by Nicole Falls
“And that was it? You were over her and it just like that?”
Jay shook his head, laughing. “Nah, it wasn’t just like that. I came home, laid low, licked my wounds. Listened to way too much Lenny Williams and Carl Thomas, but then one day you know what happened?”
“What?”
“I woke up and it was like…I don’t know how to explain it, but it felt like that men in black shit. Where all memories of Veronica, our time together, my hurt feelings…all that shit was just gone. Evaporated. And I felt good. Shit…great. I had my life back. All of the stress of worrying about if she was where she said she was when she was supposed to be there, all of the second guessing, the shit was gone. I felt sensational.”
“Another question?”
“Shoot.”
“Why her, Jay? Why was she the one?”
Jay rubbed the back of his head before biting down on his lip. “She wasn’t always the way she was. There was a point in time where…I don’t know how to describe it. She was different, though. In the beginning, she actually reminded me a lot of you.”
“Now I know you a lie.”
“Not like exactly like you, but we had that sort of chill vibe like you and I have you know? Like everything is easy? That’s what it was like in the beginning and I held onto that until…it just was no longer enough, you know?”
“Hm,” was all I said in reply.
“Enough about non-factors though. You ready for today’s adventures?”
“I thought we weren’t doing anything ‘til later? After we picked up the folks from the airport?”
“C’mon, you should know better by now. I promised twelve days of Christmas in like six days, man. Every day is jam packed. This morning’s activity is pretty low key though,” Jay replied, reaching under the table to retrieve a brown paper bag.
One by one he removed items from the bag—loose leaf paper, markers, glitter pens, and envelopes.
“What the heck is all of this, No Z?”
“We’re writing letters to Santa, obviously,” he replied, grinning.
“Oh yeah, obviously,” I said, drolly.
“Uh oh, there are those Grinchies again…rearing their ugly little heads. Come on, where’s your sense of wonder?”
I rolled my eyes, getting up to grab a bottle of water from the kitchen, “It’s in the same place as the Yamp’s fidelity.”
“Ouch.”
“Too soon?” I said, walking back into the room and flopping down on the couch.
“You’re heartless you know?”
“Who me?”
“Yes you, Grinchesha. Come on; let’s write these letters so they can get to the North Pole before Christmas.”
“You’re having fun with all of this, aren’t you?
“You know I am.”
“And you’re serious about writing letters to Santa?”
“It’s either that or we can talk about last night.”
“All right!” I exclaimed, clapping my hands, “Letters to Santa it is!”
“Mmmmhmmm, I’ll let you have your time now. But we’ll discuss last night before tonight ends, I promise you that.”
“Yo, I can’t believe we got played by our parents like that?” Jay said, shaking his head.
Our parents hadn’t been in town more than twenty minutes before they dropped the bomb that they were taking over the Howard house and putting Jay out. Apparently, they had been in contact with some of their old friends who still lived in the area and decided to have a set. Not only was Jay displaced, but he and I were also tasked with doing some shopping for odds and ends the old folks needed for their party. We were currently leaving from Sam’s Club after picking up alcohol and snacks.
“I’m pretty shocked at how they were gushing over how it was so good to see us and in the same breath informed us that they wouldn’t be hanging too tough with us until the actual holiday. Straight savage with it, right? You know you can stay with me, right? Juju’s rarely at home anyway, so her room is almost always open.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it. I hit TJ up, but he hadn’t answered.”
“Seriously Jay?”
“Well I didn’t know if you’d be uncomfortable after…” he trailed off.
“We kissed? You keep dancing around it; acting like I was gonna be the weird one about it, but it seems like that title belongs to you, my friend. It wasn’t that big of a deal, man. Just a lil kiss.”
I’d hoped my voice hadn’t betrayed the fact that it was in fact a huge deal to me and the fact that’d he’d been avoiding us actually discussing that kiss had my stomach in knots all day.
“Ouch, another direct hit! Just a lil kiss?” Jay said, turning to face me at a red light, “Damn, No. That was my A game, top of the line lip lock. I put in work, girl. And here you go, ‘oh that was just a lil kiss’, wooooow.”
“One, my voice is not that high pitched. And B…I may have understated a little,” I laughed.
A lot. Goddamn. Just thinking about that kiss, I felt myself warming again. I shifted a little in my seat and Jay—still watching me in keen observation must’ve noticed the shift because instead of proceeding forward when the light turned green, he maneuvered the car onto the shoulder and before I even realized what was happening his mouth covered mine once again. I had zero time to think, just feel and become an active participant as he nibbled my lips softly, his tongue entering my mouth as I let out a soft moan. With my head gently cradled between his palms, Jay kissed me like he was trying to make a point. He left no part of my mouth unpossessed by him as he nibbled, suckled, and licked his way around. When the necessity of breathing became paramount, we broke apart, chests heaving. Jay turned back toward driving position, ready to put the car back in gear when I covered his hand with mine.
“Nah bruh…you can’t just kiss me like that…again, then drive off like nothing happened. What is happening, Jay?”
“What’s happening is just how you felt like kissing me last night, I felt like kissing you right now, that cool?”
