In what was supposed to be the most joyous day of the year for children all over the world, snow covered the streets of the city of angels and a girl, seventeen years of age, sat on the edge of the bridge, crying.
"Hey, are you alright?" a young man's voice emerged softly within the cold breeze.
She looked to the side and up, facing the handsome man. She then turned away to wipe her tears before looking back at him.
"What are you doing out here on Christmas Eve?"
"Just felt like taking a stroll in the hail." she said sarcastically.
The man chuckled and sat beside her, looking down at the violent stream. "So, thinking of jumping in any time soon?"
"Yeah right." she answered with a laugh. "I'm not some depressed teen." The man looked at her , raising an eyebrow. "So... why are you out here in Christmas Eve?" she asked with a hint of shyness.
"Last minute Christmas shopping." he said, lifting up four plastic bags.
"Presents for your family?"
He shook his head.
"Girlfriend?"
"Nah, I'm single." he smiled. "It's just dinner. I'm going to try not to burn it this year." They shared a soft, warm laugh.
"So why are you here and not with your family?" he insisted.
"I told you, I--"
"No, the real reason." he smiled slyly.
She looked down and to the side, breathing out deeply. "I was kicked out." she told the stranger to her own surprise. She had never been a girl of many words, but for some reason she trusted this man whom she had just met.
"On Christmas Eve?" the man asked, wide-eyed. "Why?"
"I talked back to my mom during some stupid argument."
"So what are you going to do? Do you have anywhere to go?"
"I'll just stay here for a while longer. She'll regret it soon enough."
"You know, I don't mind having another pair of hands helping me ruin that turkey."
She chuckled, "I'm fine, thanks.
"Fine then, I'll just have to eat a whole scorched turkey by myself. Nice knowing you." he turned around, still keeping himself on alert and hoping she would change her mind.
The girl thought. She twisted her lips and scrunched up her nose. Such a dilemma over a single turkey.
"You know what," the man turned back around as soon as she spoke, "I might take you up on that offer." he smiled instantly, beaming the dark night around them. "And for the record, I've never burnt any kind of meal." she said conceitedly.
"Hmm..." he raised an eyebrow. "Let's see about that."
They made their way and walked side by side joking like old friends until they reached a tall building, cream and faded carmine. The building seemed old, but it had been well treated, giving it a younger appearance. The girl looked up at the top floor, her eyes fixed on the black ladder bars. How much easier would it be to sneak out if her house had ladders like these?
"You can leave you jacket over there." he took her jacket and placed it on the hanger beside the door.
Her absent mind was floating about the room, observing everything carefully like someone discovering a new world. In one corner, a separation formed by counters and appliances created a tiny kitchen with barely any room to move. Ahead of it, a wooden dining table stood accompanied by four matching chairs which stood in front of a mahogany leather sofa facing a single matching armchair. These settled atop a worn out hazel carpet with squared patterns that didn't match with pretty much anything in the room except for maybe the striped bed-sheets and the cream walls. Besides the few dim lights, the only other sources of light were two small windows with thin, white curtains that were placed in between two filled bookshelves with a jar of beautiful, but dying flowers.
"It's not much, but it's all I've got." he chuckled bashfully, turning on the dim yellow lights.
"No, it's nice and cozy." she faced him, smiling warmly. "I see you like to read." she grinned amusingly as she pointed at the bookshelves covering each and every corner of the room.
"Yeah. Books can really offer an escape from reality, taking you in all kinds of different adventures the real world won't offer."
"The world's that bad, huh?" she teased.
"No, I didn't mean it like that." he waved his hands nervously as she laughed.
"I'm Kate by the way." the girl smiled, stretching out her hand to him.
"Ian." he smiled back. "Are you sure your mom won't be worried without hearing from you?"
"Maybe, but her pride is too big for her to do anything. When she gives up on her ego, she'll call." Kate shrugged. "Parents are always--"
"waiting for problems to solve themselves..." Ian smiled, completing her sentence. "That sounds just like my parents."
"So they're always like this, it doesn't stop when their children become adults?"
"Err... I mean... No, it doesn't. Well, at least not in my case. That's why I hid here in the first place."
"Hid? You mean your parents don't know where you are?" A smile started forming on the corners of her lips as he shook his head. "Really? How did you get the money to escape?"
"I got a part-time job, and you know, the usual." Kate shot an eyebrow up, doubting his answer. "Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked, seeming a bit agitated.
"Come on, no one can earn that much money from working at the McDonald's down the street." she smirked. "You can spare me the fake smiles."
