Chapter 10
It was Christmas morning and I was lying in a man's bed who I'd only known for a handful of days. Usually something like that would be a bit scary and quite possibly insane sounding but for some reason, whether it be the almost chemical connection our bodies shared or the strange dependent bond that was forming between us, I wasn't sure. All I knew was… I couldn't get enough of him. I needed his presence beside me, needed his reassuring touches and heated glances.
I'd read novels and stories of couples falling in love in a matter of days or even instantly and though they were cute and I tended to enjoy them, I never really gave much credibility to them. I mean really, how can love form when you barely even know the person? Love takes time, trust, learning everything about each other, passion and compatibility… right? At least, this is what I'd always thought.
Maybe it was time to reassess this theory.
I reached my hand out to the side where Ulquiorra usually was lying down beside me and came up empty, my hands grasping nothing but sheets. I opened my eyes and sure enough, he wasn't there. My body bolted upright, my head swiveling around the room till I spotted him sitting in a chair in the corner of the room. He was turned towards me, his hands steepled beneath his chin as he stared at me. He had a far away look in his eyes and I wondered if he was thinking about his dream last night.
"Merry Christmas," I said with a smile in hopes of cheering him up a bit.
"Merry Christmas," he answered but the look didn't disappear from his face. I watched him take a heavy breath before speaking again. "There's something I want to tell you but it wouldn't be right for me to tell you without telling you something else first and that something else… well, I'm not sure I'm ready to tell you about yet."
My mind worked to follow what he was saying, my lips silently repeating his words till it made sense. "Then just tell me when you are ready," I answered and I felt relief when he smiled slightly.
"I'm surprised you're still here after last night," he said and removed his hands from below his chin to rub them nervously over his messy hair.
"You can't get rid of me that easily," I answered while reaching my hand out towards him, beckoning him to join me.
His lean form uncurled itself from the chair and started walking towards me. The bed dipped as he placed one knee and then the other on the side and then crawled towards me. He kissed me and his lips were gentle and sweet as they caressed mine.
"There's no place I'd rather be than here with you on Christmas," I whispered in his ear before slipping my arms around his neck and pulling him down on top of me. I held him like that, my fingers sifting through his raven locks while his arms wrapped themselves around me and held me tight.
After several minutes he lifted himself up to hover over me and he smiled down at me as he said, "It's time for some hot chocolate. Christmas doesn't officially start until we've had a cup."
I giggle and slide off of the bed after he rolls away. I don't bother to change out of my pajamas but I throw a sweatshirt over my head and follow him out of his room and down the stairs to the kitchen. The room is empty and Ulquiorra goes to work on making our mugs of cocoa. He's standing at the counter, his hands busy ripping packets of chocolate mix and I move up behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist and standing on tip toe to press my lips against his neck.
"Can I help?" I whisper to him, mimicking the way he'd said it to me the first day we'd met and we'd made lunch together.
He chuckled and answered, "I think I can handle hot chocolate by myself."
A few minutes later we sat down at the kitchen table with our steaming mugs and I blew on mine to cool it down a little.
"You know, I never asked you. Do you live on campus or do you have an apartment?".
"I live off campus," he answered.
"Do you have roommates?"
He shook his head and took a sip from his cup.
"That must be nice. Not that I don't like living with Tatsuki but a whole place to yourself would be great."
"Well, I don't really have many friends to be honest. Just a few people from my classes but no one I feel close enough to to share a place with."
"Can I see it when we go back home?" I ask with a smile, a picture of his place already forming in my imagination.
"Sure. It's nothing exciting though," he said with a laugh.
"We'll see about that," I say and wink at him, surprising my own self with the action.
We chat for a little while, enjoying our cocoa and a little bit later his father comes in wishing us both a Merry Christmas. He takes a seat at the table with us and we talk easily for a while till he stands back up and leaves to go take care of a few things.
"Do you wanna go for a walk?" Ulquiorra asks me after his father leaves and we've both finished our drinks.
"Sure," I respond and a few minutes later we are closing the front door behind us and walking down the pathway to the sidewalk. The ground is still covered with snow but the sidewalks and street were completely clear. We walked hand in hand, talking companionably as we make our way down the street and suddenly a silver car pulls up along side of us and a woman who looked to be in her mid forties with shoulder length blonde hair came out and walked straight up to Ulquiorra. She stood directly in front of him, staring up into his face without saying a word.
I watched the pair, silent as the scene unfolded.
"How are you Liz?" Ulquiorra finally asked the lady, breaking the tense silence.
"I'm doing alright. How about you?" the lady answered and asked back.
"I'm better actually."
"Good, I'm glad to hear that."
A few moments went by without a word until the lady asked, "Have you been there lately?"
Ulquiorra shook his head and sighed. "I just can't."
The lady only nods her head and tilts her head down to stare at the ground by her feet. "I don't blame you. It's good to move on."
