All Jeff wants for Christmas... Part II
Christmas morning saw Jeff wake up full of anticipation for the day ahead. He had the whole day planned out in his head; a good breakfast would be followed by a return to bed for a morning of snuggling, and then a long shared bath before lunch. After that, they would settle down to watch two or three Christmas movies, huddled together on the sofa with Caleb. There would then be another meal, before they returned to the sofa, just to cuddle together in silence until it was time to return to bed. No stress, no visitors, just him and the love of his life, his Nicky….
He realised that there was a hitch to his plans the moment that he turned round to give his husband a good morning kiss and discovered that his side of the bed was already empty. He waited for a few minutes, in the hope that Nick would reappear, but he didn't. in the end, Jeff got up, put on his robe, and headed downstairs. He discovered his love in the kitchen, fully dressed, and dealing with the chicken. "Merry Christmas, Jeffie! I thought that I would let you sleep a little longer whilst I prepared our lunch for the oven."
"I woke up, and I turned round to kiss you, and you weren't there," said Jeff sadly. "I was thinking that I could get you breakfast in bed…"
"That's a lovely thought, Jeffie, but once I've sorted out the chicken, I have to move on to the vegetables, and then I need to check on the soup. Once I've done that, I need to make the pastry for the treacle tart. In any case, I have something in the oven for our breakfast already; they should be done in about two minutes." Nick looked down at the chicken, nodded to himself, then placed it carefully in the roasting tin, and placed it in the bottom of the fridge, ready for later. He headed over to the sink to wash his hands, then noticed the crestfallen look on his husband's face. His hands dried, he walked over to him, and pulled him into a hug. "Merry Christmas, my only love," he said softly, before he kissed him.
Jeff had to admit that even though all of his plans were lying in tatters, the intensity of that kiss did kind of make up for it. A few minutes later, and he was sat at the kitchen table, admiring the croissants that Nick had just taken out of the oven. His husband explained that he had talked to François, and he had sent him a recipe for that most delicate of French pastries. It had used a heck of a lot of butter, and it had taken him hours to prepare the dough, but in terms of appearance at least, the finished product seemed to be worth all the effort. They also proceeded to pass the taste test, both of them smiling at the flavour; much closer to that they had enjoyed in Paris, and far superior to what the bakeries here produced.
"Now, not a word to anyone about these, not even Mike," Nick said. "If it gets out that I made them, and they were good, then Sebastian will want some, and then there will be suggestions I should make them for the Spotlight, and I really can't spare the time!" Jeff nodded as he devoured a buttery morsel, only too happy to keep Nick's secret; these were far too good to share.
After breakfast, Jeff headed upstairs to dress, as Nick had to point out that he was just too busy to come and snuggle right now, unless Jeff was prepared to wait until the evening for his lunch. He had however confirmed that in his opinion, a long bath would be very much on the cards later. He then returned to the kitchen, to just sit at the table with Caleb snuggled up on his lap, watching Nick doing all his preparations for Christmas lunch. He hadn't ever actually realised just how much his husband had to do until now; at other big meals or parties, he had been elsewhere, dealing with their guests whilst Nick slaved away. He had offered to help, but Nick had declined politely, telling him he was used to doing it on his own, and he had a routine. With just Caleb to occupy him, Jeff watched intently, stroking Caleb gently every so often. The radio was on, playing old Christmas tunes, the whole house smelt of food being prepared, and the decorations were classic, but yet, Jeff felt there was something missing; something that he couldn't put his finger on…
With all of the prep work finally done, the soup on the stove, the chicken and vegetables in the oven, along with sausages wrapped in bacon, Nick was finally able to leave the kitchen and take a seat by his husband for a few minutes. "Well, this is actually our fourth Christmas together as a couple, and I think that being married, along with the years, has made you much more mature, my love…" said Nick teasingly.
Jeff turned to stare at Nick, and said "What do you mean by that? Are you saying I'm getting old?"
"No, my love, although we both are. No, it is more the fact that it is just after midday, and you still haven't even asked for your presents, let alone opened one…"
Jeff stared open mouthed at his husband as he realised that he was right. "That is an outrage! It must be remedied now! Take me to them now!" Nick laughed as Jeff lifted a protesting Caleb out of his lap, and holding him in his arms, virtually sprinted up the stairs to the tree. He followed, to stand with his husband beside it. Under it were two piles of presents which had grown bigger since yesterday, alongside a third, smaller pile that was meant for a certain cat…
It was Caleb that made a break for the tree first, leaping out of Jeff's arms as his keen nose sniffed out one of his favourite scents; one than was even better than food. As he began to claw at the paper on one of the parcels, Nick laughed, whilst shaking his head. "That one is from Mike; it seems that Santana was right all that time ago when she warned us that Uncle Mike would be buying him drugs, as I'd wager that inside that wrapping is a catnip filled toy."
