Keep Me Warm

The plane was late, making Garrett crankier then his usual mood. The two already had quite the morning, hitting traffic on the way to the airport and John ran late to pick them up, mumbling something about Tania making him late. Garrett almost cursed at him but Melanie stopped him before he could go through with the action, promising him that his singer’s tardiness wouldn’t make them any later for the flight. Then the car rental company lost his paperwork, giving them a longer delay before they could leave. And then, to make Garrett even more annoyed they hit traffic on the interstate only 10 miles away from their exit.

He’d planned this trip months before, intending to surprise her. It had always been her dream to have a “white christmas”. She talked about it through all their previous christmases together, about how she wanted to wake up with snow covering the ground and the temperature to be below 32 degrees. So this year for Christmas, Garrett decided to rent a cabin for her, for the two of them, so they could get away and celebrate the Christmas she wanted. The surprise was ruined when she saw the emails in his computer one morning, the squeal she made woke him up.

After their plane ride and dealing with the car rental place, the two had another 5 hour car ride from the airport to the cabin. Melanie fell asleep a half hour into the ride, leaving Garrett to drive in silence. The interstate was easy enough, he simply had to navigate around the tractor-trailers and follow the speed limit but once he had to pull off to the right, taking the correct exit into the mountain roads, things got trickier. Within twenty minutes he was lost. He questioned every turn he made, rereading the street signs at every intersection, and carefully examined the map at the stop signs and stop light. She slept through most of his confusion, letting Garrett only get them more lost in the silence.

She only woke up when she felt the car come to a stop, assuming the two had finally arrived at the cabin. “Gar?” She whispered, “Are we here?”

He groaned, mumbling out a quick no and rustling the paper in his hand. The map was unfolded, fingers tracing and retracing the roads on it. She couldn’t help but laugh at his confused face, earning her a hard glare from him.

“Confused?” She asked, smirking at him again as he looked at the piece of paper harder.

Scowling, he turned to see her sitting up the seat, readjusting the seat belt. “This fucking map,” He complained, “It’s like, every fucking road is named the same thing. And then there’s fucking roads that don’t even exist.”

Melanie couldn’t help but laugh again, watching him grow more and more frustrated. “You do realize you have a GPS on your phone?”

His attention went back to the map, ignoring her comment completely. She knew how Garrett was, how once he was set out to figure something out, he wasn’t ever willing to try any other method. He was Garrett, stubborn, hardheaded Garrett. She simply rolled her eyes at him, staring out the windshield.

“I mean, fucking look at this, Mel,” He tilt the map towards her, pointing at a few roads, “When I googled the directions before we left, it said to take this highway until we got to Grayson Street,” his finger traced a line and she looked at it, rolling her eyes at his whining, “But there is no Grayson Street on this map.”

“Gar, just gimme your phone,” She spoke over his complaining. “I’ll get the directions.”

He groaned, looking at the map again. “No, I got it, okay? It’s fine.”

Rolling her eyes, she rested her head against the headrest and looking out the window. The small gas station he stopped at was closed, a large sign hanging in the window reminding customers of the holiday hours and that the establishment was closed for the next few days. He exhaled again, frustrated by the lines on the map, flipping the piece of paper and staring at it harder.

“Gar—“ She tried again, only to have him shoot her a glare before refocusing on the paper in his hands.

It took him ten minutes before he quickly turned on the car again, smiling victoriously. “New Haven,” he mumbled to her, putting the car in reverse and backing from the spot. “Don’t let me forget, left on New Haven.”

They drove again, slowing down at every intersection for Garrett to examine the signs. They did it four times before he pulled over again, groaning again and grabbing the map from the center console. A low string of curses fell from his lips as he traced the roads with his fingers. “Where the fuck are we?”

Melanie didn’t bother waiting for him to get them more lost, grabbing the phone from his lap quickly. When he went to catch her hand to stop her, she gave him the face he gave her, warning him to stop. In half the time it took Garrett to read the map, Melanie figured out the exact intersections to turn on and miles to travel. “There.” She looked at him, smiling, setting the phone on his thigh. “You went too far.”

