Love Unwrapped

by Hayden Hunt

  Which was weird, because Eli pretty much never keeps me waiting. In fact, I usually don’t even have to ring the doorbell. Eli had the door open just from hearing me drive up most days.

  I soon learned why I had to wait outside, though.

  Eli answered the door in a huff. “You’re early!”

  “Yeah, is that okay?” I asked.

  “Oh, totally fine. Come on in.” He took the presents out of my arms. “Are these mine?”

  “Yours and Cody’s, yes,” I answered, as I stepped inside.

  “They’re absolutely beautiful! Let me put them under the tree!”

  He made his way to the living room, and I followed him. But I ended up stopping on the way when something on the dining room table caught my eye.

  “What is all this?” I asked him.

  He perked up. “Well, I looked up a bunch of recipes for toffee, fudge, and other treats, and then I went shopping and got a bunch of ingredients for us! Oh, and I grabbed these little goodie bags, aren’t they cute?!”

  “Oh my god.” I could feel myself get misty-eyed. “This might be the nicest thing a boyfriend has ever done for me.”

  I probably shouldn’t have said that out loud, because it sounds a little depressing, since all he really did was go to the grocery store and get some groceries, but it’s the truth. And even though this didn’t take a bunch of effort, it meant so much to me. From this, I could see that Eli really listened to me. Not just listened to me, but took note of things I said so that he could use them later to make me happy. It doesn’t sound like a huge deal, but not everybody does that.

  Trust me, I’ve learned the hard way, not every boyfriend is necessarily willing to expend this kind of effort.

  I wrapped my arms around him. “Thank you! Thank you so much! Are we baking tonight?!”

  “Yep, that’s what I was hoping. Unless you’d rather do it another night.”

  “No, no, no! Tonight is absolutely perfect.” I was seriously stoked about this. “Quick, turn on some Christmas music! Let’s get started!”

  “You’re the boss.” He laughed as he turned the music on.

  I quickly learned that baking was not a thing Eli did often or particularly well. Which didn’t surprise me, cooking had never seemed like a big interest of his. But, it did make what he had done even more sweet. He did this completely because of my interests and me. And I was warmed by it.

  I had one of the best nights of my life that night. It was simple. We just talked, listened to Christmas songs, baked treats, sorted them into bags, and wrapped them with cute ribbon.

  It was nothing particularly special, but, for me, doing this with this man, it was everything. Everything I could ever want, everything I’d ever need to make me happy, I saw in this man.

  And, I swear, I am going to do absolutely whatever it takes to keep him in my life. I truly believe, with him, I have a shot at life-long happiness. Though, for now, I’m happy just to be doing this.

  13

  Eli

  I woke up on Christmas morning to Gene still snoring soundly next to me. And he looked very adorable doing so, I might add.

  On the other side of me was Cody. I was sandwiched between the two, and I honestly didn’t mind in the slightest.

  Though, I was surprised that Cody hadn’t woken up yet. Usually even my slightest stirring rouses him. He’s up like a speeding bullet in the morning the second he realizes I’m awake.

  And, yet, here they both are asleep on Christmas morning when you’re actually supposed to be up early. Ah, well, even though I was eager to give Gene his gifts, I wasn’t too bothered by this. It gave me some time to lay back, relax, and reflect on how much my life has changed in the last few weeks.

  It’s crazy to think that last month, I had been lying in this bed with another man. A man who had been sleeping with another person for months. This time last month, I had just been feeling completely stoked on the idea that he’d soon be moving in.

  Man, and I thought I had been happy then. I’d had no idea how good a relationship could be.

  And, yeah, maybe I’m still in the honeymoon phase with Gene. But, I honestly think it’s more than that. I truly believe my feelings run deeper than that.

  I don’t know, I don’t want to sound naïve, but I truly love this boy. And I see a very happy future for the both of us. As long as external drama no longer comes our way.

