Unwrap these Presents

by Astrid Ohletz

  “It’s caffeine. You know how I hate to go without.” She plopped down next to Carter. “Everything is closed now, and people seem to be settling down for the night.”

  Carter put an arm around her and sighed. Content. It was the first word that came to her mind. Amelia filled her with such contentment. Their first Christmas together, Carter thought, but would it be their last? Would their tradition of spending separate holidays ever change? Would Amelia’s parents always have the priority hold over her? Carter wanted to think that at some point, she would come first. It was silly, really. For the last six years, they had gotten through the holidays just fine by celebrating on another date, but now that Fate had given them this day, she couldn’t help wanting more.

  They sat in comfortable silence, people-watching and playing chess on Carter’s iPad. Carter lost every game, distracted by her opponent. As the hours crept by, they took turns stretching their legs by wandering about the airport, bumping into other wayward travellers, returning to share the stories with one another.

  The night was winding down as they sat snuggled together reading. Amelia yawned and rested her head against Carter’s shoulder.

  Carter kissed the top of her head. “Stretch out, get comfortable.” She smiled at Amelia’s sleepy eyes. “It’s going to be a long night.”

  Amelia quickly acquiesced. She threw off her shoes, lay down, and wiggled her toes against Carter’s hip. “Why don’t you curl up with me,” she asked through a deep yawn.

  “I want to finish this chapter,” Carter lied. She knew Amelia would be asleep before long. It had been a long day and they were both exhausted, but Carter’s excitement was keeping her awake.

  “Well, read fast, and then come cuddle.”

  Warmth enveloped Carter as Amelia wiggled her toes on Carter’s thighs.

  “Oh yeah?” Carter wanted nothing more than to curl up with Amelia and wrap her arms around her, to kiss and touch her, but they weren’t alone. That didn’t satisfy her active libido. After six years together, time had not diminished the desire Amelia stirred in her. She peered out into the airport where a few people were still trying to find a place to settle for the night, and then she looked back at Amelia and waggled her eyebrows.

  “Get your mind out of the gutter. I just want you to keep me warm.” Amelia chuckled and curled onto her side.

  When she was asleep, Carter eased away and watched her for a while. She could have continued doing so for a long time, but it was getting late and she had many things to do before she would get the chance to close her own eyes.

  Carter quietly eased to her feet and stretched. No matter how often she moved, the hard floor still made her stiff. She gingerly bent to retrieve her now mostly empty knapsack, and then she set off on a quick trip around the airport to get what she needed.

  Her first order of business took her down one concourse and through another, stepping over people resting in bunches on the floor. In the centre of the aisle between two departure gates was the Christmas display she’d spied earlier. Again she stared at the tree, mesmerized by the twinkling of its gold and glitter decorations.

  As she fingered the bows, she took a quick look around to make sure that no one was looking or wandering nearby. If not for the fear of getting caught, Carter would have lifted the whole tree and carried it back to their airport home. Borrowing four or five balls and a small amount of ribbon would have to do. She would return them tomorrow; she just wanted to make Christmas morning special for Amelia.

  Childhood memories washed over her, memories of enchantment and wonder. This was the way she hoped Amelia would feel when she woke in the morning.

  A large red teardrop bulb with gold glitter stood out, and Carter delicately lifted its hook from the supporting branch and placed it into her knapsack. With a racing heart and trembling fingers, she liberated a few more ornaments from the limbs of the artificial tree.

  “And what do you think you’re doing?” a stern voice questioned from behind.

  Carter jumped, covering her mouth to suppress a scream, then she reluctantly turned around. “Um…I… This doesn’t look good, does it?”

  The security guard folded her arms across her ample chest and shook her head. “No, it doesn’t.”

  Carter released a nervous breath. “I was just trying to borrow…” she emphasized that she was not stealing the ornament. “…a few things to decorate for my girlfriend so she would have a nice Christmas morning. It’s our first Christmas together.”

  The confession came out in a quick jumble. Carter hoped her honesty would persuade the husky security guard that she wasn’t doing anything wrong.

