Chapter 37 A Christmas Travesty
Everett
Our empty wine glasses and dirty dishes litter the coffee table. Empty boxes that once held ornaments are spread across the floor. Christmas music is playing in the background, and the warmth from the fire fills the space.
“I think we need a few more over here,” Claire says, eyeing some bare branches. “Here, pass me a few of the silver balls.”
I collect the items and walk over to meet her.
“You’re really good at this,” I say.
“I’ve had a lot of practice,” she says, taking the first ball and hanging it on one of the limbs. The smell of pine engulfs my senses.
“Do you usually do a real or a fake tree back home?”
“I always had a real one growing up, and my parents still do, but because of dance it’s easier to have a fake one,” she explains, taking the second and third ball from me and placing them on the tree.
“I like the real one. It smells good.”
“Doesn’t it.” She smiles, stepping back as she studies our work. “I think we’re almost done, but it could use a couple more.”
Walking over, she digs in one of the boxes and laughs as she pulls out two ornaments.
“These are cute,” she says, holding up two small nutcracker ornaments. One is dressed like a hockey player and the other is dressed like a ballerina.
“They kind of look like us,” she muses. “Here.”
Reaching out her hand, she gives me the hockey player and then moves to the center of the tree. She carefully places the ballerina on a branch, and I move forward, hanging my ornament right next to hers.
“I know you said not to crowd them, but I think these two need to be together.”
“I agree. Where did you find those?”
“Cami helped with the ornaments, so she must’ve snuck them in there. I like them though.”
“Me too,” she agrees.
She walks over toward the overhead light switch and pauses. “Okay, on three, I’m going to flip the switch, and you plug in the lights.”
“Okay.”
“One…two…three…” The room goes dark for a split second before the tree comes to life. The white lights twinkle, creating a magical glow.
She gasps. “It’s beautiful.”
“Very,” I say, my eyes finding her instead of the tree. She glides towards me, and I wrap her up in my arms. The soft glow from the fire and twinkling lights dance across her skin, and I take her mouth with mine.
Pulling away, I push my hand into my pocket and pull out a small velvet box. “I got you something.”
“A present?”
“Yeah, I saw it, and it reminded me of you.”
“But Christmas isn’t for a couple of days,” she says. “I didn’t get you—”
“I don’t need a present,” I say. “Open it.”
She takes it from me, her fingers gently grazing mine and sending a shock through my body. She flips it open, revealing a white gold necklace. A dainty, diamond-encrusted snowflake pendant sits at the center.
“I love it,” she says. “You didn’t have to get me…”
“I wanted you to have something to remember our time here by.”
“But what if we wake up on Christmas and the necklace is lost with this town?”
I laugh. “I guess that’s a possibility, but it was a risk I was willing to take.”
She runs her thumb over the small snowflake.
“Here, turn around.”
She gathers her hair to the side, and I carefully remove the silver chain she always wears from her neck, replacing it with the gift from me.
Dipping forward, I wrap my arms around her and press my lips to her delicate skin.
She tilts her head to the side, and I trail soft kisses up toward her ear, making her hum in return.
“Stop…” She giggles as my facial hair tickles her skin. “There is one more thing we haven’t done yet.” She flips around, taking the necklace from me. “Lie down,” she says as she places it on the coffee table.
“Lie down?”
“Just do it,” she scolds.
Walking over, she takes my hand and guides me down to the floor so that we’re lying shoulder to shoulder under the tree. “Now, look up,” she says.
The lights twinkling above cast a romantic glow over us. She reaches over to take my hand, intertwining her fingers with mine, and my heart leaps in my chest. Turning my head, I’m surprised to find she’s looking at me.
Without another word, our mouths crash together, and I feel the happiest I think I’ve ever felt.
She pulls away, smiling.
“So, what’s the next part of this date?”
“A movie.”
“Do I get to pick?”
I nod.
She pops up and moves to the couch, so I follow. Grabbing the remote off the coffee table, she flips until she finds The Grinch.
“Have you ever seen this one?” she asks, settling down on the couch and into the crook of my arm.
“Nope.”
She gasps. “You’ve never seen your biopic? What a Christmas travesty.”
“Hilarious,” I deadpan, tickling her sides.
“Stop,” she whines. “The movie is starting.”
Settling into one another, I hold her close, knowing without a doubt that she is it for me.