Nerdcam Pt 6

[Note: In checking, I found that there is, in fact, an actual real world webcomic titled Sonder. Go figure. Not that I expect anyone will care, but this story line has nothing to do with that comic, and my use of the title was purely coincidental.]

After work and a short workout at the gym, it was almost seven when Anna arrived home. Locking the door behind her, she dropped her bag on the couch and immediately headed for the bathroom. There had been too many people at the gym for her to want to try showering there.

After stripping down and testing the water temperature a couple of times, she stepped into the shower. With a sigh and an appeased murmur, she shifted about, letting the hot water sluice away sweat and ease the tension in recently worked muscles.

While she took her time, first washing her hair and then lathering up with body wash, she thought about the coming weekend. Sunday would be December fourth. Jack's birthday.

On the one hand, it felt like no time at all since they had met and begun seeing each other. On the other hand, they had been spending a fair bit of time together. There had been developments.

The day after their Halloween get-together, she had introduced him to Nicole, her old friend from college, who she called Nikki. The little redhead with the glasses, (which lent a certain sexy librarian air to her appearance), had been so curious about the guy who had managed to get Anna to 'go steady' that she had seemed ready to either cancel their prior engagement in favor of questioning him, or invite him along.

While tremendously intelligent, Nikki wasn't particularly clever or funny, but she appreciated the qualities in others. She and Jack had gotten along well enough. Anna had later explained to him that Nikki was into cis women, so there were no worries about any weird sexual tension amongst the three of them.

She had given Jack a long look. He had reassured her that yes, he agreed. Even if Nikki weren't gay, he wasn't interested in changing his service. Yeah, she was cute, but he was happy with his current girlfriend plan. At which Anna had rolled her eyes.

A couple of weeks after that Jack had shown up at Shelf Indulgence and taken her out for lunch on her break. After meeting her boss, Mr. Lintz, Jack had agreed that he had probably been a wizard before opening the book store.

Shortly before Thanksgiving they had gotten together for a game night at Anna's place with Nikki and a few of their other friends. A good time was had by all, and there was a general call for Anna to get out more and bring Jack out with her.

Then over Thanksgiving Anna had traveled to visit family. Though she hadn't felt like bringing Jack along just yet, she did mention him to her folks. She did her best to remain vague about exactly how serious they were, as she was still putting off any definitive judgments beyond boyfriend and girlfriend. Her parents were happy for her and encouraged her to bring him along next time. They were nice enough not to harp on it, but she knew they were of the somewhat old fashioned view that part of every full and happy life was finding a partner to share it with. It wasn't as if she disagreed, per se, she just wasn't in a big hurry. She stubbornly maintained the position that if she were going to really commit to one person, she wanted to be as certain as possible that it wasn't going to go sour a few years down the line.

She had come back from the Thanksgiving trip to find Jack had taken advantage of having her apartment key, as usual. Her box – the same old box she had been carrying when she first bumped into him – had been returned, and with a new note. She had also found several little boxes spread around the apartment. One at the table with crayons and paper strewn before it. One on the counter next to an open and empty cereal box. And so on.

The note had read:

'Anna,

When Jack found out I was pregnant, he said

he didn't sign up for supporting box-babies,

and you were going to have to deal with it.

He's a monster. He said we were destined

for the recycling bin. But you wouldn't do

that. Right?

-your big ol' box

Work had been going well – for both of them. Jack had gotten a first paperback collection of his webcomic published. Meanwhile, Anna had gained a co-worker and picked up more hours at the bookstore. More hours and responsibility – and a title. Mr. Lintz had explained that his wife wanted to travel while they were both still healthy enough to do so. To hear him tell it, they had family spread all across the country whom they could visit while they were at it. So, only days ago, Anna had officially been promoted to Store Manager.

Anna had had to learn more about the paperwork side of the business, which was not her favorite thing. Mr. Lintz said he would still take care of as much of that as he could, but the day to day would be Anna's to deal with. Always the helpful one, Jack had found her some apps and programs that helped her keep track of things. He had also helped her make sense of the existing spreadsheets and book orders and things.

Exploring the backlog of paperwork had revealed some interesting facts of which Anna had not previously been aware. One – which Jack had expressed curiosity about before – was that the shop made relatively little profit. It was practically paying Anna, and now the coworker hired to fill her position after her promotion, directly out of Mr. Lintz's pocket. Internet snooping had subsequently revealed that Mr. Lintz had led an interesting life, and had invested in various projects and companies along the way. As best they could figure, he was worth at least a couple million. Apparently he was content to slowly pay that money back out while pursuing his ideal retirement – a quiet life running a used bookstore.

When she had finished washing up, Anna cut the water and dried off. After collecting her gym clothes and dropping them in the laundry bin, she went to her bedroom to get dressed. First she moved a black top hat with the ankh necklace and smiley face button she had left inside. That was part of another development.

Despite her initial disdain, after dressing up in costume for their Halloween get together, she had gradually warmed to the idea of cosplay. She wasn't sure if she would ever want to go to a con dressed up, but it was satisfying to see a costume come together. And it was fun posing in random places while Jack or Nikki took pictures. Some of these they uploaded to a twitter account they had made for the purpose. So far she had only done a couple – the Lust look she had worked up for Halloween, and a take on Neal Gaiman's Death – which involved the top hat and accoutrement.

