To Caress My Day

“So, you know that Christmas is almost upon us right?” Twigs prepared, expelling her hand from Seth’s to cloak both arms around his waist. She peeped up at him through her lashes, nervous about inviting him out to Gloucestershire to meet her parents for the holiday. This was something he’d been waiting for forever, and she was finally ready to award him entry to that part of her life. She could only hope he could make it.

“It sure is.” Seth affirmed, hanging an arm around her slender shoulders as they cruised the outer perimeter of his pool outside of his UK mansion. It was dark out, and they were alone, having escaped her friends unwinding inside. Taking advantage of that, Seth slanted down to whisper in her ear. “And right now that Jolly old Saint Nick is watching us, wondering just how naughty we’re gonna be this holiday.”

Covering her mouth with her hand, Twigs burst into laughter at his inappropriate erotic joke. When he began to nibble on her ear, she let out a gasp for he was trying to kindle something between them right now. Boxing him on the chest, she propelled him back and warned him. “Control yourself, Mr. MacFarlane! My friends are right inside your home as we speak and are probably watching us from behind the curtains!”

Seth let out a scoff, dismissing that prognosis. “No, they’re not!” Glancing over his shoulder to scrutinize, his eyes extended at the silhouettes snooping between his lengthy curtain swathed over the windows. “Well I’ll be damned, they are watching us.”

“I told you!” Twigs sang with a cocky grin on her face, soaring his arm back over her shoulder again.

“Can you blame me for wanting to kiss all over you tonight?” Seth griped with a flirtatious glare, drawing her even closer to his side. “Especially after you dropped those last two videos off of your EP?”

Fabricating a gasp, Twigs swiveled her head towards his direction to gape up at him. “Wait, are you trying to put the blame on me for you being a horndog tonight? Did I just hear you right?”

“Absolutely!” Seth substantiated with a grin. “You were practically asking for this to happen!”

Getting back on track in asking Seth to meet her parents this coming Christmas, Twigs readied herself by taking a deep breath. “Baby, do you...do you have any plans for the holiday?”

Reflecting on his agenda within his memory, Seth apprised her of the approaching events. “Outside of the regular work load from work, there was something about the family gathering up at the winter lodge. We try to do that every Christmas. But other than that no.”

Halting in her tracks, and nearly disengaging from Seth’s side, Twigs restated. “A winter lodge?”

Seth nodded to her with a frown, wondering why she paused so abruptly in her tracks. “Yeah, it’s a getaway we do every year. We go to the lodge bought for my parents a long time ago, pretty much as soon as I could provide one with my paycheck.”

Feeling disheartened, Twig’s head dropped so that her brown orbs were fixed on her black combat boots in disappointment. She really hadn’t given it much thought that he would have other plans this holiday, and that was foolish of her. Of course he’d have plans! He was Seth MacFarlane! Billionaire and renowned workaholic. All her prospects of him finally meeting her parents at what felt to be the excellent time was dashed away like ashes to the wind.

“...and that’s when I took the liberty to also get them a summer home too.” Seth went on before taking a double-take at the look of melancholy on her face. His frown returned as he spun to face her, installing his hands on her shoulders to win her attention. “Pixie, what’s wrong? Did I say something offensive just now?”

“I...no, it’s just...well, I wanted t-to…” Twigs sputtered before pausing to get a hold of herself so she could better explain. Taking a deep breath, she raised her brown eyes to his face only to shrug, accepting defeat again.

“Here, let’s have a seat.” Seth proposed, navigating her to one of many snug lounge chairs on each side of his pool. Parking her down, he took the one right next to her so he'd be facing her. Reaching out he captured both of her hands in his and drew them to his lips so he could press a couple of kisses on them to soothe her frazzled mind. “Alright, do you feel a little calmer now to tell me what's going on?”

Feeling guilty for making him coddle her so much, Twigs tried again to open up and found that this time it went much more smoothly. “I was just...I was expecting you’d be clear this Christmas is all. Don’t get me wrong, it’s fine that you’re not. I mean, I get it.” Not wishing to chat about it anymore, Twigs tried to get up from the lounge chair. “We should be heading back, don’t you think?”

“No, we shouldn’t. Sit, please.” Seth declined, catching her hands and tugging her back down. When she surrendered mutely, he went straight for an apology. “I’m sorry I have plans for Christmas. To be honest with you, I didn’t think it would be a complication considering you never mentioned any plans involving the two of us for the holiday anyway.”

“That’s true.” Twigs mumbled, brooding at her late timing.

“Did you have plans for us that I’m not aware of?” Seth inquired, arching a brow at her.

“Well, I was going to go see my parents in Gloucestershire for Christmas.” Twigs finally notified him.

“That’s great, Pixie!” Seth commended, exhilarated that she wouldn’t be alone for Christmas. “I wish I could be there with you so I can finally meet them in person, but all in due time, as they say.”

“I wasn’t finished talking, Seth.” Twigs gently smiled at him. “I was actually going to invite you to come with me so you can meet them for Christmas too. It’s kind of a present for you and for them.”

Seth was relieved he didn’t fall out of his chair in a dead faint during this monumental moment. He felt his eyes magnify quite widely. “YOU want ME to meet your parents!?”

“Yes, I genuinely do!” Twigs upheld with a nod, watching his face become even more jubilant.

Fixed in a state of shock on the outside, but delirious on the inside, Seth tackled to understand all this that was befalling all of a sudden because it wasn’t something Twig would do. She had preferred their relationship to be a secret for so long from the public eye, but now she was amenable to let her parents learn that he existed in her life! This was not only a monstrous deal for her, but also for him! Finally meeting them in the flesh as himself was almost as close to marrying Twigs herself! Nevermind that it was outlandish how they skipped completely over the whole ‘coming out to the public’ part to meeting her parents, he wasn’t going to criticize. Unexpectedly a heavy surge of apprehension swamped his senses as he found his dazzling eyes dulling. “Oh shit, now I’m the nervous one now!”

Twigs laughed, directing a finger at him. “You see, that’s exactly what I went through meeting your sister and father.”

“Tahliah, it would be an honor to be able to meet your parents.” Seth said. “Even if they end up resenting me in the end.”

Laughing again, Twigs nodded. “That’s the spirit, baby!”

“Do you think they’ll like me?” Seth asked her curiously.

“They will.” Twigs declared. “I promise.”

Resolving to pick on her, Seth recited an old mundane question. “But what if they don’t?”

Seeing where he was going with this, Twigs played along. “Well, then that’s too bad for them. I’m in a relationship with you, not them. They’ll just have to get over it.”

Seth already knew what she was gonna say, but he hadn’t predicted her response to subdue his worried heart so much. Grinning even wider at her, he opened his arms out to her. “That’s what I like to hear. Come here, beautiful.”