"Fine. Jeez, you know how hard it is to find a smart girl nowadays who isn't more makeup than brains?"
"Is that a compliment?" she sneered smugly.
Ian gave her a teasing look before continuing with his confession. "You're not one of my father's private investigators, are you?" he joked.
Her nose scrunched up and her eyebrows formed an expression of confusion. "Why would I be?"
"Well, as you said, I never could have made that much money as a teen, so I might have borrowed some money from my father's bank account..." he scratched his head, revealing more to the stranger than he has ever done with anyone else.
Her eyes widened and her eyebrows shot up. "Really?!" she burst out laughing, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "That's insane! And he never found out?"
"Probably, but I wasn't around to witness his head exploding." The young man was mesmerized by the girl's laughter and he too started laughing, feeling embarrassed for telling her such a story.
"So, you wanna help with dinner?"
"Yeah!"
"Okay, all of the ingredients are here." Ian said as he set the plastic bags on the counter and took everything out one-by-one.
"Are you sure you have everything?" Kate asked, snooping through the ingredients.
"Pretty sure."
"Alright, everything's here besides the rosemary, fresh sage, and..." she turned to look at him with an insulting expression, "You remembered to buy bay leaves and black pepper, but forgot to buy salt?" she laughed out in disbelief.
Ian's eyes widened and he walked towards the cabinets, "Wait, I think I might have some... here!" He took out a small glass container with white grains filling half of it. Kate inspected the bottle and a smile formed on her face as she was trying to hold in the laughter.
"Look at it closely." she chortled.
He did as she said and pressed the container close to his eye. "This... this is sugar, isn't it?"
"Yep." she burst out laughing.
"Yeah, I knew that..." he pressed his lips together, preventing himself from blushing. Kate burst out laughing uncontrollably, mocking him.
"It's okay. We can probably get away with the bay leaves instead of salt."
"I'm trusting you with this." he said, not very convinced that this dinner would be anything pleasant.
"Alright, first we need to preheat the oven to 165 degrees Celsius."
"Okay, done."
"Now would normally be the time to mix a tablespoon of pepper,"
"A tablespoon of pepper, got it." he grabbed a small bowl and poured the ingredients she named into it.
"poultry seasoning,"
"Alright, anything else?"
"and salt..."
They looked at each other blankly. That was when a lightbulb struck Kate. Her face brightened up and she looked at him, hopeful.
"Oh, I know! Do you have soy sauce?"
"Erm... no."
Her blank face returned. "Do you have anything in this house?"
"Beer. Lots of it."
"Just mix those two, we'll try to ignore the salt for now." Kate tried ignoring his response.
While Ian did the mixing, Kate tucked the turkey wings under the bird. She touched the dead animal reluctantly, feeling its cold stickiness on her slender fingers.
"Are you done with that?"
"Yeah, here."
"Thanks, can I have the tablespoon too?" Kate seasoned the cavity with a tablespoon of the mixture and set the rest aside for later.
"Now you need a bigger bowl. Do you happen to have one in this luxurious house?"
"Actually, I do m'am." he mocked her and they stuck their tongues at each other like children.
"Anyhow... Here, I'll chop the carrots and celery. Can you manage the onion?"
"Sure!"
After they began, Kate observed Ian's clumsy hands as they slowly and gawkily chopped the onion.
Kate sighed. "You're doing it wrong." she said in a laugh, "Here, follow me. Hold the knife like this. Good, now place your hand over the onion like this. Don't squeeze it-- gently. Yeah, now try to make swift movements like this when cutting the onion. Yeah!"
After she was done with her task, Kate tossed the carrots and celery into the bowl. She looked at Ian, waiting for the onions, and her eyes widened. A smirk then widened on her face.
"What's this?" she grinned widely. "Is a grown man actually crying while chopping onion?" she chortled amusingly.
"I'm not!" he asserted, embarrassingly.
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah!"
"Then why are your eyes so watery?" she approached his face, observing the glittering, emerald green eyes in front of her. "And why are they turning red?"
"They're not, get off!"
"Why should I?" she teased, feeling in control of the older man.
"Because, as you might notice," he trapped her against the counter, "you are in my house, a stranger's house." he asserted his position above her and brought his face closer to hers. "I could do anything I want to you and no one's here to stop me." Ian smirked.
"Then do what you want to me." she said, shooting up and eyebrow and wrapping her arms around his neck.
"What?" All of Ian's confidence seemed to vanish as Kate smirked at him. He became flustered and his cheeks turned into a shade of pink. Kate then walked away, laughing.
"As I thought, you really don't have the courage."