After dressing in one of her 'bumming around the apartment' outfits – gray leggings and Jack's Pink Floyd shirt – she checked that she had things ready for tomorrow – Saturday.

She and Jack had put their heads together concerning what they wanted to do for his birthday. He had suggested that since he was thinking of visiting family himself for Christmas, they could consider his birthday an early Christmas for just the two of them.

Choosing to celebrate so early in the month had saved them some trouble when it came time to reserve a room at a fancy-shmancy hotel. And a fancy-shmancy restaurant, as well. She had tried to tell him they didn't have to do all that, but he had insisted. He would take care of it. And of course she would be lying if she said there wasn't a certain thrill at having someone treat her to the whole fancy-shmancy experience.

She sat and stared into space for a bit before deciding to double check her suitcase. A gift from her parents when she had first moved out, it was one of those black rolly deals with an extendable handle. Hefting it onto the bed, she unzipped it and picked through the contents. Clothes, including a wool hat, wool socks, some sexy lingerie, and a pair of black thigh-high socks. Toiletries in a big ziploc bag. The horror novel she was about halfway through reading. Her gift for Jack, packaged in the sort of flimsy Christmas themed box people always used for clothes. Cell phone charger.

“Hmm.”

After a bit of thought, she grabbed one of her pillows and crammed it in with the rest. She thought a bit more, then shrugged, zipped it closed, and wheeled it out to leave it next to the couch.

Stomach growling, she threw together a small salad and picked at it while making a ham and cheese, wrapping it in tinfoil, and popping it in the oven. She continued absently munching on greens and cherry tomatoes, eyes wandering absently. They stopped on Jack's get well card, which she had tacked to her fridge with an old Garfield magnet she had found while unpacking.

With a grunt she moved from leaning on the counter to dig her phone out of her bag. After a few taps on the screen, she sauntered back to finish the salad.

“Hey, what's good?” Jack answered her call.

“Hey. What are you doing?”

“Uh, not much. Was actually just making sure I had stuff ready for tomorrow. You?”

“Same. Well, eating dinner now, but...”

“Anything good?”

“Ham and cheese. And something like a salad.”

“Ah. Everything okay?”

“Yeah. I was, um... Promise not to laugh?” she asked.

“I promise I'll try. What's up?”

“You never do bother to lie, do you?” Anna snorted. “I was feeling kind of anxious.”

Jack was quiet for a few seconds.

“About going out this weekend?”

“Yeah. Like, flattered and excited too, but... You know I would've been fine with our usual. Staying in, playing games or watching movies.”

“Well-”

“And with it being your birthday, and our Christmas...”

“If I say 'don't worry about it', that's not really gonna help, right? Hmm. I'm sure there'll be a TV in the room. We could bring a console and games and stuff.”

“What?” Anna smiled. “I can't tell if you're kidding or not, but weirdly, the idea makes me feel a little better.”

“Do it,” Jack encouraged, a smile in his voice, “Give us something to do if, by chance, we don't end up fucking all night.”

“I dunno, Nerd,” Anna countered, happily taking a turn poking fun, “I might pass on fucking altogether, and just play games.”

“Oooh, ouch.” Jack played along, “I suppose I shall have to endeavor to make myself more appealing in your eyes than those benighted games, my dear Miss Durand.”

Anna found her oven mitt, then paused to blow a raspberry in response.

“What are you, Abraham Lincoln now?”

“Nah. I don't like public speaking or speeches. Or wrestling.”

“Wreffwing?” Anna managed, before emitting a few muffled sounds of distress, having bitten into a quite hot ham and cheese sammich.

“Yes, 'wreffwing'. Supposedly Lincoln was a champion wrestler. Lanky guys have an advantage in leverage or something. Anyway, I don't like to roll around groping somebody unless we're having sex, so...”

“Mmp, mm... Ahem, so... Are you saying you don't wanna wrestle with me, or...?” Anna teased after finally swallowing the bite of sammich.

There was a long pause.

“Jack?”

“Sorry, I was just thinking... If Abe Lincoln ran today, he could use that athleticism as a gimmick. He could run as 'Abs Lincoln.'”

Anna covered her mouth to make sure she didn't lose her last bite to laughter.

“What the fuck...” she sputtered. “That shouldn't be that funny. Goofball.”

“It's all in the delivery.” Jack assured her, “And yeah, we can wrestle if you want. No referee, though. Can't promise I won't take advantage.”

“That's okay. I can't promise I won't sit on your face to win.”

Jack tsk-ed disapprovingly.

“No honor.” he observed. “I look forward to it.”

They carried on for a little while before hanging up for the night, agreeing to try to get plenty of sleep before meeting the next day.

They woke in their respective rooms, in their respective apartments, to a cold, but clear and sunny Saturday. They each puttered around with a vague sense of anticipation, the way people are wont to do when they have an appointment coming up but it's not yet time to go.

Around noon Jack texted.

'Meet me at your car at 5:30?'

Anna confirmed, and they both resumed waiting out the clock.

When the time finally came, Anna reached the parking garage to find Jack already waiting by her car. He turned at the sound of her heels and the wheels of her suitcase. Seeing him, she slowed for a moment, eyebrows rising.

He wore a black suit, complete with waistcoat and slim black tie. She guessed it wasn't tailored to him, but he had found one that accentuated his long, lean figure. At some point he had gotten his hair trimmed, and he had obviously combed it, though the result was still a bit haphazard. She smiled to see that it had been at least a day since he last shaved.

