Holiday Cheer from Andrew Grey and Amy Lane

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

TIME CONTINUED unabated, like always. Just before Christmas I stood looking out onto the production floor. The machines around the mirror sat still. The very last stages of the process were set to be completed. Tests would be performed after the holiday to make sure everything was perfect before the mirror was packed and prepared for shipment. My boss had said I could come home for Christmas and then fly back after the holiday, but I had politely declined. How could I explain to him that the last thing I wanted was to fly back to Boston—now or in the foreseeable future?

“What were you packing up so diligently last night?” Georg asked after he made his morning report. It was unusual because we tried to confine ourselves to work while in the office.

“When we were at the market I bought a gift for my mom, and I boxed it up and sent it to her. It doesn’t matter if it gets there for the holiday or not. I’ll be lucky if she even opens it, but I sent it anyway.” I chuckled. “If she does open it, she’s in for a surprise, because I put a copy of the picture of the two of us that we took at Neuschwanstein. She’ll probably swallow her tongue, but if she does look, I want her to know I’m happy. The mailroom here was kind enough to help me ship it.”

“The office is closing at noon today for the holiday, and I thought that tonight we could take a walk through the market one last time if you wanted. We can watch the glockenspiel.”

“You know I love that thing,” I said with a smile. Our time together was now measured in days rather than weeks, and soon it would be measured in hours. I had thought of trying to distance myself from him to save some of the heartache, but discounted the thought almost immediately. I’d only be punishing myself and Georg. Going home was going to hurt no matter what. So I kept pushing it all away to focus on the here and now. It was what we had.

“You do love it, and the town will be festive. There will be music tonight as well. Some of the various choirs will be in the square singing traditional German carols.”

“Sounds great.” I checked my watch. “I’ll be ready to go in a few hours. Will we go right there?”

“I thought so. There’s no reason to bring your computer—everything will be shut down, and you can lock this room if you want.”

That sounded great. I could leave all that behind for a few days and enjoy things. “I’ll be ready.” I texted the project manager and let him know the upcoming schedule, and then once Georg left, I began wrapping things up.

By noon I was ready to go and I met Georg in the lobby. We left and drove into the city. He parked near the center. We walked through the market and then out along the old town streets.

“A lot of the city was bombed during the war. Most of the market square, which looks so old, is really a reconstruction of what had been there before. There wasn’t much left, so it was recreated, as was a lot of the rest of the city. Our house was in one of the few areas that seemed to be spared.” Georg looked over at me, and I wrapped my arm around his.

We continued walking aimlessly, and I didn’t care where we went, seeing grand churches, restaurants, and quiet streets where I could almost hear the snow as it began to fall. Within an hour, it really started to look like Christmas, with a white coating covering almost everything. We must have walked a large circle, because as we got closer to the square, I heard voices floating on the air. It was one of the choral groups. We stood at the entrance to the main square, silently, and listened as song rang out across the square.

“Let’s go home,” I whispered in Georg’s ear.

He nodded, and we walked back to the car and drove to the house. We were quiet in the car, saying very little. I descended into my own thoughts. It was getting more and more difficult to keep thoughts of our impending separation out of my mind. Once we got home, Georg made something for dinner and then spent the rest of the evening helping me forget what was coming.

“IT’S TIME to open presents,” Georg called from the doorway to the bedroom. Georg had told me that, in his family, they opened presents on Christmas Eve. But other than to eat and do what nature required, we really hadn’t left the bedroom, so Georg agreed that under the circumstances, following my tradition was best and I made it worth his while. I inhaled and realized that was probably not the best idea. I needed a shower, and we needed fresh sheets on the bed. Yeah, that was probably a stupid thing to be thinking as Georg stood in the doorway, wearing his blue robe, with an excited grin on his face.

“I know.” I chuckled. “I need to shower, and so do you.”

Georg hurried in. “There are presents to open.” He had gotten more and more like a kid the closer we got to Christmas. I half expected him to grab me by the hand and drag me downstairs right that minute.

“They’re not going anywhere… but….” I sniffed, and Georg took my hand and led me to the bathroom. We shaved before getting into the shower. After which I got my first present, which consisted of me pressed against the wall while I gasped for breath and tried to remember my name while he took me deep between his lips, the wall the only thing keeping me upright.

When we came back down the earth, I closed my eyes and held Georg as he used the handheld shower head to rinse away the remnants of our passion. I clung to him, needing his strength for what was to come. Each day brought us closer to the end, a parting neither of us seemed to want.

“Let’s get dressed.”

I nodded and pushed away from him. He shut off the water, and we stepped out of the tub. Georg handed me a towel, and when I turned my back to him, he gently patted me dry. The gesture was so simple, and gentle, while still intimate. I didn’t move while I felt the fabric on my skin for fear the spell would break.

It did, of course, and we hung up our towels and dressed in comfortable clothes. Then we left the room and descended the stairs.

The tree was brilliant, and I stared at it as I took each step to the main floor. Additional gifts had been added to the ones I had bought for Georg and placed under the tree.

“When I was a child, the presents were brought by the Christkind, the Christ child,” Georg said.

“Baby Jesus brought your presents, not Santa?”

“That’s what I was told.” Georg laughed. “It’s actually an incarnation of the Christ child as sort of a sprite.”

“Okay.” I was hardly in a position to argue with anyone else’s beliefs, and it didn’t matter who brought the gifts. There were as many legends and stories about the beings who brought gifts on Christmas as there were cultures that celebrated the holiday. “For us it was Santa, except we didn’t have a lot of money, so we got the poor Santa. The other kids in school got the rich Santa. At least that was what I deduced because that’s how it seemed to turn out.” I grew quiet and stared up at the tree. “I would have thought something like this had to be magical or something from the movies when I was young.”

