14. Christmas Movies & Kisses
CHRISTMAS MOVIES & KISSES
K andi
Kayn had been avoiding me since our kiss the night before.
We talked, but only when his family was around.
Whenever I tried to get him alone, he found some reason to avoid me.
If it hadn’t been for his aunt Frances, I was certain that we would have had sex by now.
It wasn’t something that I would have regretted either.
The kiss we shared had been so sexy and all-consuming. I had no idea that man had so much passion pent up inside of him. He could kiss like nobody’s business too.
“Tis the season to be jolly, fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la.” I sang as I placed the finishing touches on my handcrafted ornament. We had walked to the church and attended an arts and crafts gift session earlier.
There were all types of DIY activities for creating Christmas gifts for loved ones.
I skipped those tutorials and went straight to creating an ornament.
I wanted to leave something behind for the Robleys after I was gone.
I didn’t want them to forget me, because I definitely wouldn’t be forgetting them anytime soon.
As much as I was disappointed about not being with my family, I welcomed the time that I was spending with Kayn and his family.
It allowed me to think about how it would feel if I were actually in a relationship with a man.
It had been a couple of years since I’d been in a relationship or involved with a man.
Being with Kayn and the recipient of his attention made me realize just how much I was missing out on.
“You’re a girl after my own heart,” Frances declared as she stood with the gift that she had created for the First Lady of their church.
“Why’s that?” I asked, holding my ornament up in the air to inspect it.
“You absolutely are in love with this season. You’re happy and full of the joy of Christmas and all that the season brings.”
“Why not? It’s the most beautiful time of the year.
Stockings are hung over the chimney, the tree is decorated with brilliant colors and magnificent lights, the town is full of people doing good for one another and being nice to each other, and it’s the time of the year that we celebrate the birth of our Savior. ”
“Ain’t that the God’s honest truth,” Frances stated and chuckled.
“Mama, you know that nobody knows when He was truly born. This is just a manmade holiday that people picked to celebrate,” Myra quipped, blowing into the room with a tin of cookies.
“Girl, hush that. Don’t come in here ruining our good mood,” Frances chided.
“Yeah, okay. Anyway, Mrs. Oakley sent me over with these cookies. She told me to make sure that I share them with y’all,” Myra announced, setting the tin of cookies in the middle of the table.
Frances glanced at her daughter, placed her hands on her hips, and twisted her lips. “Now, chile, you know good and doggone well not to bring that mess up in this house.”
I looked up at the two women in confusion.
Myra laughed. “Mm-hmm. Where’s all that goodwill and kindness you were talking about now, Mama?”
Frances rolled her eyes, made a huffing noise, and headed out of the room.
I smiled at Myra. “What’s that about?”
She giggled. “Nothing more than Mrs. Oakley, who happens to be very married, has a crush on my daddy. She’s always sending stuff over for them to try, with a little extra for daddy.”
“Is your father aware?”
“Girl, yeah,” she replied, waving her hand dismissively. “My daddy ain’t paying that woman no attention, but that doesn’t stop Mama from acting a fool every time Mrs. Oakley’s name is even mentioned.”
“Does Mr. Oakley know about it?”
“I doubt it. That man head be so deep in that television watching sports, the house could be on fire and he wouldn’t notice.”
“That’s sad. I never . . .”
“You never what?”
“I never want Kayn and I to become like that.”
I almost said that I never wanted to be in a relationship like that if I ever married, but I caught myself just in time.
“Girl, please. I doubt that you and Kayn could ever become that. Looking at you two, anyone can tell that you’re deeply in love. I want what you two have someday. I never thought the day would come that I would see my big cousin in love, but it’s a good look on him, and I’m happy for you both.”
I smiled tightly, and the feeling of deception churned in my gut. “Thank you, Myra.”
“What’re you two in here gossiping about?” Kayn asked, walking into the room.
“How happy you and Kandi are, and how you will never become Mr. and Mrs. Oakley,” Myra pronounced.
I could tell by the way that Kayn’s face scrunched up and how he shook his head that he knew all about the Oakleys’ problems, despite how long he had been gone.
“How long have they been having those issues?” I asked.
“No sooner than they said ‘I do.’ I’m not even sure why they married, to be honest, because let Daddy tell it, she’s been crushing on him since they were in high school,” Myra explained.
“All right, everyone. It’s time for a movie marathon,” Uncle JR declared, walking into the room.
“Who’s turn is it to pick?” Kayn asked.
“Yours, actually.”
“All right. Let’s do Polar Express .”
“Not again,” Myra groaned.
“It’s better than Home Alone for the gazillionth time,” Kayn retorted.
She shoved him on the shoulder, and he shoved her back, but they laughed and headed into the theater room. I got up and followed behind them as everyone had already gone into the theater room. I looked around for a spot to sit when I arrived in the theater room.
Kayn was at the front of the room messing with the sound system for the TV.
I grabbed some of the snacks Frances had made for movie night, which included peppermint cookies, sugar cookies, and peppermint and chocolate drizzled popcorn, and then grabbed a seat for the two of us.
Everyone got settled in, but when Kayn took a seat, he went to the opposite end of the couch from me.
I frowned, wondering why he was distancing himself from me and if I had done anything wrong again. He’d been acting distant lately since our kiss, and I didn’t know how to get through to him. I saw Frances and JR glance at us a couple of times before I got up and sat beside him.
“Are we good?” I whispered, setting the bowl of popcorn on his lap.
“Mhm. Why?”
“You’ve been avoiding me,” I whispered.
He turned his lips down, shook his head, and remained silent.
I took his hand in mine and leaned a little closer, but it seemed to unnerve him. “Your aunt and uncle are watching us. Get back into character,” I warned before I rested my head on his shoulder.
Kayn sighed and kissed my forehead before he turned his attention back to the TV. I kept staring up at him until he finally looked down at me.
“What?” he whispered.
“Kiss me,” I whispered back.
Kayn stared deeply into my eyes, and I saw all the possibilities resting in his.
I wanted more than this next few days with him, more than this holiday season.
Deep inside, I knew that I wanted a lifetime with him.
When he winked, I felt myself tumble over even more. I had genuinely fallen for this man.
Kayn lowered his head and brushed my lips sweetly before he pulled back and stared into my eyes again.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered.
Hope bloomed in my heart, and I prayed that this wasn’t a part of the act.
He dipped his head and kissed me thoroughly, and I was gone.
Either he was a damn good actor, or he was catching feelings too.
But a little elf kept telling me that when the holidays were over, I would be returning to work heartbroken.