It's Christmas morning. I just woke up with my left elbow in serious pain. More than I've ever had when it hasn't recently been dislocated. Merry Christmas to me.

It's a different kind of pain too. I'm starting to get worried. But I'm not going to tell my mom or Akari that on Christmas. Plus, Akari's in pain too and she isn't complaining. I took some anti-inflammatories, and it isn't as bad now.

We thought we would take a short walk to where the Yoshidas are staying, but it's too cold for that. Luckily, it is a short drive. My mom just dropped us off and now she's heading back to get my grandparents.

We knock on the door and Mrs. Yoshida quickly answers with a small smile on her face.

"Let's get you two out of the cold."

We gladly step inside and find a house much like my grandparents'. In fact, the floorplan is almost identical, and many of the appliances are the same. I bet the same guy owns it. It is small, and I wonder for a moment how six people will eat breakfast here, but I'm sure we'll figure it out.

"How are you two doing with the cold?"

I frown, "My elbow still hurts unfortunately."

Akari says, "My hips too. B-but not too bad."

Mrs. Yoshida gives us both a sympathetic nod.

"Hey, m-mom, can we talk to you about something?"

'We'? I don't even know what she wants to talk about. I'm a little worried.

She nods and we sit down in the living room while Mr. Yoshida labors in the kitchen.

"W-we have a friend who wants to study English at Tokyo."

Oh, it's just about Koji. Phew.

Mrs. Yoshida lights up more than I've seen her light up about anything. I suppose it makes sense she's passionate about this. "Oh yeah? That's neat. Is he in his second year?"

"No, he's in his th-third year. Taking entrance exams soon."

She nods, "Well, good luck to him. Is he a good student?"

I step in since I know more about this. "He is. Does great in everything, but he really loves literature. Japanese and English."

She smiles, "That's good. What did you want to talk to me about, exactly?"

Akari grimaces.

This is a scary question to ask. Who knows how she'll respond? Akari knows better than me how best to ask her.

"Well t-to be honest I don't think he'll need it…b-but he's worried. So, I was wondering if…he didn't quite p-pass…is there anything you could do?"

Ms. Yoshida furrows her brow for a few seconds and then says, "I would want to meet him and talk to him about what he wants to study. But…yes, if there is a promising student who just misses on the entrance exam, I can probably get him admitted, provided English isn't where his problem is."

Akari smiles and so do I, "Okay. Thank you, mom."

She smiles softly, "Of course. It's nice you have friends you want to look out for, Akari." She smiles a little wider. "Yamaku has been really great for you. I'm really glad we made that choice."

She nods and smiles at me, "Me too."

There's a knock at the door, and Mrs. Yoshida goes to answer it. Akari smiles at me and gets out her phone and I watch her type out a message to Koji and Hana.

"Merry Christmas! Koji, I talked to my mom, and she can help a little if you don't quite pass the exam. I hope that helps a little."

Akari loops her arm around mine and leans into me while Mrs. Yoshida returns with my mom and grandparents. We exchange holiday greetings. Then, my mom heads to the kitchen and bullies Mr. Yoshida into letting her help, while my grandparents and Mrs. Yoshida join us in the living room. Akari and I keep snuggling on the couch, which surprises me a little. But I think she is comfortable being more affectionate around her mom after last night. I'm certainly not complaining.

My grandpa chuckles, "This looks a lot like our house." My grandma nods as she looks around.

I laugh, "That's what I was thinking."

Mrs. Yoshida says, "You two are from Chiba, right?"

My grandma says, "That's right. We both lived there our whole lives before moving here."

Mrs. Yoshida nods, "How have you liked living here? Very different from city life, isn't it?"

My grandpa says, "It is. But…at our age, a nice quiet community like this has been a welcome change. This little town and the school are special to us too because of our son, so we really enjoy it. Plus, we get to live so close to our only family." He winks at me.

Mrs. Yoshida nods, "Yes, I can certainly see the appeal. I like Tokyo well enough…but it is definitely not quiet. It's nice to get away for a few days."

