Wrapping Presents.

It was Christmas Eve, and of course John and I waited till last minute to get started on gifts. At least we'd bought them ahead of time, so all that was left was to wrap. We'd decorated the house with lights and had put up the tree in the living room, but had yet to actually finish adding ornaments. I was one hell of a procrastinator and he knew it.
"You know we're going to have to get everything done before everyone gets here tomorrow, right?" he chuckles at me, shaking his head as I roll out the wrapping paper.
I huff and hold up the scissors. "Don't underestimate my ability to get things finished. My mom always waited last minute, so rest assured I learned from the best."
He laughs, handing me the next present, a boxed toy for my one of little cousins. His family was easy to shop for, considering it wasn't as large as mine. I already had his parents' and brothers' gifts wrapped and under the almost bare tree. But I still had a long way to go.
John lets me slave away, watching as I cut and folded and taped skillfully. I hold out my hand. "Bow."
Reaching into the plastic bag, he pulls out a white one and I shake my head. "Red. It's green paper and it'll look more festive."
"You weren't kidding about your mom, huh?" he mutters, shuffling until he finds a red one. I smile, slapping it in the center.
"She was very specific and precise about these kind of things," I agree, handing him the box so he could add the tag.
He rolls his eyes and writes the names down. He was just mad because I was only leaving him in charge of handing me things and adding the tags. He's lucky I was letting him do that much. I could be a perfectionist most of the time.
Okay, all the time.
I watch as he slips off the sticker tag from its packet and hold it over the upper left corner. He looks up at me as if asking for permission. I laugh. "That's fine."
He shoots me a lopsided smile. "Don't give me that look, I know you'd bite my head off if I messed it up."
Grabbing another roll of paper, I take the scissors and pull up, the blade gliding right along. John's eyes widen. "Ya know, it kinda scares me how good you are with scissors."
I laugh and stick my tongue out. As he hands me the white rectangular box that held clothes, I raise a curious eyebrow. "Do you know how to wrap presents?"
"I'm not the best at it," he chuckles, biting his lip. "Me and tape just don't get along."
I try to imagine him hunched over a gift, trying to fold a corner down and getting frustrated. I giggle. "Aw, come on, it's not that hard."
He shrugs. I finish wrapping the box and sigh, pleased with how quickly I was getting these done. If I kept working at this pace, I might even finish before midnight to get started on the tree and go to sleep stress free.
"Alright," I say, handing him the box. "Who's was this?"
John gives me a blank stare. "Uhh..."
I groan. Long night it is.
~
"What time is it?"
"12:45."
I sigh, looking at the tree and the bundle of gifts that sat beneath it. At least that was one thing out of the way.
"That was the last one, right?" I ask John, stretching my arm to add the box to the heap under the tree. I couldn't reach so I lean back until I'm completely laying down. I don't bother to sit back up.
John nods. "Yeah, well, the last to wrap anyway. I'll wrap yours later."
My ears seem to perk up and I look over at him. "You got me a present?"
"Of course I did, silly," he mutters, wearing a goofy grin.
I smirk. "Is it those earrings I wanted from the mall?"
He grabs a bow from the bag and holds it in his hand. "If that's really all you expect from me, then I've outdone myself."
I shoot up into a sitting position. "What is it?"
"I'm not telling."
"Por favor? Sil vous plait? It would please me."
His lips twitch before breaking into a smile. "I could think of other ways of pleasing you."
I laugh, shoving his arm. "You're such an ass."
He smirks. "You won't be calling me an ass when I finally show you."
"You won't be GETTING ass until you do."
He laughs, winking. "I guarantee you, I'll be getting plenty."
I roll my eyes and pout. "Fine." I rise to my feet. "But I guess I won't tell you either."
"Tell me what?" He raises an eyebrow. "You got me a gift too?"
I rest my hands on my hips. "Of course I did, silly."
"Don't mock me," he scoffs, but the smile playing at the corners of his mouth betrayed him.
I chuckle and bend over to pick up the box of ornaments that I left handy next to the tree. "Come on, let's get this stupid thing done so we can go to sleep."
John comes up behind me. "I have a better idea, and it's much funner than decorating or sleeping." His hand slides down and gives my butt a firm squeeze.
Rolling my eyes, I elbow him gently. He groans dramatically. "Ow."
"Quit whining, you baby," I laugh. He pouts, giving me his puppy dog eyes.
