There was something to be said about curling up in front of cheesy Christmas specials with a mug of something warm. It was how Emily almost preferred to spend Christmas day. She loved Chris and Charlotte, but that time to herself was always what she needed. Plus, she, her father and Chris always went for a walk on the night of Christmas Day, when most people still had their Christmas decorations up. It was their version of family time.
Emily smiled as the credits for the original Grinch passed over the screen. It always reminded her that there were frivolous things in the world and not everything came down to a gun or a knife. She liked to think that the Grinch was proof that people could be changed by one good hand. The phone startled her out of her reflections.
“Prentiss residence.”
“Merry Christmas.”
Emily felt like a school girl when the smile spread across her face. “Merry Christmas to you too. Did you boys have fun last night?”
“Sean definitely made the right choice in becoming a chef.”
“I’m glad.”
“What are your plans today?”
“Not much,” she admitted. “I spend the day lounging around. Dad and Chris are coming over later and we’re going to hit the town. Maybe Charlotte will come this year too.” Charlie hated the cold and so she often holed up in Emily’s apartment with the refreshments for when they returned. Emily didn’t mind. She quite enjoyed the company of her sister-in-law and she and Chris had agreed that until they had their first little one, tradition said the walk ended at her place.
“Open schedule?”
“I think I can make some time for you, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“I won’t infringe on family time, but I do have your Christmas present.”
Emily laughed. “I have yours.”
“I wondered why it wasn’t lying under my tree like Jack’s was. I was a little jealous.”
She laughed again. “I wanted to see the look on your face when you opened it. I was pretty sure Jack was going to like his gift.”
“I’ll come by after I drop Jack off with Haley.”
“Sounds good,” she said warmly.
Emily actually had two gifts for Aaron. She had his actual Christmas gift, which was nothing particularly special, but it was the little jewellery box that had Emily’s heart in her throat. She’d debated weeks upon weeks as to whether or not to give him such a personal present. She’d actually drawn up a pro-con list about it.
Eventually, logic and the pros outweighed any negative reaction she could quite possibly get. She didn’t mean to pressure him, it just seemed perfectly rational, especially for where their relationship was going and where she saw said relationship another five years down the road.
The knock on the door reminded her of how much easier her gift would make things.
He greeted her with a warm hug and a thorough kiss. “You look beautiful.”
Emily glanced down at herself, then looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. “I look like I’ve been lounging around my apartment all day.”
“You make lounging look good,” he shot back. And she did. The yoga pants were comfortable, but hugged her hips and the long-sleeved t-shirt was cut in the v-shape he knew accentuated her cleavage. She wore thick socks on her feet.
“You don’t have to compliment me, you know. You’ve already gotten in my pants.”
“But I want to,” he responded, kissing her again. “And is it still a compliment if it’s the truth?”
Emily narrowed her eyes. Sure, he wasn’t stingy on the compliments, but it just seemed this time like he was laying it on a little thick. “Okay, who are you and where the hell is my Aaron?”
Aaron tried not to shiver at her unintentional possessive. It was true, but it was still a thrill. “It’s Christmas.”
“I know that. The loonies don’t come out until tomorrow.”
“So I can’t compliment you?”
“Not when you lie.”
“I don’t lie,” he promised with an indulgent smile. “You’re too hard on yourself.”
Emily chuckled, pushing the door closed and walking backwards into her apartment, her arms still wrapped around him. He echoed each of her steps until they were standing in her living room. “Presents?”
“After we make out like teenagers.”
She kissed him through her laughter. “What has gotten into you?”
“It’s Christmas!” he repeated.
“Eggnog then,” she replied, initiating the next kiss.
Their breathing was only slightly laboured when they pulled away. “I’m happy.”
Aaron’s words struck Emily to the core. It was a big admission coming from the usually emotionally reserved man. True, with her he just beat around the bush instead of evading the question completely, but rarely did he come straight out and say what he was feeling. Her entire demeanour softened. “Me too,” she admitted.
