Make Christmas Your Bitch

Chapter 46: Christmas Magic

When she got there, she showered, dried her hair, dressed in clean clothes, and packed her one large duffle bag. It had wheels, which made it easy to maneuver through airports and train stations. Plus, winter wear always took up more room than other seasons. Her backpack held everything work-related like a few folders, her tablet and laptop and "digi-gear," as she called the cords and other things that devices required.

Once she had everything together, she put it by the door and pondered it, and what it might represent.

It felt a little bigger than just spending Christmas together, like the start of something even though neither of them had expressed anything about being exclusive or long-term.

Was that a conversation they needed to have, since she was coming back to Polis?

Probably.

And they would, because that's how they were with each other. They talked about a lot of things, big and small. But right now, it was Christmas and she wanted to stay present.

She texted Christmas greetings back to the group then took her duffle bag and backpack down to the car. On her way back upstairs her phone rang with Indra's tone.

"Hi," she answered. "Merry Christmas."

"I was just calling to tell you that."

Lexa grinned and went back inside where it was warmer. "So how's Florida?"

"We've decided we prefer the Gulf side to the Atlantic side. And next year maybe we'll go to San Diego."

"That sounds fun. Where are you right now?"

"On the beach, of course. Gustus is looking for shells."

She could picture him, this huge guy walking barefoot along the beach, watching what each wave brought in. And for all of Indra's generally intense energy, she could chill like she'd been that way her whole life.

"Sounds relaxing." She did a walk-through, making sure she had everything.

"It is. Are you back in New York?"

"No. Still in Polis."

"Oh, good. So you won't be alone. Unless you're just going to work through it," she added, tone a little disapproving about that, clearly.

"I'm not going to work and no, I won't be alone. I also have some news," she said before Indra started in on whether she would be going down to DC to hang out with Anya and Raven.

"You sound excited, so I'm going to assume it's good."

"It is. Remember I told you I had requested relocation to the DC area?"

Pause. "Did you get it?"

"Yes."

"Oh, now that is exactly the kind of Christmas news I wanted to hear. Didn't you say August?"

"That's what I originally asked for, but the office called yesterday (fuck, it felt much longer than that) and said I could go sooner."

"When?"

"They said starting here around the beginning of March." And she barely kept herself from bouncing around again.

"March? That's—that's only two months. As soon as we get back we'll start helping look for a place."

"It's okay. It's taken care of."

Another pause. "What?"

She gave her the rundown about what happened with the house and when she finished, Indra didn't say anything for a few moments. "Well," she finally said. "This is exactly how things need to be."