“I have zero complaints,” I replied, quickly, licking my lower lip, “But…what does that mean for us? Like our friendship literally just got back on track and now we’re…”
“Two grown folks who are obviously attracted to each other acting on those attractions.”
“Ok, but like what’s your end game though? Because if you’re just tryna…”
“Whoa, don’t even finish that sentence, Noelle. I’m not trying to do anything but make you smile…make you feel good. I’m following your lead here. So, what’s your end game? What made you initiate this last night, if we wanna talk about motivations?”
Immediately I averted my eyes, unsure of what to say.
“Right,” Jay said, once again moving to put the car in gear.
I stopped him again with a light touch of my hand.
“I…I wasn’t thinking I just felt. There was no motivation behind me kissing you last night beyond doing what I knew would feel good. Now how good it would feel? I didn’t know. But Jay…I can’t lie to you, it felt good. So good,” I let out on a little moan, “I just…I don’t want us to get caught up in whatever this because it’s Christmas and magical or whatever shit. I…”
“Noelle, this isn’t sudden. Not for me anyway. I’ve always had feelings for you, but respected the fact that you never saw it for me in that way. But you, my friend, opened the door last night, so it’s up to you. But know this isn’t some fly by night, fling type shit for me,” he said, those last words delivered with so much sincerity while maintaining eye contact that I had no choice but to lean in and bring our lips back together once again.
When we finally broke apart again I was certain of two things—I didn’t want to deny myself any more of those kisses and I was definitely going to need more than those pretty soon.
“So, if you’re up to it,” I started, “Let’s…we should…I mean are you interested in...”
I didn’t know exactly how to say what I was thinking
; at least the PG version of it anyway. I was embarrassed. I wasn’t this girl. I didn’t initiate. I didn’t wonder if someone was into me. I wasn’t the pursuer; I was the one who was pursued. The amused smirk on his face let me know that Jay was getting a kick out of my internal struggle to express my thoughts.
As he pulled back out into traffic he grinned and said, “Ok Noelle, fine, you’ve twisted my arm. Yes, I’ll be your man.”
I smacked him in the shoulder while laughing, “Oh my God that’s not…”
“I saved you the embarrassment of writing your lil note—do you like me, check yes or no and you abuse me. I see I’ll need to retain protection already in this relationship.”
Not even gonna lie, I may have grinned a little bigger when I heard the world relationship leave his mouth. Jay Howard and Noelle Holliday in a relationship. Huh. Okay then...
I looked over at Noelle as we pulled into the lot of the Morton Arboretum and couldn't help but grin. Her eyes were glittering with excitement and spread across her face was a grin that looked like it was going to split her face in two, if she didn't manage to contain it for just a bit longer.
"How did you know?"
"We drove past here coming back from that huge hill we went sledding on before picking up the tree, remember? You oohed and aahed over the trees from a distance. Figured we'd get up close and personal."
The Arboretum had a one-mile walking tour that featured a spectacular, interactive light show. There were also booths and vendors along the walking tour hawking food, beverages, and other knickknacks. After paying the entrance fee, which included an upcharge for a lighted lanyard that Noelle insisted we buy in order to get the full experience of Illumination, we set out, following the arrows that directed us through the path designated by the arboretum. We strolled slowly, hand in hand as Noelle stared, gaping at the trees near the front of the path draped in lights that were colors from every bit of the rainbow spectrum. Soon we came upon one of the designated areas that had its own special show. We stopped at one of the fire pits along the path, leeching the warmth from the fire as we took in the choreographed light show to The Nutcracker Suite. Noelle was downright giddy bouncing on the balls of her feet as we stood, her back pressed against my front, arms around her waist as she leaned into my embrace.
"This is so fucking cool," she whispered, giggling a bit to herself.
The Nutcracker light show came to a close and we continued down the path. Each section was themed in some sort of way with a light show to accompany it. About halfway through the path we came upon an exhibition that was called the Crystal Promenade, which just featured light classical music playing and trees decorated with all white lights, their pinnacles donned with crystal chandeliers. There was an open area in the midst of the trees that looked like a dance floor to me, so I grabbed Noelle by the hand and led her into the thick of it.
"May I have this dance?" I asked, on a bow.
Noelle demurely nodded her head and we began to sway to the music that was playing in concert with the light display. We fell into an easy groove of a two-step when the song transitioned into a Coltrane's version of the old standard "My Favorite Things". Our simple two step was elevated as we moved around that entire space like we were auditioning for Dancing with the Stars or something. As the song came to a close, I dipped Noelle, and then brought her back up for a quick kiss before we broke apart. I could faintly hear applause sounding and I looked around to see that a little crowd had gathered while we were in our own little world. Noelle blushed, hiding her face in my coat as we made our way from beneath the chandeliers to continue down the path.
The smell of cinnamon sugared nuts hit my nose after we'd taken a few steps so I decided to stop at one of the refreshment vendor booths. We got the aforementioned nuts and mugs of hot chocolate. There was one free bench amongst the booths so we quickly made our way to stake our claim. We sipped and munched in silence, taking in the illuminated light show that reflected in the night sky, until I felt Noelle's eyes boring a hole into the side of my head.
