Secret Santa ✔️

To Remember Us By

"Let's get this started!" Olivia stands up from her spot and walks her way to the place she hid the gifts.

As usual, we all stand up to find a spot at the fireplace.

My eyes meet Eli's from across the room. There's a pinch in my stomach and it shakes my bones. Eli is still my Secret Santa, what did he get me?

The emotions caused me to break eye contact before anything more builds up inside.

My mind wanders to the steamy kiss he planted on me just a few weeks ago. The kiss I find myself dreaming about since we've had our last private conversation.

"I can't wait to find out who my Santa is." I joke hoping to laugh off the heat that's bubbling in me at the thought of Eli's lips on mine.

"Oh shut it, Kim." Olivia shouts out and disappears upstairs. For secret purposes, our gifts aren't under the tree. They are all in a spot where Olivia hides them until it's time to open them.

Before sitting down again, Carlos and Sebastian escape into the kitchen for a refill on boozy cocoa. Eli grabs a spot near the fireplace and I stall by slowing my pace.

Around this time, everyone has had at least a few cups of that hot cocoa. I still haven't brought myself to get a cup of it. I'm afraid to see how I'll feel around Eli when I've had some in my system.

Finally, I make my way to the fireplace and plop down on the floor next to it. Carlos and Sebastian make their way to the traditional spot. Carlos next to me and Sebastian next to Carlos.

We all sit on the floor in a U shape in front of the fireplace as we wait for Olivia to bring us our gifts.

The fire is to my right and Carlos to my left sitting so close to me as if we weren't just in the longest fight of our lives. His familiar body gives me comfort and I rest my head on his shoulder as we wait.

Eli is across from me reaching his hands out toward the flames to heat them up, Sebastian is leaning his weight on his hands stretched behind him as he sits crisscrossed.

"Do you know where she hides the gifts?" Carlos asks Sebastian. I look over to the flames as they dance along to the piano cover holiday music playing in the background.

"It's almost always in Kim's underwear drawer."

"Whatever." I scoff, clearly not giving into the game Sebastian started. My underwear drawer is not that big.

"I'm kidding. No, Carlos I do not know where she hides the gifts."

"Good. It should stay that way." Olivia returns her way back to us. As she strides down the stairs in her red onsie pajama holding a beige pillowcase filled with our gifts.

I squint my eyes to fool them into thinking that it's Santa strolling down the stairs and smile when she sees that all eyes on her.

"Ho ho ho." Olivia mocks upon arrival and gently places the sac in the middle of the U. Olivia makes a space for her between Sebastian and Eli then sits in the spot on her knees.

She reaches her arm and pulls out a gift then immediately hands it to Carlos. I finally give him some space by sliding closer to the fire as he feels the gift.