Page 23 of Once Upon a December
“Fe, what are you doing here?” He stroked his fingers over Felix’s jaw, “You’re supposed to be at the party.”
“I was. I was at the party and it was awful.”
He raised an eyebrow, “Awful?”
“Okay, fine. It wasn’t awful.” Felix smirked a little, “It was beautiful and everyone was having a blast. Everyone but me.”
“Oh, baby, I’m so sorry. I wanted to be there for you. I tried. I…”
“Shh.” Felix hushed him with a firm shake of his head, “I know. Your brother told me.”
Gibson flinched, “My brother? Which brother?”
“Dawson.”
“Where did you meet Dawson?” He blinked in confusion.
“At the party.” Felix held him close, “He was there. He said he goes every year. You didn’t know that, did you?”
Gibson’s heart squeezed painfully, “No. No. He’s never told me. I just assumed…”
“I know why you assumed he didn’t go and so does he. We talked and… he’s great, Gib. He’s such a good man. So smart and kind and understanding and I think, well I think a big part of that is because you raised him and took care of him after what happened to your parents. You took such good care of him. You still do. I think that’s why he hasn’t told you he goes to the party. He thinks it would hurt you somehow to know that he’s okay with it when you’re not.”
“Damn.” Gibson winced, “You two really talked, huh?”
“We did. He’s why I’m here. He reminded me that Christmas isn’t about the parties or the ornaments or putting on a show. Christmas is about being with the people you love.”
Hope flooded through Gibson’s veins, “You love me?”
“How could I not?” Felix chuckled a laugh through another flash of tears, “Look at this. You, my sweet, perfect, grumpy Grinch, broke the rules for me. You decorated your house for me, Gibson. God. It’s… How? Why?”
“Because I love you and even if I couldn’t make it to the party, I wanted to show you what you mean to me. I was going to call you tomorrow and ask you to come over.”
“Tomorrow?”
“I didn’t want to interrupt your party, Fe. You put so much work into it. I didn’t want to take you away from it. I only ever want you to be happy.” Gibson admitted as he swiped a stray tear from his boyfriend’s cheek.
“I wasn’t happy at the party. Not without you. I love you, Gibson.”
“I love you too. You make me so happy, Fe. I want to stop looking backwards and always expecting the worst. You make me want to look forward, to the future, and I want that future to be with you.”
“I want that too.”
Gibson kissed Felix with all of the love that felt like it was busting at his seams. He kissed him long and hard and Felix kissed him back the same way. Right there in the same spot when Felix had yelled at him only a month ago, they’d said they loved one another and sealed it with a kiss that was witnessed by a life-size Santa and all of his reindeer gang.
“I can’t believe you’re really here.” Gibson murmured as they broke apart for air. “It’s like a Christmas miracle.”
“No. It’s not a miracle. It’s just fate. We were meant to meet. That’s all.”
“I think you’re right, because I’ve been falling for you since you first walked up my driveway and yelled at me.”
Felix chuckled, “I didn’t realize that day I was walking towards my future but I do now. You’re it, Gibson. You and me. We can make this work, can’t we?”
“We will. I will. Because I can’t imagine my life without you, babe.”
Felix pressed up and kissed him again quickly, “I love it when you talk to me all sweet and possessive like that.”
“Mmm, I’m glad because you make me feel all sweet and possessive.” Gibson rubbed their cold noses together, “Now come on, let’s go inside and warm up in front of the fire.”
