56. FIFTY-SIX
FIFTY-SIX
Any other Christmas day, I’d have woken up two hours ago at five to help my mom make breakfast for my entire extended family. Instead, I’m laying in bed with the love of my life. My head hurts just a smidge, but my body feels lighter than usual.
“Ugh…” Finn rolls over in his sleep, pulling me closer. “Mmh, bunny…”
“Finn,” I say with a sleepy voice. “Finn.”
“Hmm… What?” he yawns.
“Merry Christmas.”
Like a rocket he shoots up, eyes darting over to the clock on his nightstand and then at me. As if confirming, I’m really there, he calms down. “Yeah… R-Right,” he chuckles sheepishly. “I love you, Dunk. You wanna open presents?”
“You actually got some?”
His brow raises in question. “Of course I did. It’s Christmas. You think I’d miss an opportunity to spoil my sweet bunny?”
“I… I don’t know. I just thought...”
“Thought what? That I was mad at you?” Finn grins before carrying me with one strong arm. The floor groans underneath us as he steps out into the hall. He drops me down on the couch, kissing my forehead and then disappearing into the basement.
When he returns he has a few wrapped gifts in tow, setting them down on the coffee table alongside another mug of hot chocolate. Finn takes his spot next to me, pulling me onto his lap and burying his nose in my hair.
“Here,” he brings the steaming cup of liquid to my lips. One sip is enough for the rich chocolate flavor to wash away my morning breath. “They’re all for you,” he says happily while motioning to all the gifts. “Which one do you wanna open first?”
“Is this… okay? I mean, I didn’t get you anything. I feel… bad.”
Finn giggles. “You gave me the best gift of all: you. You’re mine, Duncan.” Leaning forward, he swipes a smaller, thinner box from the table. “Open this one.”
Clumsy fingers tear apart the green gift wrap, adorned with sparkles and little Christmas trees.
It’s one of those fancy rectangular jewelry boxes, and for a second I get nervous.
But when I open it, I find the collar from when I first woke up here.
My name is engraved on the metal tag that sits just underneath the golden bell.
“Now you can’t ever get away from me again.” Finn says happily, plucking it from the box and wrapping the leather around my neck. It tightens when he fastens it, so rough in comparison to my hickey-covered skin. “Do you like it?”
“I love it." The words are almost foreign as they leave my lips. The bell jingles, which can only mean one thing: I’m really his. I’m completely and utterly his.
There’s this vague feeling of forget lingering in the back of my head, but it’s a blurry memory I can’t quite make clear. “T-Thank you, Finn.”
Finn’s touch is gentle as his hands return back to my lap, grabbing hold of my own while he idly kisses my head. “It looks really cute on you. You’re so adorable, Dunk.”
I open my mouth to reply, but heavy knocking at the door interrupts me. Finn and I stare at each other for a moment, before he delicately pushes me off of him. The knocks continue, getting louder and more forceful.
“Stay put, okay?” Finn rises to his feet, glancing back at me and then at the door. Without another word he kisses my cheek and ruffles my hair. He’s giving me all his trust. I already fucked that up once, I won’t do it again.
His footsteps retreat down the hall. The lock twists and the door opens, and for a moment time comes to a standstill. Today’s snowstorm is fierce, with howling winds and gray clouds.
“We’re sorry to bother you today, but have you seen—” a deep voiced man asks with an edge of authority, followed by the sound of rustling and a fwip of paper being pulled out from somewhere. “—this man? We have reason to believe you may know him. His name is Duncan. Duncan Armette?”
Memories of Thanksgiving flash in my head.
Their faces. The drive home. The way life seemed no better than an airplane meeting its fiery end.
Finn replies with something I know isn’t true, but I pay it no mind.
Reaching for the remote, I turn on the TV on—skipping a news report with a picture of my face to find something lighter to watch.
Grabbing the wool blanket off the couch’s back, I drape it over myself and get nice and snug. Finn will be back any minute, since he’s doing a damn good job persuading the cops into believing he doesn’t know what happened to me.
Today is gonna be such a good day.
I wonder what we’ll do? Hot chocolate by the fireplace…? A Christmas movie marathon? Maybe, if I’m really good, we can go drive around houses to look at Christmas lights. That was one of my favorite things to do as a kid.
If not today, maybe tomorrow? Or the day after that, or the day after that… Or maybe even next year. It doesn’t matter to me. I’m okay with waiting. As long as we’re together, nothing really matters to me. We’ve got all the time in the world. Just him and I for the rest of our lives.
The front door closes, slow footsteps approaching. My stomach sinks not out of fear, but out of excitement. We’re really going to be together forever, aren’t we? What could be better than that?
I really don’t know why I ever wanted to leave.