December slowly came and Miranda walked out of school for Christmas break. She was so excited to have time off. She loved being home and Christmas. Christmas was the only holiday she really cared about. Miranda was walking home and she heard someone jog up beside her.
"Hey Miranda." Ben said smiling.
"Hey you." Miranda said looking over at him.
Ben stared at her and smiled. He looked at her black coat, with her purple hat, scarf, and gloves. She really was the cutest thing he had ever laid eyes on.
"I'm taking you on date." Ben said.
"Like where. We don't never really go any where." Miranda said.
"Exactly, which is why I am taking you on a date. We can either go this evening or tomorrow evening your choice" Ben said.
"Uh duh. Tonight of course." Miranda said smiling.
"Oh okay great." Ben said
"Where are we going." Miranda asked.
"It's a surprise. You are going to love it." Ben said cheesing.
"Okay well can you ad least tell me what to wear." Miranda asked biting her lip.
"Just dress warm. We are going to be outside." Ben said and Miranda wanted to frown. She didn't really like the cold.
"Okay you got it." Miranda said.
"Alright. I will be here to pick you up at 6. Ben said and Miranda nodded her head.
She kissed Ben on the cheek before walking inside of her house.
Ben had planned this out. He was taking her ice skating and then they were going to get hot cocoa and walk through a Christmas tree patch before walking or driving through a big neighborhood to look at Christmas lights and decorations. He had things he wanted to do with her all week before Christmas that he had thought of because his family was going out of town for Christmas.
Ben dropped his book bag off at home and he sat and talk to his mom and dad. His dad was finally home. He had to stay on base for a month.
His father has yet to meet Miranda and he knew he was going to have to set up a day they could meet.
Ben dropped Curt off at his friends house before going to pick Miranda up. He watched as she came out side with her same coat and accessories.
"Babe, can you tell me where we are going now." Miranda asked as she reached to turn the heat on.
"Hey to you too Miranda." Ben said sarcastically.
"I just seen you like 2 hours ago. I didn't think I would have had to say hey again but if it makes your day. Hey Benjamin" Miranda said leaning over to kiss him.
Ben kissed her back before saying "But no, you will see when we get there."
"Okayyy." Miranda said.
Ben pulled up and parked in the parking lot.
"What are we doing here." Miranda asked.
"We are going ice skating." Ben said.
"I don't know how." Miranda said.
"It's the same as roller skating. Except you are gliding and you pick up one foot as you glide." Ben said.
"I'll be right here to help you and talk you through it. I won't let you fall." Ben said as he grabbed her hand.
Ben paid for their skates and he tied hers up for her as she put them on her feet. When she stood up, she grabbed and leaned on Ben.
Ben helped her to the ice.
"It's okay to grab onto the wall for right now." Ben said.
"And when you feel comfortable enough. I want you to try to glide to the other side. Lifting one foot up at a time." Ben said.
"Okay." Miranda said.
She moved around some while on the wall. Ben skated in circles around her until she comfortable.
"Okay I think I'm ready." Miranda said
"Okay. I'll skate with you to the other side at your pace. Make sure your lean forward. Never backwards. You will fall backwards if you do."
Miranda shook her head before she slid of the wall. She started to glide and move one foot up, then the other. "You are doing great." Ben said coaching her until she got the other side.
"Okay we are going to do this a couple times and then you will be good to go." Ben said smiling.
He watched Miranda glide and slide. He showed her how to stop and turn. After she got all the basics. They began to skate together holding hands. "Are you cold" Ben asked.
"No, moving around has warmed me up. I really like this. This is fun." Miranda said
Ben smiled "I'm glad."
"Why do you have to leave 3 days before Christmas." Miranda asked.
"My family is going to Florida this year for the holidays." Ben spoke and Miranda clicked her teeth.
"Hey, I will be back before new year." Ben assured her. His family always took vacations. They had another one coming up in April and June. They annually took a vacation around the first week of June. Ben thinks he was going to sit this one out. Because Baltimore schools don't get out in May like his other school would have.
"I'll give you your gift before I leave and I also planned out things we can do together everyday next week." Ben said
They continue to skate around and talk together for another hour before Ben helped her off the ice. He helped take her skates off and then they walked to go get hot cocoa.
"I want whip cream on the top of mine." Miranda said tugging on his arm.
"Can I have two hot cocoas with marshmallows and whip cream." Ben said to the man through the window.
