"Just hear those sleigh bells wriggling, jingle-jingling too... it's such a lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you~" Paige crooned as she entered the bedroom she shared with her girlfriend. In each hand she held a mug of steaming hot chocolate and she had wedged the newspaper under her armpit. She paired a reindeer sweater with some knee high socks and the santa boxers she wore at Spencer's house for Toby's Christmas surprise. "Merry Christmas, Em!" she whispered as she snuggled up next to her girlfriend after depositing her stash of goodies onto the nightstand. Emily smiled in her sleep and cuddled into Paige. She breathed in the hot chocolate and Paige's minty toothpaste as she leaned in for a kiss. "Good morning, baby" she mumbled back as she opened her eyes for the first time that morning.
A giggle escaped her lips as she took in her girlfriend's outfit. The sweater was new, but the santa hat and shorts brought back good memories. She snuggled up to Paige, their legs interconnecting automatically. She closed her eyes, relishing in this moment of pure bliss as Paige pulled her impossibly close, and started running her fingers through her hair and up and down her back, almost massaging her, as she hummed Christmas tunes and read the newspaper. Every now and then Paige would react to the news with a sigh or a click of her tongue and Emily would nestle closer, reminding her that there was good in the world, and serving as an equalizer. Emily's father used to read the paper too. He would get very cross sometimes and throw it in the bin, then apologize and fish it out so he could read the cartoons with his Emmy.
He was working until the very last minute this Christmas. Normally Emily would be livid but this year Paige managed to keep her distracted. Between exams and shopping and ... well... other 'stuff', she managed to keep her heart from deflating with worry that her father might not make it to her in time. She was so SO precious to her. Emily opened her eyes and looked up at Paige. She was reading something confusing and her brows furrowed in that way Emily adored. She reached out with her hand and cupped her cheek, causing her to look down in confusion, and then reached up and stole a slow, lingering kiss.
It wasn't a long kiss or even a special one, but it still left Paige feeling lightheaded. Emily did that sometimes. She would do something so ordinary but put so much passion and love and affection in it that Paige, unable to react, would only stare in amazement, shaking her head, and smiling that big goofy smile Emily fell in love with.
They shared a secretive look that said everything before leaning in for another kiss. This one was faster and deeper and both girls completely lost track of time, with Paige sinking from her sitting position and Emily's hands, going from cupping her face to tangling in her hair as Paige used her own to help support Emily. They knew that while they had some time, they did have the odd obligation today and taking things too far would get them in trouble but they couldn't resist taking the chance to feel this closeness and share their love.
They both pulled back after a couple of minutes. Paige's cheeks were red and Emily was sweating. They looked at each other and smiled, like they had a secret, and Paige propped herself back up, much like Emily did, before passing her one of the cooled-off mugs of hot chocolate.
"We don't have to rush, it's still early, you have enough time to shower, but I don't think we can squeeze in another round." Paige began, rather diplomatically. Emily smirked. They both knew that if Paige challenged Emily enough they wouldn't make it out of the house today. Paige was still desperate to make a good impression with Emily's family so she couldn't afford to be making any mistakes. She had to be prompt and proper.
"I can always shower when we come back" Emily suggested, trying to rile Paige up. Paige gulped. She knew exactly what Emily was insinuating and she didn't like it one bit.
"And walk around the airport smelling like... What if your mom figures it out?" Paige said, panicking.
"She's not a greyhound, Paige, she's not gonna sniff me!" Emily laughed.
"Yeah, but still. You might... I dunno, set her motherly senses off." When Paige was flustered, something triggered Emily's dark side. She eyed that chocolate milk in her hands and wondered how long it'd take to clean off if she pounced on Paige right now. She figured she could have her way and clean up and still make it to the airport in time but something about the look in Paige's eyes made her hesitate. She wasn't just flustered, there was some real fear. Some pressure or stress. She couldn't put her finger on it but she knew that whatever was stressing her out was deeper than just potential embarrassment.
"Paige... what's wrong?" She asked the worried girl. While keen to protect Emily from the darkness of the world, she refused to lie to her any more so when faced with a direct question, Emily knew, Paige would never shield her from the truth. She was banking on Paige's honesty to get to the bottom of this problem and sure enough, with a sigh, Paige relented and opened up her heart to her.
"It's just, this Christmas is the first one without A, and I wanted it to be perfect for you. I don't want there to be any stress or drama for you. I just want you to enjoy every part of this. You've spent so long worrying and I just wanted to take care of everything for you so you don't have to. So you can be at peace. You deserve to have a break, Em."
"Paige, no matter what happens, I know my Christmas will be perfect because I'm spending it with the people I love. I get to be with you and my family and I've pencilled Spencer and the girls in for a Skype call later tonight. There's nothing more that I want."
"Except your dad"
"My dad is going to be here if he can, but even if he can't, I know he tried and that he loves me and that he's healthy and, honestly, that's enough."
Paige looked down in disappointment. She really didn't want to make things about her or remind her about her dad. She wanted to give Emily that picture perfect Christmas you see in Hallmark ads, where everyone's happy, together, and smiling. She arranged for everything to be perfect. For Emily to be so pampered that she wouldn't need to lift a finger. And now with her outburst she was forcing Emily to cajole her and comfort her and she was being an overall nuisance. She started to feel a little selfish but the voice inside her head -which grew more forgiving and comforting the more she was showered with Emily's love- told her to just forgive herself and let herself move on before she got stuck in a cycle of self loathing. She told herself to move her focus back on Emily and she smiled as she remembered all the great things that she had planned.