"Down, dog," I tease, smirking. "You're forgetting we have all tomorrow morning...IF we get this out of the way."
He smiles, pecking me on the cheek before picking some ornaments out of the box. "Say no more."
~
As excited as I was to give everyone their gifts, I couldn't get my mind off of what John had told me. What did he get me? I was only kidding about the earrings, but if he was being serious then I was in for something pretty special.
What could it be?
I tell myself he's probably just as curious and let that comfort me. At least I wasn't the only one dying of anticipation. I hated waiting.
When our friends and family gather around to finally open up presents, I listen for my name as they're handed out, wondering if he had placed it under the tree or if he planned to give it to me personally. He said he wasn't good at wrapping, so knowing him, he'd probably just thrown it into a bag, so I kept an eye out for it.
My parents hand me their present to me and I hug them gratefully. I steal a glance at John, watching as he eyed the gifts under the tree. He was wondering where his was just like me. I smirk. He would be getting that in private later.
The last present is handed out and it goes to my brother. I huff, pouting to myself. Where's John's present?
Everyone gushes and chatters over their gifts, thanking each other and laughing. The noise eventually dies down and John clears his throat. "There's one more present, actually." He smiles at me and my heart skips a beat. What was this about, he could have just given it to me.
He holds out his hand and I take it, eyeing him cautiously. What was so big that he was-
"Baby?"
Oh God, that look. He looks scared and excited at the same time.
I feel a knot lurch into my throat as he drops to one knee, still holding my hand. He reaches into his pocket and takes out a small box, opening it up to reveal a ring. A RING. There's a collective gasp and I hold my breath.
John bites his lip, killing me with that puppy eye look. "Will you marry me?"
Trying to suppress a huge smile, I nod frantically. "Yes," I croak.
He grins and slips the ring onto my finger before rising to his feet. Everyone claps as he presses his lips to mine. My arms wrap around his neck, slightly shaky. I couldn't believe it.
There's a chorus of congratulations and I smile before going around hugging everyone.
"That's so sweet!" I hear one of my aunt's cry out. "Honey, what did you get him? I bet you can't top that!"
"Um," I mutter. I couldn't tell them what I got him, but it would look so bad if I said I didn't get him anything. He just proposed to me, for Christ's sake!
John chuckles and makes his way over to me. "She already knows she's the best present I could ask for," he answers for me, saving my guts. His lips brush against mine softly. He presses his hand to my shoulder and it's then that I realize he stuck a bow on me. "Her saying yes was present enough."
Oh, John.
~
"Oh, John," I gasp as he sinks his teeth into my neck. He groans, his hands sliding down to the small of my back before pushing me back onto the bed. He climbs on top of me, devouring my throat. My hands sink into his hair, my breathing growing heavy. I still had to give him his gift.
"Wait," I whisper, leaning up on my forearms.
He gives me a frustrated look. "What?"
I bite my lip. "Your gift."
"Can't it wait?" he groans and I laugh. "Trust me, it's very fitting for right now."
I knew he wouldn't be able to resist that. It would pique his curiosity.
He licks his lips slowly, backing away. "Alright. Let me have it."
"But you have to keep your eyes closed and guess what it is.
His eyes narrow. "Why?"
"Just trust me on this."
"Fine," he whines.
I giggle and climb out of bed, grabbing the small gift bag out of my hiding place deep in my closet. I walk back over to him. I hand him the bag and smile. "Okay. Wait. Close your eyes."
He does as I say and I start removing my clothes. He raises an eyebrow but I freeze, warning him to keep them closed. I hear him groan. "For the love of God."
Once I'm fully undressed, I tell him to reach into the bag. He pulls out the fabric and thumbs it, his eyebrows knitting together. "What-"
"Guess. Don't open your eyes yet."
He drops the bag, feeling it with his hands. His fingers find the bow and he tugs. "I don't...what the hell is this?"
I giggle and take it from him, slipping on the lacy black underwear, adjusting the big bow on the back. I turn around and look over my shoulder. "Okay. You can look."
His eyes immediately open and travel down to the big bow, staring. His jaw drops slightly, his mouth hanging open. I bite my lip, smiling playfully at him and wiggling my hips. "Do you like it?"
"Fuck yes," he groans, running a hand through his hair. "Wow. I-"
"I know you said you're bad at wrapping presents, but I hope you're good at unwrapping them."
He chuckles. "And this is without a doubt the greatest thing I'll ever unwrap. God I love you."
I smile. "Merry Christmas, John."