Festive Gifts, Festive Nights, Festive Romance

The first kiss in a relationship was important. The timing had to be right. Up until this point, they had practically kissed everywhere on the face except the lips. Alex was patient and knew Edmund wanted to take it slow, but it was getting close to Christmas. What lady wouldn't want to have a romantic evening with her beloved on a snowy night?

And snow it did. A blizzard to be exact. It almost cancelled Christmas if the trucks hadn't been ready to go in advance. Now the streets were covered in sheets of ice and salt, while half of the sidewalks had mounts of blackened snow piling up. It wasn't a pure, serene experience as it was in the countryside, where the plains were covered in a glistening, white blanket. This was dirty and dangerous. Alex made sure to tread carefully.

Everyone in Alex's friend group had family plans for Christmas except Edmund. Apparently, his family spent time together on New Year's Day instead. Since Oliver was going to be with Candace's family, that left Alex and Edmund an opportunity to be all by themselves as a couple. They waited until it was sunny enough to melt some of the snow so they could go out and do cute date stuff.

Using the slippery ground as an excuse, Alex happily clung on to Edmund's arm as they strolled through the city. They stopped by the park first since most of the stores were closed, which was much more familiar scenery to Alex since the park had been cleaned with more care. Further along, they reached the outdoor skating rink, catching Alex's attention almost immediately. Seeing all of the couples holding hands and skating around got her inspired.

Alex tugged on the sleeve of Edmund's black coat and asked, "You wanna try ice skating?"

Edmund hesitated for a moment, then answered, "I don't know how to skate."

"I can teach you how!" Alex said cheerfully, excited at the thought of teaching her smart colleague something new.

"Oh... alright then. I'm willing to make an attempt."

After renting out some skates and putting them on, it was time to get on the ice. Alex held on to Edmund's hands as they slowly walked onto the ice together. His knees quivered like a newborn deer, having trouble maintaining balance.

"It's okay, just relax," Alex gently encouraged him. As someone who used to spin around frozen lakes, she upheld her balance just fine. Aside from that, skates to her were hardly different from balancing on heels in this weather.

Edmund's mouth was sealed shut, trying his best to focus on the task. Alex kept them both near the edge of the area as she moved him along.

"I'm going to let go," Alex said. "In three... two... one..."

As soon as her hands let his, Edmund froze completely in place, still as a statue. His nervousness was painted clearly on his face as he calculated his next move. Finally, he inched forward, only for his legs to buckle instantly. He panicked and clung to the edge, emitting a muffled grunt Alex had never heard before. Concerned, Alex assisted in getting him back on his feet properly.

"Is this too much?" Alex asked.

Edmund nodded.

"Well, I'm glad you tried. Do you want to go back?"

He nodded again.

Alex hadn't expected him to react in this way, yet she doubted he was expecting it either. On the other hand, this side of him was kind of cute. It let her see what can cause even him to get shaken, so she kept it in mind.

After seating him on the nearest bench, she went back to skate on her own for a short while. She did this knowing he would feel guilty otherwise. He had a good view of her from where he was, so she was motivated to skate well. Nothing too flashy, but she at least did a twirl for good measure. By the time she returned, Edmund was smiling a bit, seeming to be in better spirits.

"You're much better at it than I am," Edmund said.

"It comes with experience," Alex replied, taking pride in the compliment.

They ended the detour by grabbing a bite to eat before heading back to Edmund's apartment to resume their date plans.

---

Even after having dinner at Edmund's place multiple times, it was always a special experience, especially tonight. The candlelight and wine added a nice, romantic touch, though Edmund did admit it wasn't his idea. While Alex was hesitant about the idea of Edmund getting dating advice from Rumi, it did get the job done. They could clink their glasses together and smile from across the table without having to worry about anyone else but each other.

After the meal was done with, Alex pulled out a black box and placed it on the table to slide towards Edmund. "Here! You can go ahead and open it. I want to see your reaction."

Edmund took the box to do precisely that, his eyes widening at first at seeing its contents, before finally relaxing into a serene, content expression. "You really know how to surprise me."

"Does that mean you like it?"

Edmund pulled one of the objects in the box to examine it closer. At first glance, it would be easy to assume they were just a normal pair of pens. However, they were actually multi-purpose pens that included a flashlight, ruler, and even a screwdriver. It was basically a Swiss Army knife for the ordinary businessman.