Mr. Yoshida announces that breakfast is ready, and my mom sets the table. It's going to be a tight squeeze, but it looks like the plan is for all six of us to sit there.

Mr. Yoshida says, "It is buffet style, so everyone can get their plate and get what they want."

I stand up eagerly and Akari giggles at me. Mr. Yoshida laughs too, "Do you want to go first, Kayoko?"

I feel a little embarrassed. But I can smell some amazing food, so the feeling doesn't last for long. I nod and grab my plate and head to the kitchen with my mom right behind me. I guess we really do love food more than most.

He went all out. There are eggs, potatoes, and two kinds of pancakes. Are these…chocolate and blueberry?! I've only had regular pancakes. My mouth is literally watering as I get plenty of eggs and potatoes and one of each kind of pancake.

Eventually everyone gets seated, and we enjoy an amazing meal. The chocolate pancake especially blows my mind. They are soft and fluffy and chocolaty. What more could you ask for? Mrs. Yoshida watches me with the same entertained look on her face that I've seen before. I'm lucky she thinks this is cute. At least…I hope that's what she thinks when she looks at me that way.

"Mr. Yoshida…these pancakes…just. Wow." Akari giggles at my food induced stupor.

He laughs, "Thank you, Kayoko. I'm glad you like them. You can have seconds, you know."

I blush. "Um…is…anyone else getting seconds? I don't know if I want to be the only one." Mrs. Yoshida laughs softly at me.

My mom says, "I am. Let's go!"

Well…at least someone is. But it does kind of look bad that it's the two of us. Oh well, I need another pancake.

I get up and get another chocolate pancake. As I try to wedge myself back into my seat between Akari and my grandma, my elbow hits the edge of the table and I experience blinding pain that feels like it goes through my entire arm. I barely manage to stifle a pained grunt, but my eyes are watering. Luckily, no one seems to notice. For a moment, I think I must have dislocated it, but it seems fine. I guess the fact that I was able stifle my grunt should have clued me in. Still…that's not a normal amount of pain for me to be feeling. The pain is enough to ruin my appetite a little bit. I only finish about half of my pancake. This feels even more serious now.

After we finish breakfast, my mom attempts to help clean up but is shooed away by the Yoshidas. I'm glad because she still has a dinner to make tonight.

We chat in the living room for a while, and I do my best to conceal the growing pain in my elbow. Eventually my mom realizes she needs to get back to the house, as Sho and my grandma will be there soon. I jump at the chance to ride back with her, because I need to take a pill. Akari decides to come back with us too. The Yoshidas will drive my grandparents back later.

…..

Now, we're in the car on the way back to my mom's after our very nice breakfast. My elbow is killing me. Me and Akari are in the back seat holding hands. She's been staring at me for several minutes, and I've been doing my best to ignore her, because I have a feeling I know what's going to happen when I look at her. But eventually, the feeling of her eyes on me is too much. I look at her with an expression that says, "What?" and she responds with a concerned look on her face.

"Are you okay?"

My mom's eyes dart to the rear-view mirror to look at me.

"Yeah, what…do…you mean?"

"Your voice and face are doing what they do when you've dislocated something. Well…not quite, it isn't quite as bad…but you're clearly in p-pain."

Before I can respond, my mom says, "It's your elbow, isn't it, sweetie?"

I sigh. "I hate you both." They both look offended.

"I'm kidding. But I didn't want to talk about this…today. But you both know me too…well. It hurts. Pills help but…not as much as usual. I think we'll…need to go to the…doctor. I knew from x-rays it was starting to have some…arthritis." I sigh. "I might need…surgery to clean it up or something."

Akari winces and looks out the window for a moment and then says, "I'm going to kill Hana."

I poke Akari in her side as hard as I can. When she turns to look at me, I glare at her. She doesn't look particularly intimidated. If anything, she looks defiant. I didn't want my mom to know this. And she knows that. I'm pretty pissed right now. As angry at Akari as I've ever been while thinking rationally. I'm going to get even angrier if she keeps going.

