Yes. Christmas Eve is over.

Delilah was still cuddled up when you woke up the next morning. You shifted, but her body followed yours. No, which direction did it go? She mumbled, moaned, and wrapped herself more firmly against you.

It felt nice, and if it weren’t for your dire need to relieve yourself, you might have tried to go back to sleep with her naked body still pressed against yours.

With considerable effort, you managed to squirm out of her entanglement and swing your legs off her bed. You stepped inside the bathroom and felt yourself shrivel up. It was freezing there, so you hurried to empty your bladder and then back into her room, where Delilah was now fully awake, getting dressed in a lazy little way.

She yawned while she stretched and then rolled her neck. “Good morning, babe.”

You knelt to collect your clothes from the floor. You stepped into your underwear your pants, and then slipped into your shirt.

You watched Delilah as she arched. She was a little bigger than some other girls, but as she committed to the yawn, you wondered if it was more muscle than useless weight.

“Do you work out?” You glittered out, forgetting what she was talking about. Delilah looks at you with her eyebrows arched like her back.

“What?”

“I mean— maybe it’s the lighting… but you look a little buff.”

She laughed, losing her form. The toned biceps deflate, and a small portion of pudge pushes against the bands of her bra and panties. It takes nothing away from her attraction, and you still stare until she snaps her fingers.

“You’re making me feel self-conscious, Warren.”

Her teal eyes are bright, even in the unbalanced lighting, bleeding through her blinds. You’ve seen Delilah naked countless times, but for some reason, you’ve discovered a newfound attraction for her. Your mind cannot construct a sensible sentence, and your mouth drops. Subtly, her cheeks change color, a rosy tint like she’s just knocked back a couple of shots of Christmas cider. She tries to cover herself with her hands but ultimately fails since her small hands can’t protect her bust. Suddenly, she stomps and shouts your name.

“Sorry,” you say. “You’re just…so god damn beautiful.”

The tint of her cheeks expands over her whole face. You notice the color of her eyes become more intense as her pupils grow. “Why do you say the most random things?”

“Compliments are always random if they’re just,” you straighten your back, bluffing your awkward behavior with a leveled voice now. However, this doesn’t make Delilah any less embarrassed about herself. “I’ll step out and leave you be.”

“…Thanks.”

You stood alone in Delilah’s tiny kitchen. From here, you can look out and see the winter wonderland before you. You blink, remembering it was Christmas day. You felt around your pockets like you should have suddenly bought Delilah something while you were at Highlight. You glance at the door that was closed. You make unintentional eye contact with her as she opens it.

“What??” She asks immediately.

“Sorry,” you look away. “Merry Christmas, Delilah.”

She walks past you and finds her coffee supply. She doesn’t say anything until she’s got the coffee being made. “Merry Christmas, Warren.”

Delilah spent the next couple of minutes washing her face in the bathroom. Once she’s united with you, you see that she’s without makeup, and despite that, you still find yourself admiring her. Small talk runs supreme as you drink hot, dolled-up coffee with creamer and a special treat of whipped cream. You’re seated in her living room now, enjoying pancakes, when a comfortable silence falls over you. Stillness falls like invisible snow outside as cool air seeps through the tiny cracks of her house. It’s nice, but it’s short-lived.

You look at each other, and your throat dries up. She smiles and shakes her head. “My parents were…terrible this time of year.”

Delilah was often quiet about her personal life, so when she started to talk about her folks, you perked up with genuine interest. “How so?”

“They just never cared much about the season. It’s not that my area didn’t celebrate it. They were too distracted with what they wanted to care about what we wanted. Uh, me and my siblings.”

“Who are your siblings?”

“A sister,” she says reluctantly, “Her name was Darcy. She… we were never close, but Mom and Dad adored her because she did everything they wanted her to do. She was also better at everything than me, even the piano which bugs the shit out of me.”

She took a moment to think and then continued. “My brother’s name was Steve. He was the oldest one, and he and then a brother… I don’t know where he was, but we were close. He was close with our dad, too, which helped the relationship between us.”

A heavy sigh left her mouth, and she leaned back into the couch. Her eyes drifted to something outside the window. You tried to share her glance but couldn’t find what she focused on. She continued without being prompted to. “He went on to do some caravan guard stuff. I don’t know where he is.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” you tell Delilah, causing her to flick her eyes on you. She sits up straight.

“No, no…Don’t be sorry about that. We both got away from our parents. I know he’s happier away from them. He tried to get me to go with him, but I pushed him away– told him I could make our parents like me,” she laughed, rolling her eyes as she fell back onto the couch. “Didn’t work. And that’s how I ended up here.”

She rubbed her neck, her eyes locking onto yours with a happy smile. “I wouldn’t have met you if I was stubborn, so why complain about it, right?”

“You’re a treat to have around,” you begin. “You’re the first girl I’ve met that’s made me feel like I could settle down and spend my life with. Honestly, out of everyone I’ve crossed paths with, you’ve tapped something out of me that longs for something official.”

Delilah draws her legs up to her chest whilst keeping her eyes on you. “You could do so much better than me.”

“Nah,” you laugh. “The girls I’ve been with have certain ticks that would get in the way. Jealousy, bad parents– odd kinks and stranger turn-ons. I’d rather be with you.”

“I have all of those,” she frowns. “I just told you my parents and I aren’t close. You know I get jealous…and…well… I haven’t gotten to explore my kinks that much, but who knows what you’ll develop once we start seeing each other more?”

You scratch your chin. “I guess you did make me put on a blindfold not too long ago, didn’t you?”

Her cheeks turn slightly pink. “See what I mean now?”

You’re smiling, but besides the tint on her cheeks, you think she’s serious. “I love you, Delilah. All of those things don’t change that. What makes it different is you.”

Her eyes flicker again, but she’s curled up in her insecurities, so you walk over and sit next to her. You place a hand on her shoulder and lean in to kiss her on the cheek. Delilah finally smiles, but she tries to hide her shift in emotion by forcing a cute growl. “Let me scowl.”

“C’mon,” you tease. “Stop all that worrying. I haven’t even looked at another girl since our first night.”

“I hope you haven’t,” she laughs. “That’s like… my worst nightmare."