"I love it," Edmund answered genuinely. "This could be helpful in revising designs and other drafts."

"That's what I thought!" Alex said, her heart swelling with joy now that she knew her gift was a success.

Edmund put the pens away for the moment to pull out his gift, mimicking Alex's movements by sliding the mysterious, red box towards her. "It's your turn."

Already excited beyond belief, Alex immediately picked up the box to pop it right open, and she gasped at the beautiful sight before her. Inside the box was a bright pair of ruby red earrings wrapped in gold to form the shape of a heart. Alex did keep studs on from when she got her ears pierced out of rebellion as a teenager, but otherwise never had a real chance to wear earrings.

"My hair covers my ears all the time! How did you know they were pierced?" Alex asked, completely baffled.

Edmund gazed deep into her eyes with a calm smile, and replied, "You were the one who told me to be more observant."

Alex grinned back at him, then hopped up from her seat to head towards the guest bathroom. "I'll put them on right now!"

Using the mirror to assist her in clumsily poking her ears, Alex was able to eventually get the earrings on. The little hearts dangled from the golden clasp on her ears so cutely that she couldn't help but fall in love all over again. She was going to wear them as much as possible. She would have to keep a close eye on them so she didn't lose them, but that shouldn't be too hard.

When she came out of the bathroom, she noticed Edmund wasn't at the table anymore. She glanced around for a minute until she heard his voice from across the hall.

"I'm in the bedroom," Edmund said. "Come here."

Confused, Alex followed his instructions and went into the bedroom, finding Edmund sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Sit down," Edmund said as he patted the bed invitingly.

This was odd. Edmund wasn't normally this forward. Alex tried to keep her nervous heartbeat steady as she sat down beside Edmund. Unfortunately for her, Edmund wasn't going to make it easy, as he reached out a hand to gently caress her face. She naturally leaned into it, taking in his warmth.

"I wasn't sure about when to proceed in our relationship, but I think I know now more than ever that this is the time," Edmund said.

Alex giggled, both endeared and attracted by his bold statement. "Oh, really? Are you sure that's not the wine talking?"

"Only slightly. It had eased my nerves enough to discuss this with you."

"Then Rumi knew what he was talking about after all."

"Quite." Edmund's face gradually moved closer towards hers until their mouths were mere inches away from touching. "May I kiss you?"

Alex closed her eyes and answered, "You may."

And at long last, their lips made contact. It started as a simple kiss, allowing the two of them to ease into each other, but it didn't take much time to begin evolving. Edmund's tongue lightly grazed against her lips, and she opened her mouth to let him in without a second thought. His warm tangled together with hers as they let the kiss slowly take its course. An intermingling of tongues covered in wine-flavored saliva.

Once it was over, the two parted with deep breaths and heavy blushes, having gotten a little too excited to remember to breathe at some point. Edmund wiped off the bit of lipstick that had gotten on his lips using the back of his sleeve. Meanwhile, Alex just let herself float in her mind, her entire body tingling from the happiness and excitement.

Embarrassed, Edmund averted his gaze and said, "To be honest, I had been holding back for some time because I didn't know what I would do next. I didn't want to rush in without knowing what to do."

Alex shook her head to snap out of her daze in order to answer him properly. "Oh, no! It's fine. That makes sense. I'm glad we did it though."

"I share the same sentiment." Edmund looked back at her with a sudden, newfound resolve. "If we continue past this at some point, I will need you to instruct me."

Alex tilted her head curiously. "Instruct you?"

"On how to pleasure you."

Alex's blush intensified as she stared down at her hands bashfully folded over her lap. That was definitely going to be complicated, even for her.

"S-Sure, we'll figure it out," Alex stuttered. "B-But not today, of course! I think it's too soon."

"No, I agree with you. I merely wished to express my concerns in advance."

"Concerns received! So uh... maybe we can keep kissing? And cuddle on the bed too?"

Edmund pondered the idea, then gave her a firm nod. "Yes, I would like that."

Thus, the night ended appropriately with them kissing once more, the sparks reignited almost instantly. Their bodies laid on the large bed, hands draped on top of one another, and the snow outside was soon forgotten in the heat of love.