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Chapter 8- Connection

"He's right. We need to get more information. And it's Karina for gosh sakes." Michael added.

Cedric turned the tv back on but played Skyfall instead of the news. Soon we were able to relax for most of the afternoon. I dozed right off.

Irene

I put the lid over the meatballs and tip-toed over to the oven. We were preparing the last minute Christmas dinner at 2 PM. There was music playing in the kitchen while we cooked. I hummed the melody.

"What are you, the black swan?" Cedric teased me.

"No." I said, checking the biscuits.

They were a slight golden brown and cooked perfectly. I slid on the purple oven mitts and pulled the pan out.

"Are they ready enough yet?" I asked.

"Yeah, set them down on the counter." He said, patting the marble next to the sink.

I set them down and then returned to the meatballs.

"You seem like you have a lot of time on your hands nowadays." I said.

"Really? Do I?"

He mashed the potatoes.

"Yup."

There wasn't much to talk about, I guess.

"I got you a gift." He finally said, breaking the silence.

"So you're my secret Santa?" I replied, smirking.

"Nah- I got Jason." He scraped the potatoes into a red bowl.

"Oh."

It was quiet except for the upbeat music in the background. A new song filled the kitchen with a jazzy rhythm and instantly warmed the room.

"I still got you a gift though." He said, smiling super brightly.

"What is it?" I said, trying to focus on the bridge of the song.

"This."

He leaned over and kissed me briefly, holding me gently by the waist. My eyes flew wide open. What was the meaning of this?

I forgot everything that was holding me at suspense and just kissed him back. The heat of the moment blurred my judgement, fast. My hands were on his shoulders and his hands were on my waist in a slow dancing position. It felt like we were standing there forever.

"I think something's burning!" Tara yelled, making us both jump.

Cedric pulled away from me and shrieked a little, checking the stove. Well. That was awkward. I tried to shake it off, but went back to my meatballs feeling somewhat embarrassed.

Tara smirked evilly. "I didn't know you two were a thing." She said.

"We- It's not-" I choked on my words.

Cedric just stood there, trying to hide his nervous smile. I smacked his arm playfully.

"What was that for?" I said under my breath.

"Hey don't act like you didn't enjoy it."

I sighed.

"Ahh so you two are a thing." Tara said again.

"I wouldn't call it that but okay." Cedric answered, chuckling a little.

"Anyways, could you help set the table and put some of the food in the big dishes?" I asked, trying to inch away from the topic.

"Yeah sure. Where are the plates?" She replied, walking to the cupboard.

Cedric pointed to a few places and then went back to stirring.

"So really, what was that for?" I asked, moving the meatballs to a sunken dish.

"I guess I really like you."

I didn't know what to say. I tippy toed, wrapped my arms around his back, and kissed him. I felt relieved that I was here. The grand welcome made me forget about what had happened in the past few days. It made me forget about all of our problems. I pulled away and looked up at his green eyes.

"What am I to you?" I asked, leaning on the counter a little.

"My more-than-friend forever."

Laughter coming from the living room made its way towards us. Nate strolled into the kitchen alongside Mairi.

"It's Christmas dinnertime right?" Mairi asked.

"Yup. We just finished." I answered, fixing my hair.

"Alright! Let's feast!" Nate exclaimed, clapping his hands together.

Jason, Ackerman, and Michael came into the room, inspecting the food. I ended up getting a seat next to Tara and Cedric. Great.