Page 93 of Five Days of Christmas Spice

“Sure.”

He strides past me into the middle of my living room.

The last owner of the condo had a fondness for blue. There is blue trim on the dusky blue walls in the living room, and I haven’t had time to repaint it yet. The cupboards in the kitchen are blue.

My bedroom walls are a deep navy.

Noel runs his hand along my 1960s low couches. I had them recovered in a deep burgundy as a gift to myself after my first year of being a talent agent.

“It’s nice.”

“Yeah, it’s okay.”

Noel leans against the bookshelf that my Mom gave me, and suddenly, I see things that make me cringe everywhere, like the Hello Kitty vase Stella gave me, a pair of Mickey Mouse ears from a trip to Disney, my favourite stuffy bunny from when I was a kid.

“It’s good to see you.”

“You only saw me yesterday.” I cross my arms over my chest, but his words make me glow. I know I’m blushing.

“Yes, but I didn’t get to have coffee with you this morning. I didn’t get to feel your mouth on my cock.”

Now, I’m definitely blushing. Suddenly, he’s in front of me.

“Noel, I don’t…I can’t.”

“Holly, if you tell me to go, I will leave. The ball is firmly in your court. You can decide to contact me in a week or never. But I need to tell you, I want to be with you. I came here because I want to go into this New Year with you by my side.”

I shake my head. “You don’t even know me.”

“I know you are a strong woman who has been hurt in the past, and you’re afraid of giving me your heart. I know your submission is like a fine whiskey, something to slowly savour and keep in the right conditions. I know I don’t want you to tell me to leave.”

“Noel, I…”

How can I tell him that I want him to wake up beside me tomorrow?

“I’m so scared you’ll resent how many hours I work. My clients are very needy, and I might have to drop everything because someone didn’t get them the right dinner, and now they’re walking off.”

“Off of what?” Noel asks.

“Off set,” I mumble. Last year, one of my clients had walked off the set because someone gave her a meat sub instead of the vegan wrap she ordered.

“I told you, I understand being glued to work. That’s why I left it. I’m happy working with my brothers. I have enough in my life to keep me busy, Holly. I don’t need you to wait on me.”

“You say that now.”

Hot tears fall down my cheeks. I want this so much. I want to believe that he is going to be there for me and not get frustrated because I keep cancelling dinner on him.

“I don’t say things I don’t mean. I’m scared, too.” Noel runs his hand through his hair.

“Then why are you here?”

“Because I didn’t get to kiss you this morning.”

He leans down, and I don’t pull away. I stand there and let him kiss me, let those ridiculously symmetrical lips touch mine.

He kisses me as if he means it, with so much passion, shivers run up my spine.

My hands come around his back because I need to touch him. He’s really here, in my apartment.

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