Christmas Break was spent in a lazy daze. For months, Garnet had upped her workouts and cut way back on calories and carbs to prepare for the lazy days, filled with rich foods and lounging. It had all been worth it.
She woke up around ten every day, lounged around with eggnog or hot chocolate, shared long, sweet kisses and lots of cuddling time with Sean, watched Christmas movies, baked, played in the snow, and secretly wrapped the presents she'd gotten everyone. Jessica spent a lot of time with her, not quite over the breakup just yet. It was absolutely perfect.
Christmas Eve came quickly. Jessica and her family joined Garnet, her mom and dad, and Sean for a huge dinner and a gift exchange.
They moved to the living room after dinner, munching on cookies and sipping egg nog. Sean handed out presents. Garnet opened a new expensive pair of pointe shoes that she'd wanted for months from Jessica's parents, a gift card for two hundred dollars to her favorite dance store from her parents, a mixed CD and a new pair of boots from Jessica, and a beautiful necklace with two charms: a delicate silver ballet shoe and a pretty, little heart made of tiny, dainty diamonds from Sean.
The night was pretty perfect.
They sang a few carols once the parents got a little bit of alcohol in their systems, then Jessica and her parents were gone. Garnet's own parents kissed her and Sean on the foreheads, wished them good night, and headed upstairs.
Garnet set out two cookies and a small glass of non-alcoholic egg nog (her parents insisted that she pretend to believe in Santa, or she would get no presents in the morning) and led Sean upstairs for bed.
They paused outside of her bedroom door, then Garnet ushered him inside.
"Thank you for my necklace," she whispered, hand automatically reaching for it. "It's perfect."
He smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I'm glad you like it."
"I love it."
He kissed the tip of her nose. "I love my albums. Thanks."
She smiled. "You're hard to shop for."
He chuckled. "Well, you did a good job."
She leaned her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat.
"Tonight was perfect," she murmured.
His hand found her hair and he stroked it slowly and softly.
"I know. It was, wasn't it?"
"Do you miss your family?"
He sighed. "No."
She pulled away slightly. He made a noise of protest, but she merely cocked her eyebrow expectantly.
"I was legally emancipated when I was sixteen. I don't have anyone besides my parents, and I sure don't miss them. We've never really loved each other."
She frowned, her eyes filling with tears thinking about his life.
He smiled sadly and put a hand on her cheek. "Don't be sad. I'm not. That's just how it goes sometimes. And besides, I have a family here. And a girl I love very, very much."
She kissed him softly. "I love you more."
He pulled her close, hugging her tightly. She'd never felt safer.
"Not possible."
"Mhm."
He kissed the top of her head.
"You're tired. It was a long night. I'll see you in the morning."
She smiled. "Okay. Good night."
He kissed her one more time. "Good night."
He opened his door all the way and climbed into his bed across the hall. She left hers open all the way and climbed under her warm sheets, a huge smile on her face.
***
New Year's Eve was perfect. Garnet's parents went to a party, finally believing she was safe enough to stay at home without them.
Garnet set the cozy table for two in the dining room with the expensive china and wine glasses. She poured Sean a glass of wine and herself a glass of water while Sean lit candles all around the room, finally placing three tall ones in the center of the table.
They headed to the kitchen, glasses in hand, and cooked chicken marsala and roasted garlic potatoes, finally putting a chocolate cake on to bake while they ate.
Sean sat and Garnet brought out the plates, placing them in their correct spots. She caught her dress sparkling in the candlelight and smiled as she sat across from Sean at the cozy table setting.
"This is really good," she said, mouth full. She was surprised.
"I know! We should do this more often."
"It's a date!" she exclaimed.
She took a minute to admire his strong jawline, his hair, his stubble on his chin, his gorgeous eyes. She smiled; he was all hers.
"What are you thinking?" he asked.
"Oh, nothing...just that you're all mine and I'm the luckiest girl in the world."
He laughed. "You're kidding."
She raised an eyebrow. "Why would I do that?"
He shrugged. "What were you really thinking?"
"Exactly what I told you."
His eyes filled with warmth. "You're really silly if you think you're the lucky one here."
She grinned. "Well, we're both hot and we're both lucky. Does that work?"
She was uncomfortable talking about affection and feelings, so she chose to play it off as a joke.
"Why do you do that?" he asked.
"What?"
"Make jokes out of everything and change the subject."
She shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
"I've never done the 'love' thing. You're the only guy who has ever seen me as more than a good body and a pretty face. I get uncomfortable sometimes. This is foreign to me. And it's so easy to say too much or do something wrong, or-"
"Garnet."
She stopped talking, looking at him.
"You are so much more than that. And I love you, okay? I love you. I don't love you if you do something for me or say all the right things, but not if you make mistakes. I love you one hundred percent of the time, even when you're PMS-ing and it's really hard."
His eyes crinkled.
"You could never say too much or do anything to run me off, okay? I'm not going anywhere."
Her eyes filled with tears and she sighed out loud.
"And you say I'm not the lucky one."
He laughed and reached across the table for her, cupping her face in his hands and kissing her. They didn't pull away until the timer on the oven beeped loudly, startling them apart. Garnet sighed and took the cake out of the oven, setting it on the counter to cool.
"What time is it?" Sean asked.
"Eight," she called.
She brought two glasses of water back to the table and she and Sean finished eating happily. He made her laugh until her side hurt and she couldn't get over how much she loved him.
Finally, she iced the cake with chocolate fudge icing and they leaned against the counter eating it.
"This is amazing," he groaned, eyes closed.
Garnet laughed. His cheeks warmed as he took another bite.
Suddenly, an idea occured to her. His plate was empty now, so she broke off a piece of hers and held it out to him. He went to eat it, but she shoved it in his face again, covering his nose and upper lip. He stood there, utterly shocked, and she cracked up laughing. His face was so confused. It was priceless.
A mischevious smile appeared on his face and he came towards her with the a plastic decorating bag full of icing. She backed away, hands up in surrender, but he squirted it at her. Her face and neck were covered with chocolate icing, her hair sticking to it.
She gaped, openmouthed, her hand going to her hair.
"You buttface," she gasped.
He clutched his stomach, bent over from laughing so hard. "Buttface?" he wheezed.
She took the rest of the icing and put it right on his face, getting it in his hair.
He reached for her. She squealed, trying to jump out of the way, but he caught her around the waist and swung her around until she was backed against the counter, his arms a cage around her waist.
"You have a glint in your eye that I'm not sure if I like," she told him, heart thudding in her chest.
He flashed his perfect smile at her. "Let's see if you do," he whispered, then kissed her so passionately that she nearly went limp.
She threw her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, and his face moved to her neck. He kissed the icing off. It was unbelievably hot.
She gasped and brought his face back up to hers. They kissed, losing themselves in the moment, for a long time. When they broke apart, Garnet wondered when they'd slid down to the floor. Face hot, she looked up at him and he smiled.
"Well?" he asked.
"What?"
"Did you like the glint in my eye?"
She laughed. "I most certainly did."
She washed the icing out of her hair and changed clotes, finally chocolate free, and joined Sean in the living room. They watched When Harry Met Sally until the countdown came on, then brought in the new year cuddling in the chair they shared, dressed in sweats, with a long, long, wonderful kiss.
Looking back, it was the last happy night Garnet had in Seattle.