"Jordan Christopher Wolf."
I resist the urge to sigh deeply. Here comes a lecture.
"You come home from university for the first time since you started school for Christmas- a family holiday- and you decide, without even bothering to consult your parents, that you're going to be spending not only this entire school break, but specifically Christmas- Christmas, Jordan- with the boyfriend who's been stealing all the rest of your time off school."
"He hasn't stolen any of my time off school. I choose to see him," I correct, knowing as I do it that it's only going to piss my parents off further.
"And what about your own family?! You're not going to end up marrying this boy, he won't be around forever, but we're your parents, who have always and will always support you, and you're just abandoning us for him any time you get the chance?!"
"I mean, it sounds to me like that's the smart thing to do, if I have limited time with him. I'd better make the most of it." The words come out cold, mostly because I know they wouldn't be this way if I was spending all my time with a girlfriend instead. Well, they might be, but they'd be significantly gentler about it, and they'd probably be talking more about how they know I'm trying to build my relationship with her than how we're not going to end up married.
As much as I hate it though, it's how I'm going to end up winning this argument. Once I accuse them of homophobia, they'll try and defend themselves and then eventually end up settling for something less than they're currently demanding. So there's that.
They're still lecturing me, and it's reaching that volume where I don't want to keep dealing with this, so I decide I've waited long enough to play the homophobia card. I interrupt them in the middle of their tirade about how family is the most important thing and they've been so patient with me as I gallivant around with this boy for all of my time off school and now I'm spending family holidays with him. "Is this because he's a boy?"
They stop. Stare for a moment, clearly incredulous that I could take such a shot (even though it's not unfounded). And then they burst into argument about how they're very tolerant and blah blah blah whatever. I highly doubt they'd be this defensive about it if they actually saw no difference between me dating a girl or a guy (or someone who goes by different labels- I don't think my parents are even aware that there are other pronouns, non-binary people, gender-fluid people, etc., and if I tried to explain it to them then I think their heads might actually explode. They're not necessarily conservative- well, maybe- but they have very set ideas about how things are, and gender in their minds is definitely not a spectrum).
Eventually they stop lecturing me and leave. I stay in the living room, watching a sitcom on Netflix. About half an hour later, they come back, their expressions in negotiating mode rather than lecturing mode. My mom sighs. "Fine. You can go to his house for Christmas after we've done presents and Christmas breakfast here."
This is the deal I was expecting. I'm fully ready to agree, but then my dad adds, "And, you and your boyfriend both come for and stay for our New Years party."
I eye them. "I already have plans with Nate for New Years."
"Invite him as well, then."
"My plans aren't just with Nate."
"How many people, then?"
"Twelve."
My mom gives me a look.
"It's just my usual group. Chase, Nate, and Levi." I sigh inwardly, already knowing that they love Levi and will gladly tell me to invite him too, which means I'll be fresh out of reasonable arguments that actually have a chance at working against my parents.
"Invite all three of them, if you're so set on spending New Years with them."
I sigh. "Fine. I agree to all the above terms and conditions."
"Wonderful. Oh, and Jordan? If you skip New Years with us, then we'll be insisting on having Chase over for a family dinner, without the buffer of other people. And we will go over your head."
So they'd go to Chase's dad, probably meaning that he'd be invited as well, and then my parents would probably ask about Chase's mom during the dinner, and that's not something I want to do to my boyfriend. "Okay, I get it. I'll hold up my end of the deal."
My dad raises his eyebrows at me. At this point, I don't want to change their minds, so I resist the urge to roll my eyes and mutter a very reluctant, "Thanks."
"You're welcome," my mom practically sings as she leaves the room.
I end up feeling like I've made a deal with the devil.
But I'll get to spend Christmas with my boyfriend.
And that's worth selling my soul ten times over.
— —
I smile to myself as Jordan informs me of the deal he made with his parents to be able to spend Christmas at my house. We're currently cuddled up on my couch, watching Netflix together.
