ADaaD(A Dollar and a Dream)

Chapter 22: The Perfect Christmas Day

"Merry Christmas." I hear in the most angelic voice ever bringing me out of my daydream.

I turn my head and stare in the blue eyes I loved waking up to every morning and smile like a kid in a candy store. I lean forward and quickly press our lips together.

"Merry Christmas, honeybee." I whisper out to her.

"How did you sleep?" She asks as she moves closer to me and rests her head on my pillow.

"Amazing as always since you're lying next to me," I tell her. "What about you?" I ask her as I run my fingers through her hair and kiss her again.

"I slept great." She replies as she rolls on me and peppers soft kisses all over my face as I run my hands up and down her back. I moan into the kiss when she finds my lips and darts her tongue in slowly. She then rubs her thumb over my cheek while smiling at me. "Last one to the living room has to wait 2 presents before they can open one." She says with a wink as she jumps up and runs out of the room.

"Cheater!" I yell out while I jump out of bed and chase her. I run to the living room and see Lo holding out a present to me with a big smile on her face.

"I lost." I tell her with a blush as I take the gift out of her hand.

"I know, but I want you to start with this gift." She says sweetly.

"Why don't I make us a mimosa and we open the gifts together?" I tell her.

"Sounds good." She smiles as I set the gift down. She grabs Chef's leash and takes him outside, after putting on his Santa sweater that we bought him yesterday during our shopping excursion.

Lo comes back a few minutes later, just as I bring out the bagels I toasted quickly, and set down the platter of lox and cream cheese. Chef runs up to me as I kneel on the floor. "I got a special treat for you too." I tell him as I hand him a treat and he scurries away. I then hand Lo a treat for Lord Tubs and she sets it down by his bed. He glances up at her and purrs. Lauren comes bouncing back over to me as start to fix her a plate and hand her the champagne glass.

"Ok, start with this one." She says happily while handing me a box. I pull the ribbon off the silver wrapping paper and tear the paper apart. "Wow...how did you find this?" I ask her as I run my hand over the first edition copy of The Great Gatsby. "I know a few people, you read the book like super fast and you seemed to like the movie, so I thought you would like this." She says

shyly. "Plus, we kind of bonded in the bookstore over the book, and that was the first movie we watched together." She added. "So it has sentimental value."

"I love it Lo." I tell her as I lean over and peck her on the lips. "I love your book collection over at your apartment." I tell her. "Is it coming to the penthouse with us?" Lauren quickly nodded.

"Yeah, I was thinking of adding a floor length book case on the back wall of the living room."

"That will look awesome." I tell her. I lean over and pick up a box and hand it Lauren. "Ok, your turn." She smiles and opens the box and I see tears well in her eyes.

"Cupcake..." She breathes out as she pulls out the custom notebooks and ink pens.

"I love reading your poems so I figure you need a special place to keep them in." I tell her as she runs her fingers over her name that's engraved on the cover of the leather notebook. I gave Lo 4 poetry books, a writing table, a sweater, a cheesy picture frame with the two of us in it, a gift card to Starbucks so she can get her hot chocolate fix, leotards to dance in, and a new cell

phone case, since she constantly loses hers, and Sex and The City on DVD, since she's never seen the show, ok so maybe that's a gift for me.

Lo gave me 3 sweaters, some cook books, Friends on DVD, the complete season, tickets to a play, and an apron that says "Kiss The Cook", a $100 gift card to Starbucks, for my coffee fix, and a new crystal martini shaker, which I'm convinced is more for her than for me since she's obsessed with my Snixxtini.