Title: For Now.
Prompt: Gift
Rating: G
Word Count: 440 (I blame it on being out of practise? =D)
Disclaimer: Characters belong to Ryan Murphy, I'm just borrowing them so they can do my bidding for a while.
A/N: I'm kind of behind on drabbles. I'll catch up, but wanted to do this first, cuz it just popped into my head.
Summary: Brooke asks Sam what she wants for Christmas.
The faintly flickering glow of fairy lights is all that illuminates the room. But it's been decorated by enough of them to provide ample lighting. Enough for us, sitting side by side on the floor picking over an assortment of mixed nuts to see each other clearly. She's laughing at something I said. My assuredly smiling brown eyes watch as a perfect face lights up right along with the Christmas tree.
"Hey, it was serious!" I protest, not one iota of genuine outrage in my voice. She turns her head in my direction and this time, directs her laughter squarely at me. It's like being syringed square in the heart with the fuzzy kind of love, undiluted. Six moths ago, just the talk of fuzzies would have caused me, at the very least, to roll my eyes.
"You sat awake all night to pop off Santa with a BB gun!" Why is it I'm willing to do anything to make her laugh like this? To make sure her smile is directed at me? Even if it's at my expense.
"I wasn't about to let some strange guy into my house!" I only aimed to make her laugh harder and when she did, it was like the fuzzies had grown thousands of arms and were reaching all through my body, trying to find some way to get to her.
Seconds pass.
"What do you want for Christmas, Sam?" The question takes me off guard, allowing a barrage of answers to flood to the surface.
For you to keep laughing.
For you to keep smiling at me.
For me to be able to get up the nerve to give you what I wrote for you.
To not be such a damn coward.
For you to kiss me.
For you to love me as completely as I love you.
"Please, she won't even tell me what she wants." I turn to see my mother and Mike re-enter the room, carrying the popcorn they left to make. Family movie night. In the spirit of the season, It's A Wonderful Life. My eyes drift back to Brooke. To her expectant eyes, her smiling mouth. Briefly down to her hand that's resting on her own leg but is, ever so slightly, resting against mine too. To her face, that is oblivious.
"A car?" My mother gives me a 'keep dreaming' look, and then everyone is laughing again. Okay, so I'll keep pretending for a while. It's not so bad. It enough to have her close. It's enough to be able to talk now, to be her friend. Just having her near is gift enough. For now.
