Chapter 2 #2
I see his shoulders visibly relax a little, and his lips finally tip into a smile. His ears even go a little pink, his telltale sign that he’s feeling shy, but he puffs his chest a little, and I get his confident smile.
“Of course,” he nods. “I have considerable experience with airports. It’s convenient, but also highly stressful if you’re underprepared.
Any crowd or delay can quickly turn this into a very negative experience.
And you did mention you’ve hardly ever flown before, so…
so, of course, it made sense I should take the lead.
Not that I don’t think you could do very well alone,” he quickly adds. “You are a very organized person.”
“Thank you, honey,” I smile. “Still, I’m glad you took care of everything this time!”
“Right… I just wish this delay didn’t inconvenience us.”
“It’s alright,” I shrug. “Nothing we can do about it. The worst-case scenario is our flight being canceled, and if it is, we could always grab the kitties and drive directly to Portland? …I’d feel very sorry for Emi, though. And your mom. But it’s not like we can help it.”
“Yes,” Nicolas nods pensively. “You know, I really don’t think they’d enjoy spending Christmas as just the two of them. It might be a lot better if my brother were there, at the very least.”
I pinch my lips not to say anything. Ooooooh, now that might be the understatement of the year…
Emi and Solange do not get along at all.
And I am not exaggerating one bit. The couple of times I witnessed them in a room together, it was awful—a tennis match of not-so-subtle comments, nasty remarks, and disdainful looks…
For the twins’ birthday, Nicolas’s brother Antoine and I put a lot of effort into distracting them from each other and keeping their interactions to a minimum.
It was a long evening for everyone involved…
. Well, I admit that I am team Emi. I know I shouldn’t, but I still feel like Solange is a bit rude to her most days, and Emi is not the type to quietly take it. Hence, the sparks.
Emi told me it’s been a lot better since she’s pregnant with Antoine’s baby, Solange’s first grandchild, but still. I can say for sure she would rather spend Christmas alone than spend a whole dinner with her mother-in-law if we can’t make it!
“Let’s just make sure we get there,” I say. “Did you tell your mom we’ll be late?”
“I did, and she sounded upset about it,” Nicolas frowned, “but I explained to her we should make it for dinner, so I’m not sure what she was upset about.”
I just nod along; that sounds like Solange…
but surely she can’t fault us for being held back by a snowstorm?
We got up very early to drop the kitties at their fancy cat hotel, and went on straight to the airport!
Nicolas always makes sure to leave room for traffic delays, so we even got here way earlier than suggested.
I pull up the live feed of our kitties’ room at the cat hotel.
Those two are so lucky to spend a couple of nights in such a fancy place!
Plus, I love that we can keep an eye on them at all times through the pet cam.
Right now, Coconut is playing with a little feathery toy, while Muffin is a bundle of fur, nestled in one of the beds for a nap.
“At least those two look like they’re enjoying their stay so far,” I smile, showing the footage to Nicolas.
He looks at it and gives a satisfied nod.
“Of course, they deserve a nice stay.”
I roll my eyes. Nicolas and I don’t argue often, but when we do, he never, ever lets me win easily.
And I’m not proud I lost on this one. According to Nicolas, we had to entrust our former street cats to the fanciest cat hotel in Boston.
I kept insisting they would be perfectly fine spending a couple of nights alone at my place, with a pet cam to check on them if we really wanted to, but he wouldn’t have it.
He made a whole PowerPoint presentation with a compilation of the cat hotel reviews to convince me, for crying out loud!
" …Coconut seems to like that toy. We should take note to get him one at home.”
“Nicolas, no. He has plenty of toys already!” I protest.
Cat toys are a waste of money on this silly kitty. He usually has more fun with plastic wrappers and empty boxes than with any of the overpriced toys Nicolas gets him!
“Still,” Nicolas says. “He looks like he really enjoys this one.”
I roll my eyes with an amused smile. I’m pretty sure Nicolas will get it for our cat, no matter what I say. If there’s one argument I can never win, it’s how much he spoils the three of us!
“Well, maybe if they’re good kitties,” I say. “They’ve been too mischievous lately, we can’t let them think it’s alright.”
“Alright,” Nicolas nods. “We can reevaluate based on behavioral improvement later.”
I smile and take my fork to start our lunch. If the delay doesn’t get any worse, we should have time to buy an afternoon snack, and then hopefully we’ll be boarding our flight soon!
“How is your family?” Nicolas asks while we eat.
“Busy with preparations,” I smile. “Chaotic as always, too. It’s a bit of a Tetris situation when everyone’s there with the kids… I think they might be a bit glad we’re not there, to be honest.”
“It does sound like a bothersome arrangement,” Nicolas frowns. “Your parents’ house was very nice, but your siblings have… a lot of children.”
“It can’t be helped,” I shrug. “My older brothers and their wives live in different states, so they have to drive over, and hotels are too pricey around Christmas…”
“Do they never celebrate with their wives’ families?” Nicolas asks with a frown. “You mentioned they were there last year too, right?”
“Well, Parveen’s family doesn’t celebrate Christmas, and I don’t know the details, but Courtney’s estranged from her family,” I explain.
“But it’s only once a year, and it’s nice for the family to reunite and for my nieces and nephews to see their grandparents!
Except for my old Aunt Ruth. She always invites herself and drives everyone crazy… ”
I grimace at the memory of my dad’s older sister.
She truly is the Grinch, constantly picking fights with my mom and arguing with everyone about everything!
Last year, she argued that my sister was old enough to bring a boyfriend home, chastised my brother for “still” living with our parents, and how my sisters-in-law weren’t helping much in the kitchen!