He didn’t answer, just picking up the device from his leg and glancing at it. “That’s what I was going do,” He mumbled, shooting her a look. “I was just, uh… a little confused.”

“Right Garrett,” She smiled, “Of course you were.”

Instead of him talking or responding, the voice of the his phone’s GPS program began listing directions for him to do. She stayed awake for the rest of the ride, sending Garrett small smirks every time he’d mumble a curse word at the device. They arrived at the cabin only 15 minutes later, the rental car’s wheels pulling into the narrow driveway and Garrett pulled the emergency brake before turning of the car.

“That’s it?” He grumbled, staring out the windshield, “Fucking 800 dollars for the week and we get this.”

She sent him a confused frown, “What are you talking about?” She practically gasped, staring out at the small cabin. “It’s perfect.”

It was small, a red tin roof topped the small, logged sided building. A small brick chimney climbed up one side and the other side had a large bay window. Two Adirondack styled chairs rested on the front porch, a small path wrapped around the building leading to the back deck. Behind it, woods filled the view, the gray sky filling in the gaps between the trees.

“It’s nothing like the picture,” he looked at her, waiting to see if disappointment was filling her in the same way it did to him. “And the website said a thousand square feet, and that’s definitely not a thousand square feet, Mel. Abraham Lincoln probably lived in a cabin bigger than this.”

“Quit it.” She swatted at his chest, giving him a soft smile. “Seriously, it’s beautiful and I bet the view is gonna be amazing. I love it, baby.”

Garrett worked up a forced smile in return, leaning over in his seat and across the console. His fingers brushed over her cheeks, a true smile tugging at his lips. “Are you sure?” He whispered, bring his lips closer to hers. “Because I really can run down to the realtor and demand a different one.”

His name fell from her lips after rolling her eyes. “It’s perfect.” She breathed, “I love it.” Her lips touched his, kissing him softly. “And I love you.”

The two took a few moments to kiss, Garrett’s hands holding her lips to his. But when she finally broke away, slipping from his grasp and sending him a teasing smirk. Melanie climbed out of the car first, working her way around to the trunk before Garrett followed. They unloaded in silence, pulling the luggage and grocery bags from the trunk and carrying it into the house.

The inside was almost empty, only a bed, sofa, and a few tables and chairs filled the space. The space was stuffy and the floors were cold. A fresh set of towels and sheets were placed on the living room table, a card from the maid laying on top of the pile. The lights were off, the only light coming through the big windows facing the west side of house as the sun sank.

Garrett immediately frowned, dropping his bags on the floor after releasing another set of curses. “This is not what I paid for.” He mumbled, “I fucking paid for a nice place, Mel. I’m sorry.”

Her attention didn’t go back to him, instead she dropped the bags on the small coffee table and walking towards the windows. When he spoke again, she hushed him, staring out at the setting sun. “It’s gorgeous.” She whispered, smiling.

“No, we’re not staying here.” He stepped towards her, reaching for her arm to pull her towards the door. “There isn’t even a decent blanket on the bed, Mel. The kitchen doesn’t even have a dishwasher, how are we supposed to do dishes?”

“It’s fine.” She spoke again, keeping her eyes out the window, tracing the horizons and the trees that blocked her view. “I’ll do the dishes.”

“Melanie…” He tried again, only to see her smile out the window and twist into his open arm. An immediate smile covered her face, kissing him gently again.

“Calm down, Garrett,” She mumbled into his skin when she felt his arms wrapped around her, “I’m fine here. It’s beautiful and it’ll be nice for it to be just us, okay? So please, can we just stay here? I really am happy.”

She could see the reluctancy still in him so she kissed him again, pressing herself against him. Garrett sighed, knowing her tactic but not backing away or pushing her. “Fine.” He exhaled when she pulled away, “We’ll stay.” A smile stretched across her face at his words. “But I swear Melanie, one gross thing runs across the floor and I’m staying in the car."

