Wrapped in the Warmth of You

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As fall turned to winter, the couple in the apartment in Montmartre had no fear of the cold. In fact, in their hearts it was still summer, with the ember of their love keeping them warm as the fire grew day by day. In the back of her mind, Estelle knew Annalise was somewhere in Italy right now, spending the holiday with her Aunt before going on to Germany for the New Year in a few weeks. As she turned over in bed to look at the sleeping man beside her, with his arm draped over her, she wondered what the new year would bring for them. After all, eventually Annalise would return home without her, and their stolen time may come to an end depending on how her father received the news. A sad sigh passed through her lips as she reached out to smooth some hair out of Christian's face. Borrowed time, she thought with a frown. The thought of having to go back cast a shadow on her heart. Never had she felt more at home, or more complete than when she was with Christian. Would it be so wrong to stay here? Christian had told her to wait to find her true love, and she had. She had waited, and she had found him, and here she was wrapped in the warmth of him. Here she felt at peace. She felt safe, even if they didn't have all the financial security her father wanted for her. She loved him, and that's all that mattered to her. Gently, she kissed his cheek, vowing to love him until the seas run dry, no matter what.

Slowly, his eyes started to flutter open and a slow smirk crossed his face.

"Good morning, darling," he said, gently running the back of his fingers along her cheek. "I trust you slept well?"

"With you by my side, always," she smiled softly. "What are the plans for the day?"

"Well, the show is taking a break until after Christmas. Something about 'with more families in town, business increases and we don't have time to waste on a play when we could be playing into men with poor family relations.'"

"I see," Estelle nodded sagely.

"I'm glad you do," he chuckled, "Care to explain it to me?"

"Essentially, men come to visit their family for Christmas. However, sometimes there is tension, either because of money or differing political views usually, which causes frustrated men to leave the estate and look for comfort in the arms of young, understanding woman," she said matter-of-factly.

"Ah, so people like me should I have gone home for Christmas," he sighed.

"Precisely," she murmured, stroking her thumb across his cheek.

"I do miss him sometimes," he admitted.

"Of course you do," she smiled, "He's your father. Regardless of how you left, there were good moments among the chaos. It's natural to miss your family at this time of year."

"Do you miss yours?" he asked softly. "If you wanted to go back, you could. I won't keep you here if it makes you unhappy."

"I do miss my sister," she sighed, "But, I wouldn't have been spending the holiday with Father and Mary even if I wasn't here. Annalise and I would have been in Italy with her Aunt, probably being dragged to the Vatican for Christmas Mass. She's quite religious."

"You don't know Italian or Latin very well if I remember correctly," Christian smirked, remembering how hard it was for her to pick up when they were children.

"There's a reason that one of them is dead, and the other just sounds like someone imitating Spanish poorly," she said defensively, "Regardless, I am certainly not heartbroken over the current arrangement. I love you. Christmas is about spending time with your loved ones."

"Well, I'm glad you're happy," he said, kissing her forehead.

"When I'm with you, I always am," she replied, giving him a small kiss before sliding out of bed. She shivered as her feet hit the cold wood. Then, she picked up her robe from a nearby chair, tying it around herself before putting a log on the fire to warm the apartment.

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