Their next kiss was slower, softer, conveying the emotion they both weren’t quite ready to put into words yet. But it was enough for both of them. Emily was grinning widely when they both pulled away, a sparkle in her eye. Her decision about his second present seemed so much more concrete now than it ever had.
“Why aren’t you at your mother’s?” he asked, settling on her couch and pulling her down beside him.
Emily looked up at Aaron reproachfully. “That’s one way to kill a mood.”
He rolled his eyes. “Christmas is for family, your mother’s family. It’s a logical jump.”
“My mother’s Christmas extravaganza was last night,” she answered, conceding his point. “I have the running record for avoidances on that one.”
“Not Thanksgiving?”
“Thanksgiving is another story entirely,” she agreed. “That one’s just safer to attend.”
“So you threw me to the lions?”
Emily looked astonished. “Your parents were there too!”
“They were,” he agreed on a sigh.
“I thought we agreed not to talk about that,” she reminded him.
“This is true,” Aaron agreed, tucking his hand into the pocket of his winter coat. He had two, a ski jacket, and then his work coat.
Emily preferred the ski jacket. She’d forgotten he was still wearing it. “Why don’t you take your coat off, stay for a while,” she groused, tugging at the lapel, even as her eyes followed two small, brightly wrapped packages. She followed him as he stood, though turned off into the kitchen as he hung the coat by the door. “Cider?”
“Sure,” he agreed, leaning his hip against the counter to watch her work. Emily was not gifted in cooking a meal, but she made the simple steps to instant cider look like a dance. He watched the line of her body as she moved about, grabbing this from that cupboard and that from another drawer. It was only slightly disturbing that he found the picture arousing.
Then again, he missed the large majority of her domestic skills. Sure he got the end benefits, but most of the cleaning or straightening up she’d done around his house while she was on medical leave was done while he was away at work. There were some things, Emily said, that were just better done alone. They’d made teamwork out of cleaning up after meals and the major weekly duties, but the small, constant domestic things always seemed to be done by the time he got home.
“What?”
Her voice startled Aaron out of his thoughts and brought his attention to the mug she was holding out for him. He smiled his thanks as he took it, watching a tiny shiver drill down her spine as he let his fingers brush hers. “Nothing.”
“That’s not a ‘nothing’ face,” Emily responded, leading the way back to the couch. “That’s a ‘something’ face. A ‘thinking’ face.”
“I was thinking,” he said vaguely. “I think that means the ‘thinking’ face is a given.”
“Uh huh, I want to know what you were thinking about.”
“Classified.”
Emily chuckled. “There’s no way you have any higher security clearance than me.”
One hand cupped her mug, the other lay up and open on her knee. He shifted his own cider, tracing the lines on her hand. “Thinking about you.”
Emily stayed silent. She liked this particular all-sharing Aaron, though he didn’t come out that often.
“I miss you,” he said quietly.
“I miss you too,” she replied, unable to stop herself.
Aaron reached for the smaller of the two packages, the one he was most worried about giving her. He held his breath as she set down her mug beside his to take the package from his hand, their others still locked. She squeezed his hand once before unwrapping the present and opening the box. To his surprise, she laughed a little.
“We read each other’s minds,” she said softly, handing him a package of his own.
Sure enough, lying on a bed of cotton inside the box was a key. She wanted to give him a key to her apartment for Christmas. He knew there was as much a safety aspect attached as there was the sentimental, but he had a feeling the sentimental outweighed everything else.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while,” she said softly, her fingers stroking over the key he’d given her. “It just-“
“Makes sense,” he finished.
Emily looked up at him, searching his face. “We’ve been heading this way, haven’t we?”
Aaron nodded. “We’ve already lived together.”
“We’re just going slow.”
“Until we can figure out what to do at work.”
His words only surprised her slightly. Moving in was the logical next step after exchanging keys. “What are we going to do about work?”
He pulled her close, his heart warmed as she automatically curled into him, cuddling close. “Let’s try this for awhile. We’ll cross that bridge later.”
Sounded good to her.