"I do too!" he fought back immaturely.
"Let's just go back to the cooking, shall we?" he nodded and Kate finished chopping up the onions, closing her eyes so she wouldn't cry.
She then tossed the onion into the bowl with the rest. They then stuffed the turkey with the vegetable mixture, rosemary sprigs, and sage. As Kate loosened the turkey skin with a spatula, Ian placed two teaspoons of butter under the skin, spreading it evenly. They sprinkled the turkey and the sides of the pan with other ingredients and poured a bit of water into it as well. After covering the turkey breast with what was left of the aluminum foil roll, Ian carefully placed the turkey in the preheated oven to roast.
"How long do you think I should the timer at?"
"I have no clue, maybe three hours?" Kate took a wild guess considering the size of the turkey.
"Really? Shouldn't it be more?" he asked, incredulously.
Kate scoffed, "There's a reason why you always burn your meals and I don't."
Ian scowled before setting the timer and turning back to her. "Okay, so what do you want to do now?"
They looked around the room and agreed to play chess. After a few games of it, they played checkers, moving onto cards until the girl's stomach growled.
"You don't happen to have food in this house, do you?"
"I actually do, but if you eat now you won't have appetite for dinner. So, what about something to drink?"
"What are you, my mother? What drinks do you have?"
"Water, coffee, uhh, let's see..." he said, opening the fridge. "Wheat beer, dark beer, root beer... Oh, I also have some sangria left from my neighbor's welcoming present... and a coke can that's been open for at least a week."
"I think I'll go with the sangria please."
"Good idea, I also need something sweet."
As he poured her a glass and brought it up to Kate, who was lounging on the couch, he hesitated before handing the glass to her. "I never asked... How old are you?"
"Seventeen." he shoot up an eyebrow and she mimicked him. "Who cares? Can you honestly tell me you never drank until you were overage?"
"Actually..."
"You're kidding." her eyes widened. "So you were like the bookworm back in high school while your friends were out partying?"
"Oh, so you're a heavy drinker, are you?"
"Nope, not really." she laughed, "The last time I drank alcohol was in middle school, so about four years ago."
"Then who are you trying to make fun of?" he nudged her and she stuck her tongue out at him mockingly. He then joined her on the couch and drank, conversing lively.
"A phone's buzzing." Ian warned.
"Hm?" Kate replied, taking a sip from the red drink.
"You seriously can't hear that?"
She spotted her phone on the table behind her, stretching herself on all-fours to reach at and, as she did, Ian found himself unconsciously observing her slim and curvy figure.
"It's my mom." she sighed, sitting back down. Ian awoke from his daydreaming and his eyes widened.
"What? Do you think she wants you to go back?"
"I don't know. Sorry, I have to answer this."
"Hello?" Yelling was heard from the other side, her mother ordering her back home. "I'm sorry, I can't now." The high-pitched yelling continued as Kate rolled her eyes. "I'm at a friend's house." the confused man's eyes widened. "Yeah... Nikki's. ... Then call her to check for all I care. Jeez, shouldn't you trust you own daughter? ... Uhuh... Yeah, who cares? We don't even celebrate Christmas in that house. ... No, sorry. Bye... I don't want your bad mood to spread on me. Bye." she turned off the call once she said her final words.
Right after, she dialed another number in, lifting up her phone to her ear. "Hey, Nikki!" joyful yells were heard this time. "Yeah, Merry Christmas to you too. Hey, can you do me a favor? ... Yeah. In case my mom calls, cover up for me okay? ... Yeah, it's a boy. ... I don't know if he's hot!" she blushed, peeking back at the already smirking young man. "No, it's nothing like that! ... Yes, I'm still pure. Just do me this favor, okay? ... Yeah, I'll tell you the details later." Kate rolled her eyes at her overly exited friend. "Okay, thanks. Bye."
"'Pure', huh?" Ian shot up an eyebrow as soon as Kate put her phone back down.
"Shut up old man." she threatened.
The beeping of the oven then caught their attention. Kate ran towards it and removed the aluminum foil that was now sticking onto the turkey. They forgot to take it off... She grabbed a pair of mittens and removed the turkey from the oven, placing it on the counter.
"Now we need to wait for about fifteen minutes."
"Right. You can sit down, I'll set up the table."