My mom raises her eyebrows, "Hana?"

I intercept before Akari can respond. "She accidentally…caused my last dislocation. But it isn't her fault, it was the straw that broke the camel's back I guess…but it took a lot of straws. It was bound to…happen eventually."

My mom nods, "That's true. But…if it was an accident, why are you mad, Akari? You accidentally dislocated the same elbow once."

Akari's defiant face dissolves into one of guilt. I don't think it was my mom's intention to make her feel bad. But…I think it's good to bring that up. I don't blame either of them for this. And sure…Akari's was more accidental, but still. I'm disappointed in her. I thought she was over this thing with Hana.

Akari nods, "Y-you're right." She sighs and looks at me with pleading eyes and says, "I shouldn't be mad for an accident."

I don't want to forgive her just yet. My mom sort of bailed her out, but she was ready to hang Hana out to dry even when I explicitly asked her not to. There's going to be a real conversation about this when we get home.

I look away from her and cross my arms. I don't look at her again for the rest of our car ride. She gets the message.

Once we're back home and after I take a pill for my pain, Akari asks me to come with her to my bedroom. I sit down on the bed with crossed arms. She remains standing, and I wait for her to explain herself to me. She knows the question I have is, "Why did you do that when I asked you not to?" I don't need to say the words.

She sighs, "I don't have an excuse. I messed up. I shouldn't have d-done that. I felt a flash of fear and anger when you said 'surgery,' and it came out."

I pat the bed next to me and she sits down. "I…get that you have really intense experience with surgery, and hearing that probably scares you for lots of reasons." I sigh. "But it…doesn't excuse things entirely. It hurt…my feelings that you almost did something I asked you not to. And the only reason you didn't is because…my mom said the right thing to get through to you."

"You're right. There's no excusing it. There's n-no explanation that fixes it. I never want to hurt your feelings, and I did." She looks at me. "All I can ask is that you forgive me and I will d-do better."

"Are you over…this thing with Hana?"

"I am. Really. It was just a weak moment. I don't like seeing you hurt like this. I don't like that you might need surgery. I wanted to blame someone. But there's no one to b-blame. It is what it is."

I nod, "Okay. Just…remember that, okay? I'm going to end up getting hurt. And sometimes other people will be involved. But…like when you ran into me." I smile at her, "...when we met, it wasn't really your fault. I get hurt. It's a fact of life with me. I don't want you…blaming people all the time when it happens. I know you want to protect me, and I like that. But…this isn't really something you can protect me from. Not all the time."

She nods. "You're right. I get that n-now."

I smile at her, "Good, then I forgive you." She hugs me and I hug her back.

"Good job talking to your mom about Koji, by the way. Did he text you back?"

She smiles, "Yeah, they both did. They are grateful. I don't know that I actually did that much…s-sounds like he still has to do pretty well."

"That's true…but just a little wiggle room might be nice for him."

We can hear that her parents are here now.

"Now, we better go back out there before your mom thinks we're doing it."

She giggles and puts her arms around my neck and kisses me before we head out to the living room where we find her parents. Her dad is watching wrestling on the television, and I have to suppress a laugh. I sort of forgot that he liked wrestling. This is the first time I've seen it myself.

Mrs. Yoshida informs us that my grandparents decided to head home for a nap.

Not long after that, there's a knock on the door. Akari and I go to answer it and it's my grandma and Sho as expected. I let them in and Akari takes their coats. They both hug me, and then my grandma says,

"Kayoko, why haven't you introduced me to your friend?"

Sho smiles at her and calmly says, "Meiko, this is Akari. Kayoko's girlfriend. They came to visit us this summer, remember?"

My grandma raised her eyebrows, "No. We haven't met her. I think I would remember someone as important as a girlfriend."

Unlike other times when she's had issues with her memory, she doesn't seem to get back on track when someone reminds her. This thing is getting worse. I knew it would, but it's hard to see.

Akari smiles at me, and then at my grandmother. Then she says, "It's n-nice to meet you, Mrs. Ibarazaki."