"-And then they threatened that they'd invite you and your dad over for a family dinner if I didn't hold up my end of the deal!"
"A very convincing threat indeed."
He eyes me suspiciously. "You're making fun of me."
I grin. "Babe, what's the worst that could happen? You get to spend Christmas here. We still get to hang out with Nate and Levi on New Years. And if that somehow doesn't happen, then my dad and I have dinner with your family."
"Chase... you know how they are. They don't think before they do things."
"Hmm, sounds like someone I know."
He rolls his eyes at me. "Chase."
"Jordan, I don't know why you're so worried."
He looks up at me with big, concerned eyes. "I don't want them to make you uncomfortable. Especially if they invite your family over, and then..."
Oh. Yeah. My absence of a mom. I should be worried by the prospect of that conversation, but I find myself more endeared by how sweet and considerate my boyfriend is. I press a soft kiss to his forehead. "It's okay. My dad is a pro at dealing with those conversations. And I'm not worried, because we'll be going back to school pretty soon anyways. They don't have a ton of time to carry out that threat, if we didn't go to your house on New Years."
"They'll never forget. They're spiteful like that. Next year, they'll probably demand that I have you over for Christmas dinner or something."
"A terrible fate."
"Chase."
I kiss his forehead again. "I love you."
He sits up straighter. "Are you asserting your height over me every time you lean down to kiss my forehead?"
I snort, pecking his cheek. "Better?"
"No. My mouth is right here."
I roll my eyes and press my lips to his, before pulling away a moment later and raising my eyebrows. "Are you happy now?"
He snuggles up to me again (coincidentally making it so that the only part of his face I can access is his forehead). "Yes. I love you too."
— —
Christmas with my parents is mildly more bearable than spending time with my parents any other day of the year. Mostly because they try to refrain from lecturing me, instead just saying my name in that tone that implies I should be doing something other than whatever I did to merit this. Occasionally, they'll throw in a "Jordan Christopher," with a fake smile to tell me to stop that right now. It amuses me though, because my dad's name is Christopher, so whenever my mom says it, it just sounds like she's scolding both of us.
Anyways, we all open our presents (I got my dad a tie and my mom a coffee mug- both from my university gift shop. They got me a new pair of very nice football cleats), and then we follow through with the family tradition of making French toast and scrambled eggs for breakfast, which my parents drag out as long as humanly possible, until finally we're all finished eating (I intentionally don't eat too much, because Chase promised that his dad would make crepes). I clear all the plates from the table as fast as I can, then text Chase that I'm coming over, thank both my parents again, and finally leave.
Chase texts me back when I'm about thirty seconds away. I don't bother replying, instead just pulling up to his house and ringing the doorbell, almost bouncing with excitement.
The door opens after a moment, revealing my beautiful boyfriend, who is currently wearing a very attractive forest green turtleneck. I smile so wide it hurts. "Hey."
"Hey." He tugs me inside, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "My dad's still working on the crepes, but it shouldn't be too much longer."
I push my presents for him and his dad into his arms, then put my arms around his neck and pull him down to my level. "At least give me a proper kiss," I murmur, before doing exactly that. I can feel his smile as he blindly places the presents on the bench behind him, then wraps his arms around my waist and kisses me back.
"Jordan? Sorry to- oh, right. I'll give you a second."
I pull away from Chase, grinning, and rest my chin on his shoulder to look behind him at his dad. "Hi, Aaron."
He raises his eyebrows a little, but he's smiling. "Hello, Jordan. Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas! And thanks for having me over."
He waves a hand dismissively. "Oh, no, it's my pleasure. Well, aside from the fact that Chase hasn't stopped tidying all morning, even though you've seen our house through its messiest times anyways."
I grin even wider, moving back so I can see Chase's face. "Aww, you were tidying for me?"
He shoots his dad a glare with no real animosity, and his dad smirks a little. "Anyways, crepes will be done in a few minutes if you guys want to head into the family room."
