Chapter 8 – Christmas Kisses

25th December 2012 – 00:50 am

Workers Bar - Morzine

Two more hours passed; dancing, drinking and avoiding any more family conversations. Neither wanted to leave when Lauren received a text message that said Nicki was outside Bo's chalet. The free bar was too much for her, and she was helped into the group's minivan. They both knew it wouldn't be long until the others would follow to check on her, so they reluctantly left. Setting off on foot, they walked back up to the mountain to the chalet, spending the first half of their journey peeling the paint off from each other. It was water-based, which meant it came off easily. Bo linked her arm with Lauren while hiking the steep, winding hill. "I had the perfect night with you. I have never been- well, anywhere- where I have been left alone just to dance. Thank you."

"You're welcome, and I had a great time with you too." Lauren lightly bumped Bo's shoulder, "You're a great dancer, and you look hot in my jacket."

"Gorgeous, stunning and now hot. Why Lauren people will start to talk." Bo smiled at her.

"Bo, can I ask you a personal question?"

Bo stopped walking and stood in front of Lauren, "You can ask me anything."

"What's going on with Rainer? Why are you pretending that you're together?"

"We are one another's cover story, to hide the fact that we are both gay." Bo half-smiled. She really thought that Lauren knew the answer to that already.

"You're both gay?" Lauren never intended it to come out as a question, more just as a clarification. "Sorry, I meant to say, I didn't know."

"Our management and industry don't like us to be out." Bo turned and carried on walking up the mountain, Lauren following. "It's a secret, and I hope I can trust you to keep it?"

Lauren nodded and relinked their arms, "Would it be a big problem? Many actors have done it. Come out, I mean."

"Yes, but they are either famous or starring in a popular show, so dropping them would be a bad idea. It's all about timing," Bo smiled. "Last season went really well for us, and the show is nominated for a BAFTA. If we win, I thought of announcing it during my acceptance speech."

"Really, wow. BAFTA, as in British Film and TV awards?" Lauren caressed Bo's hand. "And as your new friend, you must let me show you the real London sighs and a proper British pub."

"Yes." Bo squeezed in closer to Lauren, "I would like that. Friend, can I ask you something?"

"Of course, what do you wanna know?" Lauren flashed a grin that melted Bo's heart.

Bo had many questions but settled on the least evasive, "Did you actually believe that Rainer and I were a couple?"

"Yes, and No," Lauren squeezed Bo's hand. "You look good together, both very photogenic, yet I felt that something was missing."

"Like what?"

"The spark."

"The spark?" Bo repeated.

"Yeah, you know the excitement and anticipation just to see someone. The uncontrollable smile when they walk into a room. Or when you can feel them nearby. The pride you feel when someone else gets to speak to them or be near them." Lauren had inadvertently described her own feelings and was unable to look at Bo, knowing if she did, she would blush. "The spark."

"Right, and this 'spark' was missing between us, hey?" Bo smiled. "I mean Rainer and me?"

"Uh-hum." Lauren blushed more and picked up her pace, marching up the mountain. For the rest of the journey, they walked in silence, exchanging back their clothes once they arrived back at Bo's chalet.

"So, we're back." There was a slight delay when they both thought the other was about to lean in for a kiss, but neither did. Instead, they shared a quick hug. "Thanks again for tonight."

They saw Nicki slumped on a wall and went to her side. "I'll take her home," Lauren said.

Bo helped Lauren as she picked Nicki up to her feet. The fur hat and vest handed over a swift action. One last smile and Lauren and Nicki walked away. Looking back, Lauren saw Bo's dimpled smile and felt as her body exhaled as if waiting for that moment. Walking the short distance along the pathway to Nicki's chalet, Lauren had time to think. She felt a spark with Bo, but she had her own secrets, and any kind of relationship with Bo was impossible. Still, her heart told her otherwise.

25th December 2012 – 06:00 am

Amour san fin Chalet : Kitchen

It was Christmas Day, and all Bo really wanted this year was a kiss from Lauren. She occupied her every thought. Bo thought she couldn't have made her intentions any clearer if she tried; she told her she liked her. Danced so close she was practically inside her, revealed that she was gay, all without Lauren making a single move. Bo glanced at her clock, precisely six o'clock. Opening the door, she could see Bianca asleep in the armchair. Lauren was slicing vegetables, and she looked great, not like she had only had a few hours of sleep.