“You are such a girl.” She muttered, emphasizing each word. “But okay Gar, one gross thing runs across the floor you can stay in the car.”

Smiling victoriously, he unwrapped his arms from her, backing away. The two set back into motion as they moved around the small space. Garrett put their bags away, pulling out the blankets she’d packed and putting them on the bed. He continued to pull things out and putting them away. She went to the fridge, putting away the food they’d bought and brought, leaving out only enough to cook dinner that night.”

“No.” Garrett interrupted her thoughts when she pulled some pans from the cabinets, immediately beginning to wash it out in the sink. “You’re not cooking tonight.”

“And why’s that?” She glanced over her shoulder, seeing him leaning against the first cabinet, his arms crossed across his chest.

She saw the smile stretch over his lips, stepping closer to her. His arms wound around her, pulling her wet arms out of the water. “Because,” his voice was nearly inaudible, “I’m gonna cook for you tonight.” The warm words filled the space between them, making him pulled her further away from the hot water to press a kiss into her shoulder.

Scoffing, she brushed his arm from her, stepping back to the sink. “You can help.” She spoke back to him. “You can start by setting the table.

Garrett only complied after he watched her start cooking, knowing he couldn’t talk her from the task once she started in on the routine. He found the drawer filled with silverware, dropping them in the hot, soapy water, following her directions, and then drying them and placing them on the table with a napkin. Then he busied himself with the cork screw, pulling the cork from the bottle of wine that John had given them.

By the time he finished his jobs she told him to do, she had finished most of the dinner, only waiting for the food in the oven to be cooked completely.

“I should be cooking for you.” He grumbled again, walking towards her, “This is part of your gift.”

“If I let you cook, I won’t even get to enjoy it, I’ll be in bed sick.” She teased, smirking at him as he continued towards her, a hand running down her waist to her hips. “And I really wanna enjoy this trip.”

“Oh do you now?” His voice stayed low, “Is there anything I can do to make you ‘enjoy’ this trip more?”

“Well some Jack could certainly help.” She grinned. “But if I can’t have that, I guess you’ll do.”

His other hand touched her side, Garrett pulling himself to her so their lips would meet. Yet the moment he pushed her back so she rested against the countertop, the alarm chimed on the oven, signaling their meal’s completion.

“Let it burn.” He whispered, pecking another kiss to her lips. “I’m not hungry.”

She giggled, rolling her eyes as he took a step back to see her reaction. “C’mon Gar,” She spoke, her tone normalizing, “Let’s eat.”

He only got a chance to nod before she was back to work, pulling the pan from the oven and putting the meal onto plates. Garrett mumbled a thank you, sitting down at the chair beside her and eating. They chatted about their lives back home, about whether Tania accepted John’s proposal and if Dani loved the house Tim bought her. They talked about the future of them and the band, his smile growing anytime she’d ask a question. Everything seemed to be moving forward for the cluster of friends, many of the couples Garrett and Melanie watched form now taking bigger steps in commitment.

They relocated to the couch, Garrett grabbed the bottle of wine and her wrist, curling into her the moment she sat down. The conversations continued, Garrett keeping her glass full. She brought up all the things she’d made note to tell him, all the jokes she heard and the stories she wanted to tell. He’d smile, pressing small kisses to her lips in between her words. His attention fully on her and on her words.

He stayed until the two were practically shivering and uncomfortable. And he moved as quickly as possible, grabbing logs from the stack outside, piling them inside the small fire place. She sat by, watching him lean over and build it up, making small, teasing comments as he worked, only getting small smirks and glances over his shoulder as he continued.

“Y’know,” He groaned out, glancing out the window, “It’s not even fucking snowing outside.”

“Sit down.” Melanie whined, watching him move towards the panes of glass, staring out. “Garrett, it doesn’t even matter.”

His attention stay outside, “The fucking travel agent said this was the place to come for snow, and yet, still no snow. I want to give you a white Christmas.”

