Page 122 of How My Neighbour Stole Christmas
“I wanted this too,” I say.
She smiles lightly and then scoots into my side. I take that opportunity to wrap my arm around her and pull her in even closer. She leans against my chest as I rest my cheek against the top of her head.
“How are you doing now?” she asks.
“What do you mean?”
“With the loss of your parents. I know that’s something you will never get over, but how are you doing?”
“Probably not as well as I should be,” I answer honestly. “There’s so much I could be doing that I’m not. I’m settled into a routine. You being here is the first time I’ve broken that routine. Honestly, it’s been chaotic since you arrived.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“If you told me a few weeks ago that my cherished routine, the routine that has helped me accept the loss of my parents, would be flipped upside down, I’d probably panic, but now I’d say this chaos has been welcome.” I chuckle. “Fuck, if Max could hear this conversation, his jaw would probably be on the floor.”
She laughs as well. “Is he used to you being set in your ways?”
“Very much so. I think he’s still in shock that I entered the Kringle competition.”
“And all out of spite,” she says.
“Is there really any other way?”
“When you act like a Grinch…no.”
“A Grinch, huh? You really think I’m a green crotch that tries to steal Christmas?”
“A green crotch?” She laughs out loud. “Jesus, I hope you’re not a green crotch.”
I chuckle. “That’s a term my mom used to use all the time when describing someone ornery.”
“Sheesh, an ornery crotch. Seems like that crotch isn’t getting enough proper attention.”
“Isn’t that what makes people ornery in the first place?”
“I don’t know—you tell me,” she says.
I smile against her hair. “Are you asking if my crotch has been getting proper attention?”
“First of all, can we stop saying the wordcrotch? It’s easily the most unattractive word ever created. Secondly…maybe?”
I laugh. “Interested in my sex life? Here I thought we were just innocently sitting together on the porch.”
“This is theadultversion of us sitting on the porch. We talk about adult things now. So go ahead, answer the question.”
I sigh. “Well, let’s just say it’s been a while.”
“How long?”
“This isn’t a very Christmassy conversation,” I reply.
“Yes, it is. The holiday season is all about bringing joy, and joy can be found everywhere. It can be found while hanging ornaments on a tree, sipping a cup of peppermint mocha while watching ice skating, or getting naked with another person and having them play around with your…candy cane.”
“Jesus.” I snort, my chest vibrating with humor. “These conversations really have matured.”
“Yup, now answer the question.”
I rub my eye with the palm of my hand. “I don’t know, a few months, maybe more than that. Like I said, it’s been a while.”
