Everyone had exchanged their gifts. The gifts received were all loved and the whole thing was a big hit. Nothing was a disappointment. Except for one.
"I'm sorry Addy. It looks like that's it." Bree told her solemnly. "I swear I put your name in the hat! And there weren't any left after we all drew! Someone must have forgotten your gift! I'll tell Bucky and he's sniff out the perpetrator and teach them a lesson not to mess with my bestie!" Bree's rant turned angry and protective of her friend.
"Bree! Bree. It's ok, really! I don't need a gift to be happy. I'm just glad it was me and not someone else who was left out!" Addison assured with a warm smile. Bree looked at her in hesitation at first but ultimately sighed.
"Ok, if you say so Addy." She resigned, leaning in to give her selfless friend a tight hug.
Addison smiled wide and waved goodbye to her friend, as she went back to sit beside Bonzo again, then let out a heavy sigh. She thought she was really good friends with everyone involved in the gift exchange, but maybe she missed something. She turned to go get her coat but bumped right into a slender solid frame.
"Whoa! Sorry Addy! I didn't mean to sneak up on you!" It was Zed. She smiled up at him as best as her disappointed heart could. If only he'd gotten her as his Secret Santa, maybe she wouldn't feel so left out.
"It's ok Zed. I was, um, just getting ready to leave." She admitted quietly.
"What?! W-why so soon?" He asked nervously.
"It's not a huge deal. I guess my Secret Santa forgot to bring a gift for me." Addison told him, rubbing the back of her neck and eyes downturned in sadness. "I'm just gonna head home early. It's gonna get pretty cold." He could see the moisture forming in the corners of her eyes and guilt chewed at the edges of his heart. She started to try and walk past him but he sidestepped in her way.
"No! You can't go yet! Um," He glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention to them before returning his to her. "I'm actually the one who picked your name." He said softly. Her eyes widen a fraction in shock.
"Y-you? You forgot my gift?" The threatening tears spilling in single trails down her cheeks. "I-I thought we were friends." Zed frantically waved his hands in denial.
"Wha-? No! I didn't forget! I swear!" He reached forward, hands gently cupping her jaw, thumbs brushing the lines of tears from her cheeks. "Please don't cry." He begged, his face showing the heartbreak of seeing her cry because his stupid plan didn't work out like he thought. She put a hand softly over one of his.
"Y-you didn't forget?" She asked so quietly he would've missed it if he weren't standing so close.
"Of course not Addy! I just, I was hoping to give it to you in private." He admitted.
"Oh. Okay." She agreed, a blush creeping up her neck to her cheeks. But she mentally slapped herself. There was no way Zed got her a romantic gift. He saw her as a friend! Maybe he just spent a little more than the $25 limit on the gift and didn't want anyone to get upset they didn't get as much. Yeah, that had to be it.
"Come on. I left it in the Safe Room." He said, taking her hand and leading her, sneakily, away from the group.
They walked in silence. Hands still linked. Addison tried not to hold his too tightly, it would give away her feelings for him. She could not let that happen.
They got closer to the Zombie Safe Room, long since used for its intended purpose. It's been about 3 years since the zombies started their integration, which Addison was an avid fighter for. And they've won. Zombies are a normal everyday part of life in Seabrook now. And Addison couldn't be happier about it.
Other than Bree, she considered Zed to be her best friend. They hung out in this very Safe Room all the time. Mostly when Addison was having a bad day or Zed was anxious about a football game coming up. It always seemed like they just knew how to ease each other's minds.
One of the main reasons she fell in love with him.
He stopped them in front of the familiar door, turning and grabbing her other hand in his to face her fully. Her heart jumped to her throat.
"Addy, I'm so sorry for hurting your feelings. I'd never mean to make anyone feel like that. Especially not you." He told her sincerely, his look of remorse absolutely breaking her heart.
"No! I-I shouldn't have assumed you forgot!" She tried to reverse it but he shook his head, the slight smirk on his lips her only consolation.
"It's definitely my fault Adds." He assured her, then motioning his head toward the door again. "It'll make more sense I give it to you." She blushed and nodded. She almost didn't even feel right accepting a gift from him at this point. She'd ruined his plan for it anyways.
He held the door open as she walked into the Safe Room. It was lit faintly by one of the stand alone lights, a colander breaking it up to look like starlight. She looked around in awe.
