NERTHUS
Even before opening the door, I have a huge smile plastered on my face. As soon as he sees me, his eyes light up and he pulls at his suit, which must be totally uncomfortable.
My cheeks are already hurting, but I can’t seem to stop smiling.
“Merry Christmas,” Danny shouts, and I open my arms to welcome him with a hug. “Merry Christmas, Danny!”
He hugs me tight with a happy sigh, making me giggle, “Come on in, sweetie. We are just about to finish cooking.”
“You are cooking yourself?” he asks me with sparkling eyes, and I nod happily. “Is he helping you?”
He gasps before picking up his pace to barge into the kitchen. “I have to see that.”
I laugh as I reach them already chatting playfully.
“No, please let me take a pic,” Danny pouts as Arawn keeps growling curses. “I won’t show anyone!”
I can’t blame him as it is indeed an absolutely mouth-watering sight, keeping me struggling to keep my hands to myself. Even if I doubt that Danny will perceive it the same way as I do.
Arawn is dressed in a casual outfit, wearing white pants and a black shirt, and has the sleeves rolled up to work around the kitchen freely. Seeing him working through all my receipts with me, passing his hands through his messy hair, is already too much for my heart to bear, but I nearly fainted as he really showed up at my place to go buy everything we needed in a superstore. Even though it was kind of strange to do the groceries escorted by four men in black and moving stores in two big-ass Escalades.
As we kept going through our errands as normally as we might be at such a moment, I couldn’t help but feel a strange feeling creeping up my legs. I struggled to keep down this uncomfortable sensation, and I soon enough was able to assure myself that it was more than just my heart flipping and cutting my air whenever I thought that we were looking like an actual couple. It had seemed to be something more disturbing that unsettled me profoundly but had to be registered unconsciously as I couldn’t grasp it. I even noticed people taking pictures or videos of us with their phones and suddenly it clicked.
I had to keep myself from gasping as I realized that it must have been my danger radar sending the alarms, and I felt like a fish out of the water as I had never felt fear when I was around Arawn.
As if there has ever been a reason for it.
Just as we were leaving a store to get to our cars, I spotted another group of young girls with their phones pointed towards us, and I strangely panicked. I couldn’t believe how stupid I was acting as you couldn’t certainly blame them as we must have looked awfully starstrucking. Doing another few steps, I managed to drown my sentiment only for a second before I turned to Arawn.
“Arawn?” I whispered, not actually knowing what I was actually looking for. But he acted shockingly calm, confirming my fears by the expression he had on his face. Despite this, he seemed to take into account my emotions by laying his arm around me and hugging me close. “I know. There is still something I have to tell you. Just ignore the kids.”
I couldn’t understand what he was referring to, but I didn’t like the tone of his voice. And still, he managed to calm me down instantaneously, reassuring me that he had all under control.
Shaking my head, I take Danny’s phone out of his hand and turn it to take a few selfies of us with Arawn barely to be spotted in the background. “There you go. A compromise.”
Danny seems appeased as he goes through the pictures with a big smile, and I take the glass of wine standing on the counter to hand it to Arawn. He takes it with a grin, pulling me in to kiss me.
“I know that you have been holding back all afternoon, but that doesn’t give you the right to avoid me that much,” he growls lowly before he lifts his index to point at Danny and raises his voice. “Now you are pushing your luck, young man. Put that away. Don’t make me do it for you.”
Laying my hand on his chest, I tap him lightly. “Let him. He is just being happy. He won’t show anyone.”
Arawn drowns his growl with a sip of his wine, making me chuckle. “Come on, Danny. Help me bring out all the food, and we can start eating.”
“Yes!” Danny shouts, punching the air. Before we move to the dining room, my heart just swells at hearing him gushing over how we decorated everything.
I force my tears from flooding my eyes as I wipe my palms on my jeans, “Well, Merry Christmas, baby. Now sit down and eat. Both of you.”
“Just a moment,” Arawn mumbles before he disappears shortly, just to return wearing a tie. He goes to adjust Danny’s tie and as he is done, slaps his shoulder gently.
“Had to align with the dress code,” he murmurs as an excuse.
Arawn sits down beside me and squeezes my hand shortly while Danny sits down in front of us, already fascinated by all the food.
I smile at Arawn, mouthing a ‘you are so cute’, loving how he didn’t want Danny to feel out of place because he overdressed.
“This is the best Christmas ever,” Danny sighs before digging in.
***
“Oooooh, I’m going to dieeeeeee,” Danny groans, lying on the couch.
Arawn laughs, moving his arm that he has around my shoulders to slap him. “Don’t lie on your stomach, maybe.”
I chuckle, laying my head back on his chest. The thought of them acting like real brothers passes my mind, making me smile drowsily.
We are currently watching TV, and while Danny is groaning on the couch because he ate too much, Arawn and I are drinking a glass of wine. I absolutely love how we are sitting on the floor, leaning against the couch Danny is lying on and watching old movies.
“You still have to open your gift,” I say lowly, but Danny takes it up clear as day.
“You got us gifts?” he asks, propping himself up rapidly.
I laugh, pointing to a bag that I put beneath the Christmas tree. “Of course, go take them. They are in that bag there.”
“Ooooh,” Danny says before he gets up slowly and nears the bag carefully. He leans over the bag, peaking into it with big eyes. “Oooh, they look pretty.”
Reaching into the bag, he takes out the two wrapped surprises. He takes a few steps back towards us and holds the two packages out. I point to the flat one, tapping on it lightly. “This one is Arawn’s.”
“The bigger one is for me?” he gasps, making us laugh. Kneeling down on the spot, he passes the one for Arawn to him, who takes it with a playful groan. “The smaller one is for me?”
Danny is already tearing his gift open as I put my glass shielding myself from him, “I have something else too, but you couldn’t possibly unpack that one in front of the boy.”
He grins slyly, leaning in to kiss me. “God, this is Christmas is getting better by the second.”
I chuckle as he pulls his arm away from me to open his gift.
“Nooooo fucking wayyyy,” Danny shouts excitedly, making Arawn groan.
“Your French, Danny!”
But Danny ignores him as he turns around the game in his hand with a gasp.
“Is it the one you were talking about?” I ask, and he nods repeatedly.
He turns the game back around, staring at it with sparkling eyes, “Yes! But it isn’t supposed to come out for another two months. How did you get it?”
“Ah, I know a person who knows a person,” I chuckle. “This is the game that went out to the Beta-Testers.”
Danny totally loses it, while Arawn leans in with a frown. “What did the person who knows a person get for that?” he whispers roughly, making me grin.
“Gigi’s number,” I laugh, my heart flipping in my chest as he smiles at me.
God, how much more can I be enchanted by it?