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'White Christmas' by Frank Sinatra has been playing on repeat all day, much to my enjoyment. The snow falls outside to match and flurries in the space outside the kitchen window. The smell of cinnamon and chocolate lingers in the air from the festivities of the days passed. The house filled with the warmth, both from the fire and the souls that inhabit the home.
I sit atop the counter, smiling to myself as I allow the atmosphere to swallow me whole. I bask in the smells, the feelings, and all the beautiful notes floating from the record player. I can see the reflection of the tree from the window, the lights fading into each other. I don't think I've ever been so happy as I am this year. This season has been more than I could've ever hoped for in the past.
"Darling?" I'm broken out of my trance by the brunette standing in front of me. Her hands grip my waist and I instantly melt under her fingertips. "Mm... hi" I whisper dreamily as she steps closer to stand between my legs. "The kids want to watch movies again. They're waiting for us in living room" a kiss is placed on my lips, preventing me from responding but I'm not complaining.
"Well let's go then" I hop off the counter excitedly, more than ready to spend the day watching the cheesy classics. I've never really done this before; I missed out on a lot of the traditional experiences. Which means, I'm just as excited as the kids about all of these activities. The past few days have been spent baking cookies, watching movies, the whole nine, and I couldn't be more thrilled if I tried.
"Wait" she mumbles, trying to lean in to give me a kiss that will certainly be much longer than the last. "Uh uh. We've got movies to get to" I place a gentle hand on her chest to stop her movements and she frowns. "The movie isn't going anywhere, give me a kiss" I still hold her back and she huffs, "neither are you, I hope. You can have plenty kisses later" I reply.
"It'll take two seconds!" She exclaims as I start walking away, "we literally sleep in the same bed; you'll get allll the kisses tonight. I promise" I giggle and enter the living room to join the kids on the couch. She comes in behind me, begrudgingly taking a seat next to Travis as I pull Kyle into my lap. We start searching for a movie and I come across one of my all time favorites.
"Babe..." Marcia voices and I know exactly what's going to come out of her mouth before she can utter it. "I don't care what you say, 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' works for both Christmas and Halloween" I press play as Kyle shifts in my lap to get more comfortable. The kids have never seen it before either and I'm excited for them to experience it.
We're all glued to the tv the whole time. I think it's the only time I've seen both kids so still and quiet. I sing a silent victory in my head until I check the clock. It's well past their bedtime and it may be a school break but it's also 2am and that's just a bit much. I try not to mention it though, hoping Marcia doesn't notice for a while.
"Boys, it's time to sleep" she instructs after about half an hour and I guess I should be grateful it even lasted so long. They groan and protest which earns them disapproving looks from the brunette. "It's ok, guys. It's my bedtime too" I pout, actually being serious because I really did need to sleep but I'd much rather stay up and watch movies with them.
We shut down everything downstairs and headed up together, tucking the boys in, then retiring to our own room. As we lay in bed I stare at the ceiling, having a hard time falling asleep. "What's on your mind, baby?" I turn my head towards her and grin widely, "I'm just really excited" I sigh. "Oh, for the kids to see their presents? Me too" she mumble, "well, yes, that too" I giggle.
"If not that then, what is it?" Even in the dark I can see the look of perplexity on her features, deepening the crease in her forehead. "Well for my presents of course!" She rolls her eyes playfully at my confession, "especially the ones from Santa" I sigh happily. "Excuse me?" She coughs a little and I try my best not to laugh.
"Well I obviously wished for things this year... didn't you?" I act confused and it's silent for a while "no... didn't cross my mind actually" she mutters. "That's a bummer. But it's ok maybe he'll bring you something anyway! He's always listening after all" I bite my lip and hear her hum along. "You're joking, right?" She asks and I don't reply, "right..." she repeats and I still don't respond.
She turns on the light and leans up on her elbow to look at me and I just stare at her blankly. "Come on, you can't be serious" she chuckles though it's basically a scoff, "let me believe in Santa in peace!" I protest as I turn over away from the light—mostly to hide my growing smile. It takes her a few seconds but she turns off the light and shuffles closer to me, hugging my waist from behind.
"I really love you, you know that?" I smile softly and place my hands over hers, squeezing them gently, "I love you too" I whisper.
Christmas morning
I rub my eyes as I begin to wake, my hand immediately reaching for my brunette lover. I felt her get up in the middle of the night and I assumed she just went to the bathroom but her absence proves she never came back. I realize it's Christmas morning and I hop out the bed, putting on slippers and going to look for her downstairs.
I find her and the kids in the dining room eating breakfast and I smile. She glances up and beckons me over to which I don't hesitate. I sit next to her and she places food on my plate for me to eat. Once we're all done, the boys are buzzing to get to the tree and open their presents. We head over and spend the next hour opening gifts.
As I'm grabbing my last one, I notice something a little different. All the boxes have labels on them saying who it's for and of course who it's from and this one caught my eye. To: Merle, From: Santa :). I look up to see Marcia staring at me and I just know she's responsible for this. I smile widely and open it up, not even having to fake my reaction of sheer surprise.
She bought me all of Adele's albums on vinyl, cushioned with a fluffy sweater which I've wanted all year but it was always sold out. Considering I'm always cold, it's literally perfect; not to mention it's oversized just how I like it. I have to fight the urge to hug her because technically it's not 'from' her but I kick my feet in excitement as I pull the sweater on.
When I look at her she's smiling at me, eyes filled with love and wonder. The kids head out into the backyard to play with a helicopter I bought Travis and a car Marcia bought for Kyle, leaving us alone. Once they were out of ear shot, as we sat and watched them, I turned to the brunette. My legs are laying over hers while we rest on the bench and she faces me with a content smile.
"Thank you for the records" I whisper, "I didn't buy you those..." she replies automatically and I smile wider at her cuteness. "Baby... I was joking" I confess and her jaw drops a little before she nudges me playfully. "I got up early this morning and switched the label all for nothing?" She scoffs, "that's so sweet" I whine and pull her closer.
"Ugh" she huffs, wrapping her arms tighter around me as I bury my face in her neck. "It's cute that you just went along with it" I comment, "well I wasn't going to be labeled as the grinch who ruined Christmas" she chuckles. "Plus... it was adorable to think you still believed. I was shocked at first; then I thought about how precious it was and couldn't imagine spoiling the fun for you" I lift my head to gaze into her eyes and my eyes crinkle as a grin spreads on my face.
"You're so cute... and wholesome. I love that about you" she blushes lightly and pecks my lips. I lean in and kiss her for a bit longer, needing to feel more. "I love you so much" I sigh, my eyes never leaving her warm brown ones "and I love you."
