“Sure, sure. Be sure everyone gets me a Christmas list. I’ll add everything to my Amazon cart from rehab.”
Paige tugged him to the couch and handed over a tin filled with brand new color pencils. He’d graduated to the kind that needed to be sharpened, but liked the edge on those best. Coloring also helped when there was a lot of ambient noise, like happened when a lot of people were around. And when Dimitri arrived a few minutes later, things got even louder. Tommy flinched; hands gripped on the pencil box.
“Color,” Paige instructed. She set a tray over his lap and a new coloring book on top of it. When she flipped it open it was very obviously an adult coloring book of the gay variety.
“Um…”
“Bas got that, thinking he was being cute,” Adam remarked as he sat down beside Tommy. “Ru had to explain some of the things to me.” His cheeks pinked. “But makes for interesting coloring.” He handed over another book. This one of Moana, “Thought this one might be more holiday appropriate. You can save coloring peens for your alone time with Paige.”
Paige laughed. “Coloring peens…”
Tommy flipped through the Moana book and found a picture of the chicken to color. He settled in beside Paige until he was called for dinner. The idea of chatting over holiday plans with his found family wasn’t so bad. At least he would be home, safe with the people he loved. He gripped Paige’s hand, letting their hands rest in his lap, noise washing around him. The banter around him was warm and friendly, no fights like he remembered from childhood holidays. It was shaping up to be one of the best holidays he’d ever had.