I love her so much. She could have had her feelings hurt or something, but she gets it.

My grandma smiles back and says, "Likewise. You are quite a beautiful girl, Akari. You two make a lovely couple."

This is word for word what she said last time. I guess it's nice to hear again. I suppose we know she isn't lying.

Akari smiles, "Thank you."

My grandma looks around and then looks at me, "Where's your father?"

Akari reaches out for my hand and I'm very glad for that. This day is becoming difficult fast. She's getting a lot worse to have two of these episodes right when walking through the door.

Sho apologizes to me with his eyes and says, "Meiko…Hisao passed away, remember?"

My grandma thinks for a moment and then frowns, "Oh…yes, of course. I miss him."

Thank goodness she didn't fight him on that one.

I smile, "Me too. Hey, let me introduce you two to Akari's parents."

My grandma smiles and nods and I lead her and Sho over to the Yoshidas who are sitting in the living room. We all sit down together.

"Mr. and Mrs. Yoshida, this is my grandma, and her husband Sho."

Mrs. Yoshida smiles softly, "It's nice to meet you both." She looks at my grandma for a moment. "I think I would have known whose mother you were rather quickly."

My grandma laughs, "There is a family resemblance isn't there?"

Mrs. Yoshida nods, "There is. It's a little uncanny, actually."

Mr. Yoshida has only been half paying attention to our conversation so far because New Japan Pro Wrestling is on. Sho notices this and says, "A wrestling fan, huh?"

Mr. Yoshida laughs, "Yes. I apologize for being rude. I know it isn't exactly highbrow entertainment, but I love it." Mrs. Yoshida rolls her eyes.

Sho chuckles, "I watch it too." He sits down next to Mr. Yoshida. They start talking about…something related to wrestling, but I can't understand any of it.

Mrs. Yoshida says, "Tell me, Mrs. Ibarazaki, how do you put up with being married to a grown man who watches wrestling?"

My grandma gazes lovingly at Sho. "Well, it helps that he's so handsome. I wouldn't tolerate it otherwise."

This draws a little laugh out of Mrs. Yoshida, which is an impressive feat.

My mom comes into the living room from the kitchen and greets her mom and Sho.

Mrs. Yoshida says, "We were just teasing the men for enjoying wrestling. Care to weigh in?"

My mom laughs, "To each their own, I guess. Although…I have to say I'm glad Hisao wasn't a fan. It's a little embarrassing even having it on my TV now."

These poor men are just trying to do something they enjoy. We're mean. But they're ignoring us and it's pretty funny. It is also showing me a much sillier side of Akari's mom than I have seen before.

Mrs. Yoshida asks, "Did Mr. Nakai have any interests that embarrassed you? It doesn't seem fair if he didn't."

My mom laughs, "Let's see…" She puts her hand under chin and looks lost in thought. "I don't think so. If anything, I was the embarrassing one."

I laugh, "What embarrassing interests do you have?"

"Well…I'm a grown woman who likes stuffed animals, for one thing."

Mrs. Yoshida raises an eyebrow and says, "Really?"

I giggle, "It's true. When I was little, I wasn't allowed to play with hers."

My mom laughs, "Yep, that's right! I would make him get me one every time we went to the zoo. Even once we had a daughter." She chuckles. "I know it embarrassed him sometimes. I also get really into Paralympic track and field, and while that interest itself isn't embarrassing…the way I acted at events definitely was."

Mrs. Yoshida laughs softly, "It does sound like you were the embarrassing one."

Wow, she's getting comfortable with my mom.

My mom chuckles, "Yep! You don't have any guilty pleasures, huh?"

Mr. Yoshida chuckles, earning a penetrating glare from his wife, but then her face softens, and she looks surprisingly vulnerable. Embarrassed even.

She sighs, "I watch British soap operas. I assume that's what my husband is rudely referring to."

He nods and my mom laughs, "That's not that embarrassing. Although…I have heard professional wrestling called 'soap operas for men.'"

Mr. Yoshida laughs, "I'm going to remember that one."

