As Jordan read, Cree’s hands never slowed, petting his hair, rubbing his earlobe, teasing under the hem of his hoodie before returning somewhere safe. It was maddening, it was exciting. It was everything.
When he grew tired of reading, they just talked, mostly about nothing.
The topic didn’t matter.
What mattered was Cree stayed.
That he’d wanted to stay.
No matter how many minutes passed, Cree just…stayed.
And Jordan didn’t want morning to come.
NOAH
Noah started wrapping gifts a little after one-thirty. That was around four hours ago. Noah knew this because Adam wouldn’t stop telling him the time.
“It’s already five-thirty,” he pouted. “What about dinner?”
“What about it? Are you planning on cooking?” Noah teased, knowing full well letting Adam even boil water was dangerous. “Find a place that delivers and get us dinner if you’re so hungry. I want to get this done tonight.”
Adam paced in front of Noah, but was unable to get closer. He sat at the coffee table with his back to the sofa, surrounded by brightly colored paper, tags, ribbons and bows. Wrapped presents sat on the left, with presentswaiting to be wrapped on the right. He’d essentially created a fortress around himself, a moat made of Christmas cheer meant to repel his bah-humbug husband. But he was a grinch not so easily deterred.
Noah had forgotten to protect his six. Adam attacked from the back, hurling his whole body over the back of the sofa, to collapse in a heap behind Noah. Dammit. He should have put the finished gifts there.
“Why does it have to get done tonight?” Adam whined.
“Because it didn’t get done last weekend, or the weekend before, or the weekend before that because someone wouldn’t stop complaining then either. I could have been done by now if I’d gotten to do a little at a time like I wanted.”
Adam huffed. “I’m sorry I love you, I guess?”
Noah rolled his eyes. “This is my favorite time of year and you’re sucking all of the joy out of it.”
“If you stop wrapping presents I can suck something else for you?”
“For the love of God, call your brothers…please? Go harass them.”
Adam tsked. “They’re all doing holiday family stuff.”
“As are we,” Noah said. “Well, me. You’re just making things harder for me and making me sad.”
Noah waited for a retort but there was none. Huh.That’s suspicious.
“I’m gonna take the dogs for a walk,” Adam said softly.
Noah shivered as Adam’s lips pressed against the back of his neck. “Okay, baby.”
Noah’s shoulders sagged as soon as Adam and the animals left, humming to himself as he continued to work. Adamhad no idea how much time and energy went into buying gifts for their friends and family, much less wrapping them all and ensuring they were stored safely until it was time to open gifts at the big house on Christmas morning.
Noah must have lost track of time because when the door lock beeped again, signifying Adam and the pups return, the house was drenched in shadow, the sky outside painted orange and pink with only a hint of blue. Noah watched Adam from the corner of his eye, but didn’t look at him directly. He could see several bags in his hand, but didn’t press him on what he’d gotten.
As Noah continued to work, Adam turned on the two soft lights on either side of the sofa. The Christmas tree came next, its brightly colored lights reflected in the window’s reflection. Noah loved their tree with its gold and silver garland and ornaments Noah had carefully collected over their years together.
Adam always teased him whenever he brought home a new one he found or an old one he saw in a vintage shop. Yet every year, without fail, Adam would bring home an ornament with their names and Dexter and Sadie’s names as well as the year. Noah would get teary-eyed and Adam would get embarrassed and say he just did it to get laid.
As if he needed any help in that department.
Noah sat there, making sure each crease in the paper was perfect, pretending not to notice as Adam pulled candles from his bag, placing them around the room and lighting them, filling the loft with the scent of snickerdoodles. With a press of a button, Noah’s Spotify old-school Christmasplaylist began to play and a fake fire roared to life on their television screen. Noah bit his lip to keep from smiling.