The man handed them their drinks as the walked around.
Ben held her hand as they slowly sipped the hot cocoa, warming their bodies up.
"Come on." Ben said pulling her with him. They walked around the corner until they ended up at the Christmas tree patch.
"Oh wow." Miranda said looking around at all of them.
"I know right some of them are so huge."
"And so tiny." Miranda said touching the branches of a little one.
She smiled as the walked through looking at the trees under the lights. It was really beautiful. "Lets get one." Ben said.
"Ben where are we going to put a big Christmas tree at?" Miranda asked
"We are going to get a little one duh. We can put it in my bedroom and decorate it together tomorrow." Ben said and Miranda smiled pulling him to her to kiss him.
Ben bought the little Christmas tree and they walked back to the car together.
Ben took her to dairy queen like she asked and they got their food. Ben began to drive around neighborhoods and they looked at the lights and decorations on people's houses.
"Oh wow. I love this. They should win the holiday house contest." Miranda said admiring the two story house.
Ben agreed and then turned the radio to play Christmas music.
After their date was over Ben took Miranda home.
"Thank you. I really enjoyed this date." Miranda said.
"I am really glad. I love spending time with you." Ben said.
"You looooooove me." Miranda teased.
" there is no doubt about that." Ben said kissing her on the cheek making Miranda giggle.
Miranda and Ben spent the week with each other. She talked him into Christmas caroling. They made Christmas tree decorations, bought a less fortunate family groceries and the necessary things to prepare Christmas dinner. They had a game night in his room, decorated their small Christmas tree and watched Christmas movies and of course science fiction films.
Ben gave her a red box with a big silver bow on it and a bigger box that was wrapped with green paper and a red bow for her Christmas present. He told her to not open them until Christmas. Miranda had a hard time choosing his gifts. She wasn't really big on romance and good with picking out gifts. So she went to the mall and bought Ben Nike shorts, sweat pants, polo cologne, she got a keychain that was in the shape of a puzzle and she got it personalized with the date they began dating, she bought her self one and did the same because her puzzle fits into his and lastly she got the photo of them from the Sunday they went to church and she got it framed. Miranda put all of this together in a basket and then put a red bow on the top.
She was excited to open her gift she had to discipline herself to wait for Christmas morning.
Christmas morning came and Miranda rolled out of bed, she was honestly tired, she spent half the night with Ben on the phone. He didn't want to hang up with her until it turn 12:00 so he could tell her merry Christmas. Little things he did made her blush and smile. Miranda smelled breakfast cooking and she put her slippers on and brushed her teeth. She made her way to the living room and sat down.
"Merry Christmas daddy." Miranda cheesed as he walked into the room.
"Merry Christmas to you too." William said hugging her.
"Merry Christmas Mandy." Her mother said coming to the door.
"Do you both want gifts first then breakfast or breakfast then gifts." Elena asked.
"Gifts first." Miranda said confidently.
Miranda walked over to the Christmas tree and handed her parents their gifts from her.
Miranda opened her first box that her parent had under the tree for her.
"A brand new laptop." Miranda gasped
"We figured you would need a new one for college. We also got you stuff for the dorm room. But we just put that in a box, it didn't have to be for Christmas. It's in our room in the close" William said
Miranda continued opening up the gifts her parent got her, her cousins and aunts.
She opened up lastly her boyfriend's gifts. Miranda looked at the bracelet from kay jewelers and she gasped picking it up. It was a silver bracelet with a stethoscope, medical symbol, and a heart.
"Beautiful." Miranda said to her self.
"Oh that is so nice, who was that from." Her mother asked.
"Ben." Miranda said softly admiring it.
Miranda vaguely heard her parents speaking to each other about it,but she was zoned out and zoned in on this gift. She wanted to call Ben to thank him but she knew that she needed to let him have his family time and she would just wait for him to call her.
She opened up Ben's second gift and she began to look at the books. " When breath because air", "code blue prescription of trouble." "The last surgeon." Miranda read the summary of the books on the back and she smiled they were all Fictional, drama books about surgeons. She was excited to read them. Ben was so thoughtful and in this moment she felt so blessed to be his girlfriend.
Miranda's family came over for Christmas dinner and her and her cousins were once again in her room on the bed talking and laughing.
"So how is everything with Ben." Camila asked.
"Everything is wonderful." Miranda said combing her hands through her hair.