I wasn’t spared either. I got plenty of backhanded compliments on my “weight loss” that felt over-the-top…
I couldn’t get a single serving without a comment about the fat content or the “better” alternative!
Good gosh, as if I would ever skip butter on Christmas…
I still get grumpy whenever I think about it!
“Why is she invited?” Nicolas frowns. “Based on what you told me, it doesn’t seem like anyone particularly wants her around.”
“She technically isn’t,” I sigh, “but she lives down the street, so she always comes by to say ‘hi,’ except that she never, ever leaves! I can’t tell you how many times she and Mom have almost physically fought…”
I don’t think I’ve ever seen Mom as furious as the year my aunt commented on her Thanksgiving turkey being undercooked… I was afraid she was going to try stuffing it with my aunt next! We might be stuck in an airport for now, but I sure am glad we will avoid that Scrooge this year…
And there must be a Christmas angel watching over us somewhere because, to our relief, they finally confirm the boarding time and gate for our plane!
We quickly finish our lunch, pay for some sweet snacks, and line up just in time to board our seats, along with many other passengers who range from still grouchy to visibly relieved.
I admit that I only relax once we’re up in the air, and Nicolas and I can launch another Christmas movie to watch on my phone on the way there.
Sadly, I quickly realize the movie is set in Quebec, and of course, the heroine is strolling through the Christmas Market… My heart pinches with a hint of disappointment, but before I can even think about it, Nicolas takes my hand.
“Do you want to watch a different movie?” he offers gently.
“No, no, it’s fine!” I smile. “It’s totally fine. This way it feels a bit as if I made it there anyway, right?”
I keep smiling until he’s convinced and gets back to the movie. I really don’t want to let him see that I am still a little disappointed… especially since I had waited to watch this movie specifically for the trip, and I feel so silly now. But it’s fine! It can’t be helped.
Plus, Nicolas surprises me by ordering two cups of hot water, and, like Santa pulling a present out of his bag, hands me… a selection of our Hansel company hot chocolates, the newest ones in little sachets!
“Oh my Santa!” I giggle excitedly. “When did you sneak this?”
“I know you like surprises,” he explains, looking proud. “I figured this was an excellent occasion to make my girlfriend happy while testing our products in extreme conditions.”
“You mean in flight?” I chuckle.
“Exactly,” he nods. “Our customers should be able to enjoy our products everywhere. Shall we try it?”
“Of course!”
He lets me pick first, and I go for the raspberry hot cocoa, while he takes the toasted chestnut latte.
We pour it into our cups; the Hansel hot chocolate was conceived so that when there’s less water, the texture splits into chunky bits without losing its creaminess!
We exchange a smile before I take a sip. Oh, I love our company’s products!
“Well, doesn’t that smell heavenly?” An old lady suddenly bends across the aisle to smile at the two of us.
I know Nicolas isn’t too comfortable speaking with strangers (unless they’ve set up an appointment), so I lean over him and beam at her.
“Thank you!” I smile. “It’s the Hansel Hot Chocolates! Here, please have one.”
I give her one of the leftover sachets, knowing Nicolas won’t mind.
“Oh, how marvelous!” She nods, reading the packaging. “Is it available online?”
“Yes! And even better, you can find their shops in most cities across the U.S., Canada, and even a few in Europe,” I wink at her. “It’s in some supermarkets too.”
“Is that so?” she says with a strong French accent. “Well, I’ll make sure to pick up some for my grandchildren! Thank you, young lady.”
“You’re welcome!”
I lean back in my seat and catch Nicolas’s dazed gaze on me, staring at me like… like I’m the most delicious chocolate cake?
“What is it?” I can’t help but blush.
“I love when you get excited about my—our company’s products,” he whispers.
“Well, we truly do have great products,” I chuckle.
“Enough that this nice lady asked me about it just from the smell! And I am a foodie, always. How can I not get passionate about food? Just one hot cocoa sachet and it smells like Christmas on the plane! Food is like magic, and it brings so much joy.”
“I know,” he nods, “but still, I… love when you do that. You’re so cute when you’re excited about food. Or baking. Your eyes do that thing, they… sparkle with passion.”
That just sent some chocolate-covered sparkling-sugar butterflies fluttering in my stomach! How do I respond to that? I have no idea, so I just blush like the little foolishly happy girl that I am and press a quick kiss to his cheek.
“Well, you make me sparkle the most. Thank you for packing some delicious hot cocoa for me,” I smile.
Nicolas nods and sips some more of his, the tip of his ears a bit pink.
I love this man so much. I really do.
I love how honest and blunt he is about his feelings for me.
I love how kind he is and how attentive he is to everything.
I know the bar was low with my ex-boyfriend, but Nicolas has been absolutely wonderful ever since we started dating, and he hasn’t slowed down since or let his levels of affection waver from the time he was…
well, courting me? He doesn’t get too comfortable, and he doesn’t let me go when I’m upset.
And of course, he’s not perfect (though I might think it sometimes), but he learns from every mistake.
We’ve never had any big fights, but for any minor disagreement, Nicolas has tried to find a solution and to be patient until we figure it out together.
And even in cases like this, when it’s no one’s fault but misfortune happens, he tries to find solutions or cheer me up.
So, I lean happily against him, feeling grateful to be spending the holidays with my boyfriend, no matter the hurdles and delays.
We finish the Christmas movie along with our delicious holiday-themed drinks, and I rest against his shoulder, feeling a bit sleepy. When I doze off, his hand finds my knee and gently brushes it with his thumb. He presses a kiss to my temple, and it smells like Christmas.