Stopping a good ten feet away, she made a show of looking him over. He bore the inspection with a faint smile of his own, while returning the favor.

“Damn.” Anna finally delivered her verdict.

Jack's smile grew.

“Likewise, Beautiful.”

Anna wore a retro short sleeved black dress that looked like something Audrey Hepburn might have worn. Not the slinky Breakfast at Tiffany's getup. This one had a narrow waist not far below the bust, making prominent the curves above. Curves the likes of which Hepburn never had. Too, it flared slightly below that waist, and fell without pleats to mid calf. It wasn't especially formal, but she looked stunning in it. And the lack of formality appealed to Jack anyway.

Her hair had been pulled back and pinned with a brooch, but thin sheaves had been left to hang, framing her face. Above the neckline of the dress, she wore a small, tasteful ivory cameo on a black velvet choker. Skin tone hose and strappy black pumps rounded out the look.

When she had finished admiring suited-up Jack, Anna fished in a pocket (one of the things she liked about the dress), and came up with her keys.

“You driving?” she asked, holding them up.

“Nope.” Jack shook his head. “And you can put those away. We're not taking your car.”

Anna's expression reflected her bafflement.

“That's our ride.” Jack pointed off to their right.

Anna looked where he was pointing. She blinked. She looked back.

“That... That's a limo.” she said.

“It is.”

“And... Our ride isn't behind the limo, is it?”

Jack bobbed his eyebrows, then lifted his duffel bag from the hood of Anna's car. He stepped lightly, pausing to kiss Anna on the cheek.

“Come on.”

Anna followed.

“I called in a favor.” Jack explained.

As they approached the vehicle, the driver's side door opened. A well-dressed man of about their age hurried around to open a door and take their luggage. He was well dressed, but not in any sort of driver's uniform. In fact, his clothes looked rather expensive.

“I'm Robert.” he explained when he had finished sliding their things out of the way, “And you must be Anna. Now I see why Jacky-boy wanted a favor.”

Robert's skin was a dark sienna, and looked as if he must bathe in moisturizer. He was bald, with a finely manicured anchor goatee – and finely manicured eyebrows.

“Uh, hello.”

“He didn't tell you about me at all, did he?”

“Uh, no.” Anna smiled uncertainly.

“It's a story. You two get in and get comfortable. I'll tell you about it on the way.”

Robert went back around and climbed in behind the wheel. Jack and Anna, meanwhile, climbed into the fairly luxurious passenger section. When they were seated and the vehicle had begun moving, Anna gave Jack a questioning look.

“A favor? What, did you save his dad in Vietnam?”

“Not exactly. I could explain, but I'd just get interrupted. Robert loves to talk. Just wait. You'll see wh-”

A humming sound disturbed the ambiance as the screen between the cab and the passenger section lowered.

“So how did you two meet?” came Robert's voice from the front.

“I told you, she bumped into me.”

“Yeah, but-”

“No, literally. She wasn't watching where she was going-” Jack began, only to be interrupted in turn by Anna.

“Hey, there's no need to be... specific. But yeah, it's not that interesting.” she was glad Jack had obviously chosen to omit mention of their actual first, online encounter. “What about you two? Did Jack blackmail you into this?”

“No,” Robert laughed, “I owed him one.”

Anna was ready to ask if there was a story to that, but Robert carried on without the encouragement.

“He was in one of my classes in art school. I went through a bad breakup and I was thinking of dropping out and taking a crappy sales job. But Jack talked me out of it.”

“Aw. You were a good bro.” Anna teased, nudging Jack.

“Uh huh. Keep joking. It got us a limo.”

“Hm. Guess that explains how you afforded this part.” she mused.

“The next year I switched to cosmetology and found my calling.” Robert added.

“And now he's the personal beautician for some... What was it? Pop singer? Talk show host?” Jack elaborated. “Probably makes our combined yearly in a couple of months now.”

“Okay,” Anna said slowly, “But if you're a beautician, why do you have a limo?”

“I work for a porn company, as you know. But yes, I do make good money. And I have a limo because Mike, one of the company drivers, owed me from when I set him up with one of the girls. And talked him out of a bad hair cut before they went out. It's all karma, see? You put good things out there, it comes back to you.”

They noticed him glancing at them in the rear view mirror.

“Although... I dunno what Jack put out there to hit it off with you. Win the lottery and give it to charity or something?”

Anna glanced at Jack, but he was just smiling.

“The meeting was luck.” She answered for him. “But after that... I like a good sense of humor. Sarcasm.”

“Oh, well, he's got that.” Robert interjected.

“We both like reading and horror movies. Gaming.” Anna expounded.

“Oh, alright, you're into nerds? They say that's a thing, but you go to Cons and... Well... Seems like mostly the girls are as homely as the guys. 'Cept some of the ones that do the dress-up thing. Gotta give credit though – some of those cosplayers, their makeup is on point.”

“Well, I do also have a weakness for the lanky, scruffy look.” Anna added.

“Mm, yeah, if he'd just shave and do something with his hair.” Robert observed critically.

“Actually, I kinda like the stubble.” Anna smiled.

“Hell, I don't wanna be rude and talk about you while you're sitting right there, but...” he lowered his voice as if to indicate that under other circumstances, he would be mumbling to Jack. “Damn, Jack. You better hurry up and get her pregnant or put something on her finger before she gets away.”