  It’s also weird to think that I was going to begrudgingly get a dog for Josh’s benefit, and now, I’ve got Cody who has become my new best friend. He is a total sweetheart of a dog. When I had been stressed about Gene and why he hadn’t been calling me back, Cody had kept me company. If I seemed even the slightest bit upset, he’d curl up next to me and cuddle.

  And when I’m happy, he’ll excitedly play with me until my arm is literally sore from throwing his toys for him. He’s such a delight in my life, and I’m so thankful for him.

  I ignored my eagerness to exchange gifts and did my best to let them both sleep. But, when I very carefully reached over Cody to grab my phone on the bedside table, it was enough to wake him up and set off a chain reaction.

  He quickly jumped off the bed. Even with his little body, this was enough force to move the entire mattress and thus wake Gene up.

  Usually, he was awake before me, but the few times I have seen him awake he’s always a little groggy. But, not this morning. This morning, his eyes snapped open and a smile crossed his face.

  “It’s Christmas!” he said excitedly, like a kid who couldn’t wait to open his presents. Though, really, I knew he was really just excited to give them.

  “It is, babe. Merry Christmas.”

  He kissed me quickly. “Merry Christmas! Now, come on, let’s get this show on the road!”

  I laughed as he dragged me out of bed. Now I was actually wishing he was still asleep. I thought, after he’d woken up, we’d spend a few minutes cuddling in bed. Now that he was pulling me out from the covers, the cold air had me wishing I could stay curled up.

  On our way to the tree, I barely had enough time to turn on the heater before Gene was yanking on my shirt to continue to the living room.

  I had the Christmas lights on a timer and had made sure the tree would be lit this morning, so when we came out to the living room, it already looked gorgeous.

  “Let’s do Cody first!” Gene said, as he started pulling presents from under the tree.

  “Uh, if you can get him to sit down long enough.”

  He was literally running down the hall from the living room to the back bedroom. This was his usual mourning routine, and he didn’t usually stop for several minutes.

  “Cody, come here!” he called out of habit, even though Cody obviously couldn’t hear him. But, Cody did pay attention when Gene started pulling tissue paper out of the bag.

  One by one, Gene brought out treat after treat and toy after toy. You’d think he’d have bought the entire fucking pet store.

  With every toy, Cody’s excitement grew. He didn’t know what every single one was, but just the fact that Gene was handing things to him was enough to thrill him.

  When everything in the bag had been handed to him, he grabbed a big red ball and ran it over to me. I tossed it for him, and he went sprinting down the hall again.

  “I think your gift was a success.” I smiled at him.

  “Looks like. Now let’s see how I do with you.”

  He grabbed his present and mine and brought it over to the couch.

  “How do you wanna do this?” he asked.

  “You go first!” I said, instantly. I couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when he opened my gift.

  It was nothing big. I hadn’t wanted to go overboard when we’d only been dating a few weeks. But it was totally perfect. Sweet, simple, and shows I care about him.

  He opened it slowly, and, when he peeled the wrapping paper apart, he saw a DVD and CD in his hand. The DVD was from the movie we saw on our first date. The CD was the soundtrack
I had been playing in the car after picking him up.

  I expected him to be elated, but his face actually sunk when he saw it.

  “Oh, god, you hate it. I’m so sorry! I just thought, you know, it was our first official date and—”

  “No, no, no! I don’t hate it!”

  I raised an eyebrow. “You’re sweet, babe, but I can read you like a book.”

  “No, really, that’s not it! It’s just… okay, open this one,” he said, handing me the gold bag.

  I didn’t really want to open it without addressing why he hated my gift, but he was insisting, so I figured we could put it on the backburner for a second.

  When I opened his gift, I literally burst out with laughter. It was this adorable little movie-themed gift with snacks and a popcorn bin and, of course, the movie we had seen on our first date.

  Of all the things, we had literally gotten each other the same present!

  “Holy shit…” I said, between laughs. “Great minds think alike?”

