"I'm heading to bed, you good?" Erin glances up from the stack of papers in front of her for a moment to nod to her girlfriend.
"Yeah, I'll be in, in a bit."
"Okay." Jillian frowns slightly, worried that Erin is working too hard. It's Christmas Eve after all. But after seeing Erin clasp the mug in her hands and absently sniff at the smell of hot chocolate wafting from it and then sip, her eyes still scanning the pages in front of her, she saw that she was content to be working late, no matter what holiday it was. Jillian turned and went to into their bedroom, taking the moment when the room was Erin-free to check all her Christmas presents were in order, that she planned to lay out in the morning. A sprig of mistletoe sat on top of the packages, which she then pushed back beneath the bed. She was excited, for once, for Christmas, because she got to spend it hostility free and with Erin. It would be their first Christmas together without family. Just them.
*/*
Jillian woke up early, no alarm clock needed, as she was normally up by five. She turned to look at the sleeping form beside her and smiled. She hadn't heard Erin slip into bed last night, which meant she must of come in quite late. Jillian quietly and gently got out of bed—bathroom and mouth wash first before tiptoeing out to the kitchen to make coffee. She was a morning person when she needed to be and liked having a moment to herself with her coffee before starting the day. She looked around the open plan living room/dining/kitchen area and smiled, thinking about the whole weekend they had spent decorating.
*/*
"Holtz!" Erin looked warily at the lights gathered in Jillian's hands. She bit her bottom lip and shook her head slightly.
"What?" Jillian asked innocently, looking down at the lights as well, but seeing no need to be worried.
"Uh..." Erin trailed off. Then, with a sigh, "They've got... what are all those extra switches, Jill?"
"Ohhh." Jillian winked. "Nothing to worry about. Look, so this one—“ she pointed to a large red button hanging out by a small wire "—makes each one flash individually one after the other, it’s quite slow, but it looks cool! This one—“ she flicked a small switch back and forth "—makes the light flash 'Jill loves Erin' in Morse code—" she blushes slightly before continuing, "—and this one here—“ she points to a sort of joystick like switch "—is the big finale."
"The big finale?"
"Yes. You'll see it on Christmas day."
"Jill."
"Trust me. It will be fine. This will not be a repeat of the singing shower curtain."
"Or the self boiling mugs?"
"Or the self boiling mugs." Jillian confirmed with a shudder, remembering.
*/*
The room was covered, perhaps excessively, in tinsel. But Erin hadn't complained, knowing that Jillian's parents hadn't believed in Christmas decorations when she was younger, so this was a big deal for Jillian. Jillian had strung some around Erin's waist to pull her to her, as they were decorating, but Erin had leaned back on it too heavily and it had broken. Jillian had caught her deftly, and they had slow danced for a moment, the old stereo playing Winter Song.
The Christmas tree was pristinely decorated not a bauble or ornament out of place. Erin had slapped Jillian’s hands away, adamant that this was to be hers and hers alone. Jill had laughed, joking about putting her homemade Christmas lights on it, knowing that Erin would drop dead before letting that happen.
The couch and armchair were covered in festive rugs that they had found in a dodgy garage sale. Well, not they, rather Jillian had found and had dragged Erin along with her, much to her protestation as they closed in on the old, graffitied garage, packed with a lot of mix matched things. It took a lot of bribing to get Jillian to leave. Eventually what did it was Erin promising her “festive sex” as Jillian had coined the term. It really meant they would have sex with Christmas hats on. It took all of Erin’s willpower not to laugh, as Jillian was taking it very seriously.
*/*
Jillian put her stash of presents under the tree and found a place for the mistletoe. Then, she grabbed a Christmas hat and a book and stood in the doorway of their bedroom, waiting impatiently for Erin to wake up. When she began to stir, Jillian shoved her nose in the book, failing miserably to act inconspicuous. Erin mumbled something incoherent in her direction before heading to the bathroom.
Then she shuffled past Jillian and mumbled, "Your book's upside down." Before going to the kitchen.
Jillian turned, remaining in the doorway, slightly disappointed that the mistletoe hanging above her had gone unnoticed. She cleared her throat loudly, looking up at it pointedly. Erin looked over and her face gave way to a smile.
“Oh.” She murmured. “That’s what you were after.”
She stumbled back towards the bedroom, winding her hands around Jillian’s waist and pulling her close. Jillian couldn’t help but smile into the kiss. It was a bit sloppy; Erin still only half awake, and when they pulled away, Jillian pushed her thumb beneath her bottom lip to clear the excess saliva. Erin let out an involuntary moan as she watched, something about the gesture turning her on. She pulled the Christmas hat off Jillian’s head and let it fall from her fingertips to the floor before curling her fingers in those blonde curls, kissing her more firmly and with more finesse this time. Jillian placed her hands at Erin’s cheeks, her thumbs moving back and forth vaguely, as they stepped back into the bedroom, Erin gently pushing Jillian onto the bed.
“Merry Christmas.” Erin murmured pulling back for moment, her hands on either side of Jillian’s head, propping her up. Jillian lifted up to kiss her softly.
“Merry Christmas, Er-bear.”