Not knowing where anything in the house was, Kate nodded and sat down, looking at her phone. Occasionally she would look up at the young man, observing his ruffled, ash-brown hair as his hand ran through it, his emerald green, sparkling eyes, his well-defined jaw line that held a little stubble, and his perfect lips and white teeth that shined through every time he showed her his perfect smile. It was Nikki's fault Kate couldn't take her eyes off his slender yet godlike body. Kate looked back at her phone, forcing herself to keep her head down. She peeked once again and their eyes met. Her cheeks blushed and she automatically averted her eyes, being caught checking him out.
"So, have you decided on whether or not I'm hot?" he raised an eyebrow and smiled at her perfectly.
"That's not it... I just never thanked you for taking me in." She lied, looking away from the young man. He was definitely what any girl would consider 'hot'.
"Uhuh... That's okay, I don't mind taking in a stray once in a while." he joked.
"Ha, ha." Kate laughed falsely with a face that read I'm going to kill you. "The turkey should be done."
They both got up and prepared the side juices as the turkey was skimmed and sliced. Kate then seasoned it with black pepper and other seasonings that had remained, not having salt to put on it. The two of them then sat at the wooden table, across from each other. Ian poured each of them another glass of sangria and they drank it as the turkey cooled off.
"Who's going to be the guinea pig?"
"Hm?"
"To taste this thing?"
"I say we do it at the same time. You know, mutual suffering."
Kate laughed. "Okay, in three, two, one."
Both of them raised their forks and shoved a piece of meat into their mouths. They chewed on it a bit with blank expressions until they gulped in unison.
"This tastes pretty bad." Kate admitted, taking a big sip from the glass.
"Yeah. It needs salt." he, too, took a large gulp from the sangria, cleaning his palate.
There was a pause before Ian wheezed and they both burst out laughing uncontrollably.
"I thought you said you were good at cooking?" Ian pointed the blame at her.
"No, I just said I have never burnt a meal." she responded with a sassy attitude. "At least the drink's good."
"Good luck finding a man that will marry you."
"Hey, it was your fault for not having the correct ingredients. Who forgets to buy salt to cook?" she mocked, "And wake up old-timer, men can cook nowadays too."
"Old-timer? I'm hardly any older than you are!" he defended himself and Kate raised a brow at him. "I'm twenty-four."
"Oh, yeah. Only seven years in between. There's hardly any difference." She mocked sarcastically. "By the way, can you pass me the jar please?"
"Don't you think you've had enough to drink?"
"But it's so good. Can I?"
"Yeah, I have to ask my neighbor his recipe." He reluctantly handed her the jar and she refilled both of their cups.
"His recipe? So you can forget to put in the wine?" she laughed from the alcohol's influence.
He did his best to ignore her witty comment. "What will your mother think once you get back home drunk like this?"
"I don't even know if I am going home." He looked up at her from the food in a questioning manner. "That woman needs to learn to speak to me without yelling. If she calms down and asks me to go back politely, I will obey."
"You're one stubborn girl."
"Yeah, I got that from my father." she smiled with a hint of mysteriousness that attracted the man. "So... are you still in college?" she changed the subject, not wanting to talk about herself.
"No, I graduated last year. I actually just got a job at teaching in a school nearby."
"You're only staring halfway through the year?"
"Yeah, apparently something happened to the previous teacher, but I don't really know much about it."
"Oh, well that's good for you."
"Yeah."
"What are you teaching?"
"English Literature."
"Oh, cool. I'm actually thinking about doing something along those lines in college."
"To be a teacher?"
"Probably, I don't know yet."
"Consider it. You'll have more holidays than most other people."
"Yes, but my paycheck will also be much lower than it will be for most."
"Every upside has its downside." he shrugged. "What will you do if your mother doesn't ask you 'politely' to go back home?"
"Well, it's midnight already, so I can't really go knocking at my friends' houses, their parents would kill me." she rested her chin in her hand, pondering. "I don't know. I'll figure that out when the to decide time comes."
"You're pretty carefree, huh? Acting before thinking... That's kinda the opposite to what a smart person would do."
"Says the one who just brought home a stranger. What if I was a murderer?"
"That's pretty unlikely since you're so 'pure'." he mocked. "And you're the one who accepted to come into a stranger's house. What if I was the murderer?"
"Then I guess we would just murder each other." she chuckled, getting lost in her imagination. "That'd be a fun experiment to do. Locking two murderers inside one room..." she chuckled again.
"That's what they call a prison. You know, that 'room' with iron bars and criminals inside." She frowned and glared at him with a 'Seriously?' face.
Both Ian and Kate forced themselves to eat the turkey, taking small bites followed by large gulps.
"The potatoes are good." Kate commented, cutting the painful silence.
"Yeah." Ian said, looking at her as she suffered. He then looked down at his plate and laughed. "You know what, let's just stop."