“Told you he liked to talk.” Jack commented, seemingly oblivious to Robert's suggestions.

Anna leaned over against Jack and whispered in his ear.

“What do you think, Jack? Gonna get me pregnant?”

Jack snorted.

“I don't think karma's gonna swing that.” he said quietly. “And even if, we could talk about the other thing, but I'm not in any hurry for kids.”

“The other-” Anna started, raising her eyebrows.

But Robert cut in.

“Love the dress, by the way. Understated retro is very in right now, and you are pulling it off. Now let me ask you, what kind of foundation do you use?”

They chatted, or more accurately listened to Robert talk and occasionally interjected, until they reached their destination. Le Foie Heureux. French. Fancy-Shmancy.

Robert opened their door for them and told Jack to call him when they were ready to go. As they entered and Jack gave his name to the host, Anna took in the decadent décor. She began to feel a bit under-dressed.

After being seated by the host, she was about to mention it to Jack when she realized that he was paying hardly any attention to their surroundings.

“We've been seeing each other how long – and you're still staring?”

“You're still beautiful.” he gave a wry smile to show that he knew it was a corny, overly romantic thing to say, then added; “The look... Really suits you. I like your hair this way.”

“Thanks, Ner- Er, Jack.”

Their eyes met again and they shared a smile.

Jack opened the menu in front of him.

“Would you believe, I'm not so familiar with the menu here.”

“No, really?”

“Pretty sure they don't serve turkey clubs. Actually, this is probably all French. Maybe you can help me out this time.” he observed.

Anna opened her own menu.

“These are mostly, like, classics. With your fancy cooking skills, you must know some of these?”

“Some.” Jack agreed. “Partly it just seemed like an opportunity to hear you speak French.”

Anna rolled her eyes.

“Well, at least you're not trying to give me a foot job.” Jack looked about to say something, so she headed him off; “Shht. Hush. Anyway, my French is terrible. But I can translate if you need it.”

“Huh. Sorry Love.” Jack said after scanning the menu.

Anna looked up with furrowed brow.

“Should I ask?”

Jack broke the news to her with a disappointed sigh.

“No pizza.”

Anna let her head droop for a moment.

“You... Sous-merde.”

“Hey, I got some French. Wait, pretty sure I know what merde is. What did you say?”

“Sous-merde.” Anna leaned forward and spoke quietly, “Like, assistant- er, merde. Like extra insulting because you're not even qualified to be actual shit.”

Jack's eyes drifted while a smile formed on his face.

“Huh, that's creative. Know any others?”

“You think we could order before you insist on any more degenerate behavior?”

“Well, now that I know you don't want me to give you a foot job, I guess...”

Just then a server approached. With a few words that were lost on Jack, he placed a couple of identical, small round dishes, one in front of either diner. With that done, he nodded, smiled, and left them.

“Uh, what was that?”

“'L'amuse gueule.' Like amuse bouch. Um, an hors d'oeuvre.” Anna explained.

“Ah.”

The items in question were rough orbs of made of threads of stretched crystallized sugar. The two glanced at each other, shrugged, and ate. The orbs turned out to contain a sort of soft fluffy cream. There were hints of nuts, chocolate, and coffee, but none of the flavors were overly rich. The sugar-threads added a sweet maple which slowly dissolved with the rest.

“Wow,” Jack remarked, “Don't expect me to make that next time I cook for you.”

“Mm. It's good, but I'll bet it's a lot of work for such a little thing.” Anna acknowledged.

Sliding the little dishes to the side, they returned their attention to the menus.

After a moment Anna broke the relative quiet.

“Are you sure you c-”

“Uh-uh-uh. It's fine. Just enjoy. You can interrogate me about it later, when we get home.”

She stared at him doubtfully for a beat, then shrugged.

“Then I'm gonna have the Salmon en papillote.”

“Translation?”

“Means Salmon in foil or paper. They seal the fish, and maybe the veggies too, inside oiled paper and cook it so that it steams inside.” she explained.

“Ah. Interesting. I think I'll try the chicken confit.”

A waiter approached and asked about drinks. When they both looked uncertain, he offered to make a suggestion based on their choice of dishes. He ended up suggesting an oak aged chardonnay, which was supposedly suitable for both chicken and an oily fish like salmon.

They were served the wine, and the food arrived after a reasonable interval. Jack watched, intrigued, when Anna's food arrived still sealed in it's oiled paper pouch. Aside from commenting on how the food – and the wine – were excellent, they were quiet for a time while eating.

Before they had finished, Anna insisted that Jack should try the salmon, so they opted to trade plates. With both plates well cleaned, and wine glasses emptied, they agreed that both meals were delicious.

Before long, their server reappeared and asked if they would like to see the cheeseboard or order dessert. Asking about dessert, they were informed that there was an exquisite hazelnut dacquoise, or a choice between souffles – au chocolat, or aux framboises. Anna again translated for Jack's benefit. The dacquoise was a quite decadent cake. The choices of souffle were chocolate or raspberry.

To Jack's amusement, Anna suggested he order a slice of the dacquoise, and she would just sample a bit of his. When, a short time later, the cake arrived, Jack slid the plate toward the middle of the table.

“Here, you take the first bite, see what you think.”

Anna daintily cut away a small wedge and speared it with her fork and lifted it to her mouth.

“Mmmmm.” her eyes closed as she savored the bite.

“That good, huh?”