“It doesn’t even matter.” She whined, wrapping the blanket around her to make up for the lack of warmth from him. “I just want you.”

Garrett didn’t reply, still standing inches from the window and looking out. Even when she whined out his name, he simply mumbled another apology. She waited patiently for him to twist back around with a smile, coming back to the couch for more attention. Except he didn’t, he stayed there, only talking about the lack snow and how hard he tried to get her the dream she wanted.

“Hey Garrett,” Her voice rose as she sat up higher in the couch, readying herself to stand. “Want your present?”

The statement did exactly what she hoped as he turned back, looking at her with a curious gaze. “Present?” He asked, excitement in him. “You got me a present?”

“Of course,” She smiled back, rising from the spot, the blankets falling from her legs. “If you come sit back down, I’ll get it.”

He did as she requested, his blue eyes filled with curiosity. She went to her luggage, reaching into the front pocket and pulling the small box from it. Its green wrapping paper immediately captured Garrett’s attention as she walked back over to him.

“You, uh… didn’t have to get me anything, Mel.” His words were soft as he watched her twist around.

She smiled at him, lowering herself back down beside him, their thighs brushing. “I wanted to,” Her hand jutted forward, handing the small box to him, “Open it.”

Leaning forward and taking the small box from her hands, he carefully pulled off the ribbon and paper. He glanced up at her, waiting for her to smile back, before unwrapping it the rest of it. Carefully, he opened the the lid, picking up the strips of paper inside and reading them. “Jimmy Eat World?” He grinned again.

She only nodded, moving her hand from his again. His hands touched the tickets again, spreading the set out and playing with the tissue paper in the box.

“Four though?” He mumbled, putting the lid of the box back on and looking back up at her. “Why do we need four?”

“I figured we could invited Kennedy and Em,” She spoke as he set the box on the table and leaned back against the couch, wrapping his arm around her waist while slouching down into the couch. “Since Emily loves Jimmy Eat World and all.”

“No.” His face dropped immediately, “Not Ken and Em. Mel, we both know those tickets will go to waste if they come.”

She giggled, rolling her eyes. “It’ll be fine, Garrett…”

“Did you not here about when they went to The Kooks show with John and Tania?” He interrupted, his eyes wide and serious as he looked at her. “They were all over each other.”

Another set of giggles filled the space between then as she pulled her legs across his thighs, “It’ll be fine Gar.” She said again, this time in a whisper as she rested her head against his shoulder, “They’ll go to the bathroom.”

He scoffed loudly, resting his head against her, both his arms snaking around waist, “No they won’t.”

“Then we’ll leave them then.” She reassured him, pressing a kiss under his jaw.

“I hate Emily anyways.” He groaned.

“You do not hate Em.” She gasped, sitting up quickly swatting at his chest. “She’s one of our best friends.”

He sighed heavily, shrugging down further into the couch and closer to her. “She’s so mean to me though. She calls me fat and stupid.” Garrett whined against her, only hearing her giggle again. “She treats Ken like he’s some god and I’m just the fat, stupid kid in the corner.”

“You’re not fat.” She grinned at him, pecking his lips. “Or stupid.”

“I know but…” His words were cut off when she pressed her finger to his lips, stopping their movement as she quickly sat up from her spot. She was on his thighs now, dropping her finger from his lips, her own replacing it.

She only got to kiss him for a few moments before he pulled away, his breathing slow as he looked at her with a frown. “You should be more upset about this.”

“I would be but…” Her words paused as she rearranged her so she had a leg on either side of him, straddling him. “It’s Em.”

Instead of waiting to reply, she pressed her lips to his again and giving him no chance to slip away again. His hands went from her chin to her hips, allowing her to push his shoulder blades into the cushion. Before either got too comfortable, Garrett pushed her up some, her arms wrapping tight around neck.

