Holed up with Jamie in her bedroom, Odessa tried to wrap her head around everything.
What had Jamie told her family? Why did everyone assume they were a couple? Was it because Jamie was a lesbian? Was it because they were so close?
Next to her on the bed, Jamie sipped her beer, watching Odessa over the rim of the bottle.
How to approach this tactfully…
"Odessa."
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"I hate to tell you this, but… we're never going to happen romantically."
Odessa blinked.
"O-oh. Alright."
"I know it hurts, but… you'll just have to get over it."
"I… I suppose I'll have to, won't I?"
"You're a very beautiful woman, Odessa, but you have some very annoying traits that I just can't deal with."
"Oh? Like what?" Odessa smirked.
"You snore."
"Since when?"
"Since always, I'm assuming."
"I do not!"
"Do too."
"Oh, really?" Odessa sipped her beer. "What else?"
"Well, you're… too attractive."
"What?"
"Yeah. We can't date because you're too pretty. I'd always be worried you'd leave me for someone better."
Odessa smirked.
"Well, that settles it, then. We won't ever be a couple." She kissed the top of Jamie's head. "Now, how do we explain that to your family?"
Jamie shook her head.
"That's the million dollar question."
They sat in silence for a moment. Jamie's head rested on Odessa's shoulder.
There. That had certainly done the trick. Their friendship was now strictly platonic.
"You know," Odessa suddenly said. "Being in here alone, while everyone else is out there, may not help to convince them that we're not…"
"Aw, fuck." Jamie jumped off the bed. "Yuck. No. Let's go."
Chuckling, Odessa followed her back out to the living room.
As soon as they walked out, Ross jumped up from his perch on the couch.
"Freeze! Both of you!" He held up his hands. "Stop right there!"
The women went still, frowning at each other. Linda and Wilma poked their heads out of the kitchen, smirking. Dennis, not getting up from his chair, rolled his eyes.
Ross pointed to the ceiling. Odessa and Jamie looked up. Jamie's face went pale.
In the ten minutes she and Odessa had been in the bedroom, the rest of the Fussells had managed to locate and hang a sprig of mistletoe. It was directly over their heads.
Odessa, her cheeks scarlet, glanced down at Jamie. Jamie's lips had gone white with rage. Her tiny fists clenched at her sides, her jaw tightened. She took a menacing step towards Ross.
Without truly thinking, Odessa's hand shot out. She grabbed Jamie's arm, pulling her back.
"Quick, like ripping off a Band-Aid." Odessa whispered, turning her head away from the spectators.
Remembering back to her stage training, she pulled the young woman close and pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth, close enough that, to the untrained eye, it would resemble a real kiss.
Ross whooped loudly. Wilma and Linda applauded. Dennis shook his head with a chuckle.
"I don't know any of you people."
…
When everyone had gathered in the living room to open presents, Odessa was shocked to find a stocking with her name on it being handed to her.
"We put this together for you as soon as Jamie told us you were coming along." Linda said with a grin.
Odessa was touched. Happy tears pricked at her eyes, but she brushed them away.
"Thank you!" She beamed, looking down at the bulging red stocking. "I… I don't know what to say…"
"Open it before you say anything." Jamie advised. "You may not like it."
Obediently, Odessa started digging through her stocking.
When she'd reached the bottom, she was laughing so hard that her belly was knotting up, tears of mirth streaming down her cheeks.
Five tiny sample bottles of Smirnoff vodka, three potatoes, a teddy bear, and a small set of nesting dolls in the shape of nuns.
"Because you're Russian!" Ross' grin spread across his face. "Get it?"
Still laughing, she got up and hugged Linda and Dennis. When she returned to her seat, Jamie was holding out a badly wrapped lump.
"From me to you." She sang.
It turned out to be a soft, black sweater. Odessa rubbed it against her face, savoring the warmth it let off.
"I can't wait to wear it." She leaned over to give Jamie a chaste peck on the cheek. "I love it! Thank you!"
Odessa's gift to Jamie, a copy of Stephen King's latest novel Revival, made Jamie squeal in elation and throw her arms around her friend.
…
That night, after Nana had gone home (finally) and the Fussells had gone to bed, Odessa laid next to a sleeping Jamie, her heart racing.
