Page 8 of The Night Before Christmas
Chapter Seven
Christmas Day
Atlas-
Iwake up to the smell of cinnamon and the soft hum of Christmas music playing in the background. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I can’t help but smile at the festive atmosphere. Standing from my spot on Lana’s bed, I realize that Jace is already awake and probably out there with Lana. After last night's activities, I passed out. Hard.
Looking around the room, I find my boxers on the floor and quickly grab them and pull them on. Ready to go see what kind of trouble the two of them are causing in the kitchen this early. The second I step out of the room, I stop dead in my tracks.
Jace holds Lana from behind. Flour covers the both of them as they wear matching smiles. My heart fills with so much love.
There she is, the girl I love, standing by the stove with a concentration on her face that only adds to her charm. The morning sunlight streams through the window, casting a gentle glow on her as she moves about the kitchen with grace.
Jace releases her but never takes his eyes off of her as she continues to make—what smells like—an amazing Christmas breakfast.
She wears the shirt I had on yesterday, drowning in it and her hair cascades in loose waves down her shoulders. I lean against the doorframe, arms crossed over my chest, silently watching their every move, captivated by the simple beauty of the moment.
Lana tells Jace what and how to do something and he follows her instructions perfectly, not wanting to mess up or disappoint her. Her laughter floats through the air as she playfully tosses a pancake in the air, successfully catching it with a flourish. The joy on her face is contagious, and I find myself grinning in response. She hands Jace the pan and gets him to try to copy her cool flipping move, but when he tries to do it, the pancake falls to the floor. I can’t hold in my laughter after seeing the look on his face.
Two sets of eyes whip toward me as I push off the door frame, wanting to be closer to them. “Good morning,” she greets me, her voice a melodic blend of excitement and contentment.
"Good morning," I reply, my heart doing a little dance in my chest. I can't help but feel a surge of gratitude for being able to share this moment with her. With them. I pull her into me and she hits my chest with a low oomph.
“Merry Christmas, Love.” I trace the line of her jaw with my fingertip and she shivers, leaning closer to me. Our lips touch and I feel like I could kiss her like this forever and never come up for air.
Jace's voice breaks our moment and we both pull apart at the panic laced in his words. “Lana! It’s burning and I can’t flip it!” she giggles before pushing him out of the way with her hip and taking over.
A quick ten minutes later, we’re all seated at her small table, plates full, coffee in hand and the only acceptable Christmas album playing in the background. Michael Buble's Christmas.
Perfect.
After we eat, I grab Lana before she can protest and walk into the living room. Jace still nursing a cup of coffee at the table. My hand wraps around her waist and I bring her as close as possible. The music plays faintly in the background as we sway to the beat, her head resting on my chest. “Thank you,” she whispers before pulling away slightly and looking up at me. Her eyes are full of love and admiration.
“For what, Love?”
“For being here. The both of you. I know you didn’t have to stay, but you did. I mean, I didn’t even decorate my Christmas tree. It only has the lights that were already on it. I thought I’d be spending today alone, so I didn’t bother decorating it.'' She looks sad as I keep my arms tightly wrapped around her waist. “Well then. Let's change that. I have a box of ornaments in my dorm from my mom. I’ll go run and grab them. We can decorate the tree together.”
Her face breaks out in a smile as Jace joins us.
“Not so fast. Gifts first.” Jace says.
Lana-
I scrunch my eyebrows together. “Gifts? You guys really didn’t need to get me anything,” I say, grabbing the present Jace just handed me.
“Of course we did. You gave us both the best gifts and we wanted to repay you.” Jace says. He did such a good job of wrapping it that I almost don’t want to tear the beautiful wrapping paper. “I wasn’t able to get you guys anything. With midterms and I was falling behin–” How did I forget to buy them something?
Before I could say anything more, Altas has his finger pressed to my lips, silencing me. “ You are the best gift. All we wanted for Christmas was you.” I can feel the heat on my cheeks so instead of replying, I look back down to the gift from Jace in my hands. I tear into the package and when I open it, I find a beautiful velvet box. Opening the lid, a gasp leaves my mouth. My eyes fill with tears as I take in the most beautiful necklace. It has a J and A on a silver chain. It’s absolutely perfect. I set the gift down and stand, running over to where Jace is sitting, and throw myself into his lap.
“I love it. Thank you so much.” I place a kiss on his lips and he smiles at me.
“Help me put it on?” I stand and walk back over to grab the box.
After Jace helps me get it on, Atlas is basically jumping with impatience.
“Finally, here.” He shoves a rectangle box into my hands and I can’t help but laugh at how excited he is. And that laughter turns to a fit of giggles. Tears begin streaming down my face and I can’t seem to get a hold of myself.
“Do you like it?” I wipe the tears from my eyes before looking at Atlas. Who has his arms crossed and a smirk on his handsome face. The box is ripped from my hands before I get the chance to answer him.