“I was lucky, I guess,” Georg said, slipping an arm around me. “Merry Christmas.”

“Fr?hliche Weihnachten,” I said, having asked one of the men at the plant how to properly say “Merry Christmas” in German. Georg smiled and then kissed me.

“Let’s open presents.”

I should have known Georg wouldn’t last much longer. “Do you want to open them in here?”

“How about the living room? I’ll light the fire if you’ll bring in the gifts. When I was young, my grandfather would have chairs brought in here, but we can be more comfortable in there, and the fire will help us keep warmer.”

I agreed and carefully carried the presents from under the tree into the other room. I also brought a bag from the kitchen for the wrappings. By the time I was done, the fire was blazing, and Georg joined me on the sofa. He reached down and handed me a square box. “I thought you’d like this.”

I carefully removed the paper and opened the white box, removing the tissue-wrapped contents. Slowly I pulled away the tissue and gasped. It was the star-painted glass ornament I’d first put on the tree.

“She always gave these as gifts to those people special to her, so I think she’d be pleased.”

I nodded and couldn’t say anything around the knot in my throat. “Thank you,” I managed to croak after a few seconds and placed the treasure back in the box before hugging Georg. When I released him, he handed me a long, flat box that was very light. I tore away the paper and lifted the lid. Inside was a piece of paper. I opened it and began to read.

“This isn’t a real Christmas present for you as much as for us. I convinced the company that I should be the one to accompany the mirror to the States and to oversee its initial installation. So if you’re okay with it, my gift is that I’ll be going back with you. Installation and preparation are expected to take four or five months.” He turned to me and took my hands. “I can’t give you forever, at least not now, but I bought us some more time to see if this is what we truly want.”

I stared at the page as if it were a gift from God. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I wasn’t sure until a few days ago. I hope it is okay?” He seemed nervous, but that lasted until I pulled him into a hug.

“It’s amazing.” I was all smiles as I set the box and page aside. I moved all the presents out of the way before launching myself at Georg. For weeks I’d been worried about leaving, and now he was coming with me. We’d have months together, time to figure out what we were going to do. A weight of doubt and impending loss had been lifted, and I needed to celebrate. The sofa groaned slightly as I tugged at Georg’s shirt, tossing it to the floor. I’d always wanted to make love in front of a fire, and it looked as though I was finally going to get my chance.

Georg swore in German when I licked at a nipple, arching his back and stretching out on the sofa.

“I think we need stuff,” I whispered, my voice muffled by his skin. Georg got the idea because he jumped up, taking a few steps before stopping at the entrance to the room. “Be naked when I get back.” He hurried away, and I pulled off my clothes as fast as I could. Footsteps pounded up the stairs and then repeated in reverse a minute later. Georg walked in, golden skin, dark hair, firelight playing off him as he walked naked to where I waited. The room heated as Georg came closer, until he stood next to the sofa. I shifted slightly, lifting my head. I parted my lips and slowly sucked him between them. He tasted incredible—spicy with a touch of salt and a pinch of musk, a perfect recipe.

A steady stream of German spilled from him. I didn’t understand a word, but I knew exactly what he was saying. I sat up, taking him deep, and ran my hand up the back of his legs, then cupped his perfect ass. “Good God—” Georg cried, and I took him deeper as he thrust his hips slightly. “Is it too much?”

I didn’t answer, just took him to the hilt and paused, relaxing my throat to take all of him. The cursing in both languages continued, and I backed off, letting him slip outward. Georg’s cock throbbed on my tongue. I shifted my gaze upward, sliding it along his body, across his rippled stomach and strong chest to his half-lidded eyes looking back at me. The heat of his gaze sent warmth coursing through me. I wanted him badly and I had him. Squeezing his ass, stroking his smooth butt, I bobbed my head and listened as Georg babbled almost constantly.

“Wait,” he whispered and pulled away, his cock slipping from my lips. “We need to come together.”

I sat back on the sofa, swallowed hard as Georg lifted my legs and buried his face between my cheeks. In an instant I was in flight, soaring to the ceiling. When I could take no more of his lips and tongue—probing, tasting, driving me nearly mad—he replaced it with his condom-sheathed cock and pressed into me, adding stretch and fullness to the sensation. I wasn’t sure if I dared tell him how I felt.

Georg captured my lips, kissing me hard. “Ich liebe dich,” he whispered. I wondered how it was possible, but I clutched Georg to me.

“I love you too,” I whispered and rode the wave of sensation, warmth, and newfound love until I gasped and cried out Georg’s name as we came in a rush that left both of us unable to move. We stayed still for a long while. When he pulled away, I shivered and gasped, lowered my legs, closed my eyes, and let my mind float as long as it wanted. I was vaguely aware of Georg leaving the room and then returning. He wiped me up and then sat next to me, placing a blanket over both of us.

I curled into his warmth, resting my head against his shoulder. “I have something for you.” I shifted and retrieved a small box from the small pile of unopened gifts.

“It’s heavy.” He tore away the paper and opened the Tiffany blue box. Then he pulled out the contents and looked at me, puzzled. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.” He held up an object about two inches long. “Is it a rock?”

I shifted closer. “Well, it’s not just a rock. It’s a hunk of iron. See the odd shapes and the way it looks sort of liquid?” Georg nodded. “That’s from its trip through the atmosphere.” I smiled as Georg’s mouth dropped open slightly. “I wanted you to have something to remember me by. I wanted your gift to be special and to remind you of the time we spent together.” I leaned closer and kissed Georg gently, watching the firelight dance in his eyes. “It’s a meteorite—that was as close to stardust as I could get.”