Page 81 of Brighter Shades of Light
He could call me whatever he wanted—sap, lovesick puppy, or Romeo—but I had always wanted to fall in love. Hookups were okay but had never excited me like love did. Now that I found it, I wasn’t going to let it go.
***
Christmas morning, I woke up warm and happy in Sebastian’s bed. We had fucked all last night, and I was going to feel him for a while. Totally worth it, though. He might’ve been a little timid the first few times we’d had sex, but he was a beast now. He was more confident and not ashamed to take what he wanted.
I cracked open my eyelids and watched the snow fall outside. The window gave a stunning view of the trees and the snow-covered mountain in the distance. It looked like it had been coming down for hours, falling silently to the ground below.
A white Christmas. Hadn’t had one of those in years.
Instinctively, I reached for Sebastian but found his side of the bed cold.
I sat up and looked around, confused. He rarely got up before me. With his crazy sleep schedule, the times I slept over were when he usually got a decent night’s sleep for a change. Pulling back the covers, a rush of cold air hit me, and I shivered as I hopped out of bed and grabbed my sweatpants from the floor.
I pulled one of Sebastian’s sweaters from his drawer and put it on. I loved being in his clothes. He wasn’t as muscled as me, but his arms and torso were longer, so his oversized sweaters still fit. I hummed a carol as I walked down the hall, searching for him.
The Christmas tree in the living room twinkled as the lights chased each other. Sebastian never decorated for—or even celebrated—Christmas, but he had put up the tree for me because he knew I liked them. It was decked out in red and green ornaments and an ornate star topper that must’ve been pricey.
“Good morning,” he said from behind me.
I turned around and stepped into Sebastian’s open arms. He smelled like cinnamon and coffee. “Merry Christmas.”
He kissed my forehead. “You’re in my sweater.”
“Nope. It’s mine now.”
“I made you breakfast.”
“Oh yeah? Lead the way.”
His lips twitched and he took hold of my hand.
It wasn’t just breakfast; it was a damn feast. French toast, bacon, eggs, sausage, and fresh fruit. We ate in the dining room instead of at the kitchen table. It was more open and had more windows for us to watch the snow.
“Emily called me this morning,” Sebastian said, sipping his coffee. “She’s vacationing in Florida and wished us a Merry Christmas.”
Ever since the fight with Sebastian over Emily, he had started telling me everything. We didn’t keep secrets from each other anymore. He wasn’t exactly an open book, but the pages no longer stuck together.
“That was nice of her.” I bit off a piece of bacon and chewed. “She’s dating some baseball player, right?”
“Mhm.” Sebastian popped a grape into his mouth. “I’m glad she’s happy. She deserves to be.”
I reached across the table and grabbed his hand. “So do you.”
“I am,” he said, staring at me with a tenderness that caused an explosion in my chest. His fingers squeezed mine as he lifted my hand to kiss my knuckles. “You brought me back to life.”
The edges of my eyes stung, and for once, I didn’t know what to say. Maybe the words didn’t exist.
After breakfast, Sebastian led me into the living room. A single box was under the tree. It was black with a silver bow.
“You got me something?”
“Perhaps.” He knelt to grab the box before sitting beside me on the couch. “I might not celebrate Christmas, but I like the idea of giving to those I love. That part of it I can understand.”
“I got you something, too. It’s in my bag, though. Hang on.”
I jumped up and ran down the hall before digging through my duffle bag to find his gift. I wasn’t the best wrapper in the world, so the shiny red paper was creased, and I had used tape to hold together the small holes I’d accidentally made. I jogged back into the living room and sat down, placing it on his lap.
“Sorry for the shitty wrap job.”
