everyday is Christmas when you're by my side
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 25
Hailey strangely woke up early that day. She wasn't an early bird like Jay. She notoriously was a heavy sleeper and shamelessly loved being in bed, with her body covered by heavy blankets, and doing absolutely nothing. That morning, though, it was like her body had allowed her to only get a certain amount of sleep.
It took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room. It wasn't dark outside, but the sun hadn't risen yet.
Hailey tried to get up to a sitting position but figured she was trapped in Jay's strong grip, his arm stretched and around her body. She turned to him and a tired smile appeared on her face as she recalled what happened last night, leading them to be in that exact position, and touched her messy hair as if she could still feel Jay's fingers tangled in it.
The faint source of light coming from the street lamps and through the curtains was enough for Hailey to be able to see every particular of his face, quietly chuckling as she saw his mouth in a pout and his eyebrows slightly furrowed.
But, still, Jay looked breathtaking.
Her eyes traveled to focus on every detail of his face. Hailey loved how it was covered in freckles, even his lips.
From that particular angle, Hailey could see that his eyelashes were softly touching Jay's cheekbones and Hailey couldn't wait for him to wake up so she would get to look at the green eyes that hid behind them.
The eyes of a good man.
Jay undoubtedly was a physically attractive guy, but he was also a brave, loyal, good man and she still couldn't believe she was the one who got the privilege to call him hers.
Because that was the truth of the matter: Hailey and Jay belonged to each other, they always had. It took them some time to realize it, to have the courage to act on those feelings they clearly had for one another, but it eventually happened. And the shift from being just best friends and work partners to boyfriend and girlfriend developed in such a natural way that got even the both of them surprised. It was the best surprise, though.
Hailey took her sweet time admiring every feature of her boyfriend's face until she felt his arm around her body move slowly. She saw his eyes twitch before opening entirely, rapidly blinking to adjust to the lack of light in the room.
Jay smiled as he noticed Hailey was staring at him. He reached for her nose and lightly pinched it, making her scrunch up her face.
Hailey's face was a bit puffy due to sleep, but she looked gorgeous nonetheless.
"Morning," she softly said, placing a hand on his chest.
"Hey, good morning," he whispered at her in a sleepy tone, before clearing his throat, "Merry Christmas," he smiled at her.
He took her hand and brought it to his lips, softly kissing her palm.
Jay reached for her hair, pulling her head closer to his. Hailey followed his silent instructions, placing her head on his left shoulder, earning a kiss on the forehead.
"Merry Christmas," she said back, caressing Jay on his chest. Hailey released a little, silent gasp when she felt Jay's finger brush on her breasts, as he was moving her body so it was easier for him to look at her face, the end of her blond hair tickling his skin.
They stayed in bed for some time, cuddling. The room was filled with silence, none of them being particularly chatty in the morning.
Jay was playing with Hailey's hair, while she breathed in and out, following the rise and fall of his chest.
After a while, "Any plans for today?" Hailey asked, her fingers stroking the back of his head, reaching for his short hair.
Jay slightly tilted his head, stopping his movements for a moment, before starting them again. "I'll say we get out of bed. Get dressed, or not – he showed her a smirk as he quickly pinched her sides, making her gasp – and then get coffee," Hailey nodded vehemently at the mention of the dark beverage. She couldn't start the day without her dose of caffeine, it was a must in her morning routine.
"After coffee, huh – a short sigh escaped his lips – well, I guess it's time for gifts," he saw Hailey's eyes lit as he said that last word, her lips curled in an excited smile.
They enjoyed each other's presence for a couple of minutes and then Jay kissed the top of her head, before getting in a sitting position and leaning towards the floor to collect his underwear and white shirt that they had eagerly gotten rid of many hours before.
He passed Hailey the shirt and she quickly sat down, covering her upper chest with the blanket, out of embarrassment. Jay always teased her about that, not really understanding why she'd get so shy when there wasn't anything that he hadn't already seen.
The blonde got up as well, stretching her limbs, and then walked to Jay's closet. She looked in her side of the drawer – yes, Jay had sweetly moved part of his wardrobe to make some place for her – and took a pair of shorts, quickly sliding them up her legs.
In the meantime, Jay had already put on his grey sweatpants, to Hailey's delight (you know what they say about grey sweatpants), and was looking at the blonde, studying her every move.
