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I held the coffee back out to him and sat up. I’d slept in one of his T-shirts, the fabric soft and worn and perfect.
“What are we doing today?’ I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. He’d pulled the curtains back just a little bit, and the weather outside looked absolutely perfect.
“Staying here, hanging out on the private beach? I kind of don’t feel like sharing you.”
“What a surprise. I don’t feel like sharing you, either.”
He smiled. “I make breakfast, and then we can see what Santa was up to last night.”
“Why do you keep talking about Santa?“
He shrugged. “You’ll just have to see for yourself.”
He left, and I watched him go, sinking back into bed for a moment. I didn’t have a watch on, and my phone was on the other side of the room, so I had no clue what time it was. But it had to have been mid-morning by the sun.
I slipped out of bed, looking back at its warmth lovingly for a moment before picking up my phone and heading back to my room. I’d left my things there because...well, because I wasn’t so sure us together was going to be an every-night thing.
I was playing it by ear. Letting everything fall into place on its own. I still had that worry this was just another fling to him, and once the vacation was over, he’d be looking for the next in line and I’d be...trying to get over my best friend.
I brushed my teeth, made my hair look half-decent, and washed my face. I slipped on a fresh T-shirt and a pair of shorts and headed downstairs. He’d put the Christmas music back on and had closed the curtains on the main level so it was dark, making the twinkling lights of the eight-foot Christmas tree all the more striking.
I stopped to admire it, thinking I should have brought my camera with me.
But for once, I didn’t want to stay behind the camera.
I wanted to experience the life in front of it.
I’d expected a couple presents under the tree.
I’d set the ones I’d bought for Lucas under there before going to bed last night. What I didn’t expect were the two stockings tied to the chairs on the island with our names on them in silver, or the large stack of presents under the tree.
Lucas walked over beside me, coffee in hand. His hair looked a little more mussed than it had upstairs, and I wondered if he’d sat outside while I was getting dressed.
He smiled. “See? I told you Santa came.”
“I see.” I looked at the presents again. “Lucas...”
“What? I had nothing to do with it. All Santa.” He put his coffee down on the countertop. “Food or gifts?”
My stomach rumbled, answering for me. I’d eaten light last night, a little more wine than the food.
“Food, it is.”
I laughed and headed to the counter. He opened the fridge door and pulled out two parfaits. I was starting to wonder if he’d even slept last night. I dug in, making quick work of the fruit, yogurt, and granola while he turned the coffee on for another pot.
As soon as we were done, he waved me towards the tree, cleaning up in the kitchen before I had a chance to do anything.
I sat cross-legged on the floor, the Santa hat he’d put on my head earlier still in place. His had little jingle bells on it. I laughed to myself as he dug around under the tree to pull out a couple presents with his name on them.
I opened the first present. A new cell phone case with my name on it and one of the pictures I’d taken our first day there.
“How did you?” I wiggled the case at him.
“Santa has secrets.”
“Santa Lucas has too many secrets.”
He laughed. “I thought you’d like that one. It was one of the first ones you posted to your Insta. And I liked the colors.”
