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'Candles burning low, lots of mistletoe, lots of snow and ice, everywhere we go'
Holding my wine glass, I danced in the living room to Christmas songs that reminded me of my childhood. It was December the 19th and the house was perfectly decorated, all the gifts I had brought were wrapped and the food shopping had already been done. I knew from watching my mother during my youth that I wanted to be fully prepared and done with time to spare, she never was.
A chuckle made me stop dancing, I steadied my glass which was filled with eggnog that I had made as I looked at my housemate who was standing in the doorway. Lando was holding a roll of wrapping paper and had a big smile on his face. "Well, when you said you could dance, I thought you were lying," he teased before he laughed again. "Now I know you are."
"Oh, haha," I deadpanned as I sat on the cuddle chair in the corner. "I have multiple talents, Norris. You, on the other hand, can only drive."
He playfully clutched his chest as he let out a groan of fake pain. "That cuts me like a knife, Peters."
I narrowed my eyes at him, he knew I hated him using my last name even though I did it to him. Being Lando Norris, F1 driver and twitch streamer he should have been used to people just calling him Norris.
Sipping on my alcoholic beverage, I watched him through my lashes. "What can I do for you?" I asked him knowing he wanted something. He'd not spent much time here during the past week and he'd recently come home with a large bag, which I assumed was filled with gifts for Christmas.
"Can you help me, please?" He awkwardly asked as he held out the wrapping paper tube to me. "I hate wrapping."
Rolling my eyes, I pulled myself to my feet as I sighed. "You're a big boy now, Lando," I reminded him as I put my eggnog on the side table before I took the paper from him. "Let's go then."
He turned and headed up the stairs, I followed him slowly, my Christmassy feeling disappearing with every step I took towards his room. It wasn't that I didn't like Lando, I really did, I just realised that after living with him for so long, he and myself were polar opposites. I was calm and organised, he was excited and a mess. I loved to go out and party, he loved to stay in and do online things. I had a steady job 9-5 every day, he was a famous F1 driver. We were two different people and although I didn't usually let it bother me, I knew one day he'd outgrow living with me and I would be stuck with this house alone.
As I got into his room, I sucked in a deep breath as I looked around standing in the doorway.
This was the first time I had been in his room, I had seen glimpses of it but I had never been in before. His large king bed was pushed in the far corner, things scattered over it, the bedcovers pushed into a heap by the wall. His floor was mainly clean apart from the space he was using the wrap the presents and the large pile of boxes at the end of his bed. On his bedside table was a small clock and a fan, something else which we had in common. On his chest of drawers, we enough sprays and hygiene products to open a new branch of boots.
"Lo?" He caught my attention. I shook my head bringing myself back to reality as I looked at him. I had been staring and he'd noticed. "Are you going to help me?" He sat on his bed crossing his legs under himself as I looked at the space on the floor he'd left for me.
I sat down on the floor, "Such a gent," I laughed.
"You can't wrap on the bed," he told me as he watched me organising the items in front of me.
As I wrapped, we bantered, sharing stories about Christmas from our childhood. I found I had wrapped his presents whilst he had chatted to me, he'd passed me tape every now and again but he hadn't really helped. I didn't mind though, this was quite fun and therapeutic.
Lando handed me a Selfridges bag, taking it from him, he spoke, "This is for Carlos. I don't think I'll see him until the New Year now though."
I opened the bag, I reached in and pulled out a large box which held a watch. I opened the box and looked at the expensive item, "Wow." I looked up at Lando, "Do you buy all your friends expensive gifts?"
"Only the ones I really like," he teased before I noticed a smaller box in the bag.
When I put my hand back in, I pulled out the black jewellery box as I looked at Lando with a cheeky grin, "Oh, yeah? What's this then?"
He reached forward, his right hand grabbing for the box as he tried to pry it from my hands. "That one is for someone else," he told me as he managed to pull it from my grasp.
"Oh, you're such a spoilsport," I wrinkled my nose at him as I watched him hide it behind his back. "Come on then, who's it for? Your girlfriend?"
Lando rolled his eyes at me before he let out a groan, "It's actually for you. I forgot to take it out of the bag," he told me in a quiet voice. "I can't let you wrap your own present, can I?" He laughed before he took the box and put it under his pillow. He turned back to me, a smile creeping across his lips, "You can wait until Christmas."