She looked kind of funny, with that oversize white shirt Jay'd given her covering most of her body, but she couldn't care less.
The only thought in her mind right now: coffee.
They quickly got out of the room, walking straight to the kitchen. There still was a faint smell of chocolate left.
Jay skillfully started the coffee pot, while Hailey went to the cupboard to get the two cups. She had to get on the tip of her toes, having a hard time trying to reach the cabinet.
Hailey huffed and pouted, turning towards her much taller boyfriend who was too focused on looking outside, through the window.
"Jay, I'm short!" she exclaimed as a matter-of-fact.
He turned to Hailey and chuckled at her weird statement, "And that's very cute…" he trailed off, tilting his head, not getting what she really meant with her words.
"No. I can't reach the cupboard," she whined in a frustrated tone, furrowing her eyebrows and crossing her arms on her chest.
Jay walked to her and pinched her cheek, softly laughing at her. She looked adorable with that frown on her face. "Makes it even cuter," he commented, getting the two cups himself.
Hailey rolled her eyes at him, hating that he made her blush, and took a seat on the stool, leaning her elbows on the counter. She let out a tiny yawn, covering her mouth, and looked at the clock, noticing that it was only 8.26 in the morning.
She searched for her phone with her eyes and when she remembered she'd left it on the coffee table in the living room, she changed her mind about going to check it. She didn't feel like getting up again.
Jay placed her fuming coffee-filled cup in front of her and then sat right next to her, moving his stool so they were closer. He watched her as she reached for sugar cubes, putting three of them in her cup, and shook his head. Jay always thought that was way too much sugar for such a petite cup.
As for Hailey, she thought it was weird (very serial-killer-like, to use her words) to drink coffee with no sugar as he did. She was convinced it tasted like an anticipation of death, just… yucky.
As they drank their coffee, Hailey felt Jay's hand smoothly go on her bare legs, gently caressing her thighs and really, really testing her self-control by getting closer and closer to her most intimate body part.
The blonde glanced at him, finding him already staring at her with a smug smile hidden behind his cup.
Two can play this game, she thought.
Hailey got up and went sitting between Jay's legs, accidentally brushing her backside against his front in the process, feeling him release a heavy breath in between her hair.
She heard him clear his throat and she continued to drink her coffee as if nothing happened.
"Stop teasing," Jay mumbled in a low tone, even though he wasn't that sure he wanted her to stop.
Hailey turned around, facing him. "Then don't start something you know you can't handle," she said, mockingly stroking his stubbly cheek and looking straight into his green eyes, noticing how much darker they had gotten.
"Who says I can't?" he asked in a challenging tone, a cocky expression on his face.
They stared at each other for a minute straight, trying to maintain a poker face and not smirk at the other, and then Hailey turned back to finish the rest of her coffee, getting up to get the cup in the sink.
She ignored the heavy sigh that came from Jay's lip and briefly left the kitchen to go get her phone.
When she came back, she found that Jay had emptied his cup as well and was now waiting for her. "So," he wrapped his arms around her, "Time for gifts?" he asked Hailey, quickly kissing her forehead, feeling her nod her head against his chin.
And that was Jay's cue to go upstairs. When he entered his bedroom he bent down and got a box from under his bed. It was covered in some blue wrapping paper, and as cheesy as it sounded, he chose blue because it was the same color as Hailey's eyes.
He also took a pair of old sweatpants that didn't suit him anymore, figuring Hailey would eventually need them because they weren't outside, true, but it was still winter.
Jay got back to Hailey, finding her search through something in her night bag and then extracting a small box from it.
He handed her the pair of sweatpants, which she gladly accepted, thanking him with a smile.
They stood next to the kitchen counter and placed their boxes on it.
"Who's going first?" Hailey asked timidly, feeling that she was making it all a bit awkward.
"They say ladies first, so… here it is," Jay slightly pushed the box towards her, nervously biting his bottom lip and looking at her excitedly getting rid of the wrapping paper and finally opening the box.
Hailey gasped as she extracted a stack of books out of the box, reading their cover. Jay had gifted her a collection of all of Virginia Woolf's novels. The peculiarity was the fact that they were all first editions. Big deal. Huge deal. You had to go the ultra (not extra) mile to find them.
