Chapter Six #3
Bax shifts forward, dragging his legs out of my lap as he presses closer to my side. “Good. That’s what I was hoping for.”
Affirming that we’re only dating each other makes this arrangement feel more serious than casual, and that lines up with the way I’m feeling.
They’re looking at me like they feel the same way, and I like that even more.
Christmas night
The lights from the Christmas tree twinkle, casting the front room in a soft glow. Our dinner guests went home a while ago, and the house is quiet.
Sitting with Soren, waiting for Bax, I keep smiling every time my gaze lands on my stocking.
The guys really surprised me with that one, and then outdid themselves when we exchanged gifts yesterday morning before Sage’s flight to Chicago.
I got Phil and Gio a gift card to the hardware store for their renovation projects, video games for Remy and Morgan, a vintage record for Sage, and a new yoga mat for Soren.
All of them gave me a joint gift of covering the expenses of boxing up my apartment and shipping my stuff and my car here.
The Metros players make way more money than us Slash players, so I think Sage, Morgan, and Remy are handling most of the cost. They’ve lifted such a weight from me.
I don’t know how I’ll be able to repay them.
Soren taps his foot against mine. “You look happy.”
“I am.” I tuck my head against his shoulder for a moment, breathing in his scent. His blue sweater is almost the same shade as his eyes and the knit is soft against my cheek. “Just thinking about how you guys gave me the best gift ever. I was really stressing about getting my things here.”
“We wanted to help.”
Sitting up, I twist to face him. “But it goes way beyond what I expected. I mean, I’ve only been here a couple of weeks. And you’re all much closer friends with each other. I’m still the newbie.”
He bends so we’re eye to eye. “In case you forgot, you’ve been friends with a few of us for a while now.” His voice drops to a whisper like he’s sharing a secret.
“Okay, that’s true, but friends who see each other occasionally isn’t the same as living together for years. You’re all really close. Like a family.” I’ve never had anyone who would do for me what these guys have done.
“Since you arrived, you’ve jumped in when something needs to be done, whether it’s shoveling the walkway, emptying the dishwasher, or doing an emergency grocery run.”
“Well, I live here. We all do those things.”
He raises a brow and holds up his hand to cut off my argument.
“Beyond the things that make you a courteous roommate, you’ve also voluntarily taste-tested Remy’s weird food combinations, listened when Sage needed to ramble to calm down from one of his spirals, hung out with Morgan when he wanted a buddy to play pool with, spent hours at the hardware store with Gio and Phil while they decided which shade of green paint was the right one for their bathroom, and you’re always there for me.
You’ve been a good friend to all of us. So don’t think you aren’t worth what we did. You are.”
His speech hits me right in the heart and I need a moment for the lump in my throat to lessen before I can speak. “Thank you. I like being here with all of you.”
“Once your stuff arrives, you’ll feel more settled.”
True, having my own things will be nice. “I’m gonna try to schedule the delivery for the second week of January, after we get back from the games in Tucson. There’s three days without a game, so that’ll give me time to put stuff away.”
Headlights beam across the front of the house as a car turns into the driveway. Soren unfolds his body from the couch. “That’s probably Bax.”
Sure enough, our drummer trudges up the path, his shoulder hunched against the cold and wind. We walk to the front door and open it to Bax standing on the welcome mat, his hand poised to knock.
“Merry Christmas. Sorry I’m late.” He steps inside, bringing a rush of cold air with him and shrugs out of his coat. “Layne kept talking and talking, and I couldn’t leave. I feel bad, it’s his first Christmas without his dad. But he knew I was coming here.”
Soren takes his coat and kisses him. “No worries. You’re here now.”
“Come in.” Taking hold of his arm, I draw him deeper into the house, claiming a kiss as we walk down the hall. “Are you hungry? We have snacks and drinks downstairs.”
“I could use a drink.” He drapes his arm over my shoulders. “How was your Christmas?”
“Quiet. I watched some movies, called my parents, took a nap, and had dinner with the ten teammates who showed up. A good day. How was yours?” I lead the way down the stairs to the basement.
His boots are heavy on the stairs. “Loud and busy. My parents made too much food, I brought food, and so did everyone else. So we all went home with leftovers. It was good to see my family and spend time with Layne.”
Soren jogs down after us. “How is he? The first holidays after losing someone are difficult.”
“He seemed quieter than usual and sad, but okay. My aunt brought out her tarot cards and he got excited for a reading. Then my grandmother said she used to read tea leaves before my mom was born, which none of us knew about, and she wanted to see if she could still do it. So we’re sitting there, all seventeen of us, cutting the tops off of tea bags to make loose leaf tea.
” Laughing, he sits and takes off his boots.
Another pair of holiday socks cover his feet. Pterodactyls wearing Santa hats.
Soren grabs us three beers from the refrigerator. “Well, could she still read them?”
He shrugs. “Don’t know. The dredges of everyone’s leaves looked the same to me. She told me that my future looked bright and good things were coming for the band.”
“Maybe I should have her read for me.” I take one of the beers and lean back on the couch. “See if I’ll stay healthy for the rest of the season.”
Shaking his head, Bax smiles and rubs my shoulder then takes the beer Soren offers. “How was your Christmas with your family, Soren?”
“Really good. My uncle and his partner were the only family there. The rest were their friends, but the group has been the same for years so I know everyone pretty well. Stockholm is seven hours ahead of us, so I called my parents this morning.”
I pat the space beside me, and wait for him to sit. “Was your brother there?” He and Johan don’t have the best relationship.