"Thanks," I call after him as he disappears back into the kitchen, probably to catch the crepes as they fall from heaven. He won't let anyone in the kitchen while he makes them- claims he has to keep his recipe and technique a secret- which really only confirms that he isn't actually making the crepes. I fight a smirk as I picture Aaron opening the kitchen window and leaning out of it to catch crepes on a plate as they fall from heaven (the only feasible explanation for how good they are).
Chase drags me into the family room, not even bothering to turn on the overhead lights as he does. Instead, he turns on the Christmas tree lights- all of the strands are that warm white colour, but there are so many that it lights up the whole room. I take a seat on the couch next to my boyfriend, smiling and resting my head on his shoulder as he slides an arm around my waist and kisses my temple.
The presents under the tree are all wrapped impeccably- and not a single one is in a gift bag. Last year I gave Chase his Christmas present in a gift bag, and found myself extremely shown up when it turned out that his perfectionism extends specifically to gift wrapping. He's incapable of wrapping a present with only one ribbon, or having a visible piece of tape, not to mention how the edges of the wrapping paper are always hidden under the ribbon. Mine aren't quite at his level, but at least this year I managed to do a semi-decent job with actual wrapping paper. I even colour-coordinated the bows with the paper. It's easy to tell which presents under their tree are the ones I wrapped, but at least they don't totally stick out like a sore thumb.
"I didn't do gift bags this year," I say quietly, looking up at Chase. "Are you proud of me?"
He kisses the tip of my nose, smiling like he does when he thinks I'm being adorable. "I'm very proud of you, babe. But you know I'm not going to judge you for your present wrapping ability."
I steal a kiss. "I know. But still."
He's still smiling the same way. "You're adorable."
I smack his arm gently. "I guarantee I'm not the only person out there who refuses to be completely embarrassed by their present wrapping skills in comparison to their significant other's."
"True. But you're probably the cutest."
"I play football. A sport that revolves around tackling people. I'm buff and terrifying."
"You practically melt every time I call you cute." He's wearing a slight smirk. "Which makes you even cuter."
I roll my eyes and definitely do not melt into him (fine, maybe just a bit). He hums contently and kisses my temple.
We only have to wait a minute or so for Aaron to come in, carrying a large platter of crepes. He sets it down on the ottoman, then leaves again and comes back with three plates and forks, plus toppings. I grin widely, then thank him for 'making' the crepes as we all dig in. Man, these crepes are the best Christmas present ever.
We take our time opening presents. None of us are in a rush to leave the cozy, joyous atmosphere of the family room, lit comfortably by the Christmas tree lights and with the warm smell of fresh crepes in the air. I can't remember ever feeling so content on Christmas Day.
Aaron's very pleased with the gourmet hot cocoa set I got him- he doesn't drink tea or coffee because the caffeine makes him jittery and keeps him awake at night regardless of when he drinks it, and he prefers good hot chocolate to decaffeinated tea or coffee (we had a long conversation about this back in high school when Chase asked me over to his house, but he was coming back home from something and I got to his house before he did because he ended up going to Tim Hortons on the way. He asked if his dad or I wanted anything, and we both ended up getting hot chocolate. And yes, I know this was a while ago but I try to remember stuff about Aaron because he and Chase are pretty close).
I got Chase a fleece blanket, because he complains constantly about how cold his room is in his house near his university campus. It's also monogrammed in the corner, because when he's not complaining about being cold at night, he's complaining about one of his roommates always stealing his favourite blanket cold days (they have a number of shared blankets that they keep downstairs, but whenever it gets cold enough they'll all bring them up to their rooms so they aren't shivering all night). Needless to say, Chase is very happy with it and he looks very smug as he wraps his blanket around his shoulders and snuggles down into it. I don't even try to resist the urge to pat his head condescendingly.