"Hm?" she raised her head and looked at him with innocent eyes and a mouth full of turkey.
"I have a frozen pizza, do you wanna share it?" he suggested, wanting to put an end to their anguish.
"But you wasted a lot of money on these ingredients."
"Who cares? There's more from where that came from."
"Your dad's bank account?" she smirked, "Okay."
They set their plates on the counter with the large pan. Ian then placed a half-sized pineapple pizza into the microwave as Kate looked down at her phone, her thumbs typing in the speed of light.
"Why are you making funny faces at your phone?"
"My friend's annoying me."
"Nikki?" Ian asked and Kate nodded, he then laughed. "Is she still wanting to know about me?" he raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah." Kate showed him her messages. "She wants a picture of you. Don't worry, I told her I wasn't going to take one."
"Well, I don't mind."
Kate paused before speaking, trying to figure out whether or not he was joking, "Are you serious?"
"Yeah." He then smirked, and wagged his eyebrow, "As long you're in it too."
"Ha! That's not happening."
"What? Are you scared your friend will try stealing me from you?"
Her expression went blank after his conceited comment. "She can take you for all I care."
"You know, pure girls shouldn't lie." he joked, stealing her phone from her.
"Stop with the 'pure' thing!" she yelled.
Kate then fell quiet as Ian pulled her towards him. Their shoulders bumped and he held her phone pointing at them with the camera on. "Come on, smile. It'll be a memory of your Christmas with a stranger." Kate blushed at his perfect smile which was millimeters away from her face. Both of them then pressed their heads together and smiled like a couple, looking at the phone's camera.
"There. Sent." His eyes then widened and he froze.
"What? What is it?" Kate asked, scared.
"Shit. I think I sent it to your mom." his face looked genuinely scared.
"What?! Please tell me you're kidding! That woman will seriously kill me, and then she will kill you, and then she'll make chicken stu with our flesh!" Kate snatched her phone with a panicked face as Ian burst out laughing.
"Chill woman, I was just kidding." tears formed in his eyes just from laughing.
Kate punched his arm. "Jeez. I hate you so much."
"Do you now?" Ian cupped her chin, smirking at her flushed face that was just a tiny distance apart from his. He then laughed as she pushed him away embarrassingly. "Wanna play a bit more as we eat?"
Kate nodded and smiled, feeling closer to the young man. She thought it was probably because of the alcohol, but he seemed to make her heart flutter. She sat on the couch, doing her best not to blush as Ian cut the pizza and brought it over to the coffee table that stood on top of the rug.
"Here, eat up."
They sat across each other, playing a brutal game of chess under the dim lights while eating pizza and drinking sangria on Christmas Eve.
"Ha! Checkmate!" Kate shouted, throwing her arms up. Ian smiled at her reaction.
"You should come by more often. Next time I won't go easy on you." Ian picked up the empty plates and brought them to the sink. He then went back for the cups and stared wide-eyed at the empty glass jar. "This thing was almost full. What kind of a drunkard are you?"
"Hey, you drank as much as I did."
"Yes, but I'm an adult."
"As I said, who cares?"
"Jeez. You come into people's houses, eat all their food, drink all their booze... What do you want next?"
Her phone buzzed and Kate jumped up. "It's Nikki." she then giggled shyly.
"Did she see the picture?" Ian asked amusingly, sitting close to Kate who scooched closer to him to show him her friend's response. "I look delicious?" Ian burst out laughing. "What kind of comment is that?"
"I know, she is obviously blind."
"Hey!" he nudged her, unhappy with her comment. "What's that?" Ian asked, leaning in close to the phone to read as Kate rapidly moved it away. "Hey, I was reading."
"It..." she blushed, "It was nothing."
Ian smirked, "Oh?" he shot up an eyebrow. "Too bad for you 'cause I already read the message."
"W-what?" Kate's eyes widened. She swore to kill her friend. "She's just being silly. It doesn't mean anything."
Ian was finding her reaction quite amusing and decided to keep teasing her. "So you don't think we look like a cute couple?" he grinned from ear to ear.
"Shut up." Kate kicked him as he approached her on the couch. She then set her phone down as Ian laughed.
"Hey," Ian called her attention, "do you have a boyfriend?"
Kate shook her head, "But I don't date strangers, sorry." she mocked.
"Don't get so cocky. I wasn't insinuating anything." he smiled. Kate yawned and Ian took the glass from her hands "Let's stop drinking before you fall unconscious in a stranger's house." he smiled, taking back the cups and the empty jar as Kate pouted. "By the way, do you think your mother will still call?" he asked, sitting back down on the couch, facing her as she looked back at him.