She was not believing her eyes, and "Okay, Hails, if it sucks just say it, but at least say something," yes, her silence was starting to freak Jay out.
Hailey didn't know what to say, still in disbelief. She put down her gift and went to Jay, getting on the tip of her toes and cupping his face in her hands, softly kissing his lips. "It's amazing, you're amazing," she said, feeling a lump in her throat as she pronounced those words.
She truly felt the luckiest woman for having Jay in his life. Each passing day he mastered at showing her how much he cared for her, even with the smallest gesture, and most of the time she felt like she didn't deserve him. Every day was Christmas with Jay by her side.
Jay chuckled, now relieved, and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her neck and then hugging her tight. "You like it?" he checked in again, feeling her nod her head against him.
They pulled apart and Hailey sniffled a bit, still emotional. "Your turn," she said. "Well, I actually got you two gifts – she smiled sheepishly – this one is more basic, open it first," she instructed, a wide smile on her lips.
"Hailey… why two?" Jay protested, slightly furrowing his eyebrows.
"Just open it!" she dismissively waved her hand.
Jay opened the box and found a silver watch, smiling at Hailey's thoughtfulness.
"Super basic, I know – she blushed, her feet rocking back and forth – but since that suspect broke yours a couple of weeks ago, I figured it could be at least useful," Hailey shrugged.
Jay bent over and kissed her forehead, caressing the back of her head. "Thank you," he mumbled with his lips against her skin.
"Now the second one," Hailey eagerly patted his arm, pulling away, "Go get it, it's in my night bag."
He did as he was told and then walked back in front of her. He was smiling with curiosity as he was undoing the wrapping paper. When he removed every part of it, he felt his heart skip a beat at what was in his hand.
Jay was holding a much bigger version of the picture he'd showed Hailey a couple of days ago. He could see his mother's face, every little particular of it. All the hazy details and washed-up corners were long gone, making it look like a brand new photograph.
"Hailey…" he intensely looked at her. It was a look that spoke a million words, silently thanking her, also telling her that she didn't have to, but he still was grateful.
He had glossy eyes and his lips were in a tight-lipped smile, feeling stuck. He didn't know how to thank her, he felt like thank you wouldn't be enough this time.
She tilted her head at him, reaching for his face with her hand. "Hey," Hailey gently stroked his cheek. "It's okay, take your time."
But Jay didn't need time. In that exact moment, it hit him and he knew.
He knew the meaning of whatever was going on in his chest and stomach. It had a name and maybe he wasn't ready to say it out loud yet, but he knew.
He embraced her again, easily lifting her body and making her sit on the counter so that now they were the same height. Jay kissed her passionately, trying to express what he was feeling with his actions, knowing the words he would use wouldn't do it justice. "You are amazing," he told her, repeating her own words and locking his eyes with hers. "Seriously, thank you, Hailey. What you did… it truly means a lot," he muttered, quickly kissing her again, his hands never leaving her body.
Hailey showed a big smile, happy that he was happy. "You mean what you did..?" she retorted back, not surprised to see him staring at her with a puzzled expression.
"Jay, you literally got me to celebrate Christmas again after, what?, more than two decades? It means a lot, too," she explained, her fingers fidgeting.
He kissed her cheek, caressing her chin, "And I loved every second of it."
Hailey exhaled a content sigh, "Me too."
"I'm truly looking forward to celebrating more Christmases with you," Jay confessed, blushing.
The blonde hugged him again, enlacing her fingers behind his neck. "As long as you make that amazing hot chocolate, I'm sold," she nodded with a smirk.
"I'll do whatever you want me to," Jay swore, before catching her lips in his.
MERRY CHRISTMAAAAAAAAAAAAS!
I know I'm late, but yesterday I got super busy and I started writing the chapter at 7 PM, I finished at almost midnight and I got too tired to edit it or do anything at all. I'm sorry but hey, here it is, I guess it is an actual Christmas gift, no?
I wanna know your thoughts on it, honestly truly lol
Eh. It was a short journey, but I loved every minute of it. I wanna say thank you to those of you who spend even a few seconds of their time to write a review, share your opinion and show me support. I appreciate it and it truly means a lot to me, you have no idea! THANK YOUUUUU! 💕💕💕
Title + song lyrics: Everyday is Christmas by Sia
I hope you have a nice day, whether or not you celebrate Christmas! 🎄💕