"Merry Christmas, would you like some coffee?" Lauren smiled when she saw Bo walk out of her room, yawning. Wiping her hands on her apron, she couldn't help but stare at Bo. She was gorgeous any time of the day and for any occasion.

"I'll make it. Would you like tea?" Bo walked forward, her hand involuntarily lingering on Laurens' back. Lauren nodded yes to her. "Merry Christmas to you too, so what we got going on here?"

Lauren liked Bo's hand on her and missed it when she moved away. "Christmas Lunch and all the trimmings; three different types of meat, and I'm even baking up some butter tarts."

"Sounds amazing." Bo made them both a hot drink and took her place next to Lauren, this time facing her, "I just wanted to speak to you, if that's okay?"

Lauren looked up and saw the sadness in Bo's eyes; she was in turmoil, and she desperately wanted to kiss her and take away any of her doubts about her.

"I don't want you to feel uncomfortable around me. After what I said to you last night, I would hate to lose our friendship."

"No, you won't, and I really-"

"Lauren!" Bianca called out while walking into the kitchen and rubbing her eyes. Bo instinctively ducked down behind the counter. "I'm off to bed. I'm not needed until mid-day. No one's coming down for breakfast, seeing they only got in an hour ago." She grabbed her purse, "Well, all except the lightweight Bo, who was helped home early. She might want something, but I am sure you can look after her on your own. I see you are prepping, good, they want to eat at twelve-thirty. Bye."

When Bo heard the door slam, she stood, "So much for thinking my work family might worry about me and come back to check I was okay. They must have stayed until the end."

"Must of," Lauren repeated, "If we had known they were piss poor humans, we could have stayed out longer. "

Lauren's description of her work family made Bo laugh, "And she's just going to leave you and not offer to help?"

Lauren laughed, "Nah, that one's a right bitch."

Bo grabbed a peeler, "I'll help you prepare this, and then can we go for a walk afterwards?"

Lauren knew they needed to talk, and a walk was a good idea. "Okay, pass me the aubergine."

"The what," Bo laughed.

"That large phallus object, the erm, erm," Lauren scratched her head and noticed that Bo was laughing harder and smiled, finally answering, "the eggplant."

"I don't know what is funnier." Bo held the edge of the counter, laughing heavy, "calling it after a colour or calling it a phallus object?"

"Okay, a bit of a slip-up." Lauren laughed along, "But it's still called aubergine in England. You like to change words. I don't know why you don't just leave them."

"What are you on about? We all speak the same language?"

Lauren looked around the room, finding her next object and picking it up. "Yes, but you and your neighbours to the south change them. This is a bin, not garbage or trashcan." Lauren accentuated her fake American accent. "And this, you call zucchini, we call it a courgette."

Bo took the vegetable from Lauren and started to peel. "What else?"

"Oh, I dunno." Lauren looked around the room again, "Your sweater, a jumper. If you had a hood and a front pocket, it's a hoodie, but I've heard you Canadian's call it a bunny-hug. Pants are trousers, panties we call knickers, chips are crisps, fries are chips." Lauren pointed to her footwear, "These are called trainers, not runners. There are too many to go on."

"There are many regions in Canada," Bo argued. "Dialect, accents and words can differ once you've travelled a few hours. I don't call it a bunny-hug. It's a hoodie. Not that I've ever owned one."

"Okay, you can have that. I get mixed up." Lauren nudged Bo slightly with her hip. "Come to think of it, I don't think they do hoodies in cashmere."

They both laughed, standing side by side, continuing small talk while chopping and slicing vegetables together. Everything was prepped and ready to go in the oven within two hours. Keeping to her promise, Lauren went on a walk with Bo. It was still early, and the air was light, and the mountain had crisp, fresh snow. It was turning out to be a beautiful day.

