“I’m so glad you did. This was the first gift you gave me. I always felt terrible that I left it behind.” He trailed a finger along a slender branch, tapping the gumnut hanging from the end. “It looks beautiful.” And it did, every rustic part of it.
Feathers adorned some branches, and coloured stones had been wrapped in wire and hung from others. The memories flooded back. Of Corey roping them all in to collect bits and pieces from the bush during one of their hikes through the bushland. At the time it had seemed a weird thing to do, but his heart had melted at the effort Corey had taken to make sure Steve had a Christmas tree.
“I had to pick some fresh seed pods and flowers, and I used some of the shells we brought back from our beach trip, but the rest came from the original tree. A memento of our first Christmas, I guess.”
“Oh, my God. I still can’t believe it. It’s amazing.” Steve turned and pulled Corey into a hug. “You are such a romantic.”
“And that’s a bad thing?”
“That’s agreatthing,” he murmured against Corey’s ear.Perfect.
“Glad to hear it.” Corey squeezed him tight.
“I love it, Corey, I really do.”Just like I love you.“How about we eat at the table tonight? That way we can see the tree. It’ll make it extra special.”
Corey pulled back a little and they met each other’s eyes. His raised brow showed his confusion. “Special? Just what have you got planned.”
Steve chuckled, the sound seeming forced to his own ears, a touch of anxiety rearing its head. “Just dinner for the two of us. It’s nothing fancy, but I’d better get to it if we’re going to eat soon. Can you set the table?”
He left Corey standing at the small tree, escaping to the kitchen before he said something and ruined the surprise. For once he relished the myriad of small tasks that needed to be done—plating the oysters, peeling the prawns, preparing the cheese board—needing something other than his own thoughts to occupy his mind.
* * *
CHAPTER TWO
Damn!
That hadn’t gone completely as Corey had expected. He was pleased to see how happy the little tree had made Steve, but Steve was supposed to have looked closer, taken more time to see all the little additions Corey had made to the original tree. Instead he’d seemed a bit on edge and in a hurry to get dinner underway. Later, after they’d had the meal, Corey would lead him to the tree again if necessary. Corey chuckled to himself as he rearranged the vase, twisting it slightly to ensure the best possible vantage point from Steve’s designated place at the table.
I wonder how long it will take him to notice this time?
Once satisfied with the new position of the tree, Corey set the table. It didn’t take long to lay placemats and cutlery for the two of them. He smiled at the thought of eating at the dining table—most of the time they perched plates on their laps and enjoyed a relaxed meal in front of the TV—so civilised for them to dine so formally. But nice too, as if Steve knew how important Christmas Eve had become to Corey and wanted to make it special. As of last year, it was officially his favourite day of the year, and definitely something to celebrate.
He stood back, pleased with his efforts. The little tree on the sideboard gave the dining area a festive feel that captured the spirit of Christmas, just as it had done at the house they’d rented in the mountains.
Last year had been a game changer. Steve’s best mate, Mal, who worked at the same company as Corey, had dragged him along for the boys’ “orphans’ Christmas” in the mountains. Corey had met Mal’s friends before, getting to know them over the previous twelve months, and he’d developed a crush on Steve. Therefore, he’d been equally honoured to join the close-knit group for their holiday and shit scared to spend the week with them at the house. But in the end, it had been the best time of his life.
Corey looked around the small living room.And now look where I am.Home wasn’t anything fancy, but he was living with the man of his dreams, and they were building a future together.
* * *
“I can’t believe you went to so much trouble, babe. First the cheese and now this. It’s awesome.” Corey plucked another prawn from the pile, almost regretting disturbing the artistic arrangement of plump prawns resting on a bed of crushed ice. But the lure of fresh seafood was irresistible, and he moaned in delight as he popped the juicy prawn into his mouth.
“They’re good, aren’t they? Nothing beats seafood straight from the markets.”
Corey couldn’t agree more. They were blessed to have the largest fish markets in the southern hemisphere right on their doorstep.
“Here.” Steve held out a platter, this time freshly shucked oysters on the half shell, each shell nestled on a bed of rock salt and served with wedges of lemon. “Try one.” It didn’t take long to share the dozen oysters—simple, delicious, tasting of sea and salt.
Corey took another prawn, this time dipping it into the small dish of cocktail sauce and holding the offering out to Steve. Steve leaned forward, opening his mouth and accepting the prawn directly from Corey’s fingers. “Mmm.”
Corey popped his fingers into his mouth, sucking off the drips of creamy pink sauce. Steve’s eyes widened as Corey pulled his fingers free with a pop. He winked, then fed another prawn to Steve, enjoying teasing him with every small morsel. Corey had every intention of taking their dinner down a very different path—they had oysters, after all, and weren’t oysters meant to be an aphrodisiac?
Steve snorted, pulling Corey from his musing.
Corey looked across to see his eyes twinkling with amusement. “What?”
“I was just thinking how different tonight is from this time last year, and at the same time how similar.”