  “Seriously, though… how is this possible?!” Gene was laughing now too. “Although, I gotta say, the CD was a nice touch. I think you outdid me.”

  “But you made it all cute with these snacks and stuff! I definitely should have added some food.”

  I don’t think either of us cared that we had gotten each other the same gift. If anything, it made me like him even more! I mean, it proved just how similar we really were. And, also, how sweet we both could be. It truly was a thoughtful, romantic gift… and we had both come up with it?!

  We both had other presents on the side that we opened. He got me some clothes, and I got him a set of gift cards that we could use for dates later. One to the movies, some to specific restaurants, and one to a local spa so we could do a spa day.

  When we finished with gifts, Gene made us a huge brunch meal. We ate and watched Christmas movies; it was nice, but simple.

  And, it honestly was the best Christmas of my life. And I mean that from the bottom of my heart.

  “Babe,” I told him, as our first Christmas moving was wrapping up, “I am really glad I found you.”

  He blushed. “Yeah, me too. You’re, like, the best Christmas present I’ve ever gotten.”

  “I really have the feeling that this is going to work, you know? You and me, I mean. I just… I shouldn’t say so, but I’m in this for the long haul. I really think you could be an amazing long-term partner for me.”

  “Don’t worry, I feel the exact same way. There are no doubts in my mind that you and me are going to end up together. Like, that’s crazy, I know. But, I can just feel it in my bones… you’re the one for me. I’ve been with other men, and I’ve never had this feeling, so, I just… I know. You are it for me.”

  I felt like, looking into Gene’s eyes, I could see my future. I saw us moving in together, getting engaged, getting married, creating a little family of our own, possibly after adopting another dog or two.

  This was it, this man was my future. I just knew it. And I couldn’t wait to see what that future would bring.

  Epilogue

  Gene

  I felt myself being nudged awake, even though I was fighting waking up with all my might. It felt way too early to get up… and Eli literally never tries to wake me up in the morning! So, what gives?

  “Gene, baby, it’s Christmas.” I heard him whisper in my ear, and suddenly it made sense.

  I shot up in bed. “Merry Christmas!” I wrapped my arms around him. He kissed my cheek. “Merry Christmas, baby. I’ve got a present for you.”

  “Mmmmm… we’ll go to the tree in just a minute.” I said, as I laid my head on his chest. I was just too comfortable cuddling with him right now to want to move.

  “No, I mean, I’ve got a present for you right here, in bed.”

  He reached into the drawer in his bedside table and pulled a little gold box out.

  I raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”

  “You’ll see,” he grinned as he handed it to me.

  But I think I already know…

  I wasn’t excited to open the box at all. I could tell by the shape of a box, it was for jewelry. And the only kind of jewelry Eli would get me is a ring… and the only reason he’d get me a ring is because he wants to propose to me.

  I didn’t want him to propose.

  Don’t get me wrong, I love Eli. I love Eli very, very deeply. Over the past year, he has become my everything.

  I spent nearly every day here, at his house. I filled all my waking moments with him, when I didn’t have to be at work, of course. And he really made me happy.

  It’s crazy because, last Christmas, when we had only been together for a few weeks, I had been sure I could never love any one more than I had loved him. But I had been wrong. Because my love for him, now, a year after dating, was so much more intense than it had been a year ago.

  You’d think it’d die down eventually. Like, the honeymoon phase would wear off, and we’d come back down to reality.

  But, it simply wasn’t like that. Each day that passed, I loved him a little more. With every new fact I learned about him, the more perfect he seemed for me. I fucking adored this boy.

  And I want to marry him one day, I know that for sure. But I’ve always told him that I don’t want to be engaged with someone until I’ve been with him for several years. That’s just my style. I don’t want to rush into marriage at all. It just doesn’t feel right.