Jeff smiled as little shreds of paper could now be seen on the floor beside the small parcel that Caleb had his nose buried in. Then he headed for the tree himself, lifted out a package that he had carefully wrapped himself, then handed it over to his husband with a grin. "I didn't know what to get you this year, but then I remembered that you always say that you have the best gift of all when you have time alone with me. However, I did notice that you were looking at this when we were in Barnes & Noble the other week, but then did that thing you always do; check the price of something, then use that as an excuse not to buy it, telling yourself in your head that you don't really need it…"
Nick smiled, knowing full well that it was a particular cookery book that he felt was very interesting, but that with his full workload, he did not have time to experiment with right now. He opened it carefully, smiled as he saw his hunch was correct, then after kissing Jeff on the cheek, he headed towards the tree. To Jeff's surprise though he walked past it, and headed instead to the closet under the stairs. He opened it and brought out a very large parcel.
"So, Sam helped me chose this one. You have been saying for a long time that you wanted to learn how to play an instrument properly, to do something creative in a musical sphere. I did initially consider setting you up with a course of piano lessons, seeing as we have one, but then I decided that was silly. After all, I do play a little, and it made no sense for us both to play the same thing. So after a chat with a few people, I decided on this; it was Mike's idea…." He handed the parcel to Jeff, who was still looking at him curiously; then he ripped the paper off, to reveal a cased guitar. His face lit up as Nick continued. "Sam chose it because he knew it was a good make; he also said that he will be happy to teach you the basics so you can make a start."
"It is perfect Nicky! It is portable, simple enough to learn, or so I have been told, and one day we can play together." Jeff pulled his husband into a tight hug and kissed him, the two of them as happy as ever just to be in each other's arms.
There were of course other gifts to open; small parcels containing clothing, more books and toiletries, alongside sweet treats. The parcel from Mike was eventually retrieved from Caleb and unwrapped properly. It was indeed a whole selection of catnip filled toys, and they were of most interest to the little cat; far more interesting than the new collar with a gold name tag on it, and even better than the new bed and bags of cat treats.
Gifts opened, they headed back downstairs to make the obligatory Christmas phone calls; Jeff had to call his mom and dad back in Ohio, and his mother in Vermont. Nick was fortunate in only having to make one local call to Murray Hill, although it was a long one, speaking to one member of his family after another, until he was finally handed over to Cooper. He asked jokingly if he could come over and spend the day with them instead, and escape a house full of in-laws; those words were followed by the sound of a gentle slap as Grace hit him in jest. Nick denied his request at once of course, and then he could almost hear Cooper's wry smile at the other end of the line. "I take it that he hasn't changed his mind yet?"
"He was a bit upset earlier when it became clear that his plans for us to just relax together all day couldn't happen, but he is happy just now. That might well change soon though," Nick whispered in reply, as he saw that Jeff was now finishing up his own call. "Anyway, you guys have a good day, and Happy Christmas!" he said, before he ended the call.
Nick had to turn his attention back to preparing lunch after that, leaving Jeff to sit quietly on the sofa again. This time he didn't even have Caleb for company, the cat being far too interested in one of his new toys to come and sit on his lap. He tried at first to study one of the guitar books that Nick had bought him; he went as far as unpacking his new guitar and trying to play a few chords, but in the end he decided it would be best to wait until Sam was there and able to show him what to do properly. He then headed upstairs to fetch his sketch pad, and drew a quick sketch of his husband as he worked away in the kitchen; then he moved on to one of Caleb, happily purring away as he held his new toy between his front paws, and inhaled the scent of what was contained within.
