FivebyFive89 – Marshmallows have so much going for them; taste, texture, pliability. Munchie heaven!
billy – Thanks!
jaiden83 – I think Tara has a surprise or two tucked up that sleeve!
A day early because I'm not around tomorrow :)
Tara swirled her peppermint latte with a biscotti, making it just soft enough to break up in her mouth when she set it on her tongue.
The burst of flavour and texture was a great effort for less than five dollars at a mall cafe and she was glad she chose it as the spot to wait for Willow in. The café was full, but she'd managed to secure a small table in the corner by the window, exactly where she wanted to be so she could watch the shoppers pass by.
She hadn't needed to do much shopping, but Willow wanted to pick up a limited edition vodka for Becky only available in one particular store, and Tara loved the atmospheric bustle of people shopping during December.
She loved it especially more now she had Hanukkah to celebrate with Willow as well as Christmas. It made the whole month filled with holiday cheer and she was on the right side of sappy and sentimental to enjoy lapping it all up.
Though most of the people milling about were probably frantically looking for gifts, Tara could just relax and enjoy the hubbub. The cheerful music that hadn't been played enough to be annoying yet; the colourful bursts of tinsel and shiny baubles hanging from doorways to greet her everywhere she went; and the general waft of cinnamon that seemed to permeate the air no matter where she was, all mixed into a wonderful ambiance that no other time of year could seem to replicate.
There were children in the café enjoying hot chocolates, giddy after their visit to see the mall Santa. It filled Tara with joy to watch their silly smiles and hear their gleeful laughs, even if they seemed to be getting on the nerves of other patrons. She loved their cherub faces, rosy red cheeks and general frivolity from their morning of magic.
Not considering herself religious, but spiritual, she'd often wondered how she'd broach the concept of 'heaven' with her future children, but something she was sure of was that she'd carry on the 'Santa' tradition, at least when they were small. The elation and wonder was something she treasured even with children she barely knew and she couldn't wait to experience it with her own. It was another bonus of combining traditions with Willow - all the more joy to share.
After a little while, she spotted Willow coming through the entrance and she lifted her hand to indicate her presence.
Willow looked around to try and pick Tara out of the crowd, then finally spotted her and waved back. She pointed to the counter to say she was going up to order and made a gesture to ask if Tara wanted anything. Tara shook her head back to say she was fine, her hands still wrapped around her warm mug.
Willow returned minutes later with a mocha and gingerbread man on a plate.
"Hi sweetie," Tara greeted, leaning over to kiss Willow's cheek, "Did you get the present for Becky?"
Willow produced a box and handed it over the table for Tara to see.
"Uh huh, she'll love the disco ball flask," she said, happily munching the gingerbread man's head off, "You buy anything?"
Tara shook her head.
"I had a look, but there was nothing that caught my eye. Might have to see what the World Wide Web has to offer later, if you don't me borrowing your laptop."
Willow wiped her mouth as she swallowed.
"Of course not. Looking for something in particular?"
"A new dress," Tara answered.
"Ah," Willow replied with a nod, "Well you can go ahead and use it whenever you like. My password is TangoAlphaRomeoAlpha – all connected, new word capitals – 0-2-2-5, less than sign, 3. All numbers."
Tara blinked a few times; she'd forgotten it already.
"That's some password."
Willow blushed.
"It's secure. Anyway, it's almost always logged in. You've used it before."
Tara smiled gratefully and affectionately nudged Willow's foot under the table. Willow smiled and nudged back.
"Crazy out there," she commented, licking her upper lip when her mocha stained her mouth, "Glad we just do little presents. I was hearing totals in the multiple hundreds being rung up."
"Time with you is the real gift," Tara replied sweetly.
Willow reached for Tara's hand over the table.
"You know I love some mush on a Sunday afternoon."
They shared smiles and finished their coffees, then decided to set off on their way home and give their prime cafe real estate to some other weary shopper needing a caffeine fix.
They passed the North Pole set up on their way out, where all the kids were lining up excitedly to see Santa in his cabin. The children were happily clutching presents and the parents were admiring the photos of their precious offspring.
A little girl with a reindeer antler hairband and a red Rudolph nose skipped out carrying a candy cane. She dropped it when her skip was a little too much for her step.
Willow kneeled down and picked it up to hand it back to her with a big smile.
"You are just the cutest thing. Go fill your tummy with cane-shaped sugary goodness."
