Our Secretly Perfect Holidays

1. Our First Christmas

Tim and Lucy happened to start dating near the holidays. The holiday season, especially the FIRST holiday season, can be difficult for any couple to navigate, so just as Lucy managed Tim's expectations by telling him that she did not want to rush anything sexual between them, she chose to do the same with Christmas. At the beginning of December, when Christmas carols started playing on every radio station and malls started featuring their own Santa Claus for kids to share their Christmas lists with, she went over to his house with a rehearsed speech.

"Hey," he greeted and pulled her in by her hips. The second the front door was shut, he started kissing her neck. They agreed not to have sex and that Tim would not see Lucy naked for a while, but they could still make out, and he found he REALLY liked kissing her...everywhere.

She got a little distracted, understandably so, and leaned into his touch while her eyes slipped shut.

Until the kitchen timer made a distinctive "ding!" sound that diverted his attention to dinner in the oven. Once he pulled the food out, Tim greedily took her back in his arms, said, "The lasagna still needs a few minutes to cool," and covered her mouth with his own.

Later once they finally sat down on stools at his kitchen island, Lucy remembered the speech she had rehearsed. "Tim, I want to talk to you about something." He looked over at her curiously, and his eyes indicated he was listening intently. "We...our relationship is very new, and even for couples who have been together for a while, Christmas can be a LOT, so I was thinking that we shouldn't exchange gifts this year. We can find time to celebrate together, but we should keep it simple."

"Is this one of those things where the girl says she doesn't want a gift, but if I show up empty handed, I'll get a lot of grief?"

"No, I'm serious. Let's take just a little pressure off this holiday season, okay?"

"Okay," he agreed with a smile. He would agree to just about anything she wanted to do for Christmas even if she wanted to do something ridiculously cheesy or over the top, because he loves making her happy.

"I mean, it won't even be that eventful of a Christmas. Tamara is spending it with her best friend, and I'm not going to my parents'. The only time I'll be celebrating is at the station's holiday party."

"At least I'll be there."

"Yeah, but..."

"BUT? What, I'm not enough for you?" Tim asked with mock offense.

She put a hand on his thigh and shook her head. "No, it's just...no one knows about us yet, which is exactly what we agreed to. We agreed to keep this between us for a while, so we'll be at the Christmas party together but not TOGETHER."

"If this is about kissing under the mistletoe, I don't need mistletoe to kiss you whenever I want."

Lucy chuckled and challenged, "Prove it."

He was all too eager to do so when he leaned in and captured her lips.

After dinner, it was time for Lucy to leave, since she could not spend the night without Tamara finding out she is in a relationship. She pouted and wrapped her arms around Tim's neck for one more kiss, but then she struggled to actually let him go. Despite the fact that they had not been dating for very long plus they managed to see each other almost every day on shift and after shift, it was getting harder and harder to say goodbye for the evening. Sometimes Tim held onto her for a few more minutes or placed a few more kisses on her skin. Other times, Lucy clung to him even after saying "goodbye" 5 times, because her mouth said one thing, but her body wanted something else.

"Spend Christmas Day with me," he blurted out as he looked at how sad Lucy looked with her grip around him still tight and her body still pressed against his.