Status: Live
Holding Hands Won't Be Enough
Chapter 90: Lanttulaatikko
“Thank you.” Milly smiled at Jussi as they exited into the backstreet behind The Riff, both instinctively pulling their coats tighter, the snow falling heavily now, so heavily the roof became unbearable to remain on. “I don’t think I’ve relaxed once since I’ve been back here.” she said honestly, leaning back against the wall, an awning keeping them both covered from the snow fall.
“Glad I could be of service.” he smirked, lighting two cigarettes behind his cupped hand, before passing one to her. “Though I think it’s more of the whiskey helping than me.” he winked. She shook her head.
“No, I don’t believe so.” she said pensively, “You have a calming effect on me.”
“I do?” he asked quizzically, not expecting that be a describing factor of him at all.
“I trust you implicitly, and love you fiercely, I have done since we first met.”
“Ditto, kid.”
“In another life we would have been perfect for each other.” she laughed.
“You know I always thought so.” he chuckled, “Though imagine the hair situation, we’d be forever calling out plumbers to unclog drains, we’d go bankrupt.”
“Incredibly inconvenient.” she said seriously “Good job we’re both romantic fuck-ups really then isn’t it?” she sniggered, before being interrupted by clock bells. Jussi quickly grabbed her and danced her out into the snow, moving in time to the twelve chimes of midnight. She laughed loudly as he span her around, partly in shock, partly in drunken enjoyment.
“Merry Christmas hot stuff.” he grinned.
“Merry Christmas Jus.” she smiled, looking up at him, snow landing all over her face, he quickly brushed the snow away with his hand, before placing a delicate kiss on her lips.
“Love you always.” he smiled, sincerely.
“I love you always.” she repeated, squeezing his face between her hands. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Don’t go back to LA Mil, you’re the closest thing I’ve ever had to a best friend.”
“Uhh, Jyrki?” she asked with a furrowed brow.
“He’s my brother.” he noted, slinging his arm around her neck and walking down the alley with her.
“Jussi,” she started, “What do you want for Christmas?”
“Already got it.”
“Oh?”
“Kiss from a babe. Santa has got my back.” he laughed, “Just have to hope he pulls through with the other want.” he said squeezing her into his side. “That LA disappears overnight.” she laughed, and appreciated what he was saying more than she was letting on. Since being here, she had only thought about returning to ‘normal’ but her new normal was just as fucked as the old normal would be now. So many thoughts swam around her head in a whiskey haze that she missed what Jussi had been just said. “Hmm?”
“I said, are you hungry?”
“What are you doing for Christmas Jussi, I never asked.” she answered, completely ignoring his question.
“Rosa is off in Spain with her mother, so probably just beers with someone, Jyrki most likely..”
“No. Come spend Christmas with my family.”
“I can’t do that.”
“I want you to. Please? I can’t do this co-mingled shit alone.”
“But it’s a family thing, surely?”
“You just said I’m you’re best friend, you are my family.” she insisted, “Oscar will love having you there, so will I, so will Ville.” she started to laugh, “Not to mention my mother after all the flirting you did with her at the wedding, please?”
“I don’t want to intrude.”
“I’m making Lanttulaatikko.” she tempted, her famous casserole she used to make every year for the boys during the colder months.
“Oh god damn.”
“I would really love to have you there, the world needs as few people feeling alone on Christmas as possible.” He leant his head against hers as they walked.
“I would be honoured to spend Christmas with your family, thank you.” she pulled a cheeky tight lipped face and looked up at him, he stopped walking. “Yes?”
“Want to come back now and help me wrap presents that I should’ve wrapped instead of drinking with you, so no-one suspects I’m a terrible daughter, sister and mother.” he narrowed his eyes and studied her comical naughty and apprehensive face.
“Depends.”
“On?”
“Whether your mum will be up and about in her night clothes.” he smirked. She slapped him hard in the chest and made a retching noise.
“Uninvited!” she laughed, walking away from him quickly. He chased after her, picking her up and flinging her over his shoulder. “Stop!” she cackled. He didn’t listen and just kept walking, “If you’re doing this just so I can check out your ass I’m not looking.” she commented petulantly. He stopped dead and put her down.
