Please, with a Cherry on top? | 18+

22 | Cerise

"Why is he coming?"

"He looked up to Mars. I thought it would be nice for everyone to catch up," her mother said so casually.

It was almost as if she hadn't given her daughter the most troublesome news first thing Christmas morning.

Cerise sighed, rubbing her forehead from the stress. She couldn't figure out why on planet Earth her mother thought it would be a grand idea to invite Michael to Christmas dinner.

"I'm bringing Saint, remember? And it's so last minute, we're heading your way in like 6 hours," she tried to talk some sense into her, whispering into the phone.

"What's the problem? You said Saint was your best friend, and you were close to Mikey when he moved here. You can all be besties."

"Mom."

"What child?" Nadia snapped, losing patience with the topic.

"Michael and I have history," Cerise said as bluntly as she could muster.

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh," she repeated in disbelief.

"Are you... dating Saint?"

"...I really like him and wanted you guys to get to know him better." Cerise carefully worded.

Technically, she was dating Saint. He took her on dates after all.

Their hangouts had increased dramatically. At work, they were normal and shared no intimate touches out of respect for the environment and her coworkers.

But behind his closed office door, or during their breaks?

Saint greeted her with kisses. He made her spin around for outfit checks or slid his hand up her sweater dresses and knit skirts until he revealed the love bites he left on her thighs.

She was with him if she didn't need to spend her nights studying. They would cuddle on couches, or watch Christmas movies in bed. Sometimes innocent snuggles turned in the opposite direction. She'd move closer to him as a little spoon, and his head would bury in her neck as his hand slid down her belly.

On off days, if they couldn't go on a date he'd at least treat her to a meal. Sometimes he'd cook for her, other times they went to restaurants. Occasionally they just went to each other's place to take midday naps together. And on those days, it was often that she would also wake up from these naps with his head between her thighs.

There was one thing in particular that drove her crazy though.

Cerise didn't know if Saint just kept locating her hiding spots for the spare key, or if he was picking the lock, but once a week she'd wake up after sleeping in and enter her kitchen to find the flowers in her pitcher replaced with fresh ones, and breakfast covered up on her table.

It was the little things like that, or decorating small Christmas trees for each other's place and surprising each other with them. Going gift shopping and then wrapping presents for their friends together.

Tender moments like that were all shaded in pink as her poor little heart grew ever so sweetly dependent on him.

She was falling so hard. But he hasn't asked her the big question. A part of her wondered what he was waiting for, and another part was okay with the speed they were moving.

Cerise paced in Saint's kitchen. She had prepared a small breakfast for him; eggs, bacon, and French toast. She had coffee brewing too. She was just about to wake him up with his present when her mother called her.

"I see. Well, I can't just tell the boy 'Oops, never mind'! He looked like a kicked puppy when I told him you didn't stay here anymore. Had to throw him a bone with that social page, I thought he would've reached out by now."