Anna nodded.

“You should probably take the rest far away from me. It's way too good to be good for you.” she said, even as she reached forth to cut another little sliver.

“That's okay. We'll just have to get in some exercise later.” Jack smiled, drawing the plate back his way after she stole her second little bite.

Anna tapped her lower lip with the tines of her fork, thinking.

“I went to the gym yesterday, but that's probably not what you meant, right?”

Jack was nodding as he finished his first bite of cake.

“Mm, that is good. And yeah – that wasn't what I meant.”

Anna set her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her hands.

“And did you have things in mind, Jacky-boy?”

“I had a few ideas. But I'm open to suggestions, too.”

“Hmm. Different topic. You know how I told my parents about you?”

Jack paused with his fork hovering over the cake.

“Yeah?”

“And they said to drag up there to meet them next time I visited.”

“I recall hearing that, yes.”

“Well... What about your family? I mean, hypothetically... When do I meet them?”

Jack poked noncommittally at the cake a couple of times.

“According to my master plan? At my funeral, I guess.” he grumbled.

“Jack.”

“Sweetie, I don't wanna meet my family. Why on Earth would I subject you to them?”

“Sweetie?”

Jack widened his eyes in exasperation before subsiding a bit.

“Don't like that one?” he asked.

“Actually, I kinda do, but... I mean, it' be nice if the context was less, you know, argue-y.”

Jack nodded.

“Look, if you keep asking, I'll eventually set something up. But I want it in writing that I tried to talk you out of it.”

“Are they that bad?”

He seemed to give it some actual thought. Then shrugged expansively.

“They're not the devil. They're just petty. Narrow minded? Like, they've got their idea of how life is, but it's a tiny bubble. And they don't know or care – or want to know – about anything else. If they'd been put in charge of the world's scientific research and development, we'd still be living in log cabins without electric light or air conditioning. Riding horses and dying of bad teeth and... Sure, I like log cabins, but that's not the point. If-”

He noticed Anna's expression. He frowned and cleared his throat.

“Okay.” Anna said.

“Okay?”

“Yeah. Okay. I'll ask you about it again some other time. I think I understand a little bit more about why you're not crazy about the idea. That's enough for now.”

Jack nodded slowly, then cut himself another bite of cake.

“I think that's the most worked up I've heard you get about anything since I've known you.” Anna observed.

“Yeah, sorry. They just... frustrate me.”

Anna smiled.

“It's fine. In a weird way, it's nice to know you can get upset about something. You're always so easy going.”

“Just don't take most things too seriously.” Jack admitted.

“Which is good. Generally.”

“There are a few things I take very seriously.” he asserted between bites.

Anna gave a thoughtful 'Hmm.'

Jack set the fork down on the plate and slid it, and the last few bites of cake, toward Anna.

“Wouldn't want more than a slice at a time. Good, but a little rich. Why don't you finish the last bit while I text Robert?”

“You're supposed to be helping me resist temptation,” Anna pouted, “But... Can't let it go to waste.”

Some fifteen minutes later they were on their way out, Jack having taken care of the check. As they stepped away from the entrance, breaths clouding in the cold, he removed his coat and slipped it over Anna's shoulders. She walked alongside him, intentionally bumping against his arm until he put it around her and gave her a squeeze.

They made their way a block down to a parking lot where Robert was turning the limo around after having gone and taken care of some unknown personal business. He welcomed them aboard, happily asking about their meals. After which he largely kept up both ends of the ensuing 'conversation.'

This suited his passengers just fine. After listening to Robert talk for a couple of minutes, and sharing a knowing look, the two smiled and cuddled up and made out for the better part of the ride.

When they slowed to a stop at the hotel, Robert turned and reached back through the window between the cab and passenger section.

“Here. My business card. Has my number. I know it won't do any good to give it to him. If you hear about any good parties or art shows – or you wanna throw one – give me a call. And see if you can drag him out once in a while. I don't want the next time I hear from him to be when you need a babysitter.”

Anna took the card and secreted it away in a pocket.

“Thanks, Robert. I will. And I'm trying. Thanks for the ride.”

“My pleasure.” Robert settled back in his seat. “And Jack, remember what I said, eh? Don't wait-”

“Yeah, yeah. I remember.” Jack smiled. “Thanks for the ride. Don't call me, I'll call you.”

“Fuck off.” Robert laughed. “I'll see you 'round.”

Once outside with their luggage, the two lingered to wave as Robert pulled away. With a mischievous expression, Jack turned and bent to gather snow from the edge of the walkway. He began to pack a snowball.

“Ah, shit!” he ducked and shook when Anna beat him to the punch, settling for an unpacked handful crammed down the back of his shirt.

Jack danced a bit, then straightened up and weighed his snowball in hand. He approached, smiling.

“Hey,” Anna held up her hands, “let's talk about this.”

Jack waited, pressing close and looping an arm around her. Anna readily reached her hands up behind his neck and met his kiss. As they parted again, Jack stepped back just enough to drop his frosty missile on her foot.

Anna gasped, looked down, then back up at him.

“You shit.”

“Uhp, that's sous-merde, remember.”

“Don't you correct my insults, smartass. And that was totally cheating.” she grinned.

“Yeah, you can punish me when we get inside. Come on. And watch that ice.”

Inside, Jack checked in at the front desk and accepted the keycards for their room while Anna tapped lingering slush off of her shoe. While they rode up to the sixth floor in the elevator, Jack handed Anna a keycard and took her luggage for her.