They followed a trail up the side of the mountain until they got to the Nyon waterfall, where they stopped and talked for over an hour on the small bench. Bo told Lauren more about her career and how it would be a make or break if the ratings dropped or no one liked her character development. If audiences didn't like Bisexual Peyton, Evony told her that they wouldn't accept Lesbian Bo. Lauren sensed Bo's sadness; holding her hand, she listened. Bo opened up more about her past and how many people Evony had paid to keep her secret. And that her dates were all set up, and how it hurt her to hide who she really was. Bo spilled it all, except the fact that Evony was once her lover, that part of her Bo didn't want Lauren to know. She knew that one day she might find out, but she would keep it from her as long as possible—another secret to hide.

They wandered further up the mountain until they found a playground in the snow. Lauren excitedly ran toward the giant game, "Fancy a game of connect four. Or you probably call it four in a row." Lauren pulled the bottom, and the yellow and red counters fell to the floor. Lauren collected the yellow ones.

Bo collected her red counters, "I don't think I've ever played this before or any game come to think of it, my childhood was all work and promoting the Bo Dennis brand. I used to see it in the corner of a doctors waiting room and wonder how the hell it worked."

"Well, I'll teach you. It's easy. All you need to do is make four in a row while stopping me from making four in a row." Lauren smiled and played her first few counters before she spoke again, "I was a champion at this when I was a teenager. My brother and I played all the time in the summer holidays when it rained, and growing up in England, it rained a lot."

Bo placed her next counter in and peered over the top of the game. "Brother?"

"I meant my foster brother." Lauren stopped talking. She already had said too much

"Do you still have contact with him?"

"Yes, we speak all the time. Shutting him up is the hard part." Lauren placed her counter in.

Bo eyed the board and placed her yellow counter, and shrieked. "Connect Four, I win, I win!" Looking at Lauren, she knew that she let her win but found it cute that she would do that. Lauren had such beautiful brown eyes; there was no denying she was utterly attracted to her. "Now, what exactly do I win?" Bo asked, moving to the side of the game, and propped up against it.

Lauren looked around, not a person in sight. She leaned until their foreheads touched, wrapping her arms around Bo's waist. Relaxing into Lauren, Bo wrapped her arms around Lauren. They stayed silent for a moment or two, just listening to their breathing, feeling the rise and fall of their connected bodies.

"You win this." Lauren pulled apart just enough to reposition her lips close to Bo's. Bo's eyes widened, and Lauren saw the want in them. Momentarily she forgot to breathe as she pulled Bo's lips down to her own. Lips that were softer than Lauren could have ever imagined, and she had imagined them a lot. As soon as those lips touched, fireworks enlightened their senses.

Both felt their mouths tingle and dance along to a slow, sensual kiss. A kiss that portrayed so much more than words; it showed them what they both were feeling. Their kiss was a painfully slow collection of tender touches moving in time with each other. It was as if they had been doing this all their lives, and it was the most natural thing in the world. Bo was so warm, and her tongue just on the edge, as if waiting patiently for an invitation.

Lauren let out an involuntary groan as their tongues finally met. It was the kind of kiss that let her know that she had never actually been properly kissed before today. It was the break of light on a grey day. Lauren started feeling dizzy. She needed to stop but didn't know how to. The last thing she wanted was to rush things. As if Bo had the same thought, the kiss broke away. Bo placed her head back against Laurens', and they both just continued to listen to each other's breathing, only this time, it was a lot deeper.

"I've wanted to do that for a long time, but I was so unsure if you wanted me to. After all, you had a boyfriend, you're a celebrity, and way out of my league," Lauren admitted.

"I've wanted to kiss you since I first saw you at the hotel reception with your smudged make-up." Bo kissed Lauren's lips again. "As for being out of my league, please don't ever think that."

"What now? Now we've finally admitted this." Lauren motioned her finger between them.

Bo kissed Lauren's finger, "I'm not sure. But I'm looking forward to finding out. I like you."

"And I like you too, Bubba." Lauren stroked her thumb over Bo's cheek and planted a kiss on her lips.

"Bubba?" Bo asked.

"Yeah, that was a word between baby and Bo, I think?" Lauren eyes glanced to the left and up as if recalling why she had chosen that word.

"It's my new favourite word." Bo kissed Laurens' hand and kept hold of it as she stepped back. "I hate to leave, but we best head back. Maybe tonight we can go out together on a date?"

"I would like that, date night." Lauren held Bo's hand, pulled her closer, "But firstly, come here."

Bo obliged, and they kissed again.