8. Tinsel
"There's no tinsel on your tree!" Jess exclaimed, in shock. Becker grimaced.
"No!" he exclaimed. "I can't standthe stuff!"
"How?" Jess asked, a look of horror on her face.
"It gets everywhere," Becker told her firmly, scowling. "It's incrediblymessy, and not to mention the cat goes ballistic-"
"Cat?" Jess questioned. "What cat?"
Becker rolled his eyes. "Mycat. Sophia."
"You have a cat?"
"Yes, Jessica. I have a cat. Can we move on?"
"No!" she said, mock-offended. "I can't believe, that you're only telling me, a month into our relationship, that you have a cat? That is...that's shocking stuff, Hilary."
Becker laughed. "Well, I had to see if this relationship was going to work," he said, mock-seriously. "Introducing people to Sophia is a big thing for me - she gets very attached, very easily, and it's not fair on her if I just bring round women, willy nilly."
Jess looked up at him, with a small smile. "You think we're going to work?"
Becker smiled down at her. "I'm going to make sure we are," he replied gently, bending to brush his nose against hers. Her smile widened.
"Okay," she whispered.
"Okay," he nodded back, before pressing his lips to hers.