“You're being very gentlemanly.” Anna commented.

Jack shrugged.

“It's nice to act classy once in a while. And spoil you a bit. Of course, I might've stopped the elevator and ravished you, but I'm getting a tiny bit possessive. At least enough so I don't like the idea of you on cam unless it's with me.” he pointed up at a little camera bubble in the ceiling of the elevator car.

“Ah. Okay. Good call.” she admired his profile. “Thanks for spoiling me. Nerd.”

“My pleasure.” he tipped his chin up as the elevator doors opened. “42C. Get the door?”

Once inside the room, Jack set their luggage near the bed on their respective sides – Anna on the left and he on the right. With that done, he removed his waistcoat and tossed it on the nightstand. Anna, meanwhile, lay Jack's coat on the bed and sat to remove her shoes.

Jack followed suit, then looked up when Anna spoke.

“Oooh. You found a room with shag carpeting? Hard to believe that could be a coincidence.”

Jack smiled and finished removing his shoes.

“Yeah, had to call around a few places for that. Maximum comfort. Oh, And that door over there should be a little balcony.”

Anna rose and padded over to draw aside a long curtain. Unlocking and sliding open a glass door, she stepped out into a quite small, recessed balcony. She gave the bronze-painted iron railing an untrusting test nudge before leaning on it and looking out at the lights of the city. She smiled, almost laughed, though the cold of the air and the tiles underfoot raised goosebumps on her arms and legs.

She noticed Jack join her when his warm hands slid down her arms. He leaned close to look out over her shoulder. She crossed her forearms to put her hands over his, and they stood for a little while in silence.

Eventually Jack fished something from a hip pocket and held it out in front of them. It looked like a slightly mangled sprig of leaves with some tiny white berries.

“What is it?” Anna asked.

“Mistletoe, naturally.”

“I thought that was-”

“You're thinking of holly.”

“Oh yeah. People always say mistletoe, but...”

“Traditionally they go together. The Romans decorated with holly for Saturnalia. When the Christians took over, they absorbed the tradition, along with mistletoe, which the Norse, Greeks, and Romans all associated with peace.” Jack explained.

“Huh. Went down a Christmas rabbit hole at some point?”

“I was doing some Christmas themed stuff in the webcomic last year and realized – like you just did – about a lot of people using just holly but always calling it mistletoe. And, yeah... Rabbit hole.”

“And you carried that in your pocket?”

“Well, I was hoping I wouldn't need a special excuse to kiss you, but I also thought it wouldn't hurt to get in a few touches of Christmas spirit.”

“Hmm. Very thoughtful.” Anna turned about in his arms and tipped her head to look up at him expectantly.

With a faint smile, he lifted his hand up over their heads, dangling the spring between thumb and forefinger. He tipped his head down as Anna rose on the balls of her feet to kiss him.

Jack lowered his arm.

“Should I hold onto this, in case-” He started to ask when they had broken the kiss.

Anna held his eyes with her own and shook her head slowly. He would have described the smile she wore as a little bit evil.

“You won't need it.” she assured him.

“Mm,” Jack zoned out for a moment, lost in her eyes, then blinked, “Er, presents first.”

Anna looked doubtful.

“You sure?”

Jack gave her another quick kiss.

“Trust me.”

The two withdrew into the room, sliding the door closed behind them, and went to their respective luggage. Anna found the wrapped package and set it on the bed. While Jack was doing the same on the other side of the bed, Anna got on her phone and looked up Carol of the Bells and set it to play on repeat at low volume. Dropping the phone on the bed, she took the gift and moved around to meet Jack at the foot of the bed.

While Anna held the one flattish rectangular package, Jack had two – one about the size of two bricks put together, and another, square package which just about filled his other hand. They hesitated, then Jack held out the larger of his packages.

“Here. Start with this one.”

Anna accepted the package, setting her own aside on the bed for the moment. She tore away the Christmas tree print wrapping paper, crumpled it into a ball, and flicked it to bounce from Jack's chest. The box beneath looked as if he had cut and folded it together from a larger piece of cardboard. Shearing through painter's tape with her nails, she opened the box and lifted out the contents.

First came a familiar style of bottle with a familiar label, containing a familiar viscous white substance.

“I figured, you can never have too much lube, right?” Jack explained.

“Yeah, that's a good call, Nerd,” she flashed him that evil smile again, then rolled the bottle up the bed toward the pillows, “And it might come in handy pretty soon.”

The second object was, similarly, pretty self explanatory. It was a small vibrating wand, still in the package.

“It's got a USB charging cord thing. It would've been one of the big ones, but it wasn't at the top of the priorities list, and after budgeting for...” he gestured vaguely at the room around them.

“After that meal and this,” she mimicked his gesture, “you really didn't have to get me anything.”

“Well, I wanted to. And those one's were just, you know, for fun. And, uh, then there's this.”

He held out the smaller parcel.

Anna took up the box she had set down and pressed it on him before accepting his second gift. They glanced surreptitiously at each other while slowly working at wrapping paper.

Discarding paper and opening the box beneath, Jack found a hardcover sketchbook and an array of little plastic holders containing graphite sticks. They were the sort used in the lead-holders – fancy drawing pencils – that he sometimes used. Smiling, he set the plastic holders in the box and set it aside. He held onto the sketchbook, having noticed that the front cover seemed propped up a bit by something.

