"Last one," Finn smiled as he held up a glittery red ornament. I grinned back as he looped a hook through the top of it and waited for me to spread open my palm. Carefully he placed it there and before I could move, closed my fingers around it. I could feel my cheeks turn the color of the ornament as I quickly turned and climbed up onto the stepladder to reach the top branches of the tree.
Finn would do little things like that that would have me blushing right, left, and center. Sometimes I wondered if he knew how flirtatious he was being, but then I would remember that he acted this way around everyone. He was one of those sorts of people who practically ran on buckets full of kindness, cute faces, and cuddles. He was basically a walking, talking teddy bear.
"Done!" I said as I situated the last ornament on the topmost branch.
"Not quite," Finn disagreed, his smile widening as he dug around in one of the many big boxes he'd brought up to my flat just an hour ago. "We have to put the tree topper on!" In his hands he held a big white and gold star. In the light, it sparkled, nearly as much as Finn's smile.
"How could I forget?" I teased, moving off of the stepladder and waving a hand towards it. "Will you do the honors?"
Finn grinned again. "It'd be my pleasure." He moved forward, easily walking up the stepladder, and bent slightly. I could see the muscles in his back and arms move with him and I felt yet another blush tint my cheeks pink. I couldn't even help the responses I had to him, no matter what I tried.
He swiftly placed the star on top and then got back down, walking over to me so that we could admire our work.
Christmas was right around the corner, just a week away, and though I'd like to blame my lack of decorating more on work than pure laziness, I couldn't really. I think it also sort of had to do with the extensive amount of time I'd spent with Finn over the past few months.
Finn Long had become my best friend. I didn't open up to people easily, especially after the events that had occurred in the past few years, but he had managed to weasel his way straight into my life with his charming smile and odd ability to conjure donuts at almost any given time. Our friendship had blossomed almost effortlessly, especially since we worked together and were always in one another's presence, but it was only recently that I noticed the butterflies flapping around in my stomach just by the simplest things from him.
"It looks great," he said. "You did a wonderful job."
"You did too," I complimented him back. He smiled and slung an arm around my shoulders. "So did you think over my offer?" he asked as we continued to gaze at the big, fake tree with it's variety of ornaments and twinkling lights.
I sighed, my head automatically moving to lean against him. "Not really," I admitted. "I'm just not sure about it."
I could almost feel Finn's frown as he dropped his arm, only to turn his body fully toward me and grab my hands in his own. His thumbs moved circles across my skin and I repressed a smile that was attempting to force it's way onto my face. "Why not?" he asked gently. "Are you worried about the plane ride? It really won't be that bad, honestly, and I'll hold your hand the whole time if you need me to."
I shook my head quickly. "It's not that," I said. "It's just... what if your family doesn't like me?"
Finn had invited me to come to America with him for Christmas. He had relatives living in Florida there, and he was eager to introduce me to them. Unfortunately, I was absolutely terrified. The idea of traveling all the way to another country and meeting Finn's parents seemed like a major leap out of my comfort zone.
"Oh, don't worry about that at all!" Finn smiled. "They'll love you! How can anyone not? You're wonderful, Alice."
I felt the blush rise to my cheeks again and I quickly pulled my hands away from his and turned back to the tree. "I'll think about it," I mumbled.
