It All Started In Fiji

Chapter 2: Christmas

December 22nd, 2019

POV: Alex

Lizzie and I had known each other for six months at this point. It was six months of calls, texts and facetime dinners between the two of us. She managed to get the holidays off from filming and said she would be spending time with me in San Francisco for Christmas, which was shocking but exciting at the same time.

I knew that over these last six months that my feelings for Lizzie had grown. But I refused to damage my relationship with her. She had become the single most important person in my life, my best friend, my closest confidant. Sure I had friends and co-workers but the relationship between Lizzie and I had something far deeper than anyone else. Before I could dwell much further on it, the doorbell rang. She was here.

With a bright smile, I straightened my polo shirt, as I walked towards the door. The moment the door was open, I was tackled by my favorite blonde woman. I lost my footing and balance, leaving the two of us in a tangle on the floor. I managed to land first, holding her tightly to my chest. I would be damned if she got hurt while she was here. Her head tucked into the side of my neck and she just cuddled into me.

"AJ! I've missed you so damn much!" She whispered, her breath was hot on my pulse point, causing a shiver to run down my spine.

"Chase, my favorite person!" I sat up, putting her into my lap, my arms around her tightly. "Are you sure you didn't play football in school? That tackle was rather amazing."

She laughed softly, cuddling further into me. "Pretty sure I didn't but I did have a friend that played soccer. She's a pro player now, with the Portland Thorns and the US Women's National Team. We really should go see one of her games."

"I'm so glad you are here, and that sounds like a lot of fun." I scooped her into my arms and got to my feet. She wrapped her legs around my waist and squeaked. With a free hand, I grabbed her bag from the doorstep and managed to put it just inside the door. Once the door was fully closed, I carried her into the living room and set her down on her feet. "Even if it's only for a few days, I am so glad you are here. But are you sure that you don't wanna spend this time with your family, you were saying a few weeks ago that you haven't seen them in a while."

"I'll see them for New Years, as a bit of a family tradition. We all get together in New York. It's where the twins are based and they typically can't get away often." Lizzie admitted with a smile. "Between flying over to Atlanta for filming, flying back to see you, and then heading over to New York for the family tradition. It's gonna be a lot of flight hours, but honestly it's worth it."

"You are going to take time for yourself, right? You work so hard, Chase, you need rest." I urged.

"Time with you is time for myself." She said, a soft blush on her cheeks.

I pressed a kiss to her forehead and quickly showed her around the house. Her words echoed in my head, a thought for another time.

"I was just about to start making dinner, did you want to join me in the kitchen?" I offered as we returned back to the living room.

"Oh what are we cooking?" Lizzie asked, grabbing my hand. She was always reaching for me or touching me, and honestly, it didn't bother me at all.

"We have some options. Option one: Salmon and roasted veggies or Option two: Pasta with pesto sauce."

"Pasta and pesto!" Lizzie smiled, her eyes sparkling.

Dinner that night was filled with laughs, smiles, and touches that neither of us commented on.

The days of her visit passed entirely too quickly. Christmas morning brought her climbing into my bed and laying her head on my chest. We spent two or three hours just cuddling and talking in bed. I had gotten her some new tools and seedlings for her garden, as well as a new pair of garden gloves. She had gotten me the whole box set of Marvel movies to date, along with autographs from the whole cast, directors and even Kevin Fiege. I had started to watch the Marvel movies, and was currently on Captain America: Civil War.