Celeste was born to be a star, the brightest in the celestial plains in the brightest part of the galaxy. She was a star that had become lost in all the darkness, seen by few and felt by none. All she wanted was a life in where she could be the star...
Christmas this year wasn't like Christmas the other years. My parents weren't here to spoil me and I'm not corrupting my brothers son into saying cuss words like any good uncle does. This year Christmas meant a little more because for the first time I get to spent it with someone who's love for me wasn't given. It was made and it was fragile... but it was beautiful.
I pick Celeste up nice and early and even give Jordan and Carmen a Christmas present. I've gotten close with them and I truly appreciate everything they've done for Callie. They didn't have to do any of this but I'm so happy they did. I know it's been difficult with James constantly on Jordan's ass about helping Celeste but Jordan holds his own. He's the second most important piece to that team so James can't get rid of him. But it doesn't mean he won't give him a hard time.
So I give them some nice gifts for helping out before stealing Celeste for the day. I had some Christmas plans for us and I was excited.
Once we get inside I make her take pictures with me. We still don't have many just to be safe but this was our first Christmas together and I wanted to capture the memory. Plus we can send the pictures out to our families and they'll get off our backs for the day.
After pictures we make ginger bread houses. I did this a lot growing up and since I have a huge family we would make it a contest to see who's house looked the best. This time around it's a little different because no way in hell am I willing to take on a future interior designer on a ginger bread house designing competition. Especially with how competitive she gets. So we do it for fun and they actually turned out real cute. Hers looked like a actual piece of art that someone would live in but I shouldn't be surprised. She was a visionary and I'm happy I get to see her visions.
After we clean up we chill out on the couch and watch the version of The Grinch with Jim Carey in it. This movie and Elf were my two favorites so I wasn't spending this day without watching both.
Halfway through the movie I reach over to the end table next to me and grab a little black box with a red bow on it. I place it in Celeste's lap causing her to furrow her eyebrows at me. We recently said no Christmas gifts but I already had something planned so there was no going back.
"Anthony you didn't" she accuses.
"Oh but I did" I assure her.
"But I didn't get you anything and now I feel bad" she claims.
"Your presence here with me is the greatest gift I could ever receive" I insist.
She pouts a little but after further convincing she finally opens it up. Inside was a circular locket necklace with some stars on it. I'm not gonna lie, that cost me a pretty penny but it was worth it. I asked her mom about what she would want for Christmas and this is what we came up with. And I'm pretty proud of this one.
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"Oh Anthony, this is so beautiful" she gasps.
"The seven stars represent the Pleiades cluster which your mom said your dad studied a lot" I start.
"He did" she smiles up at me. "They're the stars closest to earth so you can see them most anywhere. Galileo studied the same seven stars trying to plot them, they're even talked about in the Bible" she says.
"Well open it up, there's some more stars inside too" I insist.
So she opens it up and finds a picture of her, her mom and dad all together when she was just a toddler. Hannah showed it to me when we were at her house and she said it was Celeste's favorite picture ever. They were all going down a slide at the park together with the biggest smile on their faces. Hannah's mom took the picture and it was a perfect moment to capture. Like a picture you find in a frame they sell in stores.
A tear drops to her cheek before she quickly wipes it away. I can hear her breathing pick up as her heart strings get pulled. I'm not sure she has any pictures of her family out here, which is unfortunate because family means a lot to her. So I'm hoping that now she can carry her family in her heart and on it too. Maybe she can find some peace too.
"I- I don't even know what to say" she sniffles.
"You don't have to say anything" I assure her.
"No, I have to. Because this is the greatest thing anyone has ever given me. For so long all I had was my memories of my family, nothing to show for it. My dad felt like a figment of my imagination, someone I made up to bring myself comfort.
But now I have proof that I had a beautiful family, even if only for a little while. And I have a beautiful reminder of how I loved I am, by my parents and by you" she says softly.
"I just wanted to make you happy, not make you cry" I tease.
"These are the best tears. The kind of tears that don't hurt but heal" she explains.
"As long as you're happy" I insist.
"Nothing makes me happier than you" she claims.
I pull her into a soft kiss before she digs her nails into the back of my neck. That gives me chills as she pulls me in closer.
"Do you want me to put it on you" I whisper on her lips.
"Please" she insists.
I unlatch the back before resting the locket over her heart. I attach the back then let it fall against her skin. I try not to stare but it was a pretty necklace and she had those collar bones that make any man fall to his knees.
She picks up my finger and placed it on her collarbone where my eyes were fixated. She runs my finger across her skin softly and I thought I was going to lose it right there. I look into her eyes for some kind of affirmation and she just smiles at me.
I slowly run my fingers across her skin before my hands get tangled in her hair at the base of her neck. My warm lips meet her collar bone before moving across her collar bones. She lays back on the couch pulling me down with her. I feel her hands wrap around me and pull me closer making my heart pound against my chest. I could hear it in my head it was so loud.
"Anthony" she gasps and I stop. I look into her eyes and they were a different shade of blue. This was deeper than usual and I kind of loved them. "Can we go to your room" she asks.
I smirk as I quickly pull her up. We run off to my room before she jumps into my bed. She lays back letting her hair fly and I just admire her for a few moments. She tosses her sweater to the side and I felt like a idiot just standing there, watching. But she was a incredibly beautiful woman and I feel like an even bigger idiot if I don't appreciate that.
"Are you going to join me or keep staring at me" she asks.
So I toss my shirt to the side with hers before climbing on top of her. I let my hands search her body trying to get familiar with her. She quickly finished undressing and I join her. We crawl under the sheets and I smile as now all she was wearing was that necklace. And like always she was simply beautiful.