Kate glanced at the clock and twisted her lips. "Nah. At this time she's fallen in a deep sleep. Nothing can wake her at this point." she sighed.
Noticing her disappointed look, Ian decided to ask, "So, what are you going to do now?"
"I guess I might just find some random place to sleep. It's a big city."
"With no money?"
"Yeah... I'll figure something out."
"You can sleep here." Ian proposed, genuinely worried for the girl, and her eyes widened. "A girl like you shouldn't be wandering around the streets at night."
"But--"
"Really, I don't mind. You can sleep on the couch and I promise not to touch you or do anything weird." he wagged a brow at her mockingly.
She laughed and gave up, "Thanks. I guess I don't have much of a choice anyway."
Out of all the flowers Ian had plucked, he could tell there was something different about this one. He felt the need to protect her. Maybe it was from the drinks or from her 'pureness', but he couldn't just let her go.
They kept laughing and conversing on the couch as if they'd known each other for ages. They kept making jokes, telling stories, and asking questions, wanting to know everything about each other. For them, this was a friendship that had to last.
"So is Nikki your age?"
"Yeah, we've gone to the same school ever since we were kids. We've been best friends for ages. But don't you even think about it, she has a boyfriend."
"I don't even know her, how could I ever think of doing anything?" he laughed at her warning. "Are all of your friends as beautiful as you?"
Kate's eyes widened and her cheeks and ears flushed, not believing what he had just said. From what she knew about the man and the kind smile he had plastered on his face, she calmed down and took it as a joke. "Nikki's the prettiest of us. But I still think all of the others are above me in the scale of prettiness."
"Why do I seriously doubt that?" he leaned closer, hinting her. Kate was speechless. Not only was she 'pure' but she had never had a boyfriend nor any boy complimenting her as he was. "Don't take everything so seriously. I was just trying to compliment you after you admitted that I am hot." he grinned playfully.
Kate's heart felt confused, but she still managed to talk back at him. "I never admitted anything like that!"
"Oh really? Then you weren't checking me out a while back?"
Kate froze as if she had been caught. Flustered, she kicked him multiple times until he grabbed her legs to stop her. Ian leaned in and whispered in her ear, in a way that made her feel a million kinds of wonderful, "You're beautiful. Never let anyone tell you otherwise."
Kate's eyes widened and she stared into his mesmerizing emerald eyes, waiting for him to sit back straight... but he didn't. Kate bit her bottom lip and blushed as Ian enjoyed the view he was observing. As if someone else had taken control over her body, Kate leaned in slowly, and locked her lips with his. Ian looked surprised, but he didn't object, accepting her action. Her chest warmed up and, as soon as she came to and noticed what she was doing, Kate's eyes opened wide and she pulled apart, flustered. She panicked, feeling embarrassed for what she had done. Ian, on the other hand, wasn't bothered by it. He smiled and found her reaction quite amusing.
This time, Ian leaned in and gave Kate the confirmation she wanted. Their lips locked once again, but this time it was passionate. Ian wrapped an arm around her back and the other pulled her head closer. Kate was surprised but went along with it, wrapping her arms around his neck. She closed her eyes and lost herself in his trance. Both of them gave themselves into the stranger across them, feeling closer than with anyone else. Kate's heart fluttered and pounded to a point they could almost hear it and warmth filled their chests. Their lips parted but they remained embraced in each others' arms while puffing. Kate looked up at his emerald eyes that had been fixed on hers. They got lost in the gaze and kept wanting each other more. He laid her down on her back, her head resting on the couch arm. Their lips met once again and they wouldn't let each other go. A buzz then interrupted their moment and they tried to ignore it , but it kept buzzing.
Kate leaned over to the coffee table and saw her mother's image lightening up the phone. She rejected the call and turned her phone off, sliding herself back to the position she was in.
"Aren't you going to answer that?" he asked, hoping she wouldn't.
She shook her head as she bit her lip, stroking his arms. "I need to save some battery for tomorrow." They shared a soft smile and Ian couldn't believe the luck he was having this night. After all, Christmas is a time of miracles.
Ian flexed himself down and leaned into a prolonged kiss. He bit her lower lip, making her moan and he took the advantage to invade her mouth with his tongue. He savored the sweet taste of the girl mixed with the sugary taste of the drink and soon became addicted. Their tongues danced and Kate felt like she had full access to Ian's heart. She felt loved with multiple feelings of a fairy-tale kind of magical. To her, that was more than enough. To him, her touch was sufficient to make him the happiest he had ever been. To both, their kiss felt like fireworks in their hearts and a magical act in a circus. It was perfect.
