“Absolutely,” he holds my hand a bit tighter. “I want to come home to you and our cats after long days and work trips. I’m very, very determined to make this relationship successful. I know things won’t always be seamless, but you and I are great at communicating and finding solutions together. I mean, things already look very promising to me.”
He glances down at the list on my lap, and I chuckle. I agree; maybe we’re two dorks, trying to make the next Christmas work after a chaotic one, but this is where the magic is, isn’t it? Working together for the miracles to happen.
“Are you sure?” I ask him, still nervous. “I earn a lot less, and living together might change a lot of things…”
“Absolutely,” Nicolas nods. “I’m happy to find a compromise that will satisfy us both financially, and we can consult a financial expert too. I still believe this is the next best step for our relationship, Ophelia. The one after would be to get engaged, of course.”
“Engaged?” I repeat, my heartbeat stumbling over the word.
“Yes,” he nods. “Of course, we need to talk about it at some point, but I already believe I’d very much like to be engagedand eventually married. I know you might have wanted to be surprised, but I read that couples should have some level of agreement on the matter before said engagement happens. And I know it’s still early in our relationship, but… but I’m serious about this. About us.”
Oh… Oh, wow.
I stare at Nicolas, so dumbfounded I can’t speak. He’s thinking about getting married? Already? I mean, it’s true we’ve been very steady for a while, but… I glance down at my list. Well, wearemaking plans for Christmas next year already, aren’t we? And if anything, Nicolas has been nothing but very determined to make our relationship work indeed.
Without thinking, I smile softly, and I nod at him.
“Alright,” I say. “We should take things one day at a time. First, living together. We can’t make it all about Christmas if we’re going to take this big step.”
“But it’s a good reason, isn’t it?” Nicolas asks, looking nervous.
“It’s a great reason,” I agree, “but it’s still a massive change, and thankfully, we have a whole year to think about it, right? And we should use this year as our trial year. If we can cohabitate successfully and host Christmas, I’m sure it will be a great sign for our relationship!”
Feeling more determined and relaxed, I set my list aside and take Nicolas’s hands in mine, looking him in those big, beautiful blue eyes.
“I love you, Nicolas. And even if it wasn’t perfect, I’m glad we got to spend Christmas together. And Christmas isn’t over, right? …We have the whole year to prepare for the next one, but I don’t want to give up on this one. So, tonight, let’s do what we should have done from the beginning: just focus on me and you, and have a nice Christmas evening together.”
Nicolas stares at me for a few seconds, and then he nods with a soft smile.
“I agree,” he says. “We do have this evening together. Let’s make the most of it, just the two of us. What do you have in mind?”
“Well, it’s Christmas!” I beam. “We already have the Christmas music and decor going on. What we need next is a lovely festive meal, some presents, and just some merry time together.”
“I love that,” he says. “Should we get the dinner started, then? …Do we need to go grocery shopping?”
I shake my head.
“Nope. I can make a meal out of my pantry, don’t worry! How about we set the presents under the tree, and then get working in the kitchen?”
“Let’s do it.”
And we do.
Just like a little Christmas fairy, I dive into my pantry and unearth exactly what we need for a festive-but-comfy Christmas meal! And boy, do I love a cooking challenge… It takes me all of two minutes before inspiration strikes: thanks to my rice pudding addiction, I basically have an endless supply of arborio rice, so a risotto it is! I fancy it up with some of my trusty pantry staples—chicken stock, onion, garlic, dried herbs, a sinful amount of butter, a dash of white wine (which we’ll drink along with it, obviously!), and a generous snowfall of grated Grana Padano. I toss in frozen peas and mushrooms andvoilà: warm, cozy, Christmassy perfection.
Meanwhile, Nicolas quietly commandeers the starters and sides: toasting bread, popping open the can of foie gras he’d bought for my parents (oh well!), roasting the last of our vegetables with olive oil and thyme, and somehow making thetable look adorable with two Christmas baubles and a candle. It’s last-minute, improvised, and yet… it’s perfect.
And of course, we need dessert. I decide to go the extra mile and make two, because after the last two days we’ve had, we deserve an unreasonable amount of sweetness!
First, I make my speedy crumble, swapping my usual apple-cinnamon duo for a frozen red-berry mix and showering the top with a mischievous sprinkle of shredded coconut. Into the oven it goes!
And because one dessert is never enough, I unlock my naughty secret recipe: my Bailey’s chocolate mug cake. A quick mix, a minute in the microwave, a swirl of whipped cream, and suddenly we have warm, boozy Christmas comfort in a mug… Exactly what we need tonight.
I bring our plates to the table, and because they’re family too, we serve the kitties their own tiny Christmas feast—a bit of plain risotto, a few peas, and some chicken paté on tiny plates so they can eat with us! Meanwhile, Nicolas is busy pouring our glasses of wine, with a dash of blackcurrant liqueur to make it akir, a classic French cocktail I took a liking to recently!
“Thank you, honey,” I smile as he hands me my glass.
“I should thank you,” he replies. “You did all the hard work to fix us a wonderful Christmas meal.”
