"keep in mind what i mentioned earlier," i whispered at a volume only kian could hear as we unbuckled our seat belts. we had returned from hanging out with my friends earlier, changed into christmasy clothes, and had now arrived at the party.
kian just lightly smiled, following my dad to help him carry the foods my mother had prepared inside. mom was scrambling to get all the kids out of the car successfully, making an effort to groom them up just a tad to try and empress our family members in the slightest.
seeing mom was taking care of getting the kids inside, i went to the trunk to carry the presents inside for the 'dirty santa' game to come later tonight.
kian caught up and stood at my side again, "this should be fun." i pushes out a desperate laugh, sighing before waiting for my mother to open the door for us all. "please don't judge me on account of my family members," i plead hopefully, "they tend to have their moments."
"nah," he said, shoving what i'd said to the side, "don't sweat it. i'm sure they're great." before i could argue, my mother opened the door and let all the smaller kids flee inside. she held the door open so kian, my father, and myself could walk into the warmth and set all of the gifts and food where they needed to be placed.
other little kids, who i assumed i was related to somehow, chased each other into another room with toys in their hands as the sound of christmas music now made its way to our ears. "y'all made it!" jeff said with a big, goofy smile. he gave me a small hug, shaking dad's hand before noticing he hadn't met kian before.
they introduced themselves briefly before leading us into the room where all the adults were gathered, making conversation and eating finger foods. i noticed a couple of my distant aunts drinking egg nog and wine, eyeing me and kian who i'm sure they assumed to be my boyfriend.
"hey everybody!" i smiled while i waved and had now caught the attention of all the people seated around. multiple voices were saying my name, shocked to see i'd made it home for the holidays since i live across the country. "before i get around to catching up with everyone, i just wanted to introduce my friend kian. i brought him from california with me for christmas," i smiled, allowing kian to raise his hand in a wave as he smiled around the room.
almost instantly after i'd finished speaking, family member after family member came up to us and made small talk on how i'd been liking where i now called home.
it amazed me deeply how kian was able to connect with people so easily. of course, it was required due to our careers for us to be able to do so; however, there's a handful of people who aren't able to make a genuine connection. i've seen as well as met celebrities that have nothing but the best intentions of giving a memorable experience to their fans yet they just can't deliver the genuineness. kian is different; he likes to remember each and every person he meets or interacts with and makes sure to give them a memorable experience.
it was reassuring to see him do so with my family, even though they'd only meet see him here this one time.
time lapse
"alright everybody, who's playing the game?" jeff stood as he rubbed his hands eagerly against one another, asking while everyone finished up their foods. the game of 'dirty santa' was pretty much a tradition for our family christmas parties.
since kian and i were both adults, my father had bought presents for us to use in order to play. the game was fairly simple; everyone drew a number out of a hat where whatever number they'd picked represented their turn to pick a present. once they pick a gift and open it, they can either swap it out for another that someone has already opened and claimed until that gift has been passed around too many times and is considered dead.
the game is usually always fun and guaranteed to get a lot of laughs out due to everyone progressively getting more competitive. once jeff had taken a head count of how many people were playing, he passed a hat around and let us pick a number. "what'd you get?" i asked, nosily peeking over at kian's piece of paper.
he hid it from my sight, "what's yours?" i laughed as i complied, showing him the scribbled fourteen that was written on my piece of paper. he smiled as he allowed me to see the number seventeen that was on his. "look at you; first time playing with us and you're still better than i am," i laughed jealously.
we began the game with lucky number one being my grandfather. players picked their gifts and stole gifts from one another until it seemed to be my turn. i walked up to the table of gifts, picking somewhat of a smaller one.
i opened it up to see one of those wax burners that released a fragrance once heated enough. i'd been meaning to purchase one for my room back in california, so i was actually pretty pleased to receive it.
"thank you to who ever put this one in there, i think i'll keep it," i smiled as everyone seemed relieved i wouldn't attempt to steal their gifts. my great grandmother went next and decided to steal the gift my mother had gotten; a picture frame that would be perfect for hanging on her wall.
groaning due to having to stand back up, my mother picked anther gift from the table and then it was kian's turn. with hesitation visible, he went up and picked a bag that didn't seem too heavy. sitting down, he began to open his gift, immersing in laughter while pulling out its contents.
it was evident kian had gotten a gag gift; a gift thrown in the mix as a joke. he pulled out a bright red, lacy bra and pantie set as his cheeks began to light up pink. i laughed as kian was then handed a gift card as his actaul gift.
"thanks guys, i think i'll keep them both," he laughed as everyone seemed pretty fine with that. a couple of my older relatives looked at me with big eyes, assuming i'd be the one prancing around in it for him.
once all the players had gone and all the gifts were final, it was pretty late at night. mom, who was already clutching a sleeping lucas in her arms, had decided it was time to get the family home so the kids could get in bed.
everyone had said goodbye, giving hugs and promises of keeping in contact after i'd gone back to california. we loaded up in the car, heading home where i ended up falling asleep in the car.
hey everyone! hope you had a good day/night and are enjoying the chapter. hopefully more updates will come soon. much love ♥️
