Jay II
“That’s so nice. Wasn’t that nice?” Nix said with a sigh.
No one goes for the tree to get their gift, so Jay thinks he might as well bite the bullet.
“Me next, then.” He pulls out a small gold bag he’d stuck into the branches of the tree.
He hadn’t wanted what was inside crushed by the cats or wrestling enigma dumbasses.
If it also meant Luca couldn’t reach it for extra snooping, then that was good too.
“Nix, this is for you.”
“You got me? Yay!” He claps his hands—though no doubt he would have the same response about any of them. “Please.”
He takes the bag, tosses out the glittering tissue, and freezes.
Tilting his head, he still hasn’t pulled out his gift. “Jamie.”
“What is it?!” Luca squeals.
“It’s my phone.”
Jay isn’t surprised that it has been in the bag for two weeks and he hadn’t noticed. Nix still couldn’t get the hang of keeping his cell phone handy. To be fair, he never went anywhere by himself. Ever.
“Ha ha ha, James, are you trying to make a point?” He’s got tiny frown lines between his perfect brows.
“No, although I think we might need to talk about how you didn’t know where it was for two weeks. But not now. Here, can I show you?” He holds his hand out for the phone.
He huffs out a grumpy, “Fine.”
Jay hopes that what comes next will turn that frown upside down. Easily opening the phone—no security measures either, because Nix Rena—and connects Spotify to the Bluetooth speakers in the room. He finds what he’s looking for and presses play.
Stay With Me by Sam Smith starts to play, and Nix’s eyes fly to his. Jay presses the next song—Photograph by Ed Sheeran—and then the next, and the next, and the next until he gets to the last song, a recorded version of Forever by Jamie Rhodes.
Jay watches as his tears fall and cause his nose to run, but he still doesn’t break eye contact with his beloved.
It’s the playlist he’d made for Nix of their songs from so long ago.
Songs he had handpicked for every lyric, and many from their not-quite-dates.
The last song is the one he’d written just for Nix Rena, the boy he loved.
A song he’d not sung for another living soul but Nix until he’d done so in the hospital room to help Nix know it was him.
“Jamie,” Nix wails before launching himself into Jay’s arms. “I–I c-couldn’t remember them all after a while.
But maybe now I can.” Jay’s heart aches like he might die with those words.
Music had been a huge part of who they were, and hearing Nix had endured without even that to ease him is a pain Jay can hardly fathom.
He commits in that moment that every day of their life going forward will be filled with more music than ever before. “I’ll add some new ones for you, too. Is that okay? I wanted this one to be like old times, but I already have a list of new ones to add.”
“Yes—all the music. Can we leave it on? I know it’s not Christmas-y but…”
“Yeah. We can.” Jay puts the phone on the table, where Nix can see the art he’d made for the playlist. He doesn’t point it out, because it’s not something for anyone else but the two of them.
Someday, Nix will recognize the cartoon portrait Jay had added—a recreation of that cheek-kiss photo.
Maybe not today, or even soon—but Jay doesn’t mind waiting. For Nix, he’d wait forever.
As Love Me Like You Do by Ellie Goulding starts up, Finn finds his gift under the tree. He hands Luca the plain white envelope with an awkward, crooked smile. “It’s kind of stupid, Luca. But…yeah.”
“For me?!” He throws his arms around the doctor’s neck and kisses him all over his face until Finn laughs.
He blocks Luca’s kisses with a hand covering the entirety of Luca’s face. “Just open it, doofus.”
Luca pulls open the sealed flap as gently as he can. It is uncharacteristically gentle from the guy who once ripped the gift inside while tearing open the box of his last Christmas gift. When he pulls it out, it’s a neat stack of papers stapled at one end.
“Oh, Finn,” he whispers, clutching the small book to his chest. “It’s perfect. Thank you so much.” He throws himself into Finn’s arms, whispering words Jay can’t hear but which make the alpha smile wide enough that Jay can see his back teeth.
“Can I see what it is, baby?” Nix asks.
Luca just holds it out so his mates can pass it around from person to person.
Gideon snorts as he passes it to Jay. He holds it so that he and Nix can look at it together. It’s a painstakingly hand-drawn coupon book. It reads: This entitles Luca Wilde to ONE night in Finn Merritt’s bed for a sleepover on an occasion of his choosing.
“Wow,” Nix murmurs.
Wow, indeed. Finn doesn’t entertain in his bedroom, and only on rare occasions.
It’s his quiet Zen space, where he can be as tidy and as organized as he likes with absolute silence.
Only Nix has an open invitation, as far as he knows, but the only time Luca had spent there is still at the top of Luca’s list of envied privileges.
That he would give twenty-five such invitations is a big deal.
“Look.” Nix points to the tiny fine print:
Luca Wilde must leave his day clothes at the door. Bathing first is preferred. No wet hair.
Jay cannot be blamed for laughing out loud before he hands the booklet to Grayson and Rowan.
Tsuki gives him a disapproving nip to his sweatpants, but when he tries to check her audacity, she pretends (he’s sure she’s pretending) to be asleep.
“You’re so lucky, Luc. The envy of us all,” Nix praises, smiling until Finn’s cheeks are red.
“Okay, that’s enough of that. Who’s next?”
Jay’s surprised when Nix stands up. “Me.” He’s pale, and he’s pulled his scent in all the way.
Leo gets up and exits into the right wing hall, returning with a mic stand and their smallest speaker.
Grayson presses stop on the Nix giving a nod, he peels back the wrapping paper covered with cavorting cats.
Jay has to chuckle at the irony.
When Leo pulls back the bubble wrap, he freezes. Looking at Gideon, his lower lip wobbles.
“Let’s see it. The suspense is killing me.” Gideon flashes Rowan a look that implies he will be doing the killing if he doesn’t zip it.
“Gideon,” Leo whines, but he pulls the gift out of the box. It’s a vase, modge-podged in pressed flowers in every shade and variety.
Jay recognizes the petals of yellow and red roses. There are violets and the petals of peonies. Of sunflowers and daffodils. Of purple irises, and so many Jay can’t name but has certainly seen in vases around the house. Gifts from Leo to Gideon, for every occasion and no occasion at all.
They knew Gideon kept some flowers pressed into books, but this sheer number is staggering.
That he would keep these tokens of Leo’s affection and then be willing to part with them as a gift in return is even more romantic.
Leo must think so, too, because he bursts into tears.
He holds his arms out to Gideon, who goes to take the vase, but Leo hands it to Finn and tackles Gideon to the ground instead.
“I think he likes it, Sugar—you were worried about nothing,” Luca chimes from Finn’s lap.