Runaway ✔

142 • Dana

Just like most holidays, Dana lacked good memories because they had always led to fights between Happy and her mother. The celebrations with Maddox had always been very private, she couldn't remember much about them. She however noticed how much Juice missed his friends as he told her about Gemma's Christmas dinners and the drunken nights that followed.

"Last year we made a competition of stealing Christmas lights from gardens," he smirked. "Santa's sleighs counted as ten points, reindeer five points and snowmen three points. Everything else was one point," he explained, pricking his fork into a piece of meat and lowering it in the fondue pot. 

Dana rushed into laughing. "Wish I had been there. Who won?"

"I wouldn't know. All I can remember, is Sack returnin' everything the next day. It kept him busy 'til midnight."

"Poor boy," Dana chuckled. For a moment that nagging voice was back, whispering she couldn't give him what the club had given him, and that he gave up too much for her. Quickly she took a sip of wine and refilled their glasses. 

Dana stood up to get the – unfortunately failed – chocolate pie they had baked this afternoon. Despite the fact it had collapsed, it served well as a dessert. Thereafter, it was time to unwrap the presents. Dana removed a small package from underneath the Christmas tree. They had decided to give each other just a little something; and in her case "little" had been quite literally. She sat down on Juice's knee, handed him the packed box and wrapped her other arm around his shoulder. 

Never before she had given him a present, which made it feel like a big deal. Before he removed the tape, he looked up to her. She pressed his lips against his forehead, right above his eyebrow. 

"I hope you don't think it's stupid," she muttered. 

"Even if you would wrap an old newspaper I would still frame it," he answered with a grin. 

She chuckled. "I'm not that cheap."

Although I bought it with your money, she realized, deciding to keep the thought to herself. When they were married, they would share everything anyway. 

Juice squeezed her side and moved his arm around her so he could unwrap the present. With precision, not wanting to rip the paper, he removed the gift wrap. Dana didn't dare to look at his face, afraid to see disappointment. It wasn't like he lacked any rings. He lifted the top from the box and looked into it. 

Her eyes shot to his face nevertheless as she bit her lip nervously. 

"I thought... because you gave me a ring..." She lifted the hand with her engagement ring – as if he wouldn't know about what ring she was talking. "I wanted to give you one too."

"And of course you knew I have a thing for that hot chick from The Hunger Games." His lips formed a mischievous smirk. "That explains the arrow."

She slapped his chest with the back of her hand and stuck out her tongue. "Asshole."

"No, I get it. It was Cupid who aimed for our hearts, and voilà, we ended up here together. I never took you for such a sugary person, Dane."

Dana wrinkled her nose. "I didn't even thought about that."

"No reason to back out, baby. I think it's kinda cute." He wriggled his eyebrows. 

Dana moved her hand upwards along his neck and caressed his short, soft hair. "An arrow seems to symbolize protection. And... as husband and wife we're supposed to protect each other. I don't know, it felt fitting." Softly, she scraped with her finger nails across his scalp. "And sure, I'm not as hot as Katniss Everdeen, but archery is also a bit my thing."

"It is? I'm happy you explain that."

She kicked her heel against his tibia. "Asshole. And get that stupid grin off your face."