All My Christmases

2006

"We need to go!" Chris called from the living room of Charlotte's apartment.

"I'm going as fast as I can! It's your fault we're late! I wanted to leave early!" Charlotte yelled back as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. She quickly wiped the smudged lipstick from around her lips and quickly reapplied it as she waited for her curling iron to finish heating up, so she could fix more than a few curls that were now out of place.

"You could have said no," Chris said as he popped his head into the bathroom.

"Stay back or I will burn you with this," she said as she thrust the curling iron near his face. "Did you clean up the glass?" Charlotte asked as she checked the back of her hair in a mirror.

"I don't know why you would put an entry table by the door, and then put a lamp and picture frames on it. What did you think would happen?"

"Clearly, not what just took place," Charlotte said as she continued to fix the last section of her hair that was messy.

"We can get a new lamp later," Chris said as he came up behind Charlotte and started placing light breathy kisses on the side of her neck.

"Don't write a check you can't cash Evans," Charlotte said as she stepped out of his grasp. "Also you have a little something right there," she said as she pointed to a red lipstick stain on his neck. "Might want to wash that off before we meet up with my parents."

"They do know we're 26 right? Practically 30, they have to know, deep down inside," Chris joked as he looked in the mirror to wipe off the offending stain that would have given away their pre-dinner activities.

"Just, prepare to be majorly offended at some point this evening, and I'll make it up to you later," Charlotte said as she gave him a quick peck on the lips and unplugged the curling iron cord from the wall. She flipped off the bathroom light and they both exited the bathroom into her bedroom.

"Fine, but I'm taking this," Chris said as he grabbed a red belt that Charlotte had sitting on a bench at the foot of her bed. He quickly laced it through the belt loops on his pants and pulled his shirt back down, adjusting his clothes and straightening his tie in the full-length mirror hanging off the back of her bedroom door. "Let's get this over with."

"Come on Chris, you know my parents love you!" Charlotte said as they both walked out of her apartment, locking the door behind her. "They just have a peculiar way of showing it," Charlotte said as Chris opened the door to the passenger's side of her car and walked around to the driver's side, and got in. "Listen, I'm gonna need you to Johnny Storm this one up and get us there quick, we're about to be late and I don't think I can take a lecture 4 days before Christmas, I just can't. Charlotte Ann, what if we were clients, would you be late for a client? That boyfriend of yours is a bad influence," Charlotte joked as she lowered her voice and tried to imitate her father.

"They have zero idea who you are, do they?" Chris asked as he navigated effortlessly through the traffic, miraculously making it to their destination with 3 minutes to spare.

"Oh God, absolutely not. 2 minutes, let's go," Charlotte said as she quickly got out of the car, practically speed walking up to the doors of the establishment. "Shit," Charlotte said as she surveyed the bar area. "The night this place fucking has a table ready on time," she sighed as she scooted through the waiting area and looked through the dining room spotting her parents sitting at a table, already drinking a bottle of wine.

"You're late," Susan said as Charlotte and Chris walked up to the table.

"Nice to see you too mom," Charlotte said as she hugged her mom as Chris pulled out a chair for her to sit in.