They slowly sat up as Kate felt his hard chest. Finally feeling confident, she sat on his lap and smiled, placing her hands on his warm, throbbing chest. He smiled back and Kate kissed him. Her hands slowly crawled down to his waist, grabbing onto the hem of his shirt. As an opportunity arose, she pulled away from the kiss and slid his shirt off with his help. Kate stared in awe at the bare gracefulness of his chest. His muscles were well defined and not too bulgy, and his skin was smooth, pulling her into touching it.
"Are you finally admitting that I'm hot?" Ian chuckled in amusement mixed with embarrassment and Kate kissed him to shut him up. In their embrace, Kate felt his chest with her slender fingers and stroked it up and down, feeling the warmth and smoothness of his body. Taking her move, Ian grabbed her thighs firmly and picked her up, lifting them both from the couch. He walked slowly and steadily as she wrapped her legs around his waist and kept kissing until he reached the bed and set her down gently. Kate crawled back with a smirk that enticed him and he climbed on, chasing her until their lips locked once more and they embraced each other again. He then slowly lifted her shirt up to her chest, as if asking for her permission and she didn't stop him. He stroked her gently in their long embrace, feeling the smoothness and the gentleness of her fragile body. Kate, noticing Ian's tenderness and uncertainty, pulled apart, separating their united bodies to slip her shirt off. Ian scanned her with his eyes, long enough to relish her beauty but not too long to be staring. His hands took control and he leaned back in for a kiss. Feeling roused and aflame, Ian fondled and caressed her tenderly and passionately, possessing every single inch of her body until she was moaning. Kate losing control, did something she'd never dreamed of doing. Her hands slid down, feeling his torso, until they reached his belt. She managed to unbuckle it and pulled out his belt that was in the way. Biting onto his lower lip and leaning into the ardent kiss, Kate unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans, causing Ian's eyes to open in surprise. He was dazed from her actions, but reacted composedly, slowly pulling away from her lips and planting gentle kisses on her jawline and fragile neck.
"Are you sure?" he whispered, breathing onto her nape, while massaging her with his lips. Kate didn't know whether it was from the many glasses of sangria or if she actually felt something for the young man, but she nodded innocently, pulling him back into a kiss.
Ian trailed kisses down her body, reaching her slim waist, and caressed her with his hands at the same time. Kate couldn't do anything but moan at her partner's touch. He slowly unbuttoned her ripped skinny jeans as he planted kisses on her salient hip bone and Kate caressed his silky hair. He slowly lifted himself up, pulling her jeans down and throwing them onto the rug beside them. Ian examined her body slowly and skimmed over her legs gently with his adult hands. He kissed her shins, this time trailing kisses upward until he reached her lips again. Kate trusted him with all her heart but blushed at her exposure, losing her familiarity and witty confidence. Their lips locked once again as Ian's hand made its way in between her thighs, caressing her gently as Kate breathed harder, feeling greater pleasure than she ever had. His fingers moved sinuously as a moan issued from her lips.
Ian pulled away and backed away, slipping his pants off in the fervor she had placed him in. He stripped completely and Kate froze with feelings of awe and fear. Her eyes fixed on his manhood which stood erect even without having been touched.
"Are you scared?" Ian whispered into her ear, leaning into another kiss. Kate shook her head, obviously lying, with a face fully flushed. Ian smiled and positioned himself in between her legs, slowly pushing forward. Kate winced and sunk her nails in his arms as she bit her bottom lip.
"I'm going to move." he murmured softly into her ear and began gyrating rhythmically with his waist. Kate looked away, trying to endure the pain. He was a stranger, but it felt right. She wanted to give into this feeling. Goosebumps rose and her head kicked back, her whole body lost control with feelings never it had never felt. Losing himself in pleasure, Ian's gyrations sped up, losing control over his body. Kate felt his ragged breath pulling her closer and gave into his touch. Ian brushed her hair from her face and kissed her once again before his thrusts became shorter and stronger. Kate found herself moving in his rhythm unconsciously.
With a moan, a tingle running through his body sapped the strength from his limbs, making him fall beside her. Kate accepted the convulsions within her and allowed her body to relax and her arms to fall back to the sheets. Ian gently kissed her forehead and got up, sliding on a pair of boxer shorts to turn off the lights before climbing back into the bed. Giving into the drowsiness, they snuggled in the bed, falling asleep in their embrace.
