Christmas Kebabs was an annual tradition we started when we were teenagers as a way of meeting up with our group of friends and exchanging any gifts we’d gotten each other after family festivities had ended. We’d meet at precisely midnight at the one Kebab place in town that we all liked, have something to eat and catch up. It continued on as a tradition as we grew up, that one time of year that we were all in one place at the same time, guaranteed.
I slipped out of my house at a quarter to twelve, Aston’s car at the curb.
“Hey,” I grinned, buckling up my seatbelt.
“Merry Christmas!”
Aston leant across the shifter and planted a kiss on my cheek, grinning lazily as he pulled away and pulled his car from the curb.
“Can we not say anything to anyone just yet?” I asked as we drove through the dark streets of Peterborough.
“You don’t want to?”
“We can, soon. I just want another date or two, you know. Successful ones,” I added with a giggle.
“Ok,” Aston agreed, “We’ll keep this to ourselves.”
“Thanks.”
We pulled up at the car park near the kebab place, the first car in the lot.
“Here open my gift,” I said, passing Aston a wrapped present.
Inside was a framed photo of the pair of us from earlier in the year, when we’d gone to a fancy dress party at Halloween. I loved the picture because we both looked like we were having the time of our lives, grinning away at the camera with our arms wrapped around each other.
“Oh god,” he laughed, looking at the picture, “We were both kinda drunk here.”
“Kinda?” I giggled.
“It’s a really fantastic picture though.”
“It’s my favorite of us in a long time.”
“Me too. Thanks babe,” he said, leaning over and kissing my cheek again. I could feel it burn a bit hot as he said that, chuffed that he seemed to like the present.
“You’re welcome.”
“Here, open mine.”
He pulled a long thin box from behind his seat, passing it to me. Carefully I pulled the wrapping off, shocked to see a blue Tiffany box.
“Oh Ast… this is too much.”
“Open it,” he said.
Gently I pulled the top off the box, a silver necklace with a heart pendant sat in a velvet cushion.
“Why did you get me this?”
“I thought you’d like it,” he replied simply.
“I love it.”
“Good, let me help you put it on.”
I loosened the necklace from the cushion, and then passed it to Aston, turning my back and lifting my hair to the side so he could clasp the necklace shut.
“I love it,” I repeated, inspecting my appearance in the passenger mirror.
“Good.”
“When did you get it?”
“Last year. I was in New York over your birthday, remember?”
“Yeah,” I replied.
“I knew it was exactly the sort of thing you’d like, but then I chickened out giving it to you. I didn’t know how you’d react or anything.”
“So you’re giving me my birthday gift?” I teased, grinning at him.
“It looks fabulous on you.”
“Thanks Ast,” I replied pulling him close for another kiss.
The headlights of a car pulled us apart, and we slipped out, going to meet everyone else at the kebab shop for Christmas Kebabs.
“Merry Christmas!” Natalie squealed as I walked in. She came running at me, wrapping her arms around my neck. I greeted some of the others, passing around hugs and well wishes.
“Two chicken kebabs,” I heard Aston ordering. I caught his eye just as he winked at me, turning to get just the right salads on my food. It warmed my heart a bit, as it felt like this was deliberate payback for the horrendous Nando’s date two years prior.
“Something happened,” Natalie said suspiciously. Pulling me to the side.
“What do you mean?”
“You and him, something’s happened.”
“Nat…”
“It has, you’re wearing the necklace.”
I looked down at the necklace Aston had given me, a soft smile playing on my lips.
“That adult sleepover may have prompted some revelations,” I winked, not giving her any more information.
Aston sidled over to me after that, handing me my food and grinning at Natalie.
“Merry Christmas Nat.”
“I should say the same to you… looks like you finally got the girl you always dreamed of.”
I blushed as she said this, wrapping an arm around Aston’s waist in a quick hug before taking the food.
“Maybe I got the boy that was there all along, and I was too blind to notice?”
“Whatever happened, I’m glad you two have finally sorted things out,” Natalie said, “I was about ready to knock your heads together.”
I shook my head at her, slipping into a booth beside Aston as we ate our food and caught up with our friends. And as the night continued on, I felt his fingers slide between my own under the table, his knee touching mine lightly and comfortably.
I couldn’t be sure that we’d last, but I knew our friendship was strong enough to weather any storm… And it was a bit of a Christmas miracle, in whatever perverse way, that finally got us together.
It was a Very Merry Christmas indeed.
THE END :)
