New Journey

  • Cessation

EntertainmentCreativityFamilyRelationshipsFictionMemories
Home›Entertainment›A Most Troubling Bonfire

A Most Troubling Bonfire

By Chelsea Wolfe
December 22, 2021
726
0
Share:
bonfire
Photo by Josh Felise on Unsplash

The bonfire crackled quietly as I stepped closer to keep warm. The backyard was decorated with fairy lights wrapped around the trees surrounding the area and the wood porch leading inside the house. Large Christmas ornaments hung in the trees to act as some half-assed décor to lighten the fact that everyone at this party had nowhere else to go this Christmas.

“What are you in for?”

I looked up to see the guy who joined me by the fire. He was wearing jeans, a plaid wool jacket and what looked like cowboy boots. He looked up at me as he blew on his cup of hot chocolate. It was one of the two beverages they served here. The other being hot cider.

“Parents died in a car accident last year.”

He choked on his hot chocolate.

“Need a little spice in your drink?” I asked pulling out the flask from my back pocket.

“After hearing that, yeah,” he grabbed the flask and took a swig before pouring a little in his drink.

“What about you?” I asked.

“What about me?”

“Why are you here?”

“Oh!” I could almost hear the unsaid duh in his response. I smirked behind my cup as I took a drink.  

“My fiancée told a lot of lies and turns out she’s been screwing my brother for over a year. They’re together officially. I thought dinner would be kind of awkward this year. So, I figured this Christmas outcast party sounded like a good idea.”

“That’s rough,” I said taking another drink of my hot chocolate. “You sure you don’t want to add a bit more spice to your drink?” I joked.

He shook his head. “I think you need it more than me.”

“What are you going to do next year? You can’t ignore your shitty brother forever.”

“I could if I really wanted to.”

“You’d regret not speaking to him if one of you died unexpectedly.”

He nodded and his eyes widened at the understanding I had implied. “That was a low blow you know?”

I chuckled and shrugged. “One of the perks of dealing with the people you love dying. So, what are you going to do?”

“Not sure. I’m actually going to have to think it about now thanks to you.”

“Just communicate how you feel with them.” I grabbed a log and tossed it into the fire.

“If it were that easy to communicate with each other don’t you think they would’ve told me about them sleeping together instead of me walking in on them?”

“Rough was an understatement,” I said taking out the flask again. He laughed as I took a drink before holding it out for him.

“Might be easier if I bring someone along with me,” he said taking a drink.

“Always is.”

“What do you say then? Want to go on an awkward first date with me?”

I feigned shock, “You mean this isn’t a date?”

He laughed. “Not enough family drama for a first date.”

I raised an eyebrow “My parents dying isn’t enough drama for you?”

He reminded me of a cartoon in that moment and I thought his eyes would pop out of his head. “That’s not- I didn’t mean-What I meant was-” he stumbled over what to say and it made him look like a fish out of water.

I laughed. A first real laugh in a long time. “I’m Joy.”

“Your parents sure had a sense of irony,” he joked, and I couldn’t help but smile. “I’m James.”

Photo by Josh Felise on Unsplash

TagsCoffee House Writersbonfirefictionshort storyfamilycreativityRelationshipscreative writingwriting
Previous Article

PCOS Sucks! How To Fight Like A ...

Next Article

Toxic

0
Shares
  • 0
  • +
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Chelsea Wolfe

I have my masters in English & Creative Writing! I'm a mom of two girls and a Husky pup. I'm usually a late-night writer, but I have had to adapt due to kids, work, and having a social life. Now I write every chance I get. I'm constantly looking for other writers to connect with because only writers understand the struggles of writing. I typically write New Adult and I've been dipping my hand in multiple subgenres to fit my interests at the time. This leaves me with multiple projects going at once. If I'm not writing, I can usually be found cuddling in my favorite corner of my mini library reading a book (usually my kids are reading their books with me) or out in the city for a girl's night.

Related articles More from author

  • EntertainmentLifestyleMediaRelationships

    Writing Is Not An Island

    November 25, 2019
    By Stephanie Wyatt
  • PoetryHealthCreativityRelationships

    Darkness

    September 28, 2020
    By Lindsey Taylor
  • CultureLifestyleCreativityRelationshipsPoetryMemoriesHomeHealthEntertainment

    Forward and Backward: A Poem

    May 18, 2020
    By Melanie Blackman
  • Basketball
    SportsCultureCreativityRelationshipsFictionEnvironmentPoetryMemories

    A Day At The Frosty Freeze Park: Oakland, 1986

    April 15, 2019
    By rc360
  • Crying
    CreativityRelationshipsFictionEntertainment

    Found – Part Eighteen

    March 2, 2020
    By LM Hernandez
  • never ending to do lists, how toprevent burn out
    LifestyleNonfictionBusinessHealthCreativityHome

    Prevent Burnout With Time Audits: Part One

    February 7, 2022
    By Lauren Gesslein

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You may be interested

  • Willard Asylum in Ovid New York
    FamilyNonfictionHistory

    Emily Part II

  • CreativityFamilyRelationshipsFictionCultureEntertainmentLifestyle

    Grafting – Part 1

  • Violation
    CultureCreativityRelationshipsMemoriesEnvironmentHealth

    Violation!

Timeline

  • March 20, 2023

    The North Wind – Part 9

  • March 20, 2023

    Youngster

  • March 20, 2023

    Parenting My Way With No Regrets

  • March 20, 2023

    Cracks and Holes

  • March 20, 2023

    Until Forever, Part One

Latest Comments

  • Jill Grinnell
    on
    March 13, 2023
    Lovely

    I want to fly

  • Ritu Anand
    on
    March 13, 2023
    Thank you so much Vikash.

    I want to fly

  • Vikash Goyal
    on
    March 13, 2023
    Beautiful writing!

    I want to fly

  • The Different Types of Science Fiction - E. M. Sherwood Foster
    on
    March 11, 2023
    […] My serial publication The North Wind at Coffee House Writers! Part 1 is here. […]

    The North Wind – Part 1

  • A Beetle Called Bertha, is in this week’s Coffee House Writers Magazine – Ivor.Plumber/Poet
    on
    March 6, 2023
    […] Hello dear readers and followers, I now write for “Coffee House Writers” magazine on a ...

    A Beetle Called Bertha

Find us on Facebook

About us

  • coffeehousewriters3@gmail.com

Follow us

© Copyright 2018-2022 Coffee House Writers. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s administrator and owner is strictly prohibited.