AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Just as we had the day before, we’d gone our separate ways for the morning.I went home to wrap up the last of my gifts, ready to take them to my parents’ house on Christmas morning.The days had flown by over the past few weeks.Thankfully, I was fairly well organised, and at least I didn’t have to worry about cooking Christmas dinner for myself, so that was one less hassle for me.
The last thing left on the Christmas hit list was “Judge me”.When Donovan and I were kids, we’d done a lot of craft stuff with his mum, and one of our activities had been to make a Christmas card, and Donovan’s dad and grandad would judge them.We’d both won once, so technically, this was the tie-breaker round, and June had already agreed to be the judge.Donovan, however, didn’t know what we were doing until he entered my living room and saw an array of craft supplies laid out across my coffee table.There was a pile of white A4 card, glue, various coloured pencils and felt tip pens, some coloured glitter glue pens, a range of Christmas-themed stickers, some Christmas stencils, and a bag full of mini pom-poms, pipe cleaners, and googly eyes.
“Bloody hell,” he said with a laugh as he stared at the items on the table.“This brings back some memories.”
“That’s kind of the point.”I poked my tongue out at him playfully.
“You’re a big kid, you know that, don’t you?”He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close against him, my hands resting on his waist.
I might have taken the remark as a dig a week or so ago.Now, it simply made me grin.“And you are still too serious.So, this should be entertaining.”
“You aren’t expecting any masterpieces, are you?”he asked, then kissed me gently.“Because art is definitely not my strong point.”
Laughing, I said, “Is this a good time to tell you that art is my main speciality and I’m the one who created many of the displays in the school classrooms?”
His eyes widened.“Oh, that’s an unfair advantage you never used to have,” he teased, holding his hands up.“I can’t go into a competition with an expert when I’m just an amateur.”
Releasing my hold on him, I dropped down to the floor by the coffee table.“I thought you liked a challenge.”I said it knowing full well he also didn’t like to lose.Even at something as silly as a Christmas card-making contest.
Donovan sat down at the other side of the table.“I do.But not one I know Idefinitelycan’t win.”
“But you don’t know,” I pointed out.“June is going to decide the winner, and she might find your effort endearing.”
The way he looked at me, eyes half-narrowed but still sparkling made me laugh out loud.“Bring it on!”he said, lifting a piece of card from the pile and pulling it towards him.“And don’t be cheating by looking at what I’m doing,” he added, pulling the bag of assorted craft bits and putting it between us so I could no longer see his project.
“Fine.I look forward to kicking your ass!”
We grinned at each other before getting to work.
I reached for a piece of card and then a gold glitter glue pen.I hadn’t used one of those in years, and as I took the lid off it, the adhesive smell transported me back to my childhood, when every piece of ‘artwork’ I made involved glitter glue pens.
I began to very carefully writemerryacross the card in block letters, hoping the gold would last enough to colour the whole word in.Thankfully, it did, but there was no way it would last to writeChristmas, so I put the lid back on and reached for the red pen.
I’d been so engrossed that I hadn’t looked at Donovan for a while, but he seemed equally involved in his card.The concentration on his face was cute, and I giggled as I watched him.I couldn’t see exactly what he was doing, but his tongue was out slightly as he focused.It looked like he was trying to peel off a sticker, but I realised his short nails wouldn’t allow it.
“Need some help?”I asked, and he shook his head.
“I got it,” he answered, and I saw him move his hands as if sticking something down.
It occurred to me as I started to write my second word on my card that I wouldn’t be able to do much around the first word until the glue dried, and from memory, I recalled that took a long-ass time.
“Do you want a drink?”I asked, realising I should have asked when he arrived.Unfortunately, his arms around me had made me forget my manners.
He glanced up at me.“Yes, please.Do you still have hot chocolate and whipped cream?”
My lips twitched as his beautiful blues twinkled with mischief.“I always have whipped cream.”My tone was seductive, my lower lip pouted out before I licked my tongue across it.
He let out a low groan.“I know what you’re doing, lady, and you’re not going to distract me with your dirty mouth.”
His words and his gaze caused heat to blossom inside me, but I just gave a casual shrug as if I wasn’t affected before walking to the kitchen, swaying my hips as I went.
“Tease,” he muttered, making me laugh.
I headed for my Tassimo machine—which I was sure might have been considered cheating to make hot chocolate—and flicked the switch to turn it on before lifting the lid and popping in a pod.Once I’d pressed the button, glass mug ready underneath, I went to the fridge for the whipped cream.As I shook the can, my mind drifted to the fun Donovan and I could have with it, but I pushed the thought aside to revisit later.
The hissing of the machine as it steamed was noisy, and while I waited for it to calm down, I went to the cupboard in the corner of my kitchen where I kept all of my sweet treats to get the marshmallows.Once the first drink was done, I gave it a stir, then squirted out a generous helping of cream and topped it with pink and white marshmallows.I set the next mug up and put in a fresh pod, pressing the button and letting myself become mesmerised by the cream as it began to melt into the already-made drink.Once the other was ready, I picked them up and walked towards the kitchen door.As I did so, I heard a male voice in the room that wasn’t Donovan’s.Nobody had come in as I would have heard the doorbell, but there was definitely a voice coming from the living room.Also, the accent wasn’t English.It sounded Australian from a distance.
I hadn’t intended to listen; I was just trying to deliver the drinks, but my feet stopped in their tracks just as I heard the excited voice say, “Oh my God.I can’t believe this is happening.I will see you at the end of next week in the fucking Maldives!”