Willow happened to be wearing a green sweater and red jeans and the little girl looked at her wide-eyed before running away.
"Mommy, it's another elf!"
Willow straightened up, frowning and self-consciously touching her ears.
"Elf?"
"Maybe you were one in another life," Tara suggested, grinning, continuing on towards the exit.
"A Jewish one?" Willow asked, perplexed.
"Why not?" Tara asked, pursing her lips to stop from laughing.
Willow shrugged and took Tara's hand.
"I'll be your little elf if you want."
"Do I get to tug on your ears?" Tara asked with a mischievous smile.
Willow just waggled her eyebrows suggestively.
"Now, Tara, I know you're not suggesting anything with children present."
They crossed the threshold from building to sidewalk and Tara had a good look around.
"I don't see any kids right now."
She swooped in for a kiss and they both pulled away giggling a moment or two later.
They headed home, walking instead of grabbing the T, on Tara's insistence as she wanted to continue her voyeuristic shopping at the local stores of their neighbourhood and to walk through the Christmas market near their place.
They ended up getting some new Christmas ornaments, some fresh potatoes, carrots and parsnips for dinner, candied popcorn and nuts for snacks and Willow bought some homemade Christmas cookies.
When they finally got home, Tara started on dinner right away while Willow hung their ornaments and adjusted the ones already on the tree. It was something she did nightly, as she really enjoyed the effect it had on the room. Though Tara was the one to introduce the tree into their holiday traditions, it was Willow who decorated and maintained it. She adored the fairy lights, and missed having them as a furniture piece like they had had in their dorm room in college.
Willow had such nice memories of her first visits to Tara's dorm and by extension the beginning of their relationship, so the lights' soft twinkle always gave her that warming tingle of nostalgia through her bones.
Sometimes she just sat in front of it and enjoyed the reminiscence, which was exactly what she was doing when Tara brought dinner over.
Willow stood up and accepted her plate of pork chops and mashed potatoes with roasted carrots and parsnips. It was a perfect winter dinner, warming and filling. Willow even loved vegetables when Tara glazed and roasted them so nicely.
Willow curled her feet under her on the couch to eat and Tara sat in beside her, smiling at the new configuration of shiny baubles and bright tinsel.
"I knew my Jewish elf loved Christmas."
"It has its perks," Willow admitted, and nudged Tara's shoulder before digging into her meal, "This looks so good. Thanks for the applesauce on the side."
"You're welcome," Tara replied, cutting a small corner of her chop off so she could take a bite of everything in one go, "I remember the first time I made this for you and went all When Harry Met Sally across the table."
"My parents were kosher, I never got pork chops!" Willow defended, though smiling, "Especially not ones made with love and this amazing parmesan crust."
Tara leaned over and pecked Willow's cheek before taking her long-awaited bite.
As the evening went on, Willow relocated to the bedroom because she ate seconds and the scrapings of thirds of her dinner and was to full to get comfortable on the couch. Tara was feeling extra kind, so did the dishes then commandeered Willow's laptop as requested earlier.
Thankfully Willow was indeed logged in because all Tara remembered was 'Tango' and all her mind would offer as a follow-up was 'Foxtrot, Waltz, Rumba, Jive'. She didn't put together its real meaning.
After a while clicking around the websites she knew and trusted, she stood and made her way into the bedroom. She came over to the bed, made Willow scoot over, then sat in beside her.
"Look at this."
Willow paused the game she was playing on her phone, left it down on the bed beside her and took the laptop into her lap.
She adjusted it at the hinge so she had the right angle and looked at the screen. There was a webpage open for an online shopping retailer, displaying a red evening dress with a black lace overlay and sleek halter neck top.
"It's pretty," Willow said as she used the mouse to turn the picture and get a full 360° view, "Hot, actually. You know I love anything that shows a little back."
She handed the laptop back to Tara with a smile, who kept it open.
"Is it okay if I get it?"
"Why wouldn't it be okay?" Willow asked, puzzled.
Tara shrugged one shoulder, clicking through the available pictures again.
"Well, we said we'd talk about purchases of more than a hundred dollars with each other. This goes over by a few."
Willow had to blink a few times as she took in what Tara had said.