He flipped them so he was on top of her, his arms still around her waist, hands gliding down her back, playing with the seams of the fabric. They kissed, her hands lacing into his hair, playing with the strands. Garrett broke away, busying himself with the skin on her neck.

After awhile, the kissing turned into simple cuddle. Garrett complained of how tired he was, slowly falling asleep against her. Their legs were tangled under the thick blanket Melanie brought from their apartment and the fire Garrett built kept him warm.

She still traced over the muscles of his back, feeling the knots in his spine. His breath spread into the lines of her neck. She felt it slowing, his back rising and falling at the same pace. It was obviously how tired he was, how tired they both were, from the nights before. They celebrated the holidays with their friends and family, just cramming it into a few number a days. Now that they were away, they could finally relax, and Garrett was then.

When he cuddled into her more, she made a soft noise, pushing his head from her. “Gar,” She whined, “My present?”

His eyes open, a teasing smile spread over his lips. “Present?” He questioned, “You wanted a present?”

Nodding, she bit her lip, staring back at him. His only response was to drop his head to neck, kissing under her jaw and behind her ear. “My present, Garrett? Y’know, that thing you got me for Christmas?”

Garrett left small kisses along her collar bone and shoulder, climbing up the skin of her neck, only to have her push him away again. He watched her, smiling down as he pressed a small kiss to her cheek. “Present?” He whispered into the her, his hands touching her skin. “Why would I get you a gift?”

It was a fight to deny him over and over, but Melanie could so it, fighting the feeling she got when he did this. Smiling, she pushed against her chest again, “Because it’s Christmas,” when his head ducked back down into the nape of her neck, she pushed him up again, “And because you love me.”

“I love you?” He mumbled against the skin of her neck, “I love you? Are you sure?”

“Yup.” Her words were confident, a smile on her face. “You do. Now get me my present.”

“It’s true.” He breathed again, holding onto her tighter. “I do love you a lot.”

Melanie expected him to get up then, to walk over to his messy luggage and pull out whatever box he’d packed forever. But he didn’t, just resting his head back against her shoulder, his arms winding around her and started falling back asleep.

She waited a few minutes, giving him a chance to change his mind. When he didn’t, her hands fell from his back, turning slightly to make his head fly up in confusion. “Present?” She asked again, smirking at his slightly confused state.

He released a fake, exaggerated groan, pushing himself up from his spot on her. His legs untangle from hers, the blankets leaving her again, the warmth of his body gone first. She watched him take the small box from his luggage, carefully pulling it from one of his socks.
The box was the same size as his, only wrapped in lighter green paper, a white ribbon tight around it. She sat up as he returned, watching him lower himself down on the couch, sitting close to her feet. “Here.” He handed her the small box, “Just a little something to add to all this.”

Melanie smiled, taking the box from him and pulling off the ribbon. Before she went for the paper, she looked at him again, his bottom lip between his teeth, watching her with a curious smile. “Open it.” He whispered again, causing her head to drop and her fingers pull at the paper.

Inside the box, she traced over the small, silver chain, the pendent hanging from it. Glancing up again, she saw Garrett smirk, a hand falling to her leg. It was simple, the small charm hanging from the necklace had the words “shifts lock” written on it. She knew what it was immediately after reading it, glancing up at Garrett then with a big smile. “Is this a—“

He only nodded, his lips falling from between his teeth. “Yes.” He answered, “I figured you’d know what it was.”

The smile on her face only grew when she lifted it from the box, gesturing for him to come around and attach it to her neck. It was in that moment, he let out another groan, dropping another series of curses.

“What?” She asked quickly, “What is it?”

“This isn’t the chain I picked out.” He groaned, sighing in frustration. “I mean, it’s close but the fucking guy at the place I went told me this one wasn’t what I wanted.”

“No baby,” She smiled, glancing down at the pendent hanging from her neck. “It’s perfect, really. I love it.”

He only frowned, wrapping his arms around her and cuddling into her neck. His fingers traced down the chain until he reached the piece of silver before picking it up from her neck and examining it. “I had the whole story to tell you too.” He mumbled, kissing under jaw when she pushed his hand away.