“Yeah. Went on and on about his new car, asked if I still had my old wreck.” He rolls his shoulders like he can’t get comfortable. “Nils and Brian helped me buy my car when I came to the States. So what if it’s older and a little dinged up? Why would I get rid of it?”
Bax slides his arm behind me to reach Soren’s shoulder. “I have cousins, not siblings, so I can’t completely understand what it’s like, but I’m sorry if he’s being a dick.”
“Seconding what he said,” I angle my head in Bax’s direction.
Sighing, Soren leans into me in an effort to get closer to both of us. I like being squished between them. “Thanks. Hey, I want to give you your presents.”
While he gets them, I grab the bag with Bax’s gift and hand it to him. He tears into it, pulling out two pairs of drumsticks.
He takes a pair and begins drumming on one of the throw pillows. “These are the exact brand I use.”
I nudge the beers farther back on the coffee table so they won’t be in the way. “Sage and Soren helped me pick them out.”
“Thank you.” He slides his hand to the back of my head and urges me forward and into his kiss.
Soren lays two flat squares wrapped in red paper on the coffee table. “Before you open these, let me show you what Tyler gave me.”
He unrolls the black yoga mat. At its center is a light gray illustration of a hand forming devil horns, surrounded by little lightning bolts and music notes. “Isn’t it great?”
I’m so happy he likes it so much. “Soren is the only person I know who does yoga to heavy metal, so when I saw this, I knew it was meant for him.”
“If I were to start yoga, that’s the mat I’d want.” Bax gives an approving nod.
Soren carefully rolls it up then props it against the other mats in the corner. “Open your gifts.”
The hard lines of the square and bit sticking up on the back, I’m sure it’s a picture frame. With the first tear in the paper, I see pine trees, and immediately think of the photo series on Soren’s wall. A gasp from Bax wrenches my attention in his direction.
Balled up wrapping paper beside him, he stares at a photo framed in black metal.
I lean in for a better look. It’s of him on stage, in a group hug with his bandmates.
The lighting looks really good and artistic.
His surprise shifts into a watery smile and he sniffs then clears his throat.
“This was the first show after Layne’s dad died.
Damn, this is nice to have. Thank you, Soren.
” He reaches out his hand for Soren to grasp then pulls him down for a kiss.
Soren traces his fingertip along Bax’s cheek. “At the show, he didn’t mention his dad, but the way you all kept looking at each other, I knew something was going on. I’m really glad I took that now."
I finish unwrapping my gift. The photo is from the series he took of the woods at the cabin. Nighttime, with hundreds of stars in the sky. “I love it. I’ll hang it as soon as I go upstairs. Do you think we could go someday? It looks so peaceful there.”
“I’ll ask Rhys. If not his cabin, we can rent another place.”
Bax gets up and picks up his coat from where Soren left it hanging on his desk chair. “Your presents are in here.”
He returns with two gifts of the same size and wrapped in the same paper. “Don’t worry, they aren’t identical. Just really similar.”
Soren and I share a curious glance, then tear into them. We both hold a copy of the latest Gargoyles Gateway games. Soren has the holiday version and mine is the special release they created for Pride month.
His features pinched with nerves, Bax drags his foot along the rug. “You don’t have them already, do you? I know they’re popular…”
“I don’t have this one.” I scan the back of the case. “They sold out too fast. I’d read they were restocking in time for the holidays, but didn’t think I’d be able to get my hands on it.”
“And I wasn’t able to get the holiday game for the same reason,” Soren adds. “How’d you manage to score them?”
Bax’s shoulders relax away from his ears. “One of Gavin’s coworkers at the music store has a brother who works at the game shop. He hooked me up.”
I lean into Soren to get a better look at his game. “Wanna play? We can create a character for you, Bax.”
“Why not? I want to see why you like it so much.” He strides to the couch and we make room for him to sit between us.
Soren loads his game and digs out a third controller.
“The overall premise is a land of fantasy creatures ruled by magic. There are spells involving the different elements. Earth, air, fire, water. And different quests you can do. There’s also easy games where it’s more like racing against other players.
Looks like this version is mostly a winter theme. ”
Settling against Bax’s side, I navigate to the list of characters. “I’m always the purple gargoyle, and Soren is the orange one. Your options are a gargoyle, ogre, dragon, centaur, fairy, or gnome.”
Bax scans the list and stops on a blue gargoyle. “This is the one.”
He’s a quick learner with the game controls, and I bet his drumming ability aids his dexterity.
We pick an easy game, blasting each other with snowballs and spells, racing through a snow-covered forest. It’s silly and fun and we play round after round.
As the hour grows late, we turn off the game. Sitting together in the dark, cuddled under the blankets in Soren’s bed with our limbs entangled, we watch A Christmas Carol and talk about our plans and resolutions for the new year.
When How the Grinch Stole Christmas begins, I can barely keep my eyes open.
Soren tucks the blankets around me and Bax smooths my hair off my forehead.
The best feeling is when they lie beside me.
The three of us haven’t shared sleep before, and Soren and I haven’t either, not on the road or here at home.
The peace I feel in their presence is unlike anything I’ve ever known.
Bax kisses me goodnight, and Soren follows, taking it deep enough to wake me up a bit and send current of longing rippling through me. With his arm around my waist, he spoons me, so I’m facing Bax, and our drummer stay close, folding his arm over my hip so he can touch Soren too.
When I’m with them, it feels like my heart has grown three sizes.