"What?" I asked, turning toward her, "I know you wanna say something."
Instead of responding, she just leaned forward and captured my lips in a sweet cinnamon sugar spiced kiss and snuggled into me. I wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer and dropping a kiss onto her forehead. We sat for a bit longer, until we finished our snacks then headed down the rest of the path and eventually out of the Arboretum. The ride home was nearly silent as Noelle dozed off within minutes of us taking off, just like a kid who'd been overstimulated, snoring lightly.
Once we reached the house, Noelle was still knocked. She looked so peaceful that I didn't want to wake her to make her walk inside, so I shot Juniper a quick text to unlock the door so that I could carry Noelle inside. Once I saw the large shadow of Juju's natural in the doorway, I got out, unbuckled Noelle and gathered her in my arms. She remained asleep, releasing a contented breath as she snuggled into the crook of my neck.
"Well isn't this cozy?" Juniper asked as we crossed the threshold.
I said nothing, just continued on the path to the room Noelle now occupied. I laid her down on the bed, removing her coat and shoes before pulling back the comforter to settle underneath. Suddenly her eyes popped open and she stared at me in a sleepy haze.
"Did—did you carry me in here from the car?" Noelle asked, her voice low and sultry, roughened a bit from her impromptu nap.
"Nah, that was all Junie B." I said, kissing her forehead and backing away from the bed.
"Where you going?" Noelle asked.
"Downstairs to that fine futon in the den that has my name on it since my house has been taken over."
Noelle swung her feet out of the bed, exiting toward the adjoining bathroom. I sat down on the bed to await her return to give her a proper good night when she reappeared with her hair all wrapped up, wearing a delicate light purple nightgown. She padded over to me barefoot and just stood there looking at me for about a minute before speaking.
"Stay," she said softly, dragging her lower lip between her teeth, "I mean...if you want to?"
"I'll go get my bag."
By the time I made it back to her room, Noelle was sitting up peering intently at her phone. I went into the bathroom, brushed my teeth, changed into my pajama bottoms and walked back out to join her. When I walked into the bedroom, however, the bed was empty. I settled in on the side opposite of the one Noelle previously occupied and waited for her return.
"You're on my side," Noelle said, walking back into the bedroom.
I gestured toward the other side of the bed where the covers were turned down.
"That's your side."
"Nope, that's where you put me," Noelle said, coming to stand next to where I was currently reclined, "This is the side I usually sleep on."
"You want me to move? So you can have your side," I teased.
"Nope, we can share," Noelle said, pulling the cover back and climbing into the bed astride me, dropping something on the nightstand.
"I don't know how comfortable you'll sleep this way," I said, hinting, making sure I was picking up this signal she was sending clearly.
She leaned down until her lips were millimeters away from mine, "I hadn't quite planned on sleeping just yet."
At the sound of those words something in me snapped as my hands brought her down to fully rest upon me. One hand in her hair as I took her mouth in a torrid kiss, the other guiding her forward to rest her ass upon the tent she'd created in my pants. Noelle's hands gripped my shoulders as she ground into me, matching the rhythm I'd set with the kiss. I trailed kisses from her mouth to her neck, running the tip of my tongue along the hollow in her throat before moving lower. I flipped us over so that I was on top, taking a minute to catch my breath and really take in all of Noelle. Her eyes were still a little low as if she was intoxicated, but they were also clear and focused—radiating the depths of her desire. I pulled back to remove her gown, peppering each inch of newly rev
ealed skin with open mouthed kisses.
"Jayyyy," Noelle moaned softly, grabbing me by my ears, as I moved lower to her breasts.
I was a breast man and Noelle's were the perfect mouthful. I kissed my way to her right breast, tracing her golden-brown areola with the flat of my tongue, flicking her hardened nipple with the tip before suckling hard. I pinched and teased the other breast with my thumb and forefinger before switching sides and treating my mouth to her left breast as well. I let my teeth lightly graze her distended nipple and Noelle let out a low, keening cry, clutching my head tighter to her bosom.
"Shhhhhh!" I whispered, moving my kisses further south, settling in with an exhalation at the treasure between her legs. She was glistening and my mouth was watering at her scent. I inhaled deeply before licking her from top to bottom and back again with the broad of my tongue. Noelle squirmed, gripping my shoulders to move back, but I locked her in place with an arm around her thigh as I feasted upon her flesh. I could feel her getting closer, the tremors in her thighs vibrating against my ears as she quickened and slammed her thighs as close together as they would go with my head between them, coming on a high-pitched wail. I moved back up her body, to silence her cries with a kiss.
"Do you taste how fucking delicious you are, babe?" I growled as we traded tongue lashing kisses back and forth.
Noelle's response was a sultry moan of my name that instantly made me harden even further than I already was, almost to the point of pain. I needed to be inside of her, immediately.
"Please tell me you have protection, gorgeous," I said, kissing her neck.
"Side table," she gasped.
I quickly sheathed myself and slid into her slick folds, groaning immediately at how tightly she gripped me.