Reclusive- s.r

twelve

When I wake up the next morning, I register an arm draped across my waist, and I'm about to go into panic mode when I remember the events of last night. I instantly relax and glance over my shoulder to see Spencer still asleep, which is unusual for him. I try not to move as not to wake him up, opting to look outside of the window that I'm facing, seeing that it's snowing, and it brings a smile to my face.

I can hear the faint commotion downstairs, meaning that it's only me and Spencer who have yet to wake up. It's ironic because usually it's me who's up early, running into my parents room and jumping on their bed run downstairs and open presents. Adulthood has changed me, because now I'm the one who sleeps in on Christmas.

Spencer stirs lightly behind me, and I glance over my shoulder to see his eyes slowly opening, his brown curls falling over his face. He glances around the room, no doubt remembering everything that happened yesterday, and that it was not in fact a dream. He smiles languidly at my and rubs his thumb along my waist, leaning forward to bury his face in my neck and kiss me there.

"Merry Christmas, Vee," he whispers into my neck.

"Merry Christmas, Spence," I respond, smiling up at the ceiling. He smiles against my neck at the new nickname, moving upwards to place a chaste kiss on my cheek. I want to kiss him more than anything, but I haven't brushed my teeth yet, and I'm not that comfortable with him yet. I maneuver myself to climb over him and out of bed, walking into the bathroom and brushing out my hair and putting some toothpaste on my toothbrush. When I open the door, Spencer is leaning against the doorway waiting his turn, and the first thing I notice he does when he enters the bathroom is brush his teeth.

I walk back into my room and slide on a pair of warmer socks, not bothering to change out of my pyjamas. I take my phone of the charger and slide it into my pocket, glancing back to see Spencer now re-entering my bedroom, the first thing he does is cup me cheeks and plant a kiss on my mouth. I lean up slightly and press a quick kiss on his lips once he pulls away, patting his chest twice and approaching the doorway.

"We need to make an appearance downstairs." I walk slowly down the stairs so I don't fall, until I reach the landing and I follow the sound of talking until I reach the living room. There are a few presents under the tree, all of which haven't been opened yet.

Everyone shouts a string of good morning's and merry Christmas's, and Spencer and I walk into the kitchen to get something to eat and a cup of coffee. There's still espresso on the stove, so I pour some into a cup with some milk and a bit of sugar, Spencer doing the same. When we walk back into the living room, Spencer and I sit cross legged on the floor beside each other, and my parents start passing around presents.

I hand out my gifts to both of my parents, and the gift I had also picked up for Spencer last minute. I work a minimum wage job, so I couldn't go too expensive on gifts, but I didn't want to come empty handed. What surprises me is when my parents slide an envelope to Spencer, and when I glance over he looks too stunned to even try and form a sentence.

"I can't accept this," he shakes his head, and my parents refuse to take the envelope back when Spencer hands it back.

"Please just accept it. We weren't too sure what you'd like, so we took a guess." Spencer thanks them more times than necessary and opens the envelope to find a cheesy Christmas card and a bookstore gift card inside.

My gift from my parents consists of practical things, a new sweater, and lots of gift cards. They know me well enough that I prefer the money to buy myself things that I like, it saves them and me a lot of hassle in the future. When my grandfather pulls out the envelope from his pant pocket, I already know there's some cash inside, because I get the same gift every year, and I always appreciate it just the same.