Sabin is out the door before anyone can ask what in the hell that little outburst was about.
When we’re alone, Chris takes my hand. “Don’t let him bother you.”
“I’m trying not to. Just…he seems pretty moody. Up and down, you know?”
“Yeah, I’m starting to get that. Let’s give him a few days. See what happens.”
“Okay.” I feel unsettled, but I have an idea that might wash away some of the unpleasantness. “Come with me.” I take Chris by the hand and laugh at the curious expression he makes when I lead him to the tree. “We’re going to lie down under the tree and look up through the branches.”
“Please tell me you’re kidding.”
“No. It’s romantic,” I insist. “I read about it in a book. I want to try it.”
“Whatever you want. It’s your day.”
Chris follows my lead, and we lie on the floor and push back until we are under the branches and bows and lights.
“Now what?” he asks.
“It’s up to us. Maybe we think about the future. Or the past or the present. The New Year coming up. I don’t know.” I think for a minute. It turns out that this wasn’t a bad idea. I gaze up into the lights, take in the detail of the many pine needles, and inhale the smell. “Maybe we just lie here and breathe.”
So, that’s what we do. Chris takes my hand, and we breathe.
As the minutes tick by, the room darkens as the sun fades, and the lights on the tree get brighter and sharper. In the distance, there is shrieking and laughter coming from the shore, but we block that out. Right now, it’s just us.
I shut my eyes and focus on my hand entwined with Chris’s, feeling the familiarity and comfort of him but also the energy and momentum he gives me. Our connection remains as exciting as it always has been. There is just the addition of security and stability.
“I have something for you,” he says. “Don’t get mad.”
I turn my head, and I’m about to snap at him because we agreed that we weren’t exchanging presents, but he looks too thoughtful and in love for me to be annoyed.
“Christopher…”
He slips out from the tree, and I giggle when he grabs my legs and yanks so that I glide across the floor a good five feet.
In a flash, he’s on his side next to me, setting a small box on my chest. “Open.”
“I wish you’d told me that you—”
“Shh.” He holds a finger to my lips and smiles at me. “Open.”
Inside the box is a silver sea urchin with a pale blue stone pendant that hangs from a thin chain. His gift leaves me emotional and moved. Chris is not one for fate or destiny or anything that he can’t explain with fact and logic, but he has latched on to how undeniably tied we are to each other, and this necklace is a symbol of that. He’s made an exception when it comes to us.
“Put it on for me.” I can hardly talk, so I just watch him while he delicately undoes the clasp and then gently brushes my hair aside before he hooks it around my neck.
Now, I have on the necklace that belonged to Chris’s mother and also this one. It’s a damn good set.
“You’re beautiful,” he says.
“Thenecklaceis beauti—”
He stops me with a kiss—a long one.
Sometimes, our kissing is brief, a quick show of affection in passing. Sometimes, our kisses are heated, urgent, loaded with sexual need. Then, there are kisses like this one—tender, unhurried, and patient—that are not about anything but love. This kiss is romance at its best.
“Good fucking God, get a fucking room!” Sabin hollers as he crashes loudly through the doorway. “Oh, wait. You have one,” he says gratingly. “It’s just upstairs. Feel free to use it. I don’t think we all need to see you two going at it on the floor, do we?”
Chris lifts his mouth from mine. He remains remarkably calm, considering how obnoxious Sabin is being. Chris whispers under his breath so that only I can hear, “Don’t say anything.” He pulls back, takes my hand, and helps me to stand. “I’m going to make coffee. There’s a nice French press here. Anyone want some?”