"Oh that is a pretty bracelet, your parents gave you that for Christmas." Angela asked grabbing her arm.
"No Ben did." Miranda said smiling.
"Oh y'all are definitely having sex now. I know for sure." Camila said laughing.
"For the last time no we are not, just because you are miss fast, doesn't mean I am. I wouldn't give it up for a dam, bracelet, a kiss or a smile." Miranda said seriously frustrated.
"Well dam you didn't have to talk about me like that."
"I'm saying, you keep trying to rush my relationship with my own boyfriend. We already agreed that we weren't having sex until we both knew it was the right time, just like I told You last month. Nothing has changed we have only been together two months and we are not rushing into to that." Miranda huffed.
"Ad least give it 6 months" Miranda said looking at all of her cousins.
"One thing I know for sure is that I love him." Miranda said assuring.
"Ooooh Mandy really." Candace said smiling.
"Yes, I really do. He is my best friend, but on another level." Miranda explained.
Miranda looked up from her cousins as her phone rung. She smiled hard, knowing who it was.
"Merry Christmas hon." Miranda said answering the phone.
"Merry Christmas to you too. Love, did you like the gifts." Ben asked.
"Oh Ben I loved them. They were perfect and so thoughtful. I absolutely adore the bracelet." Miranda exclaimed.
"I'm glad you like it." Ben said.
"I'm wearing one of my gifts right now Ben said and Miranda smiled, she could picture him now on the bed with his shirt off wearing those sweat pants.
"They are the g
"The grey ones." Ben said cutting her off.
Miranda blushed. She heard people talk about their boyfriend's wearing sweat pants, but she never really thought none of it until now and she was curious to see what the hype was about.
"Okayy." Miranda said and Ben could tell that she was blushing.
"And I love the key chain. We should have got you the other half." Ben said and Miranda responded "I have it, it's on my key ring."
"I love you and I appreciate all these things you got me." Ben replied
"I love you too and I appreciate everything as well. I'm going to start reading one of the books tomorrow. I wish you-
"I would love nothing more than to read to you too." Ben finished her sentence, something he did more now than anything. He really did know her.
"Well I'll read some and then summarize that way you can read to me the other chapters." Miranda said making their plan.
"Okay I'm down with that." Ben said.
"Did you wear a new outfit for Christmas." Ben asked and Miranda raised her eyebrow.
"How did.
"Come on Miranda every kid gets a new outfit for Christmas and wear it for Christmas day. Well ad least everyone that I know does." Ben explained.
"Oh I didn't know it was so common but yeah. I have on a red sweater dress." Miranda said.
Ben moaned and Miranda eyes widen. It was a sound that she had never heard before come from him. It made her heart race and the butterflies in her stomach was in fact fluttering around.
She wanted to say something about it but decided not to as she heard him mumbling to his self.
"What was that?" Miranda questioned.
"Oh I was just saying that I know you look beautiful." Ben replied.
"You say that almost everyday." Miranda smiled.
"Because I mean it Miranda and I can't go without telling you how beautiful and sexy you are." Ben expressed seriously.
"Sexy." Miranda said and she watched her cousin's faces as she repeated his words. God they were so nosey. She had heard Ben say it before.
"Yes sexy. You Miranda are sexy. Your body, face, personality, and brain," Ben slowly said the words.
Ben heard people in the back ground giggle.
"Oh are you still with your family. Can they hear me." Ben asked.
" No they can't hear you and yes I am with my cousins." Miranda said.
"Oh okay good, but love call me when they leave. I'll be up."
"Okay." Miranda said sadly. They told each other they loved each before hanging up.
"Sexy?" Candace said.
"Yeah?" Miranda questioned.
"What was he talking about Angela asked.
"We were having a private conversation but he was talking about me and I am not sharing any details." Miranda rushed out.
Her and her cousins continued to talk and laughed about school, life and they also talked about college and how each one of them were excited.
New years eve came and Miranda spent the evening at Ben's parents house, she finally got to meet his father, who Ben was a spitting image of. Ben's father casually told Ben that he hit the jackpot with Miranda.
Miranda and Ben were in his room. Reading and constantly looking at the tv to make sure they didn't miss the ball drop.
"Oh Ben it's starting." Miranda said sitting up.
Ben and her began to count down at the same time.
"Happy new year." They said simultaneously before kissing each other.
"I love you." They said once again at the same time causing both of them to laugh.