As it turns out, the man Andy fell in love with is more of a mystery than she first thought. When they give their relationship another chance, it's not long before Lex's secrets begin to unravel, threatening their happily ever after.
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Our Christmas dinner went smoothly, which proved once more that Lex was very much accepted by my family. Not that they would have been jerks to him otherwise, but it could have turned tense.
Instead, we had a lovely time, discussing, joking, and celebrating. Lex and I were seated next to one another, Tyler and MC were in front of us, my parents on each end of the dinner table. The food was great, the wine amazing, especially the one Lex had gotten during a quick errand earlier today.
With our bellies well-filled, we then moved to the living room for a traditional miming game while waiting for midnight. Per usual, it was chaos, with everyone yelling out their answer, some people–Maria Carmen–trying to cheat, others getting offended when we took too long guessing what they were miming... But mostly, it was a lot of fun and laughter. My father miming a ballerina toad would forever be hilarious.
Lex didn't seem to be as into it as the rest of us, and I wondered if it was because this kind of shenanigans was new to him, or because it was harder for him to read people. Nevertheless, I made it worth his while, staying as much as I could with him on the couch, whispering either sweet or sexy things in his ear now and then. He'd get used to the Walkers' intensity, eventually.
The game ended with Maria Carmen making us guess a zombie riding a horse, and then came the moment to open the presents. I always loved Christmas presents; not in a materialistic way, but because I loved the surprise of finding out what people had thought of. This year, I was particularly excited to discover Lex's gifts for me. Thankfully, the hardest present I had to give was a done deal, so I had no reason to worry.
In a joyously disorganized mess, we gifted and opened presents. The number of colorful packages under the trees lowered as we went, and the pile of discarded and torn wrapping paper increased. I received themed socks from my mom, Tyler, and Lex, indicating that I might have an addiction problem to those and needed to sort it out. But I didn't care in the slightest. I loved all three pairs, but the Lord of the Rings ones from Lex were understandably my favorites.
When Lex gave my parents a large and flat gift, I became absurdly curious to know what it was. It was obviously something framed, but what in the hell could he have gotten for them?
We all seemed to have the same question, and we stood behind my mom as she unwrapped it. The picture that was revealed stunned me. Holy shit, I'd completely forgotten this even existed.
When he was back in New York, Tyler had collaborated with an artist who did rough strokes portraits. Tyler's pictures were used as the canvas, and she painted people over the desolated places Tyler had snapped. It added life and color to the gloomy urban landscapes, and the contrast made it very interesting.
In her research for portraits to paint, she'd settled on me after Ty had shown her a picture. And that piece was right there, in my mother's hands. I was right on that framed painting, with doe eyes, freckles, and curly hair.