“Story?” She whispered, “What story?”

“About the key,” He whispered again, his hand relocating to her hip and he pulled her against him. “It has a story.”

“Tell me.”

Garrett shrugged, yawning out a no again as he tried to kiss her neck but she swatted him away, insisting again to hear the story. He tried, holding her hand down and kissing her, but she’d scooted away again, giving him a glare. “Tell me.” She repeated, crossing her arms in front of her.

“The gift isn’t perfect, Mel.” He scooted after her, his fingers grazing her arm as he reached out, “I’ll tell you when it’s perfect.”

“Garrett.” She mumbled out his name, looking in his eyes for the first time since she had thanked him, “How about this?” Her hand fell to his thigh, the fingers curling to the inside seam, hand rising higher, “How about you tell me what this ’story’ is,” she only scooted closer, her hand still moving slowly across his tight jeans, “and I’ll tell you a uh… story that you’ll love.”

His attention went from her eyes to her hand that hand stop moving, his eyebrows rising. “A story?” He smirked, “Is it a story I’ll like?”

“Oh Garrett,” Her kept her same low tone, moving her hand to his chin and pulling his gaze back to her. “You’ll love it.”

She connected her lips to his, pulling his collar down with her as she fell back against the couch again. As soon as they were comfortable, their legs intertwined again under the thick blanket, she pulled away. He tried to continue, like he always would when she teased him with her lips, but she denied him.

“Fine,” he groaned, “I’ll tell you.”

She pushed him up slightly, keeping his torso off hers so his elbows held him up.

“The guy I uh—talked to at the jewelry place I went to, he told me this came from this woman who lived in New York, she was a w-writer.” His words dropped at her smile, confused until she nudged him to continue. “It was some guy’s mom or something, so when the jewelry guy met this kid, I dunno, somehow he learned of this old woman’s typewriter— a Remington? And apparently, she wrote like ten plays and a novel on it, so she always kinda told people that it was her good luck charm in writing.” He let out a nervous chuckle, watching her smile fade. “So when I told the guy you were a writer, he immediately knew what to give you. He bought machine of the kid and has been making various pieces of jewelry out of it since.”

Melanie watched the blush spread over his face, hugging him harder then before. “Garrett—“

“I just wanted to get you something special, one of a kind.” He smiled, “And I hoped this was that.”

She didn’t know what to say other then to press another kiss to his lips. He smirked into it, immediately embracing it, pulling her up from the couch.

“What’re you d-doing?” She stuttered out, in between his short, rough kisses.

He only smirked, continuing to pull her towards the bed. “Don’t you have a story to tell me now?”

***

“Garrett,” She whispered in his ear, “Look outside.”

He was reluctant to turn around, keeping himself close to her again. When she told him to look again, he simply pressed a kiss into the nape of her neck, trying to win the game he assumed the two were playing. Except instead of giving in like she usually did, she told him to look outside again. He took it as the sign she was serious. Moving slowly, he untangled his limbs from her body, twisting around in the sheets to see the out the window.

Flakes fell from the sky, covering their mountain view in a thick, white blanket. The trees branches drooped some and the wet ground the two watched before was now covered in the white precipitation. Garrett couldn’t help but smiling, knowing that the intention of the trip had finally happen. He kept his attention out the window, until he felt her hand run over his shoulder and down his arm, pulling gently at his elbow, his name leaving her lips.

Smiling he flipped back around again, pressing a soft kiss to her lips to wake her up more. “A white Christmas.” His voice was soft and raspy, how it always sounded right after he woke up, immediately making her smile, “The perfect Christmas, baby, just like you wanted.”

“I told you, Garrett,” Her voice matched his softness, arms wrapping around his back, hands tracing the knots of his spine as he laid beside her. “It doesn’t matter; the snow, the gift, the food. None of that really matters to me. As long as I get to spend the holidays with you, it is perfect.”