Page 51 of Festive Fugitive
I don’t know how much time passed for me to get down from my high but I look at him with a smile, all sweaty and sated. Cesar’s mask is off, and mine must have fallen off at one point or another, so it’s just us.
“Oh! Wait. I’ve got something.” I suddenly remember and reach into the pocket of my jacket. It’s a bit crumpled, but I grab the mistletoe I swiped from the hotel lobby, and lift it over my head with an expectant smile.
Cesar’s gaze follows it, but then he shakes his head. “You’re a very good reason to enjoy Christmas,” he says before pressing his lips to mine.
Who would have thought murder could bring such happiness? I certainly didn’t. Even as I fantasized about killing Sullivan, I never had a clear escape route or any idea about what a lifeafterwould entail. I couldn’t see a future for me. At best, I thought I’d run away and forever live off grid out of my car. Or… something. Now, Cesar and I, we have a goal.
“No more fancy hotels though. It was amazing while it lasted, but too risky. We really need to go.” I stroke Cesar’s head and throw the mistletoe to the backseat.
He sighs and kisses my hand. “I know. It’s just that… I wanted to make this Christmas special for you.”
“You already did, Cesar.Youare the best, most surprising gift I couldn’t have imagined getting.” I have so much tenderness for him my heart aches and overflows with it.
Cesar rests his head on my chest and kisses my still-flushed skin, then glances at his wristwatch when it pings. “Ha. It’s already the twenty-fifth.”
My heart skips a beat in excitement. “Merry Christmas!” Maybe a bit weird to say that when we’re half naked and his cum is oozing out of me, but I don’t care.
His smile is joyful when he kisses me again. “Merry Christmas. Soon, we will be far away from here, and you won’t have to run ever again.”
“So… what’s it like? The place we’re going?” I was too wrapped up in our travel and escape that I didn’t even give it much thought. I just trusted him. And I still do.
Cesar strokes the back of my head, watching me as if he couldn’t imagine there being anything more important than this moment. “I have the house in Alaska on this small island. Very private. I suppose that will bemy Christmas gift, but I figured… you might still enjoy a little token so…” He stretches, reaching into the glove compartment, and returns to me with a little box.
My eyes widen and it’s as if the sound of jingling bells resonate through my body with glee. “You got me something? And we’re doing gifts early? Yes, yes, let’s do that,” I babble in excitement.
He clears his throat, shy like he hadn’t sawed into me as if he’d been deprived of sex for years. “Don’t get too excited. It’s just this little thing I picked up during a stop.”
He presents me with a small box and I open it to a simple charm bracelet. An enameled Christmas tree with two rhinestones hangs off it next to a silver heart. It’s insanely cute, and while I’ve never worn anything like it, I already know that once it’s around my wrist, I will never take it off.
“I know this is meant for girls, but I wanted you to have something that references how we met. And you love Christmas, so I thought… you might enjoy this, at least sometimes,” Cesar says, staring down at the box. “I wasn’t really in a position to get you something better while we traveled, but if you hate it, you can pick something else.”
I snort and stroke his face, holding out my other hand so he can put it on for me. “Dumbass. I love it.”
His eyes dart up to meet mine. “That… yeah, that makes me happy,” he says and fastens the bracelet around my wrist. It’s cool to the touch, but not for long, because when he presses his face to my hand, all I can feel is warmth.
“I’ve got a little something for you too. Wait.” I twist out of his grasp so I can reach my backpack.
“Is this it?” Cesar asks and gives my ass a little slap.
“No! Just wait.”
I finally get back to him with the little parcel, no bigger than my hand, wrapped in one of the newspapers we had at the cabin.
“I wasn’t exactly able to buy anything, so I made you a little something.”
Cesar accepts my gift with open hands and, after confirming it’s okay to unwrap it already, peels back the packaging. I worked on it when he was out doing things around the house. It’s a papier mâché bauble I painted red, attached a string for hanging, and decorated with some stars in Sharpie. In an oval I cut out of paper I painted in our initials and the year.
I swallow as I stare at it, realizing it not only doesn’t look like much, but is also extremely cheesy. “It was something my parents did before my mom died. They made a bauble for every year together and hung it on the Christmas tree.”
Cesar turns my gift in his hands. It’s so very quiet I can hear the increasingly frantic beating of my own heart. I’m about to fill the silence when my man opens his mouth and speaks in a dull, strained voice. “I’m sorry you lost them.”
“I couldn’t help my mom. At least I got to avenge my dad. We didn’t always see eye to eye, but I wish I could have done more for him. In the end, there’s no changing the past.” But I do see a future when I see the bauble in Cesar’s hands. One in which we hang this ugly thing on our tree, inourhouse.
“This is...” He inhales, shaking his head as his gaze swipes up my face. “The best gift I’ve ever gotten. You’re so talented.”
I know him well enough by now to see that he’s not saying everything he wants to but I don’t want to press when the mood is so nice. He must just be thinkingabout all those shitty Christmases in Sullivan’s service. “Hardly, but my crafting materials were limited.” I give him one more kiss. “Do we want to start driving or get some sleep here?”
He pulls me close, burying his nose in my hair. “Let’s go. We should take the first ship sailing to Alaska.”