She had assumed that, and agreed with, Tara telling her not to spend more than a hundred dollars of her money when they'd had that conversation. She'd even imposed a much lower limit on herself and rarely bought anything that wasn't a real need. To have Tara come to her, truly displaying how she considered them equal with the money she was bringing in, was extremely touching and very affirming.
She felt herself get choked up and tried to cover by tensing her face. Tara tapped at the mousepad of the laptop, still considering the purchase.
"I wouldn't normally spend so much, but I finally got that salary discrepancy sorted and I really like it."
Willow took in a soft but deep breath, not wanting to alert Tara to her momentary wash of emotion.
"Only took them four months," she replied, needing to clear her throat one last time.
"I know," Tara replied through a sigh, "I probably could have pushed it, but we weren't in debt and I didn't want to rock the boat."
Willow put her hand on Tara's shoulder and squeezed. She would want Tara to have the dress anyway, but especially considering they had a few extra bucks from a backlog payment that Tara was given from not being paid overtime her first few weekends on call.
"It's a lovely dress, you should buy it."
Tara smiled in thanks and gestured towards the screen.
"Do you want to look for something too? We could save on the shipping."
"What do I need a new dress for?" Willow asked with a laugh, "All my fancy socialite events?"
"Well…" Tara replied, closing the laptop and leaving it safely on the floor, "That was the other thing I wanted to talk to you about."
Willow looked at Tara warily.
"Uh oh."
"The staff holiday party is on next week," Tara explained, turning herself on her side, "I wanted to see if I could find something first but I should go if I can make myself look respectable. Will you come with me?"
Willow's face grew pained.
"Tara, I don't know anyone you work with."
Tara began curling the ends of Willow's hair around her fingers.
"You won't be the only girlfriend. Please? I have to make an appearance and I don't know anyone socially."
Willow eyes furtively glanced to Tara's hand and she tried to resist the allure of hair-playing.
"You've gone for drinks with someone; Alison, Alice?"
Tara lifted her hand to Willow's face and brushed her thumb against Willow's lips.
"Just a couple of times and it was unwinding after work. We talked movies and trashy magazines and the like."
"And what, you're going to talk about Hamas under the mistletoe?" Willow retorted.
"Please, Willow?" Tara begged, rolling right on top of Willow and pressing their hips together, "I came with you to the senior centre."
Willow felt her heart speed up under Tara's touch and knew she was moments away from caving. Tara had her, literally, under her thumb, and had just displayed a great act of confidence in her and their relationship. There was no way she would say no, so she swooped in quickly to make it worth her while.
"I have a list of demands."
Tara nodded.
"Go."
"You can't run off and leave me," Willow insistent, needing some reassurance for her social anxiety, "You have to stick with me, even going to the bathroom."
"Agreed," Tara replied easily.
Willow considered her options, then dipped a finger into Tara's cleavage.
"You wear something sexy under that dress."
Tara smirked.
"Agreed."
"Surprise morning sex?" Willow suggested more than stated and Tara's smirk shot up near her eyes.
"Agreed."
Willow suddenly saw an opportunity to bring up something she'd been thinking about for a few days.
"You let me throw you a party for your birthday."
"A party?" Tara asked with a raised eyebrow, "You hate parties."
"I hate parties for myself," Willow corrected, "But you're more than worthy. I think it could be fun to have a little get-together. Becky; some people from the centre; a couple of your friends from work; our nice neighbours – not the creepy one. Cement our adult status. We never had a housewarming."
Tara considered it a moment, then nodded.
"Okay, whatever, agreed," she said, then held up a friendly, wagging finger, "But nothing extravagant."
Willow always got a little turned on when Tara moved a finger that way and took great effort not to squirm and give herself away. She took Tara's hand in hers to get rid of the agitator.
"And…" she made herself finish with just minimal throat clearing, "You treat yourself to some pretty shoes to go with that dress. I have something in the closet I can throw on and it doesn't even clash."
Tara moved her forehead in to rest on Willow's.
"Agreed," she said softly.
Willow smiled and pointed to her cheek.
"Initial here."
Tara pecked Willow's left cheek.
"And here," Willow pointed to the other side, which Tara dutifully kissed.
Willow tapped the middle of her lips.
"And sign here."
Tara took Willow's lips tenderly whilst stroking the side of her face. She teased them with her tongue and pulled away with a nip. When they parted, Willow was smiling dreamily.
"That's some signature."