  Eyebrow raised, the security guard studied Carter hard.

  Carter swallowed. What kind of trouble am I in? Is it a felony to borrow Christmas ornaments in an airport?

  The security guard stared at Carter, her stoic expression unchanging.

  Surely she wasn’t the only hopeless romantic caught doing something stupid at Christmas. What was supposed to be a quick trip to pick up a few things was now going to bite her in the ass.

  “Come with me.”

  It was a command, not a suggestion.

  Shit. Carter followed behind the security guard. Weren’t they supposed to read her her rights or something?

  She knew the airport was large, but as she was dragged through concourses and white walled back corridors, she doubted she would find her way back if she was ever free to go. I hope Amelia doesn’t wake up and worry about me. I should have left a note.

  They stopped in front of a plain door painted the same colour as the walls. Except for the black scuff marks on the bottom panel, there was nothing on it to tell Carter what lay behind. The long corridor behind them was empty, dead quiet, a whole other world going on behind the scenes beyond the view of clueless travelers. Carter wiped a bead of sweat from the back of her neck. Any possible trouble she might get into for borrowing the Christmas decorations became a secondary concern as she realized she had just followed a stranger into the bowels of the airport at two in the morning.

  Carter closed her eyes, and Amelia’s face filled her mind. Was she wondering where she was? All Carter could think about was getting back to her.

  The sound of jangling keys dragged her from her despair. The door was now open, and the guard motioned her inside.

  Carter obediently walked into the small room. There was a round table in the middle and a loveseat against either wall. A small kitchenette in one of the corners was equipped with a Keurig, a sink, and a tea kettle. It looked like a snack room or staff hangout. Unsure of what she should do, she froze as the security guard moved past her.

  The guard grabbed something off the counter, turned, and started to laugh.

  Carter stood rigid in the centre of the room, afraid to move as fear knotted her stomach.

  The guard pushed the object toward Carter, who blinked.

  “Don’t just stand there, take it,” the guard said, her laughter changing into a smile.

  Carter stared down at the guard’s hands. She held a small Christmas tree, complete with decorations. Carter blinked again and awkwardly extended her hands to accept the tiny Charlie Brown Christmas tree. “Thanks,” she murmured, totally confused.

  “I know what that first Christmas feels like.” The guard beamed at her. “I’ve worked so many Christmases here, I can’t even remember how many. At least I get to go home to my wife tomorrow morning. You can borrow my Christmas tree. Just drop it off at Security before you leave tomorrow.”

  Feeling like a kid at Christmas, Carter cradled the tree. “Thank you! You have no idea what this means. I will make sure it gets back to Security tomorrow, I promise.”

  “Just make it special.” She smiled and put two candy canes in Carter’s shirt pocket. “And all you need for that…is you.”

  As the guard guided her back to the main concourse, Carter learned that her name was Kris, and she couldn’t help but think she had found her own Kris Kringle. Kris and
her wife had been together for just over ten years. Both from the Toronto area, they officially tied the knot two years before. They chatted about their significant others, Carter’s face alight as she told Kris about Amelia.

  Within sight of Carter’s temporary home, Kris bade her adieu and “Merry Christmas” before heading in the opposite direction.

  Holding the Christmas tree securely, Carter rushed back to their corner to lie down beside Amelia. Carter found her curled on her side, her knees tucked up and her hand resting under her cheek, her other arm draped across her abdomen. Her wayward dark hair fell over her eyes, and Carter thought she detected a smile on Amelia’s face.

  Trying not to wake Amelia, she quietly placed the tree and all the trimmings down next to their sleeping area. It was close to three, and Carter was fading fast. Her earlier adrenaline high was rapidly fading. She gently drew back the zipper on Amelia’s suitcase and fished through its contents until her hand cupped the gift she had strategically placed inside earlier that morning. She tucked it under their tree, then knelt for a moment to admire Amelia’s features before stretching out behind her.

