Tis the Season

As the sun began rising up against the tall buildings of London, a few small rays of the light passed through the folds of Grace’s blinds. Her eyes were shut and her blanket was pulled over her head. There was no way for the light to hit her face and wake her.

Louis tiptoed into the room, using his free hand to shut the door behind him. His right hand held tightly onto a tray, which was stacked with blueberry pancakes and strips of bacon. A tall glass of orange juice sat at the edge, making the tray a bit wobbly, so Louis brought his other hand up to steady it.

Placing the tray gently at the edge of the bed, Louis moved to Grace’s side. He pulled the blanket off her face, as slowly as he could, taking extra care not to wake her. When the blanket was just past her chin, he dropped it and left it tucked against her body.

Louis moved his hand to her face, rubbing his thumb against her cheek. She was breathing deeply as she slept, and Louis thought he had never seen her look so peaceful. He leaned forward and placed a small kiss against her temple. Her eyes fluttered open and when they met Louis’s, she smiled.

“Good morning, love,” Louis said, placing another soft kiss against her forehead.

Grace giggled. “Good morning, Lou.”

As Grace stretched out her arms, Louis moved to the foot of the bed and grabbed the tray from it. Grace watched his movements with a large smile on her face. When Louis placed the tray on her lap, she looked up at him.

“What’s this?” she asked, shifting the tray around.

Louis sat next to her, moving close so their sides were touching. “It’s breakfast. I made it all by myself.” Louis smirked as he spoke, clearly proud of his accomplishment.

Laughing, Grace responded. “No, I meant what’s it for?”

With his arm placed over her shoulder, he pulled her closer to him. She rested her head on his chest, as he placed a kiss on the top of her head.

“It’s because I love you.”

Chills fell over Grace’s body, just as they did every time Louis spoke those words. She pulled the tray from her lap, and placed it beside her. Turning in the bed, she moved to face Louis and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.

Whispering into his ear, she said, “Lou, you really are the best boyfriend ever. I am so lucky.”

Louis smiled into her hair as she spoke. Her warmth fell over his body, and he decided at that moment, that he wasn’t going to pull away until she made him.

“I’m the lucky one.”

Grace pulled away from him and placed her hands on his shoulders. Looking into his eyes, she giggled. “Lou, I’ve told you a thousand times. I’m luck, and you’re skill. You agreed.”

Louis raised up his eyebrow, giving her that funny look he always gave. “I just lied so you would stop talking.”

Turning away from him, Grace stood from the bed. She stood firmly on the ground, as if she was angry, but the smile on her face gave her away. “I’m not going to talk to you until you apologize. I’ll be in the kitchen.”

Throwing her hands on her hips, Grace turned away. Before she could take two steps away from the bed, Louis had his arms wrapped around her waist. He squeezed her tightly and pulled her back onto the bed.

“I’m sorry,” Louis whispered to her. “Now eat your breakfast before it gets cold.”

Grace reached over and tore off a bit of pancake. Popping it into Louis’s mouth, she smiled. “How is it?”

Louis chewed for a moment, pretending to take his time deciding. After swallowing, he grimaced. A small smile fell to his lips as he shook his head. “It’s terrible. You’re going to hate it.”

Balling her hand into a fist, Grace gave a soft punch to his shoulder. He fell backward, a bit too dramatically, and groaned in pain. Grace leaned over and looked at him. His eyes met hers, and a small pout made its way to his face.

“You hurt me.” Louis batted his eyelashes and deepened his pout.

In fake sympathy, Grace formed her face into a similar look. “Oh, I’m sorry. You alright, Lou?”

Louis shook his head and held his arms out to her. She fell into them, laying her head against his chest, while his arms wrapped around her. She fit against him perfectly, just like the girls did in all the romance movies she forced him to watch.

Her phone buzzed against the night stand, pulling Louis away from the moment. “You wanna get that?”

Grace shook her head, pushing it deeper against Louis’s chest. “I think it’s just Brooklyn. I set her up on a date. Did I tell you that?”

“I don’t think so,” Louis said, running his fingers through her soft brown hair.

Grace chuckled. “He’s one of Chase’s friends. Sweet guy. I think they’d be good together. But not as good as you and me.”

“No one will ever be as good as us.” Louis placed a kiss at the top of her head, and she smiled against his chest.

The sweet smell of her vanilla hair filled his nose with each breath. The scent always reminded him of her, and he was sure it would as long as he lived. She was in the cupcakes his mum made him on his birthday. She was in the sweet smell of homemade ice cream in the summer. She was even in the pudding his father made on holidays. She was everywhere, and he loved that about her.

If he could, he would stay with her forever.