The weird snowy room with rainbow-colored lights somehow lulls me to sleep. It feels like a dream barely settles around me before I’m startled awake when Felton sits up. At first, I completely forget what I did in the night as I blearily blink at him.
But as I strain to see him through squinting eyes, the wonder on his face reminds me and waking up becomes a little easier. His eyes sparkle as he looks around. He’s filled with awe and I have to imagine, this must be what he should have experienced as a child. The surprise. The decorations. Knowing that today is going to be happy and filled with nothing but joy.
He twists in bed and looks at me, his wide eyes glassy. “You did this?” he asks.
I nod as I sit up. “Be prepared to walk on snow.”
Not realizing his eyes could get wider, he leans to the side of the bed and looks over. I watch as his head turns and he takes in the mess I made.
“When did you do this?” he asks, his voice breathless and filled with emotion.
“While you slept.”
He wipes his cheek and I realize there are tears leaking from his eyes. I pull him to me and hug him fiercely. “Merry Christmas, qin ài de.”
“I can’t believe you did this for me.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for him, but I feel that’s a line that’s going to open us up for the universe to challenge. But the sentiment is there. I’m not sure there is anything I wouldn’t do for this man.
“Why?” he asks.
Pulling him back down and wrapping him in my arms, I say, “It’s time to make new memories. Good memories. Time to start your own traditions. They can be whatever you want them to be. Whatever makes you happy and makes you smile. Something you look forward to that isn’t a reminder of the past, but a promise for the future.”
“With you?” he whispers.
I’d really, really like that. There’s no doubt, exactly. There’s just some challenges that aren’t exactly small. Then again, no relationship is going to be perfect or easy.
So I nod and press my lips to his head. “I hope so. I hope we have a lot of years together. A lot of Christmases. Maybe we’ll celebrate or maybe we’ll find something that’s just us. Something new—a tradition that we build on every year together.”
“I love the snow, but that’s going to hang around until summer. And it’s not going to melt.”
I snort. “I immediately regretted my life choices as I started throwing it around the room,” I admit.
He grins, rubbing his face against my skin. “This is perfect. Thank you.”
“I wanted today to be special for you.”
“Any day with you is special.” He pauses and then groans. “Wow, that was corny. Forget that came out of my mouth.”
Laughing, I shake my head. “Not a chance. I like corny.”
After a few minutes, I push him back and then hand him a cookie. “Try to avoid crumbs,” I tease, winking, and then climb out of bed for the little tree. I wasn’t extravagant in my gifts.They’re just small things I thought Felton would appreciate and enjoy.
He gives me a dubious look. “You’re not supposed to gift things if I don’t know about it and don’t have anything to give in return. That’s just not nice. Not fair.”
“You’ll have to make an exception this time,” I declare as I sit on the edge of the bed and wipe my feet off. This stuff is going to get everywhere. Aesthetically, it’s fucking amazing. But yeah, never again. Worst thing I ever bought.
In the first package is underwear. The small, skimpy kind that he likes to sleep in. Felton’s cheeks turn an amazing pink. The second package is a book titledTotal Power Exchange: What it means and how to find your Dom.
Felton’s eyes are super wide when he looks at me. I chuckle. “We’re not a BDSM couple but as I was scrolling online the other day, I saw this book mentioned in an article. After reading the reviews and doing a bit more research on total power exchange, I think this is something you might be interested in given that you don’t want any kind of true autonomy in your life because it causes you stress.”
“It’s going to tell me how to find a Dom?” he asks, eyebrows pinched together.
I grin and pull him to me. “No. I’ll fill that role for you. If you read it and decide that’s what you want. We’ll talk about it, of course. That’s not the part that’s important. It’s about the relationship itself and what TPE means. We’ve kind of been going in that direction already, which is probably why my phone suggested it.”
Felton gives me a sly smile. “They’re always listening.”
Pressing a kiss to his temple, I continue, “Take a look at the book. There’s zero pressure, Fel. I’ve seen how much you’ve thrived these last few days when I’ve basically told you howto walk and when. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen the smile that’s always lingering now.”