  Amelia shifted into Carter’s embrace and mumbled in her sleep. Carter feared she might wake, but she settled, her breath a steady cadence to the beat of her heart beneath Carter’s hand. Its beat lulled her.

  Content that their Christmas Day would be as special as she could make it, Carter drifted off to sleep, her most precious gift wrapped tightly in her arms.

  * * *

  Daybreak came quickly, and despite only a few hours of sleep, Carter was already awake.

  The airport had come to life at an ungodly hour. People milled about, shuffling their luggage toward the rousing airline counters in hopes that the delays of the previous day would not be repeated. Choruses of “Happy Holidays” and “Merry Christmas” echoed against the walls.

  Amelia stirred beside Carter, her blue eyes fluttering open, focusing on her surroundings.

  “Merry Christmas, sweetheart,” Carter whispered, kissing her temple.

  Amelia closed her eyes again, apparently debating waking.

  Carter’s lips tickled Amelia’s cheek until she squirmed, a bright grin gracing her face. “Mm,” she mumbled. Blue eyes opened and stared up at Carter.

  “Sleep okay?” Carter asked. She herself remembered nothing after falling asleep with Amelia in her arms. They could have been sleeping on a bed of rocks, she wouldn’t have known.

  “Yes. Did you?” Amelia brushed the loose strands of hair from Carter’s face. “Merry Christmas, baby.” She kissed Carter’s lips. “Our first one where we’re actually together. I guess you got your Christmas wish.”

  “Not the way I envisioned it, but I’ll take it,” Carter admitted with a smile.

  Amelia stretched in her arms, her curves gliding under Carter’s hand. Carter’s body responded, and she shook her head. She wasn’t supposed to be having lascivious thoughts whilst lying on the floor in the middle of an airport, but with Amelia’s body directly beneath her fingertips, she couldn’t help it.

  She sat up behind Amelia and forced herself to focus on her plan to pamper her this Christmas morning. “Come on, sleepyhead. We should get up.” Carter twined her fingers with Amelia’s and pulled slightly to coax her.

  Sitting up, Amelia stretched and yawned. “Why does it have to be so damn—” Her eyes went wide as she turned slowly toward Carter, tears welling in her eyes. “You did this?” She gestured toward the festive display.

  Carter shook her head, “Me? No. I think Santa had a layover while he was waiting out the storm.”

  Arranged before them was the borrowed Christmas tree, neatly decorated with miniature ornaments. Taped to the wall were the larger ornaments and bows Carter had borrowed from the bigger tree. Next to the tree was the pair of spare socks Carter kept in her carry-on in case of lost luggage, only now they were filled with the traditional treasures of her childhood stocking—an orange, an apple, a banana, and a small toy she had gotten from a bubble gum machine. It was impossible to find the loose shelled nuts her mother used to fill the spaces in her and her brother’s stockings, so a bag of roasted almonds served as a suitable substitute under the circumstances. Topping off the goodies in the stockings were the two candy canes Kris has bestowed upon her.

  Beneath the tree lay a small, square box wrapped in glossy silver foil paper.

  Amelia was silent for a long while as her fingertips skimmed over the festive display, and Carter’s palms started to sweat. Did she like it?

  “How?” Her blue eyes turned to Carter. “Never mind, tell me later.” She laughed, brushing pieces of gold glitter from Carter’s cheek. “I love you.”

  Three simple words that meant everything to Carter.

  Amelia leaned in. Her lips barely brushed Carter’s, but the tingle resonated through her entire body.

  “I love you too,” Carter declared, resting her forehead against Amelia’s.

  “I can’t believe you did all this.” She shook her head, and her hair tickled Carter’s face.

  Carter blushed. “Well, you know me, always the romantic.”

  “This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me,” Amelia confessed. “That you would go to all this trouble to make Christmas special for me when we’re stuck…here.” Her eyes glistened with tears.

  “I don’t care where I am, as long as I am with you.” It was true.