"Zed, it's beautiful in here." She breathed. She heard him chuckle so she turned toward him with a smile. Then her face fell in surprise. He stood there with a thin piece of jewelry held up between his fingers, a little heart charm hanging from the chain.
"Merry Christmas Addy." He told her softly.
"Oh my god, Zed, it's beautiful." His smile brightened from her words.
"The charms actually a locket. I shrank both out sports profile shots down so they'd fit." He opened the little heart to, in fact, show the tiny versions of them in their sports uniforms. Addison reached forward and ran her fingers over them.
"Oh Zed. Thank you. I love it." She thanked, turning her eyes up to his. The atmosphere around them thickened. Their eye contact so deep she swore he was staring into her soul. He cleared his throat quietly, smiling and extending the necklace toward her.
"I can, um," he offered.
"Oh! Yeah! Of course!" She turned, pulling her hair to the side while he slipped the chain around her neck and fastening the clasp. His fingers brushed against her skin, sending a shiver down her spine.
His touch lingered. Her pulse quickening under the contact. "Addison." He breathed just over a whisper, taking a step closer. His hands sliding onto her shoulders, his front pressing into her back.
"Zed." She replied just as softly, leaning back into him, her hands releasing her hair to rest over his. He gently turned her back around to face him, his hands moving to hold her waist.
"I," he paused, hesitating, "I don't wanna lose you. But," the conflict was evident in his pauses, but she could feel what he wanted to say. Without hesitation, she stretched up and kissed him. He sucked in a sharp intake but was quick to return the affection, his head tilting to deepen their kiss.
Her heart was singing. Being in his arms, kissing him, all of it felt so right. She was so truly in love with him.
He pulled back, just enough for them to breathe again, and pressed his forehead to hers. They caught their breath for a few moments, mesmerized in each other's eyes once more before either of them spoke.
"I've been in love with you for a long time Addy." He admitted. She let out a soft relieved sigh.
"I have too Zed." His hold around her waist tightened.
"I'm sorry I took so long." He apologized, eyes shifting down to her lips and back again.
"You have perfect timing." She assured in a whisper as he was mere centimeters away, closing the gap between them until their lips melded together for a second time.
She slid her hands down his shoulders, down his solid pectoral muscles, and further still down to feel his washboard abs through his shirt. A strangled whimper caught in their mouths. She'd dreamt of this for the past three years but never imagined how amazing it would really be. His fingers dig into her fleshy hips as he sucked in a sharp breath through his nostrils from hearing her noises.
Lightning quick, he pulled back and ripped his shirt over his head, tossing it haphazardly on the concrete, before returning to her lips. Her hands roamed his skin like she was memorizing braille, not missing a single inch. Her body suddenly craving contact. She returned her hands to his hair and pressed against him as much as humanly possible.
She melted into him, her body putty in his hands. If his hands weren't being so gentlemanly towards her. She pulled her lips from his, both panting and hazy.
"Please touch me Zed." She begged between pants. He audibly groaned and crashed his lips back into hers. His hands immediately reach down to her thighs and hoisted her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist for support, never relinquishing their precious kisses.
He carried her over to one of the futon beds lining the walls, gently, so gently, laying her down as he followed over top of her. The new position allowing easy access for his hands to roam, he was slow and carefully, unsure of the boundaries they were crossing.
His hands wandered into unfamiliar territory. They'd been friends for years, and they've had a pretty comfortable relationship with physical contact, but never anything inappropriate.
His hand skimmed up her stomach, under her shirt, her muscles tensing under his touch. He paused when his fingertips touched the underside of her bra. When he stopped, she whimpered. With a little squirm, he was convinced she wanted him to continue. He slid his hand up, cupping her breast in his palm. Her nails dug into his shoulders as he swallowed her gasp.
She could barely take it anymore. She wanted him. And to give him all of her. She wanted him to be her first. Her only. Slowly, she moved her hands down his body, savoring his toned torso along the way.
Until her fingers graze past the edge of his jeans, he didn't stop her as she kept going. Her heart was pounding as she got closer and closer to his most intimate area. Then she brushed something hard and foreign. His breath hitching.