Opening the book, he found a key taped to the inside of the cover. His attention was pulled away, however, when he saw that the first page wasn't blank. Anna had written something – no, drawn something. It was in ink. Gel pen, by the look of it. But there were some faint pencil marks beneath.

It was rough – showing common issues that beginners often had, but it was recognizable. She had put in some real effort. The drawing was a rendering of Anna herself, wearing his big Pink Floyd shirt. There were a series of speech bubbles next to her, reading:

'This sucks, but you'll appreciate

the thought, right?

Thanks for being a pretty great

guy.

Merry X-mas, Nerd.'

Jack glanced up, grinning.

“That's not bad. And yeah, I appreciate the time and thought. Thank you.”

“You're welcome.” Anna said quietly, looking up from what she had uncovered. It looked like a slightly oversized ring box. She waited for him to mention the key.

He smiled down at the drawing for a few moments more before shifting his gaze. Peeling up one side of the tape there, he lifted away the key.

“This is... Your apartment key, right?”

“A copy.” she answered.

“Oh. I don't think you're supposed to copy those.”

Anna rolled her eyes and with one hand pantomimed jacking off.

“I um... Thought that since our apartments aren't that big and we're, like, used to living alone, maybe we shouldn't rush about mmm,” her eyes were sliding shyly off to one side, “Ahem, about moving in... Together.”

“So... This – giving me my own key- is like, symbolically-” Jack put together.

Anna cleared her throat.

“Yeah, kinda. I guess I was sorta hoping you would bring it up first, but... And I thought about getting you another man-purse, uh, whaddaya call it-”

“Shaving kit?” Jack provided.

“Right. To keep at my place. But you're so good about being casual and not pushing anything and I didn't wanna seem like I was pushing things and just assuming that,” she shrugged, “that you wanted to make that move.”

“No, It's good. I'm good with it. Really. You know, you're cute when you're trying not to be shy.”

Anna glowered, but only mildly.

“Open the box.” Jack suggested.

“You're sure-”

“Trust me.”

“You're saying that a lot lately.”

“Don't make me do Brad Pitt from Seven.” Jack threatened.

“Alright, alright.” Anna conceded, shaking her head.

She forced back the lid of the black velvet box, which did that thing that ring boxes do – where the lid hinges back with a little pop. Inside was what Anna gradually realized was a hair brooch with a slender white tine. The brooch itself was carved from similar white material, but much of it was colored black. Amidst the black recessed portions were tiny white stars and two little white dolphins.

“So long, and thanks for all the fish.” Jack said quietly.

Anna's mouth opened in surprise. She glanced up, then back at the brooch.

“It matches my tattoo.” she murmured.

“It's, uh, carved from deer antler. Ethically sourced. One of a kind. Take it out of the box.”

Anna hesitated.

“But I'm already wearing-”

“Trust me.” Jack smiled.

“Okay.” Anna gave him a look, but relented.

When she drew it out, she discovered that there was a fine black thread tied around the tine which led back to the inside of the lid. As she drew the brooch out, the thread pulled down a panel revealing a small hidden compartment inside the lid. A ring slipped out to rest where the brooch had been.

“Um...” Anna's tone was distant.

She hooked the ring onto the end of a forefinger and put the brooch back in the box. Making a couple attempts, she set the box on the bed without looking away from the ring. Straightening up, she turned the ring on her finger. It was the same material, and carved and colored with the same design as the brooch.

“It's not gold or a diamond or anything...” Jack said, moving closer.

Anna slowly looked up to meet his eyes.

“What, um...” she raised the extended finger on which the ring rode, “I mean... is this-”

“What do you want it to mean?”

Anna bit her lower lip, inched forward and leaned against him. As he put his arms loosely around her, she tipped her head to speak softly.

“Can we call it going steady until... My birthday? And then, if we still want... Something more? Is that-”

“Yes.”

Anna smiled, her heart thumping. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed.

Returning the hug, he kissed the side of her head.

“Love you, Anna.”

She became very still for a long moment. Then took a deep breath, sniffed once.

“Me too.” she mumbled.

Jack accepted this with a smile.

A minute crept by while the two stood holding each other. Anna did a bit more sniffling. Jack rubbed one hand slowly up and down her back.

When she finally drew away, Anna blinked and wiped at her cheeks. Then she held up the ring.

“You um, put it on for me? Maybe... on my right hand. For now.”

As Jack took the polished band from her, she lifted her right hand and splayed her fingers. Taking her hand in his, he gently worked the ring onto the appropriate digit. He turned it so that one of the dolphins showed.

“It even fits.” Anna observed. Her voice was soft and weighted with emotion. “Thanks, Jack.”

She pulled him in for a long, deep kiss. When they parted, she moved back and busied herself. First she removed the brooch holding her hair and, along with the box holding her new brooch, set it on the nightstand. She stopped then and regarded Jack.

“You gonna get naked, or you want me to help?”

“Mm, both?”

“Alright, handsome. Help me out of this first.”

She moved back to stand before him and turned around to present the ties at the back of her dress. When he had loosed them all, she wiggled out of the dress and unhooked her bra.

Jack began to reach for her, but she poked him with a finger. While he gave her a quizzical look, she uncinched his belt and undid his pants.

“That's my contribution.” she smiled merrily and turned to climb onto the bed.

“Well, no mixed signals at least.” Jack joked, working the buttons on his shirt.

