'Tis the Season

Chapter 11: I Hate Christmas

Chapter 11: I Hate Christmas

I wake up to the wonderful sensation of Carson's arms wrapped tightly around me. His fingers are running gently up and down my back and he's humming slightly under his breath. I can't dissect the tune of it and he's quiet enough that I can just barely hear him, but the combination of it with his touch as I greet the day is everything I never knew I needed.

I lift my head from the crook of his arm and he stops humming, tilting his face down so he can look me in the eye. His expression remains neutral but his eyes shine with a smile.

"Good morning, beautiful."

I smile and close my eyes again, content as I murmur a good morning back. "What were you humming?"

"Oh, sorry. I didn't want to wake you, I just do it sometimes when I-" Carson cuts himself off, his body stiffening slightly.

"You didn't wake me. I was asking because I really liked it," I tell him, trying to subtly prompt his explanation.

Carson exhales. "I do it subconsciously, usually when I'm extremely happy or excited about something. I don't even realize that I'm doing it most of the time."

I lift my head and shuffle my body upwards so that we're eye to eye. Pushing a piece of his sandy hair away from his forehead I ask, "And are you? Extremely happy right now?"

Carson places his hand over my own as I trail it down his cheek. I meet his eyes and the intensity of their dark gaze makes me shiver. "I couldn't be happier than I am right now."

If I didn't have morning breath, I would have definitely lost all control right then and just kissed him. But I do, so I suppose that will have to wait.

"Me too." He smiles at me and releases my hand.

"It's nearly nine in the morning. If you want, I can take you to go get your car and we can go shopping so you have some clothes and a charger and stuff like that?" I fold myself back into his body, lifting his arms to rewrap them around myself.

"I don't need to go shopping, I have mostly everything I need in a duffel bag in my car. Can we just stay like this a little longer?" My voice is muffled in his shirt but he leaves his arms where I placed them, chucking.

"We can stay like this as long as you'd like. I have no plans today," he whispers and I smile into his chest.

"You know what's funny?" He asks after a few moments.

"What?"

"It looks like you'll be seeing that tree that you liked so much everyday now anyway."

I laugh as his words sink in. "You guys did decorate it beautifully. I was impressed when I saw it last night, and I don't give that compliment out lightly."

As comfortable as we are, now that we've both woken up it only takes a short while for us to become hungry and decide that food takes precedent over morning cuddles. When we venture downstairs, Connor is stuffing pancakes down his throat like there's no tomorrow and Emilia is dishing out more fresh batter into a pan.

"Oh, you two are up! How was your night, did you sleep well?" Emilia abandons the stove for a second to come fuss over me and Carson and Connor begin to engage in a heated discussion about who should pick Eve up from school later.

"I dropped her off since you slept in so late, it's only fair!" Connor whines and Emilia turns to death stare him, mid-pancake flip.

"Oh, you did not- don't lie to your brother when I'm standing right here. We both know your dad dropped her on his way to work, and good thing he did too since you only woke up a half hour ago."