That done, he looked up to see that Nick had now set the kitchen table with two place settings. Suddenly he felt a tremendous pang of loss. Seeing those two place settings across from each other on the big kitchen table brought home to him the fact that there celebration this year was small scale. Last year they had need the whole of the table set, and everyone had been squashed in. Today the big table cloth was folded in half across the centre of the table, and the table looked far too large for just the two of them. He glanced up at Nick, who was checking how the chicken was doing in the oven; he was aware now that he had never seen all the effort he put in to make their meals, and how much he enjoyed doing it, because he was usually with the others. It being just the two of them was nice, but now he felt that it was a little wrong; almost selfish in fact when he knew that other people would be spending the day on their own…
Having checked the progress of the chicken, Nick was finally able to glance across at his husband; one look at his woebegone expression told him all that he needed to know. He had anticipated that this would happen from the moment that his husband had requested that it just be the two of them for Christmas. Jeff was after all a kind, loving, caring man, who was never happier than when he was doing things for other people. True, he could stand for hours with just his paper and pencils and create a masterpiece whilst all around him the world moved on; Nick had long since given up trying to disturb him when he was in the zone. When it was just the two of them, and Nick had nothing else to do, then Jeff gave him his full attention, and was in heaven. Today though Nick had been busy almost from the moment he had woken up, and Jeff had been alone, deserted by even Caleb, who much preferred catnip and a nap.
Nick left the chicken to cook for a little longer, and went to sit by his husband on the sofa. "So, dinner will be ready very shortly. The chicken is almost perfect; it will just need to rest then we can eat."
Jeff nodded, but kept his eyes downcast. "I didn't ever truly appreciate just how much effort you put in to making these meals until today. I should help you more, Nicky, because we are supposed to be a team. I have just sat idly by today and left you to do everything, and that's wrong."
"On day's like this we usually are a team my love. You keep the hungry hordes entertained whilst I cook, and save them getting under my feet in the kitchen."
"But today there were no hungry hordes, all because I was being a bit selfish and wanted you all to myself," moaned Jeff. "All that has happened is that I still haven't had as much time alone with you as I would have liked, and I have managed to drive away all of our friends in the process."
"Now, Jeffie, you know that isn't strictly true. Sebastian would still be spending the day with Julian, Trent and Flint would still both be in Baltimore, and Mike would still be spending the day with Tina and her family. In any case, you haven't driven everyone away; Elliott, Beats and the boys are two doors down, celebrating their first Christmas together as a family."
Jeff nodded, but then said quietly, "But what about Ethan? He hasn't got anyone to spend the day with, and this year, we didn't even offer him the option to spend the day with us!"
"He was going to the soup kitchen with Cooper and the boys to help out there this morning, and then he was going to go and assist at the Spotlight this afternoon. He was more than happy to just do that; he told me as much," responded Nick.
Jeff suddenly got up and pulled out his phone. He quickly dialled the number for the diner, as Nick watched, and his call was answered after just a couple of rings. The voice that spoke threw him for a moment, until he realised that it was Ollie Harwood; he was also spending the day at the diner, working alongside Michelle so that they could spend the holiday together. After exchanging the usual greetings of the day, Ollie passed Jeff over to Michelle, and he asked the questions he needed to.
As Jeff talked, Nick headed back to the kitchen with a smile on his face, and headed to the cupboard in which he had placed all he needed to set another place at the table in a quiet moment earlier. He was about to open it when Jeff spoke. "Michelle said to say Merry Christmas; apparently the diner is really quiet, and they're well staffed, and Ethan hadn't eaten yet, so I hope you don't mind but I've…" Jeff stopped mid sentence as he saw Nick walk towards the table with the stuff he needed to set another place. "You… You had all of that ready!"
"I did, my darling, because I know you so well… Anyway, if we ever decide it should just be the two of us for Christmas again, we will go to a hotel; that way we can spend the whole day in bed, or other romantic places, as there will be a chef to prepare the meal. The one positive thing that has come out of this is that neither of us will have to wash and stack the dishes for a month - Mike bet that you would finally crack and invite someone over an hour ago…."
Jeff's mouth dropped open in shock, but then he started to giggle. It was a sign of the strength of their relationship after all that his husband knew him so well…
As Ethan hurried back home, having been virtually ejected from the Spotlight by Michelle, he was feeling truly happy for the first time that day. When he had woken up alone in the apartment that morning, he had felt no trace of Christmas cheer. This time last year after all was the last time that he had seen Drew; this year, there wasn't so much as a message on his phone. He had shed a few tears over breakfast, and then having washed his face, he had headed to the soup kitchen, where he had painted on a smile for the benefit of those around him. Helping others had made him feel good, but it didn't make him happy. He had left quickly, before Cooper could invite him to join the festivities in Murray Hill, and walked to the diner, not that he was really needed there. When Jeff had called and invited him to join them, he had declined, not wanting to bring them down too; but then Jeff had begged him, and there was something in his voice that made Ethan realise that his presence would make Jeff happy. The fact that he was wanted by someone made his heart a little less sore, and of course, it was hard to be sad when you were in the company of Niff…
The moment that Jeff opened the door to let Ethan in, all of his worries seemed to melt away. He was pulled almost instantly into a tight hug, not even getting time to remove his coat. In the end, it was only when Nick shouted up from downstairs that Jeff should let him go that the younger man released him. He took off his coat and handed it to a smiling Jeff, who informed him that as soon as he had freshened up he should come down, as Nick was about to serve dinner. In a few more minutes, having washed his hands, Ethan was stepping into the kitchen, where Nick was ladling out soup into bowls; it smelt amazing, and it tasted every bit as good. As they ate it, they chatted; small talk about work and school. One subject stayed off limits for them all, and that was absent friends….