Mrs. Yoshida crosses her arms and has an uncharacteristically playful grin on her face. She shakes her head, clicks her tongue, and says, "Just when I was starting to like you, Mrs. Nakai."

My mom laughs, "I think…since our daughters are in a serious relationship and we've reached a point where we're teasing each other like this, you can just call me Emi. If you're comfortable with that."

Mrs. Yoshida looks a little taken aback for a moment. I get the feeling she isn't on a first-name basis with very many people. But then she nods and smiles softly, "Okay, Emi. You can call me Chiaki." My mom smiles at her and nods.

Akari and I are both smiling at this cute exchange between our mothers. They do seem to genuinely like each other. That certainly makes our lives easier.

Without looking away from the television, Mr. Yoshida says, "You can call me Seiya."

My mom says, "Okay, I'll make sure the television knows you're on a first-name basis." This makes both of our mothers crack up. I never ever thought I would see Mrs. Yoshida laugh hysterically at anything.

Once they've recovered from their laughing fit, my mom says, "Well, I better get back to the kitchen. Enjoy your wrestling boys."

Mrs. Yoshida says, "I'll come help you. I need to get as far away from the television as I can right now."

My mom laughs and the two go off to the kitchen together.

I realize that it would probably be nice for Sho if we entertain my grandmother for a little while. That way he can enjoy his wrestling. Me and Akari guide her to the couch by the piano and we all sit down there to escape the wrestling.

My grandma looks at the piano asks, "Will you play the piano later?"

I frown and Akari puts a hand on my shoulder to comfort me.

"I want to. But I'm having problems with my elbow, so not today unfortunately."

My grandma nods, "I'm sorry dear." Then she smiles and examines us briefly. "So, how did you two meet?"

Akari giggles, "Well, we were best friends first. But…we initially met when we r-ran into each other a few weeks into our first year."

My grandma smiles, "Like your parents?"

I laugh, "Yep. Pretty funny, right?"

My grandma chuckles, "That's wonderful. And your parents are here?" Akari nods. "You must be quite serious."

I smile, "We are. We love each other very much."

My grandma smiles broadly, "How wonderful. I hope you two love each other for a long time."

For the rest of the day, I tried to help my mom, but she turned me away because of my elbow. Akari and her mom helped a lot which was cute. Although it did make me feel a little left out, because all four of us cooking together would be even cuter.

My mom made ganmodoki which she makes for Christmas most years. They are delicious tofu and vegetable fritters.

Turns out, Akari's mom is quite the baker, and she decided to make a Bundt cake with what my mom happened to have, and she topped it with whipped cream and strawberries. Apparently, that is a Yoshida family tradition for the holiday.

I spent the day being less industrious, just enjoying time with my family. I played some chess against my grandpa once they came over, and there were many nice talks in the living room once wrestling was no longer dominating the television.

Now it's dinner time and Akari is setting the table. I manage to convince her to let me help, and while I do I ask.

"Did you have a nice time with our moms?"

She laughs, "Yeah, it was nice. They r-really get along. Kind of surprising."

I laugh, "Yeah they are very different."

"Sorry you didn't get to help m-more."

I sigh, "Me too, but I guess there will be lots of time for that in the future."

We finish setting the table and Akari hugs me, and we exchange a kiss that lasts a little longer than it probably should have at a family function. I guess I kind of missed her all day. We only stop when we hear what sounds like applause. It turns out it is my maternal grandmother who is beaming at us. Her applause drew the attention of others too, and everyone but our moms (who are in the kitchen) is looking in our direction and smiling.

Unsure what to do in this situation I say, "Um…thank…you?"

My grandma laughs, "It was far too lovely a thing to see without applauding."

I look down and see Akari frozen by anxiety. She probably didn't really want her dad to see us kissing. But he's smiling about it too, much to my surprise. I stroke her hair and whisper. "I think everything's okay. They all seem happy for us." It takes a few seconds, but she unfreezes and we break our hug and she smiles awkwardly at everyone. Luckily, the situation comes to an end when my mom announces dinner is ready.