"Oh Addy." He breathed, kissing down her cheek to stop at the junction of her jaw and neck, sucking and nipping her soft skin. His own hands descending her body. She shivered from his gentleness. But then his hand reached the hem of her skirt and he stops, completely. He leaned back to look at her. "Ar-are you sure? I'll stop if you're not." He asked, completely sincere as he waited patiently for an answer.
"I haven't wanted anything more than you in my life." She assured him softly. His lips were brushing hers the next instant, so light and affectionate.
"You're too good to me Addy. You know that?" She breathed a laugh.
"Zed, you deserve the world." She argued.
"If I have your love, that's all I could ever need." She places her free hand on his cheek, her eyes swimming in his.
"Will you," she inhaled so scared to ask but also unwilling to let this moment pass them by, "make love to me?" A soft smile broke across his face and his eyes shone with an emotion she'd seen from him a million times, an emotion she now realized was love all along.
"Only if you'll make love to me right back." He countered. She smiled and pulled him back down for their lips to tangle, pouring the emotions they've bottled up out to one another.
Her hand at his waist began to gently stroke back and forth across the length of the hard extremity she was so unfamiliar with, earning a moan from the zombie. His own hand continuing its path as it hooked under her skirt and trailed up her inner thigh, the anticipation of the unknown had her senses on overdrive. Her body shaking under his touch.
Finally, he reached the seam between her legs. She instinctively opened slightly wide to give him better access. His pads putting light pressure over her panties as he slid them from the bottom up to a little nub he discovered.
He'd been through Sex Ed. He knew all the anatomy of a female. But to explore himself was a completely different ball game. He'd heard this little nub was filled with an insane amount of nerves so he was curious how sensitive it actually was. He softly traced small circles around its outline. Addison's breath hitched and her back arched off the bed. That was his answer.
He continued to play with the ball of nerves over her panties for a couple more minutes before her hips were really bucking against his hand, her breathing heavy, her hands and kisses more frantic. She pulled out of their kiss, his heart stopped for a moment seeing her wild, lustful eyes staring up at him.
"Please touch me Zed." She begged for a second time tonight. He made a silent vow to himself that she wouldn't have to beg him again, at least not for his touch. He hooked his fingers around both sides of her panties and tugged them down her legs with ease, returning to his rightful place overtop of her.
His hand made a slow trail back up her thigh until he brushed bare folds, her slick wetness already coating his fingers.
"Ohh fuuck." His moan drew out between kisses. She whimpered and squirmed beneath him as he rubbed and explored every inch of her, until he put extra pressure against her virgin opening. His single finger pushed inside, slowly and cautiously. Addison went completely silent with her head thrown back and eye squeezed shut. He watched her carefully, ready to stop the moment she said the word.
His slid his finger in and out, watching her reactions. She held onto his shoulders with a vice grip and her eye were still squeezed shut, but her panting and soft moans were a good sign. After a little while of testing the waters, he joined a second finger inside.
Suddenly she cried out and he felt the walls clench down around his digits, so tight he could barely move even if he wanted too. He planted feathery kisses across her face as her body quivered under him. The tension resided fairly quickly and she relaxed again, her eyes dazed and her movements slightly sluggish as she recovered.
"Are you ok?" He asked, knowing the answer but needing to hear it.
"Better than ok." She replied breathily, a smile in place and that wild look returning to her eyes. "I want you to feel that way too." Her tone made him gulp. Her hands were fumbling with his button and fly, shaky and he could tell it was her nerves. He put a hand over hers to stop her fanfic movements. Her eyes shot back up to meet his.
"It's just me Addy. It's just us." She let out a relieved sigh and kissed him again. Their movements were slow yet fluid and they moved as one. He helped her with his pants and they pushed them down his thighs. He pulled out a condom from his wallet and sat it to the side.
He hovered over her, between her knees, completely exposed and vulnerable to her. Even she still had her shirt on. His whole torso was bare for her to see. And lord was he a sight to see. Her eyes wandered down to the new territory she was unfamiliar with. The blush staining her cheeks was bright red as she reached her fingers forward again, gently wrapping them around this length. He groaned and dropped his head to the crook of her neck.
A flame licked at her lower belly from the bothered noise escaping him and a new wave of confidence washed over her. She stroked her hand up and down his shaft, marveling at how well endowed he was, and also a little terrified he wouldn't fit inside her.