Aaron gives me a gift card to Fatburger, and Chase gets me a small and nicely portable workout gadget. I'm impressed; I mentioned having to go to the gym to do full workouts, and how I can only do so much in my dorm room two or three months ago. I'll definitely use this a lot.
Once we've all finished opening our presents, we keep talking for a little while longer, until the phone interrupts. Aaron gets it, and I can hear him animatedly wishing whoever's on the other end a Merry Christmas, and then his footsteps disappearing up the stairs.
I glance at Chase, grinning a little as he rolls on top of me so that we're both under his new blanket. I slide my arms around his waist (underneath the blanket) and tilt my head up so he can press his lips to mine.
Best. Christmas. Ever.
***
Jordan and I make out for a while, until we eventually overheat and opt to sit back up and remove the fleece blanket. I put on some sappy Christmas movie and we cuddle while we watch it, trading kisses every once in a while.
A little while after the movie ends, my dad comes back downstairs, dressed in one of his nicer shirts and a pair of jeans. I listen to him move around the house before he finally comes back into the family room, smiling at Jordan and I (we're ended up cuddling under my new blanket, and Jordan's head is resting on my shoulder. I only know he's not asleep because every once in a while, he'll press a kiss to my shoulder or say something random). I look at my dad, smiling as well. "Are you going carolling?"
He seems to snap out of his thoughts, looking back at me. "Yes. That's what I was doing."
I grin a little more. "Isn't it a little early for that, though? You usually head out a bit later."
"And I usually miss out on all the best treats. You know, I mentioned the carolling to Mrs. Johnson, two houses down-" he waves a hand in an approximation of where her house is- "and she said she would bring fudge brownies. You remember those?"
Do I ever. Back before my mom left, she'd have these little parties in the summer, kind of a potluck, and a bunch of our neighbours would bring over little pastries and things. I'd always stand near the table where all the food would be, since most of the neighbourhood boys would forgo the parties in favour of basketball and I was forced to stay at the party because my mom wanted me to. We didn't carry on the parties after my mom left, of course, so I haven't properly talked to Mrs. Johnson or had her brownies since then, but they were unbelievable. "Yeah, I remember those," I tell my dad.
"Yeah. Well. I can't imagine they'll be available for too long, so I'm going now. It's not too cold out, I won't be standing outside for too long before we start with the carols."
"Right, and singing will keep you warm?"
He swats at my head as he passes by the couch to go into the kitchen. I would move away, but I don't want to startle Jordan, so I just duck as much as I can without moving.
"Carolling?" Jordan asks me, not moving away. I hum, smiling as he nuzzles my neck cutely.
"Yeah, my dad does it every year. One of the neighbours hosts it, anyone who wants to go gathers in their front yard and they all eat a bunch of cookies and stuff until they've got a good amount of people, and then they walk around the neighbourhood singing carols. That's why my dad made so many crepes this morning- he brings the remaining ones to the carolling group."
"Cool."
"You two are free to come with me, of course," my dad calls from the front of the house. "But I figured..."
I smirk. Yeah. We don't exactly mind being left alone. But still, I look at Jordan (having to crane my neck backwards uncomfortably to manage it) and ask if he wants to. He grins smugly as he looks up at me from his comfortable spot on my shoulder. "I don't mind either way," he says sweetly. I attempt to scowl at him.
"We'll stay here," I call back to my dad. "I don't think I trust singing to keep me warm quite as much as you do."
"You're just bitter because you can't sing in your sleep to keep you warm at night when you're at that house near your school with the terrible furnace."
Jordan snorts. "Maybe I should have gotten you a songbook instead of a blanket."
I can practically hear my dad's smirk from the other room. "Thank you, Jordan." There's the sound of keys being taken from the basket near the door. "Alright, well, I'm off. Text me if the house burns down. I'll be back in an hour or so. If you think of it, decide on what kind of pizza you want me to order for Christmas dinner."
"Tell Mrs. Johnson I say Merry Christmas," I call, hearing the front door open.