Kate woke up to the gentle touch of Ian caressing her hair and admiring her delicate appearance. Her eyes slowly blinked open, surprised at the heart-melting smile fixed on her.
"Good morning." he spoke softly, leaning in to kiss her button nose. Kate smiled unconsciously. What a way to wake up.
"What time is it?" Kate groaned with a headache from the alcohol and tiredness from little sleep.
"One." Ian answered vacantly, but Kate's eyes shot open.
"What?! Oh shit!" she sat up. "I need to go."
"Using that kind of language... It seems you're not so 'pure' anymore, huh?" he smirked, raising an eyebrow.
"Shut up..." Kate blushed, remembering the events from the previous night, and Ian laughed.
"You can take a shower if you'd like." he suggested, pointing at the bathroom door facing the bed.
"Thanks. I'll accept that offer." Kate said, running a hand through her half-sweaty hair. Her mother could never find out about what had happened last night.
As she tried getting up, Ian pulled Kate back down, hovering over her body and planting kisses all over her fragile body. His hand then ran through her, tickling every inch of skin.
"No, Ian, stop." Kate giggled, trying to release herself from his grasp. "I need to get going."
Feeling a slight pain and noticing she was naked, Kate sat on the bed, her body wrapped in the white sheets.
Ian got up, mocking her. "Why won't you get up?" he teased. Kate scorned at him.
"Look away." she demanded and Ian did as she said, looking out the window and opening the curtains. Kate got up and grabbed her clothes, running naked into the bathroom as Ian peeked from over his shoulder.
As the warm drops of water ran down her light, smooth skin, Ian dressed himself, knowing that he would have to say goodbye to the lonesome petal he had saved from the cold winter air. He sat down and sighed at the memories of the past night until his attention was grasped by the fragrant bloom that had appeared with still-wet, tied up hair and the same clothes she had worn the previous day. Her outfit gave off an I don't care look, but somehow it had some sort of elegance and gentleness to it. To him, and most other people, she was difficult to approach but became the gentlest person once approached, like a kitten disguised as a lion in the wild.
"I'll drive you home. Do you want to get something on the way?" Ian suggested, getting up and making his way to the door.
"Nah, it's fine. I'll eat once I get home."
He nodded, opening the door to let her out. They didn't do much talking in the car. Kate kept thinking about what she had done with him, knowing, deep down, that he probably had no feelings for her, taking advantage of a teenage girl's drunkenness and vulnerability. At least this was what she thought. The poisonous soil this flower had grown in rot its roots and had this poor confidence created. She looked down out the window the whole way, reflecting on their meeting.
Ian felt something was wrong. The oh so cheerful and witty girl had suddenly shut everything back inside her vessel, letting no one in like she had on their first meeting. He tried to small talk and she would answer, giving off a smile with a sense of falseness about it. He knew something was up and he thought he knew what it was.
"Can you pull over here, please?" Kate asked, a few blocks down her house. "I really can't have anyone know I was with you."
"Oh, yeah. Sure."
Ian pulled over and cut the engine, looking over at Kate and wondering what to say. This couldn't be their last encounter. He had to tell her something if he wanted to see Kate again. As she unbuckled her seat-belt and got ready to leave his car, Ian grabbed her arm and Kate looked back at him, questioningly.
"I want you to know that, to me, you weren't just a one-night stand." he managed to say. Not part of his intention, Kate rapidly returned to her open, amusing-self. Still unsure of her reaction, Ian still felt the necessity to ask, "Will I see you again?" he said, hoping that her reaction would be pleasant.
Kate smiled, taking out a piece of paper from her back pocket and stealing a pen from his glove-compartment, writing down seven digits. She kissed him passionately once more before giving him the paper and opening the car door.
"Hopefully." she smiled, leaving the car and walking down the street.
Ian, befuddled and dazed, stared at the paper she had handed to him and watched her walk down the street with dimples plastered on her cheeks. He smiled with a deep sigh and he quickly added the digits onto his contacts list before he lost the paper.
"Mom's not home?" Kate closed the door behind her and asked, noticing her brother on the couch, slacking off as usual.
"No." the boy looked surprised to see her. "Where were you?"
"Friend's house." Kate answered, shoving him off.
"Pfft, yeah right." he laughed mockingly. "Who did you sleep with to rent you a room?" he scoffed, starting to get on her nerves.
"Put a sock in it, Mike." Kate rolled her eyes and went up to her room.
With no presents, as usual, and a mother that didn't care if she was dead, Kate actually wished she had stayed in the young man's bed, cuddling until they both got tired of each other.