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Gabriel was touched when Iris handed him a strange lumpy bundle and he unwrapped it to find a handmade decorative broom ornamented with holly berries. His mood wasn’t even dampened when Iris revealed Blair’s part in the project. In exchange, Gabriel presented Iris with a shining tennis bracelet with tiny gemstones that glinted in the sunlight.

He’d decided to give Blair a gift card for Bookish Emporium. Blair seemed oddly moved by the present, so much so that Gabriel wondered if he had inferred the hidden meaning behind the gesture. Since Gabriel would have to suffer Blair’s presence in the bookstore in order for him to use the card, it was Gabriel's subtle way of showing Blair that he didn’t mind having him around.

Blair, looking a little sheepish, handed each of them (including Iris’ rather taken aback mother) a gift bag bursting with his apothecary creations—lotions, bath salts, shampoo bars, first aid ointment. Most touching of all, he’d created custom green tea blends, the leaves and herbs tucked inside glass vials, each one with a personalized label in Blair’s neat cursive letters.

“Green tea fights cancer and infections,” Blair informed them. “I figured we should all be drinking more of it.” He shared a secret smile with Gabriel. Certainly, the tea’s health advantages would benefit Iris and her mother, but they would matter little to two immortal men.

Iris assured Blair that there was a reason she didn’t have a gift for him under the tree; she was planning a little something, but he would have to wait to find out what. Gabriel wished he knew what that was all about.

The day was only very slightly marred by the nagging memory of his and Iris’ conversation in the wee hours of the morning the previous night. After Iris returned home from church, Gabriel had retreated to his room, wanting to give Blair privacy to tell her about his past. When he’d snuck down into the kitchen around one in the morning for a cup of tea, Gabriel hadn’t expected to find Iris still seated at the table, stirring a small silver spoon around her mug, looking lost in thought. He’d pulled out a chair and joined her. For a long while, the only sound had been the rhythmic ticking of the grandfather clock.

Gabriel was truly exhausted from trying to convince Iris to be wary of Blair, tired of being the person who stood between them. For so long, he’d used his love and concern for Iris as a reason to cling to their old way of life. But he knew that her own weariness wasn’t just because Blair had put a damper on what was supposed to have been an enjoyable night. In large part, it was because of Gabriel; his sullenness, his refusal to see what was right in front of him.

Iris had feelings for Blair. Blair clearly had feelings for her. And Gabriel had unearthed exactly zero evidence to suggest that Blair had come into their lives to harm them. That didn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous; his condition made him so. And yet, hadn’t the worst occurred that very night? Gabriel had encountered Blair in one of his darkest moments, and he didn’t have a scratch to show for it.

Moreover, was fear about Blair’s affliction truly enough for Gabriel to act as a gatekeeper in Iris’ own life, holding hostage the key that could unlock what she now seemed to desire?

Iris and Gabriel had named themselves platonic life partners, but it was an agreement that only held up if they both still wanted it. And who was to say that they couldn’t still see themselves as such even if Iris decided to pursue a romantic relationship outside of it?

Still, the idea that their unique bond wasn’t enough for Iris made him feel inadequate in ways he wasn’t willing to address at the moment.

Gabriel took a sip of scalding tea, the hot liquid seeping down his throat like fire. The dull clunk of his mug against the table seemed excessively loud in the silence. He expelled his words in a single breath; perhaps ripping off the Band-Aid would lessen the sting. “If you want to be together, I won’t stand in your way. And if—” Gabriel’s voice had caught. He forced out the rest of his sentence with a struggle akin to shoving a heavy stove across a block of concrete. “If you want me to leave, I will.”

When Gabriel had at last looked up at Iris, he was rattled to see the tears glistening in her eyes. “How could you think I would want you to leave?” she asked, her words thick with emotion. “You’re everything to me.”

Gabriel wanted so badly to believe her. After everything they’d been through together, being apart was the last thing he wanted. But he also needed to be fair to her. “If you ever decide⁠—”

“No.” Iris set her mug down beside his, her expression determined despite the tears still glinting like stars in the dim light. “I keep trying to tell you. Just because I care about Blair now doesn’t take away from how much I love you, Gabriel. And I’m sorry.” She looked away, blinking rapidly as she wiped her cheeks impatiently with the heels of her hands. “I know how complicated things are now, and I hate that.”

Silent tears slid down Iris’ face, and Gabriel held out his arms. She fell into them, holding onto him as though he was the only pillar keeping her from crumbling into a pile of loose stones.

“Tell me we’ll figure this out.” Her voice was barely a whisper against his shoulder. “I can’t lose you.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Gabriel said, and he’d held her closer, praying against all odds that his words weren’t a lie.

But as Christmas day now drew to a close, leaving the three of them alone once more, surrounded by bits of wrapping paper, and plates of half-eaten pie, and all the comforts of home—as they settled in on the couch and were lulled to sleep by the soft patter of snow against the skylights—Gabriel finally let himself dare to hope.

Three days after Christmas, a knock sounded at the front door, sending a sharp pain reverberating through Blair’s skull. He dropped his pen onto the coffee table along with his journal and got to his feet, ignoring the stars that sprung up behind his eyes.

His heart leapt as he peered out the window. He hurried to answer the door. “Venetia, what are you⁠—”

“Baby brother!” she crowed, pulling him into a tight embrace. His sister leaned back just enough to get a good look at him. “You look like hell.”

“Thanks a lot.”

Venetia grinned. She looked the same as ever, her long hair a few shades darker and straighter than his, her grey eyes much more mischievous and full of a spark that could set the house alight and burn it to the ground within a matter of minutes. Blair wound the gears of his mind back, trying to figure out how many months it had been since he’d last seen her.

“Are you going to invite me in or am I supposed to stand out on the freezing stoop all day?” Venetia fixed him with a mock-offended glare.

Blair gave her a crooked smile, rolling his eyes as he stepped aside with an exaggerated sweep of his arm. The moment she stepped into the living room, the sunlit snow she'd been blocking assaulted his eyes and he hurried to close the door.

He watched as Venetia’s gaze swept over the art-filled walls, overflowing bookshelves, and candles stacked on every available surface. She dumped her coat and bag on the couch and wandered into the kitchen, stopping to examine some magnets on the fridge. Iris and Gabriel had purchased most of them from local museums, but Blair’s favorite featured a vivid painting of Audrey’s.

“Where are your houseguests?” Venetia asked, blowing a pink bubble and letting it pop on her face. She plopped the gum back into her mouth and disappeared around the corner.

“I believe I’m the houseguest,” Blair said, trailing her. “Iris is at her mother’s house and Gabriel works most Saturdays.”

“Huh.” Venetia ventured further down the hallway.