They bumped noses and Tara fell back to the side, pulling Willow's phone out from under her when it jutted into her back. Willow took it and leaned over to put it on the nightstand. On the return, she grabbed the laptop and set it up between them.
"Let's find you some killer heels!"
Tara crossed one leg over the other and watched Willow click into the shoe section of the website.
"Might as well avail of the free shipping you were talking about," Willow said, sighing impatiently as she waited for the page to load, "What were you thinking of?"
"Nothing too wild, but a little…" Tara started to answer.
"Fun?" Willow suggested.
"Fun," Tara confirmed with a grin, "Maybe some sexy soles or something."
They browsed through lots of winter boots and dazzling glittery high heels, but nothing that struck Tara as suitable for her dress or an office party. She ended up glancing idly out the window and watching as fresh snowflakes began to fall in the night sky.
"It's snowing again."
Willow glanced up and over.
"It tends to this time of year."
Tara just smiled.
"I just love the magic," she said with a wistful sigh, "Pillowing snow, sparkling stars. The wonder that just maybe if you look up, you'll hear those bells echoing throughout the sky and hear the 'Ho, Ho, Ho'. Even a lot of our most difficult kids in the group homes play up the Santa thing for the smallies. Sometimes they even crack a smile."
"Must be hard to have Christmas in a group home," Willow replied sympathetically.
Tara nodded.
"Everyone gets something, but it's small. I try to bring a bunch of candy around the week before. The cares don't thank me for the sugar rush, but it makes the kids share and feel a little special."
Willow delicately brushed Tara's hair to one side.
"That's so sweet."
Tara shrugged one shoulder.
"Least I can do."
Willow shook her head.
"No, it's over and above. But that's you."
She leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Tara's lips, who smiled into it, then stood up off the bed.
"Come on."
Willow's brow creased in confusion.
"Where are we going?"
"To be cute," Tara replied with a laugh, "Come on."
Willow gestured towards the laptop.
"Your shoes."
Tara tugged on Willow's hands insistently.
"Come. On."
Willow obliged and followed Tara out into the living space. Tara wrapped her up in her coat and sent her out to the fire escape with a long, oblong white candle, already lit.
Willow wondered if she'd been sent out as some kind of punishment when finally Tara joined her with a flask and one of the Christmas cookies Willow had bought. Tara sat down beside her, close and poured some hot chocolate into the lid. She offered it to Willow and then broke the Christmas tree cookie in half for them to share.
Willow grinned.
"Okay. This is cute."
She took a sip and handed it back to Tara in exchange for her half of the cookie.
"Perfect excuse for Eskimo kisses."
She rubbed their noses together and Tara stole a smooch.
"I never need an excuse for kisses."
The snowfall was soft and hit their faces enough to feel it but not linger. The fire escape ledges were still caked from earlier snow, as were the window ledges adjacent. The street light was casting a glow up to them and the flicker of the candle shone on each other's faces.
"Snow isn't making the candle go out," Willow commented as she held it between her hands, "Glad I bought the extra-flamey ones."
Tara hovered her hand atop so the flame reflected in her palm.
"They're perfect for date night in the snow."
"Well that's of course what I had in mind," Willow replied with a giggle, "Actually I have a whole criteria."
"You do, do you?" Tara challenged teasingly.
Willow nodded surely.
"Yup. Will they burn long enough that I can seduce Tara without worrying about errant wax or wayward flame; will the flame burn brightly enough to enhance mood lighting without being so bright as to undo the mood; is it perfumed and if so, is it subtle enough to not overshadow the wonder that is Tara-scent and finally, does the colour complement our décor nicely?"
Tara's lips quirked up on one side.
"One of these things is not like the other."
"They're all part of the larger picture," Willow explained.
Tara eyebrow arched on the same side as her quirked lips.
"What's the larger picture?"
Willow held the candle closer to Tara, so it illuminated her in the dark.
"The beautiful canvas that is your body."
"Ooh, complimenting me," Tara replied jokingly, "You won't need a candle as a wingman at this rate."
Willow tapped a snowflake from Tara's nose.
"It's just so easy, you have so much to compliment."
Tara inhaled softly while her belly flopped.
"You silver-tongued, red-maned fox."
Willow leaned in to whisper in Tara's ear.
"You're the one who's had their tongue in a red mane."
Tara turned her head in so their faces were just touching.
"Keep this up and it'll be there again soon."
Willow swallowed audibly and delicately pressed their delightfully cold lips together.
