A Snowflake Wish

Nodding Deckard didn’t look as freaked out as she felt. She was already falling for this man that has made himself at home in her life, and she wanted to blame someone for how she was feeling, but January knew that she was the only one that could control her emotions. She stole another glance toward Deckard and found him with a smile on his face as if he had just watched a kid perform a magic trick.

“Did you forget that you’re leaving? Did you need a reminder?”

“No, I didn’t forget. I just wanted to focus on spending my limited time with you. And we could always figure out a long-distance thing if we really wanted.”

“I don’t think I’m cut out for that. I’m too needy.”

Leaning toward her, the air around them began to crackle as invisible sparks ignited between them. Deckard’s hands began to slide up her inner thighs as he brushed his cheek against hers.

“I know exactly what you need,” he whispered in her ear and January’s body shivered at the feeling of his breath sweeping across her neck.

“What’s that?”

A trail of delicate kisses lined her neck and lead up to the corner of her mouth where Deckard placed a final kiss. “You need. . .to show me how you want this tree decorated, so that we can move on to getting to know each other better.”

Playfully she slapped his shoulder as he stood from the stool and gathered their plates.

“You know that was mean, right?”

“The anticipation will be worth it. Now explain to me what I’m going to do with string, popcorn, and a needle,” he said as he held up the unpopped popcorn bag and the spool of string.

Two hours later, three baking sheets held the clay creations Deckard and January had created. Most were shaped using cookie cutters January had in her kitchen while there were a few that were shaped like snowmen and stockings. Deckard had been surprisingly good at molding the clay with his fingers. January would bet her favorite pair of shoes that Deckard could mold her body just as easily.

They had also grabbed some pine cones from out in her backyard, tying some string to them so they could hang on the tree.

January watched and held back her laughter as Deckard attempted to unravel the Halloween themed lights and drape them on the tree. There was a reason why she preferred pre-lit trees, January wasn’t patient enough to untangle lights. She would have thought Deckard would be able to tackle the project in a calm manner, but she saw that he was getting frustrated.

She offered to help him, but he shrugged her off. His determination was evident. January went back to her task of creating the popcorn garland. The unfortunate part was that just as much popcorn made it into her mouth as it did on the thin string.

“All done!” Deckard shouted as he stood next to the tree with his hands on his hips just above the low slung denim.

“Good. Me too,” she said as she grabbed the garland coiled on the table. “Can you help me wrap it around the tree?”

“Of course.”

Together they draped the garland and ribbons she had picked up at the general store around the tree, weaving them in and out of the branches as they worked their way from the top to the bottom.

When they finished, January plugged in the lights then stood back to admire their work.

“Wow,” they murmured in unison. Deckard moved from his spot next to the tree to stand beside her, wrapping his arm around her waist.

“This really is something,” he murmured in her ear.

It was. The tree was fun and bright, but as January scanned it over, she realized something was missing.

“We need a tree topper.”

Gazing down at her, Deckard asked, “What’s that?”

“Usually, it’s an angel or star, sometimes a bow. Essentially, it’s like the cherry on top.”

“I see. Do you have anything like that lying around?”

January contemplated. She wasn’t sure what she had around the house, but she was certain she had something that would work.”

Her stare traveled around the room, but nothing caught her eye until she landed on the large marquee D made of metal that sat stoically on her end table. He caught her eye as the idea formed.

With the help of her guest, she placed the letter on the tree and was amazed at the transformation.