“You just ruined Christmas.” he said stoney faced, though he couldn’t maintain it long before laughing and grabbing her hand. “Come on, let’s hustle, it’s fucking freezing. You can feed me at yours?”
“Oh Jussi, to death."
“Glad I could be of service.” he smirked, lighting two cigarettes behind his cupped hand, before passing one to her. “Though I think it’s more of the whiskey helping than me.” he winked. She shook her head.
“No, I don’t believe so.” she said pensively, “You have a calming effect on me.”
“I do?” he asked quizzically, not expecting that be a describing factor of him at all.
“I trust you implicitly, and love you fiercely, I have done since we first met.”
“Ditto, kid.”
“In another life we would have been perfect for each other.” she laughed.
“You know I always thought so.” he chuckled, “Though imagine the hair situation, we’d be forever calling out plumbers to unclog drains, we’d go bankrupt.”
“Incredibly inconvenient.” she said seriously “Good job we’re both romantic fuck-ups really then isn’t it?” she sniggered, before being interrupted by clock bells. Jussi quickly grabbed her and danced her out into the snow, moving in time to the twelve chimes of midnight. She laughed loudly as he span her around, partly in shock, partly in drunken enjoyment.
“Merry Christmas hot stuff.” he grinned.
“Merry Christmas Jus.” she smiled, looking up at him, snow landing all over her face, he quickly brushed the snow away with his hand, before placing a delicate kiss on her lips.
“Love you always.” he smiled, sincerely.
“I love you always.” she repeated, squeezing his face between her hands. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Don’t go back to LA Mil, you’re the closest thing I’ve ever had to a best friend.”
“Uhh, Jyrki?” she asked with a furrowed brow.
“He’s my brother.” he noted, slinging his arm around her neck and walking down the alley with her.
“Jussi,” she started, “What do you want for Christmas?”
“Already got it.”
“Oh?”
“Kiss from a babe. Santa has got my back.” he laughed, “Just have to hope he pulls through with the other want.” he said squeezing her into his side. “That LA disappears overnight.” she laughed, and appreciated what he was saying more than she was letting on. Since being here, she had only thought about returning to ‘normal’ but her new normal was just as fucked as the old normal would be now. So many thoughts swam around her head in a whiskey haze that she missed what Jussi had been just said. “Hmm?”
“I said, are you hungry?”
“What are you doing for Christmas Jussi, I never asked.” she answered, completely ignoring his question.
“Rosa is off in Spain with her mother, so probably just beers with someone, Jyrki most likely..”
“No. Come spend Christmas with my family.”
“I can’t do that.”
“I want you to. Please? I can’t do this co-mingled shit alone.”
“But it’s a family thing, surely?”
“You just said I’m you’re best friend, you are my family.” she insisted, “Oscar will love having you there, so will I, so will Ville.” she started to laugh, “Not to mention my mother after all the flirting you did with her at the wedding, please?”
“I don’t want to intrude.”
“I’m making Lanttulaatikko.” she tempted, her famous casserole she used to make every year for the boys during the colder months.
“Oh god damn.”
“I would really love to have you there, the world needs as few people feeling alone on Christmas as possible.” He leant his head against hers as they walked.
“I would be honoured to spend Christmas with your family, thank you.” she pulled a cheeky tight lipped face and looked up at him, he stopped walking. “Yes?”
“Want to come back now and help me wrap presents that I should’ve wrapped instead of drinking with you, so no-one suspects I’m a terrible daughter, sister and mother.” he narrowed his eyes and studied her comical naughty and apprehensive face.
“Depends.”
“On?”
“Whether your mum will be up and about in her night clothes.” he smirked. She slapped him hard in the chest and made a retching noise.
“Uninvited!” she laughed, walking away from him quickly. He chased after her, picking her up and flinging her over his shoulder. “Stop!” she cackled. He didn’t listen and just kept walking, “If you’re doing this just so I can check out your ass I’m not looking.” she commented petulantly. He stopped dead and put her down.
“You just ruined Christmas.” he said stoney faced, though he couldn’t maintain it long before laughing and grabbing her hand. “Come on, let’s hustle, it’s fucking freezing. You can feed me at yours?”
“Oh Jussi, to death."