There was homemade bread to go with the soup, but Ethan ate sparingly; he was not blessed with the fast metabolism that Jeff had, and Nick's roast dinners were the stuff of Warbler legend; more was definitely the right word for those meals. True to form, the chicken was served up with both roast and creamed potatoes, green beans, carrots and roasted parsnips, not to mention a rich gravy. The meat was cooked to perfection, and it took them some time to clear their plates. Nearby, Ethan noticed that several slices of the chicken had also made their way into Caleb's dish, along with a little of the gravy, and that had been enough to distract the little cat from his new toy. Small noises of contentment filled the air from his direction too.
"So, do we eat dessert right now, or should we take a break to let the main course digest for a moment?" asked Nick, as he poured more sparkling apple cider into everyone's glasses. Ethan burst out laughing as he saw the look of horror and misery on Jeff's face at the very suggestion that they should not immediately eat their pudding - but then he had to admit himself that the scent of the sweet pastry coming from the oven was very, very tempting. "Okay, so we will eat it now, but first someone needs to clear the table, and that someone isn't our guest, my love." Nick picked up his own plate as he spoke, and headed over to the dishwasher with it. He was followed by Jeff a moment later, grabbing Ethan's plate up and stacking it on his own, before hastening to the kitchen. He cleared the table as Nick prepared a British style custard to serve with the treacle tart. On seeing that, Jeff stepped up behind his husband and kissed him on the neck, whispering just how much he loved him. Ethan's heart felt warm to see them so in love. He was grateful that he was hear, and not in some quiet corner of the Spotlight, or worse, alone in his apartment. After all, no-one should be alone on the holidays….
As the majority of the Warblers celebrated the day with family and friends, one person was however on his own, but that was through his own personal choice. Thad had been invited to join other people, but he had managed to decline the invitation with tact and skill. He was quite happy to spend his first Christmas at Dalton on his own after all. The Carmichaels were not in town, having been invited to his sister's home in Princeton. She invited them every year, but this was the first time they had actually gone. Mrs Carmichael had wanted to stay for Thad, but he had insisted that they go, telling her that he had already promised to spend the day with Mrs Thompson, given that David would be spending the holiday in L.A., and she would otherwise be alone…
The fact was the Mrs Thompson was going to L.A. at David and Mercedes' invitation. She had agreed after Thad had told her he was spending the day with the Carmichaels, who would otherwise be on their own… He had spun a web of white lies to every member of the faculty too, and had been able to ward off all their invites; everyone thought he was going to be with someone, and so nobody worried about him being all alone. All things considered, he was proud of the deception that he had pulled off. He had not decorated his apartment, feeling neither the need or the desire to do so. He had managed to prepare himself a very acceptable lunch of roast brisket, and although his culinary skills were nowhere near as honed as Nick's, he was still proud of how well it had all turned out. His dinner eaten and the dishes washed, he settled down to do some marking, and to work on next semester's lesson plans. He knew that Wes would appear at some point, and that was all that he needed to be happy.
Back in the West Village, Nick was horrified to realise that this was the first time Ethan had actually tasted his treacle tart; the latter had enjoyed it immensely, savouring the sweet pastry smothered in the thick yellow custard, and had joined with Jeff in requesting a second helping. It was sweet and calorific, but if you couldn't indulge a little at Christmas, then when could you? He had helped to clear the table after dessert, ignoring Nick's protests, and now they sat together on the sofa, drinking coffee, and nibbling on the petit fours that Nick had brought out. The television was on, Nick having found a channel that was showing It's a Wonderful Life. The old classic film had them all engrossed, even though they had seen it several times before. Ethan smiled at the way that Jeff sat curled into Nick, holding him close; he himself had been selected by Caleb as having the most acceptable lap for a nap, and the now sleeping cat was curled up there. He felt content, happy and cared for; he had read between the lines of what Nick was saying to know that he was more than welcome to join them again anytime in the future. He might not have been blessed with the world's best family, but through the Warblers, he had gained access to some of the best and most loyal friends in the world.