“If you need some motivation...” Anna had crawled up the bed on all fours and glanced back around a shoulder, with head down and ass up.

Jack hurriedly undressed and climbed onto the bed behind her. Taking hold of her panties, he worked them down toward her knees, leaning in to nip here and there. Rising again to kneel behind her, he acted on impulse, laying his right hand across her ass with a loud clap. Anna gasped, flinching forward.

“Too much?” Jack asked, leaning to one side.

“Mm, no,” she shook her head, and in a mischievous tone added, “Do it again.”

“Rowr.” Jack happily obliged, bringing his left hand down at an angle to leave an almost identical pink print on her other cheek.

Anna gave a little cry, shifted forward, then back again. The way she rolled her ass back and moaned afterward assured him he hadn't gone too hard.

“I always, mm, enjoy our foreplay,” Anna spoke up as Jack kneaded her cheeks, “But could we make it afterplay this time? I think after you got me all extra emotional, now I'm extra turned on. You might want this.”

She slid the new bottle of lube back in his direction.

“Works for me,” Jack happily agreed, “This position?”

“For starters.” Anna confirmed, rocking back so that she bumped against his hard-on.

Jack slid his cock up to sandwich it between her cheeks, then opened the lube and lifted the bottle. He drizzled a healthy helping of pearly goo from head height. As stray splashes splatted down across her ass and Jack's tummy, Anna twitched and glanced back.

“Hey, that's kinda cold. What are you doin' back there?”

“Uh, sometimes I like making a mess?” Jack replied, closing the bottle and tossing it off to the side.

Anna snorted.

“Hurry up and make a mess inside.” she finished in that lusty purr of hers.

Profoundly motivated as he was, Jack hesitated a moment, bemused by the realization that a few months ago, he had no inkling of what was coming, or where he'd be now.

And then the moment passed, and he rolled his hips, sliding his lube-slick cock up and down between Anna's cheeks. Gathering some of the stray blobs of lube on his fingers, he gradually worked some in past her pucker. Finally, he lined himself up and pressed the glossed dome of his head to her taut hole.

Anna intentionally relaxed certain areas, took a breath, and shifted back. This time they both moaned as she took a third of his length at a go.

Jack stayed mostly still for a minute, letting Anna rock forward and back at her own pace. She took more and more of him in, until he was being rocked as well when her ass bumped back against him. He waited until she had worked up to a steady rhythm, then began thrusting to meet her halfway.

Before long, Jack slowed his movements and leaned forward along Anna's back.

“Hey, lean back.” he said between breaths.

Anna lifted herself fully on her hands and arched her back.

“Mm, Like this?”

“Yeah,” Jack reached forward, gathered her hair and shifted it to fall over one shoulder, “Like that.”

Sliding his fingers into her hair close to her scalp, he curled them. Slowly but firmly he pulled back. He felt her tense, then take a deep breath. Then she tipped her chin up and arched her back a little more.

“Okay?” he asked.

Her body poised and aching with arousal, Anna shuddered.

“Yeah. Mm, fuck, keep going.”

Careful to maintain a more or less regular tension on the beautiful bow of Anna's body, not jerking or pulling too hard, Jack quickly worked back up to a steady pace. Then faster. Harder.

As was not unusual, Anna became more vocal between her moans and labored breathing.

“Mm-m-m-mm, fu-u-uck!”

He felt telltale clenching and shuddering, but her cries made it abundantly clear, regardless, when she reached the edge. Jack shifted into a sort of squatting position – unflattering, but good for leverage – and sped up, feeling himself getting close.

“Yes, Jack, Jack, oh, uh, uh-” Anna managed in sharp little gasps, reaching one hand back to touch herself as she came.

It was a long, intense orgasm, as Jack wasn't slowing down or stopping. Instead, he eased his hand out of her hair so that he could use both to grip her hips as his pumping reached a fever pitch.

Finally, with a few porn-worthy grunts and gasps, he came as well. Head tipped back, eyes closed, he buried himself balls deep as he painted her insides – making a mess inside, as Anna had put it.

Several seconds later, as he came down, he realized that he was practically holding Anna up. Slipping his hands back to the tops of her thighs, he eased her down so that she lay on her stomach. Anna emitted a wordless 'Mmph,' as she settled limply.

Having lowered himself with her, Jack slowly eased back until he slipped from inside her, eliciting another murmur from his sated lover. Letting his cock settle along the crack of her ass, he lowered himself atop her, balanced on his elbows. He kissed here and there across her back and shoulders.

“I take it you got off too, huh Sexy?” he asked, leaning down close.

Anna shifted to draw a hand from beneath her. Turning her head to face him, she presented the hand. Glistening snail-trails ran over her fingers and wrist, and a little puddle quivered where it had collected in her palm. Giving him a lazy smile, she licked her palm clean. Then, to his mild surprise, she ran one slippery fingertip along his lower lip.

Before he could hazard a comment, she wiggled closer and kissed him, sucking his lip clean in the process.

“Let me know when you wanna go again.” Jack smiled.

“Mm, I do, but gimme a minute or two.”

“Oh. I mean, I'm game. I didn't know if-”

“Shh. I do. I wanna be facing you this time. And go slow.” she tipped her head down so that her forehead touched his chin. “I wanna, you know... Make love.”

Jack smiled and kissed her forehead.

“Alright, Sweetie.”