I make sure to have a seat next to my girlfriend. As I dig into the ganmodoki and look at the cake, as well as all the people sitting around the table, I feel a sense of contentment. This meal…and this holiday has been kind of a fusion of Akari's family and mine. A fusion I hope we get to experience a whole lot more of.

While the ganmodoki are great, I have a hard time not thinking ahead to dessert. After all, it is sitting on the table tempting me. I notice my mom's eyes are also fixed on the cake as she eats. We have a problem. But it makes me feel less bad for taking her ganmodoki for granted.

Eventually it is time for dessert, and it is as good as I imagined it would be. She just made it out of stuff in the pantry? I like it so much that I eat a whole piece before complimenting the baker.

"That cake was amazing Mrs. Yoshida."

She laughs softly, "I thought you liked it from the dazed expression you had when you were eating it."

"Hey, mom, how come you never bake?"

My grandma laughs and my mom raises her eyebrows. "Yes, mother? Is there something funny you want to say?"

"Well…I was just thinking that you learning to bake would be dangerous."

Mrs. Yoshida looks confused, probably wondering if my grandma is having a dementia moment. "Dangerous?"

My mom sighs, "I think my mom is saying if I baked, I would eat too much cake and cookies and stuff." My grandma nods.

"And she's right. If I could just whip up a cake whenever I wanted…well, let's just say it would probably be a lot harder for me to go running every morning."

I laugh, "But we still always have store bought melon bread…and we get a cake from the Shanghai like once a week. Would it really have been that different?"

My mom laughs, "I think so. Because if I could make a cake like this one, we'd have it every day."

Mrs. Yoshida laughs softly, "I can see what your mother means by 'dangerous.' Remind me never to teach you to bake."

After dinner, Mr. Yoshida and Sho insist on cleaning up, which was very sweet of them. I offered to help but was turned down again because of my elbow.

Not long after that, guests started to leave. My grandma and Sho first because they had a bit of a drive. Then my dad's parents. Now, Mr. And Mrs. Yoshida are getting their coats.

Just as Akari and I are ready to bid them farewell, Mrs. Yoshida points towards my room and says, "Do you two mind if we come talk with you before we go?"

Oh God. She wants privacy with us? Has to be to verbally tear us a new one, right? I knew she wasn't okay with us having sex.

My voice cracks and I force a smile, "Sure..."

Akari and I go into the room, and when she sits on the bed, I make sure to sit at my desk. Being in the same bed with Mrs. Yoshida in the room sounds like a bad idea.

They follow us in, and Mrs. Yoshida gets a small rectangular wrapped gift out of her purse.

Akari looks shocked when she says, "W-we don't normally do gifts…"

Her mom smiles softly at her, "I know, but it's something small." She looks at me. "Kayoko, you can sit on your bed. I want you to open this together."

I nod and sit down next to Akari, and she thrusts the gift into my hands. I hold one half of the gift and Akari holds the other and we unwrap it together.

Once the paper is removed, I see my face and Akari's staring back at me. It's a framed picture. Mrs. Yoshida took the photo this summer at the University of Tokyo. We are standing with our arms looped together next to Saki's exhibit in the concert hall. Akari is resting her head on my shoulder as she often does. We both look happy, and we are very clearly a couple. It's a great picture of us and we're in a place that's important to me.

Akari is smiling about the gift, but I'm having a more extreme emotional reaction. This picture means so much. It's another sign they approve of us. Another sign they know we're serious. It also means that they understand what Saki means to me.

I feel tears welling up inside of me but do my best to hold them in. I imagine crying makes Mrs. Yoshida uncomfortable.

Instead, I stand up and hug each of Akari's parents. "Thank you both…so much. We really needed a nice picture together like this…" A couple of tears make their way down my cheeks.

Keep it together Nakai!

The Yoshidas both smile at me and her dad says, "We're glad you both like it. We do too. We have it at home in that same frame."

So much for keeping it together.

