We woke abruptly to my nieces screaming and running down the hallway, proclaiming it was Christmas and Santa had visited the house and we all had to get up immediately and open presents.
"Merry Christmas," I said, laughing at our alarm. I'd been exposed to this for the last eight of so years, when Yeji was old enough to understand the concept of Christmas, so I wasn't bothered by the raucous screams at six am. Jennie, however, was jarred from her sleep and though initially disgruntled at the sudden wake up, began laughing.
"Merry Christmas, babe. I suppose that's one way to wake up."
"It's the only way to wake up on Christmas."
We fell back into bed giggling, our eyes still blurry with sleep. Jennie nuzzled close to me and kissed my chest, our naked bodies pressed close together. I sighed, cherishing Jennie's warm skin on mine. I ran my hands up and down her sides, tracing the curves from her ribs to her hips, the soft skin gliding under my finger tips like I was running my hands over a sculpted Aphrodite.
"How did you sleep?" I murmured, admiring the soft skin on Jennie's stomach.
"I don't think I've ever had a better night's sleep. How did you sleep?"
"I have to agree with that."
"I suppose we have to do that more often so we're both well rested."
"Oh darn," I joked. "What kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn't relieve all of your stress before work?"
Jennie giggled. "How was last night for you?"
"One of the best nights of my life. Easily."
"Really?"
"Really." I kissed her head. "And you? Better than Jongin?"
Jennie laughed. "Much better than Jongin. I never orgasmed once with him."
"You're joking."
"I wish I was."
"Merry Christmas to you then?" I laughed, unsure how to feel knowing I was superior to that smug asshole and also feeling just so sorry that Jennie had spent all that time in such an absolutely shitty relationship.
"Oh yes, Merry Christmas indeed. Last night was literally incredible. You have no idea."
"I think I have some idea, like, an educated guess based on what I heard from you."
Jennie buried her head in my chest and although I couldn't see her face, I imagined it covered in an intense blush.
"You're horrible," she said.
"I think I'm pretty good actually." Jennie shook her head and I began to giggle and hugged her against my chest. "Can I ask you something?"
Jennie peaked up at me. "What?"
"Have you ever slept with a woman?"
"Once in college, but I was blackout drunk and I don't remember anything."
"Interesting."
"Why? Was it horrible?"
I laughed. "I already told you it was fantastic. No, I was just curious because you were amazing."
Jennie smiled, lifted herself to kiss me, and told me she loved me.
"I love you too. I don't know if we're crazy for saying it after such a short amount of time, but I really do love you; I've never felt like this about anyone."
"I don't think we're crazy. I never loved Jongin and I never told him I did, even after a year of dating. I never told anyone else before him either. But I didn't hesitate to tell you because I just knew."
"You've never told someone you loved them before me? Not in any relationship?"
"Never."
"But you love me?"
"With my whole heart."
"Holy shit."
"Merry Christmas."
"I love you, Jennie"
"I love you endlessly, Jisoo."
I kissed her. I kissed deeply, passionately, without reserve. I could have stayed in that bed all morning; presents didn't mean a thing as long as I had Jennie, she was the only thing my heart ever desired, the only thing my soul craved. She was everything to me. I told her so. She kissed me again.
Then the banging on our door started again and my nieces demanded we get downstairs to open presents. I groaned, protesting the demands to leave bed.
"Come on babe, we have to get up." Jennie grabbed my hands and tugged me from bed.
"I don't want to," I complained.
"But you have to."
I watched Jennie walk across the room to dress while I laid in stunned silence on the bed admiring what could only be described as the body crafted by the gods themselves.
"You are so sexy," I said. Jennie turned around, that bashful nature shrouding her once again. "Seriously. Like wow. How did I get to lucky?"
I hopped out of bed and wrapped her in a hug and kissed her shoulders.
"Baby, we have to get dressed and go downstairs."
"Five more minutes?"
"Later."
We walked downstairs in our matching pajamas and greeted everyone. We were the last to arrive, everyone else was arranged on the couch with a mug of steaming coffee in their hands.
