drew starkey - imagines

mistletoe

i stood on my tiptoes, stretching as high as i could, my fingers just shy of the top of the christmas tree. the ornament in my hand—a sparkling silver star—teetered dangerously, threatening to fall from my grasp, but i was determined to get it up there. my arms ached, my balance was off, and i couldn't stop the frustrated huff that escaped my lips.

"come on," i muttered under my breath, reaching just a little higher, my fingertips grazing the highest branches. the star wobbled again, its string almost catching on the edge of the branch before it slipped free.

my weight shifted, and i leaned too far into the tree, which teetered dangerously for a moment before threatening to topple. i quickly righted myself, landing back on my feet.

i quickly glanced around the room, searching for something i could stand on to reach the top. just then, drew entered, carefully making his way around the couch, two steaming mugs of hot cocoa in hand. he stopped in his tracks when he saw me.

"what are you doing?" he asked, his voice full of amusement as he raised an eyebrow, taking in my predicament.

i stood with my hands resting on my hips, scanning the room. "trying to finish decorating," i said, keeping the frustration out of my voice. "but apparently, i can't reach the top of the tree."

"you're cute," drew chuckled, his grin widening as he set the mugs down on the coffee table with a soft clink. "but you could've asked me to help you."

i gave him a half shrug. "i wanted to do it myself."

"well, i hate to break it to you, baby," drew said with a grin, eyeing me up and down. "but there's no way you're getting that up there without my help."

"don't worry, i got it," i shot back, trying to sound more confident than i felt.

drew raised an eyebrow. "okay, let me see then."

i took a deep breath and carefully reached up again, aiming to hang the ornament on the highest branch. my fingers brushed the edge, but it was still just out of reach. i leaned in further, stretching my arms as far as they would go, but in doing so, my weight shifted too far forward.

the tree wobbled with a sharp creak, and before i could react, it tilted to one side. the ornaments on the lower branches rattled, and i gasped in panic.

in an instant, drew lunged forward, grabbing the trunk to steady it before it could crash. "whoa, whoa, whoa," he laughed softly, holding the tree in place. "okay, enough of that."

i let out a frustrated sigh, stepping back and crossing my arms. "okay, fine."

"mhm," drew said, a knowing smile tugging at his lips. "you want help now?"

"yes," i sighed, raising my arms in surrender.

with a grin, drew moved behind me and slipped his arms around my waist, lifting me off the ground and bringing me up to where i could easily reach the top of the tree.

"better?" he asked softly, his voice gentle as i clung to him for balance.

"maybe," i muttered, but the smile on my face said otherwise. drew adjusted me slightly, just enough so i could hang the ornament where it needed to go.

"there ya go," he said, his voice coming from behind me as i finished hanging the ornament. "now you did it all by yourself."

in a few seconds, i was back on my feet, his arm still wrapped around my waist as he gently set me down.

without thinking, i leaned into him, my cheek pressed against his chest, breathing in the scent of cinnamon and warmth that was so uniquely him. "thanks," i murmured, my arms wrapping around his torso as i relaxed into him. he placed a soft kiss to the top of my head, and for a moment, everything felt perfectly still.

when i pulled back slightly, tilting my head to look up at him, i couldn't help but notice the way his lips were tucked, hiding whatever he was thinking. i raised an eyebrow. "what?"

drew didn't answer right away. instead, he placed his hands behind his back, acting like he was hiding something from me. i squinted at him, curiosity growing.

"what's behind your back?" i asked, trying to tug his arm away to see.

"oh, nothing," he said innocently, though the grin spreading on his face told me otherwise.

"come on," i pleaded, "what is it?"

he paused for a beat, then shifted his body away from my hands before finally pulling his arm from behind his back. hanging from his fingers was a small sprig of mistletoe.

i blinked at it for a moment, then back up at him. "mistletoe, really?" i laughed.

drew nodded, his smile softening as he leaned in a little closer. "what can i say? i'm feeling a little festive this year."

before i could say anything else, he gently cupped my face with one hand, his thumb grazing across my cheek. in that quiet moment, i felt the weight of the world disappear as he kissed me—softly, slowly, the kind of kiss that made everything else fade away.

when he pulled back, he rested his forehead against mine, the mistletoe still hanging between us. we both stayed like that for a few seconds, smiling to ourselves.

"i don't even want to ask where you got that from," i teased, placing a final kiss to his lips.

"i could tell you, but then i'd have to—" he paused dramatically, brushing a stray strand of hair from my face, "well, you know the rest."

i laughed, shoving his shoulder playfully before wrapping my arms around him again. we stood there for a moment, arms wrapped around each other, his hand gently rubbing small circles on my back while mine toyed with the hem of his sweater. then i turned my head toward the window. snow had started to fall, soft white flakes drifting gently to the ground, covering the world outside in a blanket of white.

"oh my god, look..." i said quietly, staring out at the beauty of it all.

drew turned his attention to the window. "oh, yeah." giving my arm a squeeze he asked, "you know what that means?"

"what?" i asked, still lost in the sight of the falling snow.

without warning, drew grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the door, his grin widening. "come on," he laughed, grabbing our jackets off the hook and tossing one at me. "first one to get hit with a snowball makes dinner tonight."

"hey, no fair!" i laughed, slipping my arms into the jacket as i tried to catch up with him. we rushed outside into the cold, the snow falling faster now, dusting our hair and shoulders.

"you better run," drew called over his shoulder, already laughing as he bolted into the yard.

i chased after him, laughing as he hurried and bent down, scooping snow into his hands to form a snowball. the air was sharp against my skin, but my heart was full, and that made all the difference.