Looking For The Words

I don't know what it is about waiting or distance or whatever it is that makes a reunion so sweet but I can't exactly say that I hate it. I mean, I sure as hell hated the year Everest and I were apart but as of now, I can't bring myself to hate the distance because it makes this just that much more special.

Or maybe it's those damn tights he was wearing earlier. Who knows?

Everest's hands fist in my shirt as his tongue moves against mine. I tighten my arms around his waist and lift him so that he has no choice but to wrap his legs around my waist. He used to love it when I did this and judging by the upward curve of his lips, he still does. I walk backwards until my knees hit the bed and we fall, Everest settled perfectly on top of me.

I break the kiss for a second and pull his shirt over his head. Everest's lips are back on mine less than two seconds later and his fingers almost expertly unbutton my shirt. He runs his hands down my chest and allows me to lean up to slip the shirt off over my arms. His hands keep roaming until his fingers come in contact with the charm on my necklace. 

Everest's kisses become less and less frantic as he realizes what it is and he pulls away all together. He looks down at the golden lion resting in his palm and smiles slightly.

Everest gave it to me last year on the day before I left. It's sort of an inside joke. I used to call him my little lion because he was feisty. He still is but like he said, square one and all that. I thought I'd be overstepping my boundaries by using the nickname again. Then again, I think we just skipped a whole bunch of squares.

"You still have this." He whispers incredulously. 

"Of course I do, you gave it to me." I smile, wrapping my hands around his. "I don't think I've ever taken it off. Maybe once or twice when I was feeling especially guilty but I always put it right back on, honestly."

He looks at me through his lashes and kisses me deeply. None of the desperation from before is evident but instead, a different emotion pops up. Love. It's drastically different from desperation, let me tell you, and a whole hell of a lot better.

"Do you have a pair of sweatpants I could borrow?" He asks sheepishly. 

"You know I always do." I wink. He pecks my lips again and climbs off of me. I go through my luggage and hand him a pair of my gray sweatpants, the same ones he loved wearing so much last year. I put on my pair of cotton pajamas, passing up the silk ones mom always insists I wear. We climb into the oversized bed next to each other and I pull him close. 

"I can't believe you still wear this." He murmurs, fingering my necklace. 

"I never stopped loving you, Ev. Not even for a second." I murmur back. "It was the only thing I allowed myself to remind me of you. It almost killed me. There was about two weeks in August, right around your birthday, when I got really sick. I couldn't even get out of bed. James says that it was because I missed you so much."

"Really?" 

"Yeah. This helped a lot though." I smile, wrapping my fingers around his and kissing them softly.

"Why didn't you ever call me?" He questions. 

"I wanted to. You know why I didn't. And then those times when I finally plucked up the courage it was already October and I figured you didn't want to hear from me by then." I explain. "I wasn't planning on coming this year but my mother is very forceful."

Everest laughs and tightens his grip around me. "I'm glad she is, in a way. If she wasn't we wouldn't be together now."

"We should write her a thank-you note." I suggest.

"Oh yes, because that would go over nicely." He jokes. We laugh together and it feels nice. It's been far too long since we've done this and honestly, I prefer this over the direction we were headed earlier. I'd never admit it out loud to anyone but him but it's true.

Everest asks about James and his daughter (great and great), and about Tyler (about to earn himself a one way ticket to doggie heaven if he keeps chewing on my couch cushions). I ask about his moms sewing addiction (the home office is still full of fabric samples thankyouverymuch), and his uncles mid-life crisis (he got a sports car which his aunt promptly returned), and about his latest writing endeavor (major writers block but maybe you could fix that?). 

Overall, it's a very laid back and completely unexpected way to end the night. Everest manages to fall asleep during a lull in the conversation and I can't bring myself to tear my eyes away from him. He's so fucking cute when he's sleeping. 

Suddenly I remember that, fuck, Christmas is tomorrow and the list James texted me earlier. I get out of bed as smoothly as I can and retrieve my phone before carefully settling next to my sleeping beauty again. The list turns out to be absolutely perfect, as if anything James does is less than perfect, and I begin to make plans for tomorrow. Hopefully it'll be a Christmas Everest will never forget. 

I smile at his sleeping form next to me and pull him closer than necessary. He wraps his arms around me in his sleep and I can hardly keep myself from kissing him awake. I settle for kissing his forehead instead. "Good night my little lion."