They stand there silently again and I feel slightly out of place till Ulquiorra turns to me and says, "Liz, this is Orihime."
The lady smiles warmly at me and extends her hand. "Hi Orihime, I'm Liz, an old friend of Ulquiorra's."
"It's nice to meet you," I respond and find myself saddened by the shadow in her eyes.
"Nice to meet you too," she says to me and turns back to face Ulquiorra. "I'm happy for you. She seems lovely." And then the lady wraps her arms around Ulquiorra and hugs him before releasing him and walking back to her car. She drives away and I'm left standing there, staring at the car as it disappears down the road.
Ulquiorra is staring down at the ground, his eyes lost.
"Are you alright?" I ask, moving to his side and threading my cold fingers through his.
He turns his face up to look at mine and I almost gasp at the raw emotion that's clear on his face. I reach out to him, placing my hands on his cheeks and kiss him on the forehead before wrapping my arms around his back and holding him close. How long we stand there I have no idea but sometime later he finally releases me and I step back and almost sigh with relief when I see his normal look back on his face.
"Let's go home," I say and take his hand to lead him back down the sidewalk towards his house.
We get back to his place and his mom is now awake and she greets us happily as we walk inside.
"Merry Christmas! Come on, let's open presents!"
We follow his mother into a large living area with a designer looking Christmas tree standing in the center of the far wall. I watch them pass presents back and forth and smile as they open the pretty packages. When everything had been opened Ulquiorra pulls me up from the seat I was sitting in and pulls me with him up the stairs and to his bedroom.
"I um, I hope this doesn't make you feel awkward but I got you something," he says and pulls out a small unwrapped box.
He got me something? When the heck had he had time to go shopping?
And as always he answers my unasked question. "I found it while you were shopping with my mom the other day. When I saw it I thought of you and wanted to get it."
He placed the white box in my hand and I stared at it for a few seconds, silently kicking myself for not having gotten him anything. "I wish I had something for you."
"Just you being here is all I want," he answered and my stomach melted. How could he say such perfect things?
I lift open the top of the box and my eyes go wide and I gasp as I look inside.
"It's my charm. Oh my God! Where did you find this?" I practically screamed, unable to take my eyes off of it. Inside the box was a silver necklace with a charm that looked exactly like my blue petal earrings.
"It was in a jewelry store in town. I remembered your earrings and thought they would match well with this."
I pulled the necklace out of the box and unclasped the hook, snapping it closed behind my neck and then threw my arms around his neck. I was probably choking him I was hugging him so tightly but it was just the most perfect, unexpected present I could ever imagine.
"I'm glad you like it."
"I love it! Truly. Thank you so much."
After several minutes we head back downstairs to his parents and the rest of the day is spent playing board games and just enjoying each others company. Ulquiorra's parents were absolutely hilarious at times and the love they shared between them was so obvious that I found myself internally going awww often.
When night came, Ulquiorra and I went up to his room after his parents had left to go to sleep. I watched him change into his pajamas, a pair of black and grey flannel pants and a plain white t-shirt then followed him into the bathroom where we brushed our teeth together. It was odd but for some reason, the simple act of brushing our teeth and seeing ourselves together in the same mirror made my chest constrict. It was such a familiar act, a simple gesture but something about it made me imagine doing the same thing 20 years from now with two kids sleeping in nearby bedrooms and a house of our own to take care of.
"What are you thinking about?" Ulquiorra asked, interrupting my wayward thoughts.
"Mmm, nothing," I answered, slightly embarrassed to have been caught thinking about something so… weird.
He just looked at me and smirked then placed his toothbrush back on the counter and turned to kiss my cheek. "Thank you for spending Christmas with me. My parents really like you."
"Oh I love your family. Your parent's are so nice."
I followed him back out to the bedroom and crawled in beside him. Instantly he was pulling me against him and stroking his hands up and down my back.
"Ready to go back tomorrow?" he asked as I snuggled my head against his neck.
"Yea, I guess so. It's been nice here though."
"We'll have to make stir fry again together," he said and I giggled before I tilted my head back and kissed him. Immediately the kiss became heated, our mouths increasing the pressure and slanting to taste more of each other. His hands wandered down my back, pressing into my curves and then sliding up my shirt so that he was rubbing over my skin.
My body reacted as it always did with him, igniting from within and arching to press as closely as possible. We shed our clothes quickly, the need to be skin to skin simply too overwhelming and when our bodies connected in that primal way we both screamed our pleasure and rode the waves of erotic sexual bliss that never seemed to lessen no matter how many times we did it.
The next morning went by in a blur, both of us rushing to pack our bags and get to the train station before the train left. I was sad when I had to say good bye to his parents and they were nice enough to wait with us till the whistle blew for us to board.
The train departed on time and an hour later I was back to my familiar world…
Very short chapter, I know. Next chapter we'll find out what's been going on with Ulquiorra.