"And until then I know exactly how to keep that tongue warm…"
Willow awoke from a tickle, though not an unpleasant one.
She blinked sluggishly and smiled as the pleasant feeling continued to wash over her middle section. She cast her eyes to the clock, and saw it was still nice and early – she'd be able to turn over and snuggle Tara before alarms sounded and work called.
She turned over onto her other side, but was surprised to find Tara's already awake eyes staring back at her.
"Whoa," she said with a slight jump, startled, "Hi."
"Good morning," Tara greeted back, pressing her palm right into Willow's belly, making Willow realise exactly where the 'tickle' was coming from, "Wanna make it a great one?"
"Oh," Willow said, barely having a second to register before Tara was on top of her, "Okay."
She didn't need time to register Tara's lips on hers, responding immediately and returning it with sleepy, but not subdued passion. Her hips rose from the bed as Tara pulled at her pyjama strings and slipped her hand inside.
Tara slid her hand along Willow's pubic bone and gently through the soft hair on her mound. She gave little tugs, causing erratic hip jerks and stunted moans.
Willow only had Tara's panties to contend with so she easily brushed them aside and found her clit. She pulled Tara's bottom lip between her teeth and grazed the pad of her finger as Tara's clit throbbed.
"Awh," Tara moaned, her back arching and pressing her chest into Willow's.
Willow grabbed a fistful of Tara's sleep shirt from the back and whipped it over her head to throw the other side of the room. Tara was impressed with the forcefulness and yanked Willow's top up as she moved down to kiss her stomach.
The winter weather had made Willow turn towards hibernation; her running had turned to walking, which had then subsequently turned to staying inside and watching DVD boxsets she got from the library. She still rode the meals on wheels bike so was getting some exercise, but her defined muscles, especially those in her calves and abs had gone from rock hard to sort-of there if you felt around a bit and she flexed really hard.
Though Willow had noted in the summer time how her girlfriend enjoyed finding and feeling those toned muscles, there hadn't been a moment where Tara had been anything less than enthusiastic about sinking her fingertips and lips into Willow's now slightly softer body.
To Tara, Willow's body was just perfect by virtue of being Willow's. The only thing she did find extra exciting was finding something new to love – so while the muscles had been titillating, by the time the curves returned they were just as exciting all over again. The truth was though, there was always something new to behold, whether it was the pitch of a moan or the twitch of a muscle; so Tara never needed a reason to seek one out or to worry about things going stale – she just had to get under the covers and find out what awaited her today.
She dipped her tongue into Willow's bellybutton and swirled her tongue upwards. She knew those muscles were still there because they jumped under her touch, while further down they were clenching around Willow's opening, drawing her in.
She lifted her lips up to Willow's neck and entered her fully as her mouth pressed against Willow's pulse point. Strained groans passed Willow's lips, so Tara kissed her again, letting their vibrations pulse into her mouth and shoot straight down to her clit which was still mercilessly throbbing under her girlfriend's fingers.
Their hips rocked in an off-tempo rhythm that still managed to be in sync with each other. Both of their wrists were skating past each other, each moving fast to bring out the deep moans in each other.
Tara succumbed to the pleasure first, her lips pressed against but motionless against Willow's lips. The lack of motion caused Willow to open her eyes at the exact moment the orgasm hit Tara and made her facial features tremble in that vulnerable and oh-so-alluring way.
It was enough for Willow to set off her own climax, her neck straining back against the pillows as all the air rushed from her lungs.
Tara's mouth landed on Willow's throat when she slumped back into her. She pressed kisses right up to her chin and was about to undo her with another smouldering kiss when the alarm started bleating loudly.
They both glanced at it, then each other, and grinned lazily. Willow reached out and halfheartedly tapped the off button.
"Did you turn it off?" Tara enquired with a raised eyebrow and got a nod in return, "Not just snooze?"
Willow glanced over again and saw the snooze light was flashing. She blushed and hit it once again to off. She stretched her body languidly under her girlfriend and took in a nice, deep breath as Tara rolled off.
"There's the surprise morning sex requirement completed."
Tara's brow creased for a moment.
"Oh."
She threw her legs over the side of the bed and stretched her arms before getting up to head towards the bathroom. On the way she dropped her panties and tossed them in the hamper, giving Willow a view of her wiggling ass out the door.
"I completely forgot about that."