The Blue- GA

28

2022

It had been a few weeks since Adam's surprise visit and Morgan still hadn't seen her father. She didn't want to. That was the least of her worries right now. And anyway, it was Christmas Eve and she was spending it with Gracie in her apartment this year.

Gracie had dropped off weenie at her parents before making her way over to Morgan's. The door swung open and Gracie stepped inside, her cheeks flushed from the cold, and her arms heavy with bags hanging off them.

"I brought everything we need for our holiday movie marathon!" she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Morgan laughed at the girl.

"You mean the holiday snacks or the movies? Because I'm pretty sure we could survive on popcorn and hot chocolate alone" she says as she makes her way over to Gracie, a small smile on her face.

"Exactly! But I also brought some gingerbread cookies we can decorate. It's a tradition, after all!" Gracie replied, her enthusiasm infectious.

"Hi" was all Morgan says as they finally stand face to face with each other.

"Hey" Gracie replies before Morgan pulls her in for a kiss.

As they settled into the living room, Morgan felt a sense of relief wash over her. The weight of the past few weeks began to lift, if only for the evening.

They nestled under a blanket on the couch, surrounded by fairy lights, while the first movie started to play on the screen.

In between movies, they took breaks to decorate the cookies. Morgan found herself lost in the moment, focusing on the vibrant colors of frosting and the shapes they were creating.

"Look at this one! It's a masterpiece!" Gracie laughed, holding up a cookie that looked more like a lopsided snowman than anything else.

Morgan smiled, "You should enter it into a cookie competition," she teased, and they both burst into laughter.

As the evening wore on, Morgan's thoughts drifted back to her father. She hadn't spoken to him since she had ran away when she was 18, and she felt a mixture of relief and guilt. The unresolved tension loomed in her mind, but tonight was about her and Gracie celebrating their first Christmas together.

When the final movie ended, and the clock struck midnight, Gracie pulled out a small box wrapped in shiny paper, "I know we said no gifts, but I couldn't resist," she said with a grin.

Morgan's heart swelled as she opened the box to find a leather bracelet inside, one she had been debating on buying for a while now, "Gracie, I've been looking at this forever! I can't believe you brought me it!"

"Of course I did! I wanted you to have something to remind you that you're not alone. We're in this together," Gracie said, her eyes sincere.

Morgan felt a tear slip down her cheek, but it was one of gratitude, "Thank you. This means more to me than you know"

Time skip

"Morgan! Morgan! Morgan!" Gracie exclaimed as she tried to shake the girl awake.

"Mmm, 5 more minutes" Morgan groaned, their eyes still closed.

"It's Christmas! You have to wake up!" Gracie exclaimed again and shook Morgan even more. This seemed to have worked as she sighed before getting up.

"Alright, alright, I'm up. Jeez" Morgan laughed slightly before sitting up against the back board, "good morning"

"Good morning, merry Christmas" Gracie smiled before leaning in to give Morgan a kiss.