Zed's breathing was heavy next to her ear. Just hearing him panting made her stomach tighten in pleasure. Then suddenly his hand was gripping her wrist. He sat up slightly with an almost painful look in his eyes.
"If you keep going like that, I'll be finished before we even start." He teased. The fire burned in her belly. She gulped and nodded as her reply, slowly releasing her hold on his manhood. He sat up completely and ripped the foil packet of the condom with his teeth before rolling it onto his length. Then returned over top of her, nudging her legs apart just a slight bit more so he was positioned at her entrance.
Her heart was pounding in her ears, her body quivering from the wait, the anticipation. She heard a girl's first time is painful. She heard it's not very pleasant. But if she was going to do it, she wanted Zed to take her first time. Even if it hurt, she knew he'd take care of her.
"Are you ready?" He whispered softly. She nodded without hesitation. "Try to relax ok?" She nodded again, releasing a breath and her muscles doing as he asked.
He leaned in and kissed her softly, one hand coming up to message her breast, keeping her mind off of what was going on down there. He slowly pressed in, his tip having trouble fitting into the small opening at first, until the thickest part of him was in. Addison whimpered as he went, he tried to comfort her with kisses on any place of her face he could reach but didn't stop. He knew if she could get past the initial insertion they'd be ok.
He kept it slow, sliding into her wet entry centimeter by centimeter, as slow as she needed him to go. But then he hit the thin barrier of her virginity and paused.
"I'm sorry." He muttered. She didn't have time to question him as he made one hard thrust inside.
Addison cried out. The pain shooting into every corner of her body as trickles of blood spilled out of her opening. Zed was still, unmoving, planting comforting, affectionate kisses across her face. Her arms and legs clenched around him, desperate for his comfort. The tears spilling over the edges of her lids.
"I'm right here Addy. Just breath and relax. Everything's ok." He cooed in comfort. She tried her best to follow his direction, taking in a shaky breath in, then letting it out. Her body relaxing slightly as a reflex to the action. "Good. You're doing great Baby." He praised softly, still keeping his place fully inside her, not moving an inch. She tightened her hold around him, placing her ear against his chest and strained to listen, she found his faint heartbeat's familiar, steady rhythm comforting.
Zed was there. He was there with her. He wasn't trying to hurt her in the slightest. She continued to breath, deep breathes, focusing on relaxing, adjusting to how incredibly full she felt. It was like she just realized how full she felt. Zed was inside her. She felt an overwhelming connection to him, total oneness. He was holding her and waiting for her to be ready, he was loving her. She kinda felt like crying again.
The pain had already subsided, she tested the feeling by wiggling her hips slightly. Both of them moaned from the pleasant friction. She continued testing and found it was even better when she rocked back and forth against him. She pulled him down to kiss her again, he began to move with her, meeting her thrusts with ease.
Addison was moaning into his mouth, arms circling his neck, legs locked around his waist. He held her close, completely enraptured. Everything about her surrounding him, his body caged by hers, the smell of her shampoo wafting into his nose, the taste of her lips. He was already in love with her, but now he would literally do anything for this girl. She was his everything.
He's loved her since the first day they met and that love has only grown since then. He was so head over heels in love with her. And here he was, making love to the woman of his dreams. He thought his heart might explode, or maybe that's just him about to cum.
"Addy! I-I, I'm gonna-! Rrrr!" He growled, trying to hold out. She pressed her forehead to his.
"Me! Too! Ah! Zed!" She cried to their sensual rhythm.
"Rrrah! Addy!" Her name strangled in his throat as he tensed. She threw her head against the bed and her back arched off it, his head face planting into her chest as he held onto her for dear life.
After a few moments, both of their bodies relaxed, going limp against the other except for their arms, still encasing them in an affectionate embrace. Zed laid with his head on her chest, curled around her smaller body, while she mindlessly played with his emerald green hair.
"That turned out better than I thought." He muttered to himself. Addison giggled.
"Best gift exchange of my life." She agreed. He propped himself up on his elbows so he could look at her with a smile.
"Your heart for mine?" He offered.
"Your heart for mine." She confirmed, pulling him back to her so she could taste him once more.
She couldn't have imagined confessing her love for him going any better. And she definitely hadn't expected the Secret Santa exchange to result in her not being able to walk for the rest of the day either. But it did, and she wouldn't have traded it for the world.