I start really letting the tears flow now. I'm not sobbing though. I won't let that happen. But there is a steady trickle of tears running down my face. Akari looks moved by the most recent piece of information too. She gets up and hugs both her parents now.

While she does I say, "It means a lot that you are both happy with our relationship. So…thank you. I feel…very honored to be in a picture in your home."

Akari comes to my side now and hooks her arm in mine and puts her head on my shoulder, much like in the picture.

Mrs. Yoshida softly smiles at me and says, "Of course we're happy about you two." Then she looks at Akari for a moment before looking down. Eye contact doesn't come easy for her when she isn't reprimanding someone. "When we were going through everything with your health…and your mental health…we never knew if we would truly see you happy." She frowns. "That's not something you want to think about your own child. Happiness is all you ever want for them. But happiness is fleeting when you have chronic pain and you're in and out of the hospital your whole life." She smiles "But…finding a medication that worked for you finally set you on a path towards happiness. Yamaku has made you happy. Kayoko has made you happy. So…of course, we're happy about it too."

I think her voice was slightly strained at the end there. That's equivalent to most people sobbing, I think.

Akari has a few tears on her face as she hugs her mother again, who still looks uncomfortable about it. She may have just said something really touching, but it doesn't change who she is. I take the moment to hug Mr. Yoshida again. I know he's not the one saying these things, but he feels the same way. When I do, he quietly says "Thank you." I don't think that was in response to the hug alone.

Mrs. Yoshida is clearly starting to look uncomfortable with all the emotion in the room. She is looking towards the door. Then she says, "Well, we should probably be going. We'll stop by in the morning to say goodbye."

Akari says, "Okay. Thank you, mom and dad. I love you." For a moment, I consider telling them I love them too. But Mrs. Yoshida has reached her limit. I'll save that for another time. Instead, I say, "Thank you so much for coming for Christmas, and thank you for our gift."

After they leave, me and Akari hug and cry a few happy before changing into our pajamas and putting our new picture on the nightstand.

Once we're in bed for the night Akari says, "That w-was a great Christmas huh? Minus your elbow pain and me hurting your feelings, anyway."

I laugh and kiss her on the cheek. "Yep, minus those. It's really nice having our families together."

"It is. I th-think my parents really enjoyed it. They are only children, and their parents have all passed away…s-so I think they liked having a big family get together."

"That's nice. They did seem to like it."

"It probably doesn't surprise you but…my mom doesn't have m-many friends. I've never seen her be all silly and friendly like she was with your mom today. They seem to really like each other."

I laugh, "They do. Nice to have the in-laws get along, huh?"

Akari laughs and kisses me deeply while pressing our bodies together. It's the kind of kiss that would kick off a lovemaking session if we were on campus. If it goes on much longer, we might just throw caution to the wind. I mean, my mom's the only one here, right? Just as my mind is starting to get very clouded, we break the kiss, and she rests her head on my shoulder.

"How are you doing…w-with your grandma stuff?"

"Okay, I guess. It's hard to see. But…she's still mostly herself. This isn't the first time she has forgotten about my dad though. That's hard."

"I am glad Sho can remind her. You or your mom having to do it…would not be good."

"Yeah, thank goodness for Sho…in so many ways. My grandma would probably be living here without him."

Akari smiles, "I hope we're like them one day."

I smirk, "You want one of us to have dementia?"

She pokes me in the ribs. Apparently, she has picked that one up from my mom. "No, you know what I mean."

I smile, "Yeah. You mean deeply in love in our golden years. That's the plan. We'll still be snuggling up like this every night 60 years from now."

This time I initiate a deep kiss. I stop it a little sooner than our earlier one and then we snuggle each other to keep warm.

After Akari falls asleep and I start to get hypnotized by her rhythmic breathing, I can't help but feel incredible happiness. Both of our families understand how much we love each other and how serious we are, and they approve. It makes me feel…free, sort of like Akari said about her mom acknowledging we have sex. I always had a looming feeling that they might disapprove of me, but now I know that's not true.

It feels like there are no hurdles left. I think we really can be together forever.