It hadn't been a real kiss that they'd shared. Obviously, it had been a stage kiss. But Odessa had noticed, just for a second, a glimmer of hope in Jamie's eyes when she had leaned in. Had Jamie wanted Odessa to kiss her? Had Odessa wanted the kiss?
She looked down at the sleeping woman next to her, the red curls obscuring her childish face. Gently, Odessa reached over to brush the hair away and couldn't help but trace her fingertips along the younger woman's cheekbone.
Perhaps they were growing too close. Perhaps she should pull back a little. She realized as she looked down at her Jamie that although they weren't romantically involved, their relationship was intimate enough that it often blurred the platonic line. With the way they were constantly cuddling with each other, how they teased and hugged and spent all of their time together, it was no wonder her family suspected that they were more than friends.
Odessa sighed, pulling Jamie close.
She'd never been one for physical contact. Sure, she'd been intimate with a few men, but she'd never been much for cuddling. After sex, she preferred to stay on her side of the bed, her hands folded on her stomach, not touching her partner at all. The few times she'd hugged Carmen, she'd felt awkward doing so, as if she was invading the woman's space.
With Jamie, though, hugging felt as commonplace as breathing. It didn't feel like an invasion; it just felt… nice. It felt comfortable. And cuddling with the little woman was wonderful: she didn't cling too tightly, but wasn't completely limp. She yielded when Odessa needed to move, and she didn't fidget.
Odessa closed her eyes, breathing in the green apple scent of Jamie's hair. She forced herself to relax, to forget about the incident with the mistletoe and to focus on getting some sleep.
…
In Greece, Mark Katsaros was sitting in the den with his father and uncles. The older men were all talking loudly about everything under the sun: politics, sports, weather, women. Mark was content with observing.
However, one of his uncles seemed to decide that Mark should be in the conversation, too.
"Mark! Got yourself a girlfriend yet?" the uncle teased him. Red-faced, Mark shook his head. "No? What about a casual girl? Someone you're test-driving?" Again, Mark shook his head. "Mark! You mean you're still a virgin?"
Mark shifted awkwardly, staring at his knees, and shrugged.
"Mark! Come on! You have to get laid, buddy! That's the best part of being a man!"
Mark stared coldly at the floor, his jaw going tight.
"Hey, leave him alone." John punched his brother in the arm. "He'll do it when he's ready, won't you, Mark?"
"You sure the boy's not gay, John?" the uncle asked. "I mean… it's okay if he is, but… it'd be nice to know, at least."
Mark scowled at his uncle, giving him a look of hatred he reserved for special occasions. His uncle flinched slightly, reaching out to pat Mark on the shoulder.
"Hey, Mark, I was just joking…"
Mark shrugged him off before stomping out of the den. He sat on the steps outside the house, fuming.
There was nothing wrong with him. He was a good boy.
…
Odessa woke up to find herself alone in Jamie's bed once more. Frowning, she looked over at the alarm clock on the nightstand.
Three AM.
Where the Hell was Jamie?
Odessa got up carefully, tiptoeing out of the bedroom. She made her way into the living room, straining to see in the dark.
She wrapped her arms around her waist, sighing impatiently.
Where had Jamie gone?
As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she felt a hand on her shoulder.
She turned to her friend, feeling a wave of warmth wash over her as she looked down into the younger woman's caramel-colored eyes.
"Jamie…" she whispered, taking her friend by the shoulders. "Come here."
Jamie slid her arms around Odessa's waist, standing on her toes to receive the kiss that Odessa was offering.
Odessa tangled her fingers in Jamie's curls, the warmth of the mouth on hers making her knees weak.
Jamie whimpered into Odessa's lips, her tiny body trembling as Odessa pressed her against the wall.
The women sank down onto the living room floor, their hands travelling each other's bodies.
Odessa laid on her back, pulling Jamie on top of her. Jamie's hands were cool against her flushed skin. Odessa slid her hands up Jamie's shirt, running her fingertips over the smooth, soft skin of the redhead's belly. She closed her eyes as Jamie kissed down her neck.
Suddenly, Odessa's eyes shot open. She was back in bed, lying next to Jamie, who had wriggled free at some point in the night and was now on the edge of the mattress.
Panting, struggling to steady her mind, Odessa stared down at her fully-clothed friend.
Boundaries. She needed to set some boundaries.