affluenza (1.) | ✔️

Boyfriends

Twenty minutes later there's a knock on the door. I rush to it, pulling it open and smiling at Sebastian's slightly pink face. It wasn't anywhere near Maine cold, but it was clear he wasn't used to wintry weather. I giggle and grab his hand, pulling him inside. "Your cheeks are almost as red as Robyn's hair used to be," I say, pulling him towards me and pressing a kiss against his cheek.

Sebastian scowls and shrugs out of his coat, hanging it up on the rack next to the door. "I'm going to kill you for this. I don't know how to make dumplings or Miso soup. I don't know how to do family dinners, either."

"When did you turn into such a Scrooge?" I ask, tying an apron around my body. I grab a dark blue one for him and help him into it, sighing contently. "My family adores you. Besides, nobody should spend a holiday alone. Have dinner with us, okay?"

Sebastian sighs, looking down at me softly. "Fine. How do you do that?"

I shrug. "It's a gift."

He smiles at me cheekily before heading to the kitchen, looking as if he belonged there already. "Okay. Dumplings first or Miso?"

"Dumplings. They'll take longer and we have a bunch of them to prepare," I say. "We call it gyoza. Pan-fried dumplings. Your new best friend."

Sebastian grins over at me. "Okay. What do we need?"

We get to work, wrapping the ground pork in the dumplings and then ultimately pan frying them. Sebastian was entirely too dramatic about all the oil popping and I'm pretty sure most of the ingredients ended up on the front of our aprons, but he looked happy.

"Something smells delicious," Oba comments, walking back into the kitchen. "Sebastian! How are you?"

Sebastian smiles bashfully. "Good. I hope I'm not intruding; my family is away for Christmas and Braylen was insistent that I don't spend Christmas alone."

"Well, of course not! Oh, but I feel awful, I didn't get you a present," she gushes.

I wave a hand dismissively. "No need to worry, Auntie. The present I've gotten him makes up for everything!"

Sebastian gives me a pointed look. "What did you do?"

"Why do you automatically assume I'm up to no good?" I ask, wrapping my arms around his waist from behind.

He cranes his neck back to look at me. "You've got that scheming look in your eye. That's why I assume you're up to no good," he responds with a smile.

There's the unmistakable click of a camera. Sebastian and I look from each other to Oba who's smiling wickedly with an instant camera in her hands. "Oba!" I groan.

Sebastian laughs heartily as I detach from him, going over to look at the picture that's being printed out. "Someday you'll want these memories. To look back to," she says, handing me the still developing photo. "Enjoy."

She walks off, sending me another smirk and I turn back to Sebastian. "She's great," he murmurs. "Taking all of this in stride. I don't know how my parents would take it."

I set the picture on the counter beside the fridge after stealing a glance at our happy faces. I walk back over to him, leaning against the counter to face him. "That's the first time I've ever heard you willingly call them your parents."

"For lack of a better word," he responds, grinning cheekily.

"For lack of a better word," I repeat. "Is that what happened when you called me your boyfriend the other day?"