"Will do," my dad calls back, and the door closes. The sound of a lock turning. I look down at Jordan, who has mercifully shifted so I can view his face without killing my neck.
"You just had to side with him, didn't you?"
He grins. "Yep."
I roll my eyes. "Now I don't even know if I want to give you your other present."
He perks up immediately. "Other present?"
I smirk. He gives me a flat look until I finally confirm (with a deep and completely insincere sigh), "Yes. Other present."
He snuggles up to me with big, excited eyes that I've already completely given in to. "Fine, I'm sorry for siding with your dad against you. You know I love you." He pecks my cheek, and I practically melt. He's so adorable.
"Alright. The present is in my room."
His eyes light up mischievously. "Why, Chase Jackson. On Christmas Day?"
I roll my eyes again. "Not that. A physical present." I'm actually a bit nervous about this- mostly because it's incredibly sappy and I'm sure Jordan will have plenty of fun teasing me for it for the next ten years- but a little bit because it's just on the side of cheesy that I'm not completely confident that he'll like it. I'm not scared that he'll like, break up with me for it or anything like that, we've been together long enough that extreme sappiness is valid, but I'm still a bit anxious. Just a bit.
Jordan's currently pulling me off the couch and up the stairs by my wrist. Once we're on the top floor, I take the lead and pull him into my room, not bothering to close the door behind us. I take the (impeccably wrapped, by the way) present out from under my bed and hand it to him, sitting on my bed to watch. He sits as well, admiring the package for a moment before carefully peeling the paper and ribbon away. It's cute- he knows how seriously I take present wrapping, so he takes special care not to just rip them apart immediately.
I watch anxiously as he removes the wrapping, then opens the little box and peers inside. He gingerly reaches in and lifts it out, staring at it with wide eyes and a small smile. After a moment he looks up at me, grinning. "A partridge in a pear tree?"
I nod. It's a small tree made of wire with little jades twisted in as leaves, and a partridge carved out of golden petrified wood nestled in the branches. I got it from a vendor at the farmer's market near my university. "You don't have to like it, I know it's not really useful and it's super cheesy-"
He cuts me off with a firm kiss. I sigh a little, relaxing into him as he kisses me intently. "Chase," he murmurs against my lips, "stop worrying. It is super cheesy, but I don't mind. It's cute. You're adorable. And I love you."
I smile as he pulls away. "Thank you. I love you too."
He holds the little wire statue tenderly as he snuggles into my side. "Thank you. And does this mean I'm getting increasingly large presents for the next twelve days?"
I snort. "Nope. I have no desire to give you that many birds and I don't even know where I would look to hire ten lords who are proficient at leaping."
"Fair enough." He grins. "Though, you could probably bribe your basketball team into doing it."
I roll my eyes, standing up from the bed. "Not a chance."
He follows me, still grinning and holding the tree. "Fine. Where are we going now?"
I shrug vaguely. "Downstairs. We could make some popcorn and watch Christmas movies if you want, you seem to be awfully cuddly today."
"Well excuse me for wanting to be close to my boyfriend on the first Christmas we get to spend together."
"Never said I was complaining." I tug him over to the doorway of my room, then take the wire tree from him and set it on my desk just behind him. Jordan looks confused.
"Why are we stopping?"
I smile and glance up at the doorframe where I hung mistletoe earlier with this exact moment in mind. When I look back, Jordan is suppressing his own smile and trying to look reproachful.
"You're really going to turn us into one of those extremely sappy and stereotypical holiday couples?"
"Absolutely," I murmur, slipping my arms around his waist and leaning down to brush my lips over his cheek. It's warm- he's actually blushing a little. He's so cute.
"Fine then," he murmurs back, turning his face towards mine. "You missed."
I grin. "Merry Christmas, love."
And I bring my lips to his.
Thank you all so much for your wonderful support (ALMOST 15K READS!!!), it's truly the best present I could ever receive! Happy holidays to everyone celebrating!