"Finally!" Yeji exclaimed. "Can we open presents yet?"
"In a minute, let your aunts get cone coffee."
With coffee in hand, we watched the girls unwrap their presents, tucked under a blanket. When the girls finished we opened presents of our own from our parents and each other. My mom then hurried into the kitchen and began cooking breakfast.
"You two are glowing," Taehyung commented when we settled in the couch watching the girls play with their toys.
"It's the Christmas spirit," Jennie said.
Taehyung looked between the two of us then grimaced. "Ew."
"What did you think was going to happen? We'd be celibate?" I interjected.
"I would love to talk about literally anything else," Jennie said.
I put my arm around Jennie and kissed her temple.
"I both hate and love that you two are dating," Taehyung said.
"I know," I quipped.
My mom called us in for breakfast and distracted Taehyung and Jennie from their bickering. My mom pulled creamy cinnamon rolls out of the oven and set them as the centerpiece for breakfast. We stuffed ourselves and after the table was cleared my mom brought out gingerbread house kits for us to build, a family tradition.
"Every year we have a little competition to see who can make the best gingerbread house between the four of us and my dad judges because he hates making them," I explained to Jennie and Taehyung.
"Is there a prize for winning?" Jennie asked.
"Just the glory of knowing you kicked everyone's asses-butts, sorry girls-and bragging rights for the entire year."
Jennie nodded and I saw that unmistakable glow of competition alight her eyes. My dad began his thirty minute timer and the moment he exclaimed "go!" we all scrambled for supplies and began constructing out houses, quickly assembling our crumbling houses.
"Fucking hell," my mom cursed when her roof collapsed in on itself.
"Mom," Irene scolded. "The girls!"
The girls, who were sitting at a child-sized table and happily creating their own gingerbread houses for fun, all giggled.
"Shit I'm sorry."
"Mother!"
I peeked at Jennie's: she had crossed white and green frosting across her roof and added small dots of candy to color it. "I like your roof."
"Don't look at mine you cheater!"
"I'm not cheating, I literally just have you a compliment."
"You better not steal my design."
"Wow you're vicious."
"I don't lose."
I exchanged looms with Taehyung who smiled and mouthed "good luck."
We constructed our gingerbread houses in determined silence, laughing and harassing each other, my mother muttering a slew of curses under her breath as her house crumbled beneath her hands. My sister and I hurled insults at one another's houses the entire time, laughing as each one became more and more focused on the exact degree of disaster our houses were becoming.
I peeked at Jennie's house again and somehow she caught me.
"You're going down," Jennie whispered. I was. I totally was. Jennie's gingerbread house was immaculate, while one of roof piece slid off and smeared all of my work on the side of the house. It was hopeless.
"Wow you need to take it down ten notches."
"You know I can't," Jennie responded with a quick flash of her brilliant smile before it was back to business.
I laughed and put the finishing touches on my gingerbread house as the timer ran out. We all set our houses in a row and my dad came in to judge. I inspected each house: my mother's was an absolute train wreck. In all the years we'd done this, she somehow got worse every time. Bogum' was good, at least it stood together. My sister's house and mine were, in my opinion, tied: we both tried, though it was obvious we were not gingerbread house masters. Jennie and Taehyung's houses were both very well done, the most Christmas spirited of the bunch. But of course, Jennie won.
"Suck it," she whispered to me.
The rest of the day passed in sublime bliss, cozy pajamas, and warmth grim the fire place. We played board games, watched movies, hung out with my nieces, and drank so much hot chocolate I was sure to have a stomach ache later in the evening. We dressed up for dinner and gathered around the table. We never said grace, but for some reason my parents felt it was necessary to give thanks on Christmas day, so when we joined hands and my mother lead a prayer, she included a special thanks for the presence of the Kims and mine and Jennie's newfound relationship.
We laughed and drank over dinner, ribbing each other in good fun and sending compliments and sharing jokes. The night couldn't have been better, not even when Jennie leaned over to whisper in my ear.
"It feels nice to have a family again."