Chapter 12 – The Grinch That Stole Christmas

("You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" by The Whirling Dervishes)

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee, their characters, setting, or plot. All of those belong to Ryan Murphy, FOX, and their affiliates.

Sunday went by way too fast. Before I knew it, we were cleaning up dinner and Blaine decided to go back to his dorm to get ready for the week. Before he left, he gave me my newest reading assignment, The Grinch That Stole Christmas, another one by Dr. Seuss. I worked that night reading about this awkward green animal who wanted nothing more than to ruin Christmas for everybody. I, unfortunately, had my own Grinch to deal with: finals week.

I knew I would need to stay focused and really work hard on studying and making it through my exams. Over the past three weeks, Blaine had been preparing me for this and I felt pretty good. But I knew that if I wanted to pass, I would have to put all this Christmas joy on hold and replace it with studying and hard work. When I walked to the dining hall for breakfast on Monday morning, the happiness and excitement of the previous weekend was like an abandoned memory. The walls of snow were already beginning to melt, the sidewalks and streets around Dalton were freshly plowed, and the footprints in the snow from the snowball fight looked like fossils in the snow. One thing that hadn't gone away from the weekend was how I felt about Blaine.

I never had a connection like that in my life. I still felt his body against mine as we laid together on my bed. I could still remember how he smelled that night. And I'll never forget how he told me he loved me. The balloon in my stomach wasn't even there anymore. It popped a long time ago and the excitement and happiness was buzzing around freely in there. When I told him I loved him back, I knew I meant it. What else could that feeling be?

I focused on studying and by Wednesday, I knew I was prepared. "Just remember," Blaine said, wrapping up our tutoring session. "Take your time and read each question carefully." He began packing his bag. "And never leave a question blank," he added. "Especially those multiple choice questions. Even if you have absolutely no clue, guess as best you can. That way you have a 25% chance of getting it right rather than a 0% chance." I nodded, packing my things up.

"Thank you for helping me, Blaine," I said gratefully. "I would never have gotten through this semester without you." He looked up and shrugged. "I'm serious. I don't know where I would be without you."

"Failing," he suggested with a chuckle.

"Yeah," I agreed laughing with him. "Or worse," I said. "At home with my parents. They were gonna kick me out of the school if I didn't start getting better grades."

"I know," he replied. "Remember, I get to see your academic file."

"Oh yeah," I nodded. "So what are your plans for tonight?" I asked, naïvely hoping for a night with him before we left.

"Studying," he replied bluntly. "I have my Economy exam tomorrow morning and I'm swamped."

"Oh," I said dejectedly. "Well I don't want to keep you," I offered. Why did I have to be upset about this? I didn't want to be that crazy, super dependent, clingy guy. Things were complicated enough without me being clingy.

"I'm sorry," he said, giving me a pitiful look. "I really wish I could just make these exams disappear and spend the entire Christmas break with you, but I can't." I nodded.

"I know, I know. I'm not mad at you for having shit to do," I told him. "These finals suck."

"The Grinch That Stole Christmas, huh?" he added.

"Shut the hell up!" I exclaimed amused. "I thought the exact same thing on Monday!"

"That's what happens when we're on the same brainwave," he suggested as he gave me a wink and zipped up his bookbag. "Look," he said standing up and reaching out his hand. I took it as he pulled me up from sitting on the stage. "I don't leave until Saturday afternoon. Why don't we spend Friday night together? I'll give you your gift and then we can just enjoy some alone time before we have to leave for a few weeks." I lit up.

"That sounds perfect," I said, smiling. In the back of my head though, I was panicking. Did he say gift? As in Christmas gift? As in I didn't have a Christmas gift for him yet?

"There's a catch," he explained, interrupting my panic. "I can't see you tomorrow. I have to turn in my final report on your tutoring and study for my physics exam on Friday morning."

"You suck," I said playfully, grabbing his hand and standing closer to him.

"I know," he admitted. "But I'm cute, so I get away with it." I smirked and leaned in closer, giving him a kiss.

"Fine," I said, still holding his hand. Our hands fit together so perfectly, seamlessly working together. His skin was softer than mine, but not so soft that it felt like a girl's hand. Both of our hands were about the same size, so when they were together, it was a perfect fit. He held on with just the right amount of pressure. Not too tight, not too lazy. Just right. I loved holding his hand. "But when Friday rolls around," I continued, "you're mine," I growled.

"Well now, that sounds exciting," he said with a smirk. I didn't want to let go, but I knew I would have to eventually. Releasing his perfect hands, I gave him one more kiss before packing up my things. "Okay, babe, I gotta run. But I will see you Friday. Let's just meet here, yeah?" I nodded.

"Will do," I said.

"I love you," he told me before kissing me on the cheek and heading out of the auditorium.

"Love you too," I said, the smile plastered onto my face. It wasn't going anywhere. As I left the auditorium, I couldn't help but think about how good I felt. Yeah I had finals, and yeah my time with Blaine was restricted. But he loved me. And he kissed me. Two months ago, all of this was unthinkable.

So suck on that, Grinch.