Leaning forward to reassure Paige with another kiss, Emily caught an eyeful of the clock on the nightstand. Paige had been right, time really was running out and soon she would barely be able to shower. They embraced for a moment before sitting back, facing eachother, half covered in a mess of blankets, and finished their chocolate milks while Paige finished the paper.
Then the strangest thing happened. Paige usually read Emily the funny bits, just like her dad did, but unfortunately today, Paige skipped right over them and rushed Emily to instead finish her drink and hop in the shower. She did a quick spot-clean of their apartment, dumping their mugs into the sink, fixing the bed up and finalizing a couple of arrangements when Emily walked in. She threw on a matching Christmas sweater and a pair of jeans, as Paige finished getting dressed and before too long, they were both out of the apartment and speeding to the airport to pick up Emily's mom.
Paige's parents insisted that while in California, the Fields family grace them with their presence in their home. Paige and Emily had packed their bags the night before. They picked up Pam from the airport, who had gone a full three months since she last hugged her daughter, and then, after a quick breakfast, Paige drove them all down to the family home. It was an expansive, two level mansion with a heated pool and outdoor kitchen area. Paige and Emily's parents would share the house while the girls themselves bunked in the poolhouse. There was enough room for a pull-out couch and a queen sized bed. The parents made it clear that Paige was to sleep in the pull-out couch or kiss her privacy privileges goodbye. The pool-house consisted of a large windowed wall, a small kitchenette, a luxurious bathroom with a walk in bathtub, and a small entertainment area with a ping pong table and a few arcade games.
They were afforded relative privacy due to their age but if they were caught sharing a bed, they would be forced to share one with their mothers instead for the rest of their visit, while their dads got to share the pool-house. The parents would not-so-subtly walk them to their pool-house at the end of the day and check in on them first thing in the morning to make sure Paige made and slept in the fold-out couch. Little did they know however that Paige and Emily were used to 4am jogging sessions which allowed Paige to leave the bed they shared a cool two hours before her mother made the rounds in the morning to get everyone up for breakfast.
It was Paige's body that was accustomed to waking up before the crack of dawn. Emily herself tended to sleep in a couple more hours if left alone. Paige had to gingerly extricate herself that first morning in order to leave for her morning run. Emily would not be roused for another hour or two, when Paige would sit down opposite her and start reading the newspaper. Only it wasn't Paige and it wasn't today's newspaper.
Emily glanced at the clock. 5:46 am. Shops didn't open until seven. Paige usually finished her run, came home, showered, did a bunch of homework and readied breakfast before waking Emily up with the news. She couldn't possibly have got the paper this early, AND showered, AND brought her breakfast in bed.
"Sorry, Emmy, store-bought is gonna have to do" said a deep, more gravelly voice as its owner placed a convenience store coffee on the nightstand, next to a blueberry muffin and yesterday's newspaper. She couldn't believe her ears so she rubbed her eyes, and quickly blinked away her sleep as she shot up in bed, eagerly facing the silhouette of the man who sat down on the edge of the bed, next to her. It was still dark, but thankfully, that's when Paige walked in, her hands full of matching convenience store bags, and with a smile, pulled the blinds apart a crack.
The dawn light weakly penetrated the room and lit up Emily's father's profile. Realization suddenly dawned on her as she lunged forward, tackling him into a bear hug. Overwhelmed with happiness, all she could do was cry onto his shoulder as he held her and whispered comforting words. Confused, she looked across to Paige, who smiled that goofy, loving smile and shrugged her shoulders. "Christmas miracle" she mouthed as Emily beckoned her closer and reached out, pulling Paige into the hug along with her and her father.
"What happened? I thought your furlough was cancelled?!" Emily rambled.
"It was delayed until some ridiculous hour into the night. I think they were trying to delay so long we'd have no choice but to stick around for Christmas. Paige was able to find a flight on a red-eye that dropped me off just outside California, and then she picked me up and brought me the rest of the way."
It was only then that Emily noticed how weary Paige appeared to be. Faint bags started appearing under her eyes and she felt really cold, her body too exhausted to regulate her temperature properly. She must have stayed up all night for her. Paige smiled sleepily and kissed Emily on the cheek. "How could I ever repay you?" Emily asked with her eyes. "You already have" answered Paige's half-smile. "Your smile is the greatest reward" Paige thought as she pulled Emily in for a brief hug, before extricating herself, taking a few floppy steps and dropping down onto the pullout couch, falling asleep the second her head touched the pillow.
Emily's dad took his daughter in. Her growth never ceased to amaze him. He used to be able to hold her in one hand when she was first born. They used to be able to bathe her in the sink. She used to be able to fit in his suitcase, and he'd had to check and make sure she didn't sneak inside them before leaving home for work. He smiled at her and she smiled back. Then he tucked her in and she sat back in bed as he reached over and grabbed yesterday's newspaper and started reading Emily the funny cartoons. Paige couldn't have heard them, she was fast asleep, but Emily swore she could see a smile on her face.