  Taking a moment to peer down the hall through the large window overlooking the tarmac, Carter saw that the snow had subsided and the cleanup crew was hard at work with shovels and plows. The calm after the storm meant they would be going their separate ways today. A tinge of melancholy gripped her and she wished they were home, tucked in their bed, celebrating Christmas morning together. They’d open their presents, and then Carter would make breakfast while Amelia prepared the turkey and popped it into the oven. Carter chuckled. She knew they’d end up back in bed once the turkey was roasting, and it would be a wonderful day with just the two of them.

  Looking at Amelia, she knew it didn’t matter. They would make the best of this, their first Christmas morning.

  Amelia leaned in and kissed her, and this time it wasn’t just a brush of her lips, it was an out and out “make your toes curl” kiss.

  Carter didn’t want to let the moment go, but thoughts of the crowded airport pulled her reluctantly away.

  Amelia’s eyes lit up. “So, do I get to open my present now?”

  Carter removed the present from under the tree, fingering the glossy paper before handing it to Amelia. She bit her lip in anticipation as Amelia slowly, carefully unwrapped the tiny present.

  “Open it.”

  Carter’s excitement was palpable. She wanted to see Amelia’s face when she looked inside the box. She had wanted something different this year, something to show Amelia that she loved her and that her love was infinite.

  Amelia gazed down into the box, gasped, and then looked up at Carter with tear-filled eyes.

  Carter swallowed audibly and reached for the contents of the box. She took a deep breath. “I saw it and immediately thought of you.” She held up the white gold chain with a delicate infinity symbol dangling from it. The words “love forever” were engraved on the inside of one of the loops. She draped the chain around Amelia’s neck and managed to close the clasp despite her shaking hands.

  Carter sat back, then cradled Amelia’s face in her hands. “I love you now, I’ll love you always. You’re my heart, my home, my family.” And she kissed Amelia with every ounce of love she could convey.

  “Oh, sweetheart, this is the best Christmas ever!” Amelia stroked the pendant, then looked up at Carter. “I have something for you, too.”

  “You do, do you?” Carter teased, feeling she had the best Christmas present ever.

  Amelia rummaged through her knapsack, pulled out their plane tickets, and handed them over.

  Why was Amelia giving her their plane tickets? They still had a few hours befor
e their scheduled departure.

  Amelia nodded at the tickets in Carter’s hand. “Open them.”

  She slowly lifted the flap. Tickets. She looked up in confusion.

  “Well?”

  “Well, what?”

  Amelia rolled her eyes. “Read one.”

  Carter’s eyes went wide. Amelia had changed their tickets. They were not scheduled to fly out to two separate destinations; they were flying home, together.

  “Really?” Carter breathed.

  Amelia nodded. “Really. Merry Christmas, beautiful.” She wiped a wayward tear from Carter’s face. “You’re my family, and it’s time we start our own family traditions. I want to put up a tree,” she laughed as she gestured at Carter’s socks, “hang real stockings, and burn the turkey. But mostly, I just want to spend the holiday with you.”

  “Christmas with you is all I’ve ever wanted. At home or someplace else, it doesn’t matter.”

  Carter captured Amelia’s lips in a soft kiss, and the sights and sounds of the airport fell away.

  “I love you,” Carter whispered against her lips.

  “I love you, too,” Amelia said, her eyes twinkling. “Let’s go home.”

  The Spirit of Christmas Past,

  Christmas Future

  S. M. Harding

  “You said yes?” I asked. My eyebrows must’ve hit my hairline. “You barely know her.”

  Brit held out her left hand and let the firelight explode the facets in the diamond. “Isn’t it gorgeous?”

  “You met her at the Halloween party and Thanksgiving’s only a few days away. Marry her?”

  “This is what I’ve been waiting for all my life. The woman I’ve been seeking since I can remember.”

  “Your whole life? All twenty years of it?” I tried to lower my volume. “What happens to college, kiddo?”

  “We plan to travel a year or so, then I’ll go back and finish up,” Brit said, still captured by the flashy diamond on her hand. “Share the joy with me, Auntie Dee. Don’t be so suspicious.”