  And I thought he knew that. I didn’t really understand why I was staring at a ring box now. It wasn’t like Eli to listen to something I tell him then completely ignore my wishes. He truly does his best to make me feel heard and to meet my needs.

  So, this is pretty out of the ordinary for him. And what am I going to say when I open it? The last thing I want to do is have a fight on Christmas morning. We rarely ever fought, but this would absolutely start an argument, because it’ll piss me off. That he sprung this on me, when I had made it very clear I hadn’t wanted it.

  “Go on, open it!” Eli said excitedly.

  I gave a halfhearted smile and began to peel away the gold wrapping paper. Sure enough, when the paper was all off, I was holding a small velvet ring box in my hand.

  “Babe, I don’t think I should—”

  “Open it!” he insisted.

  Ugh, god, and he’s acting so excited about it! He is going to be so upset when I tell him that I can’t be engaged to him right now…

  I opened it, and, to my surprise, it wasn’t a ring. At first, I was simply relieved to find he wasn’t trying to propose to me… but that relief quickly turned to confusion.

  I pulled a small silver key out from the box.

  “A… key?” I asked him.

  “Yep!” he smiled.

  I tried to understand what he was getting at. “Is this like, you’re giving me they key to your heart, or…?”

  Apparently this wasn’t it, because he laughed out loud. “No. More like a key to my house.”

  Then it dawned on me. “Oh, babe, how sweet! You’re giving me your spare key!”

  This actually was sweet. It’s more the kind of thing I’d expect him to just give me on a random day rather than as a Christmas present, but it was still sweet. There were several times I had come over when he hadn’t been around and had been locked out of the house, waiting for him to come back. So this would totally remedy that.

  “Babe, I’m not just offering you the spare key,” he told me. “I’m asking you to move in with me.”

  My jaw dropped. “You are?!”

  “Yeah, well, you know, we’ve been dating a year now, and obviously things are really great between us… I just thought, since you spend all your time here anyway, it would be the next step in our relationship. And you totally don’t have to say yes! If that’s too much of a commitment for you, I totally understand—”

  “I’d love to!” I squealed.

  “Really?! You would?!”

  “Yes! Yes, absolutely!”

  There was
literally no reason not to move in. While I didn’t want to be engaged yet, it wasn’t because I was afraid to commit to Eli. I wanted to commit to him, and this seemed the perfect way to do it.

  Not to mention the fact that I live in a shitty studio apartment, and he has this big, beautiful house! Hell yeah, I’ll move in!

  I jumped on top of Eli and wrapped my whole body around him, squealing as I did. I couldn’t believe I had even doubted him! This was the most perfect gift he could have given me.

  “I can’t wait,” Eli whispered in my ear as he ran his fingers through my hair.

  “Neither can I.”

  My mind was running, and I couldn’t get a hold of it. I just kept thinking about how everything was going to be different now. I was going to see him everyday, fall asleep to him each night, and wake up to him each morning. I was going to live in the same house as Cody! I’ll be his second dog father. And, best of all, I was moving forward with the best relationship I’ve ever had in my life.

  I know that moving in with someone comes with hardships, too. You learn things you never knew about them before. You find new things about them that drive you absolutely nuts. There is more conflict, more difficulties, but I don’t care.

  Because, the foundation of this relationship has been rock solid. I know that whatever happens, we will get through it. I’m going to marry this boy one day, I swear it. He will be my husband. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that we won’t be able to handle anything life throws at us.

  “Are you happy, baby?” Eli asked me.

  “Absolutely.” I kissed his cheek. “You have made me happier in this last year than I ever have been. The most joy I’ve ever experienced in my life has been because of you. And I’m a better person for it.”

  And I really was. His kindness, his compassion, it drove me to be kinder as well. The sacrifices he makes for this relationship make me want to sacrifice. He is always the best person he can be, and I have to be, too, in order to keep up with him. Hopefully, on some level, I do the same thing for him.

  “And are you happy?” I asked.

  He smiled at me. “More than you will ever know.”