Merry Christmas, Ava

"Well, it is Christmas," she said, looking at me again. She grabbed her tea and bounced into the living room, still humming. "C'mon, come open your presents!"

"Ava, I..."

"Before you act like you don't want what I'm giving you, some of these are from your family, so don't just blame me," she said, settling on the couch. "Go ahead!"

We opened presents for the next hour. Ava had given me a series of presents, including a pair of slippers that were shaped like large mice that squeaked and cool ties in a range of different colors and various light-up varieties. I gave her seasons of our favorite TV shows, foreign teas, and new shoes.

We sat in mounds of ribbon and balled up wrapping paper, eating candy out of our stockings, watching some old Christmas movie. There was a lot of singing, and Ava was singing along and quoting every other line. She looked at me, singing some slow, pretty song, and I leaned forward and kissed her.

She leaned into me as I put my arms around her, kissing me more passionately. Things were getting heated and I was getting hard. Ava untangled herself from my arms, kissing me repeatedly as she untied her robe and pulled off her shorts. I was out of my boxers and t-shirt in no time and we were kissing and rolling around in the piles of present wrappings.

"Do you think," Ava gasped as she rolled on top of me, "that this is, like, a friends-with-benefits kind of thing?" I rolled over her, catching her lips.

"I don't really know. Would you believe," I said, pulling her closer to me, "I've never fucked my roommate before? Of course, my room mates have always been guys, so..." I grinned at her, pulling her up to sitting position with me. She fluffed out her hair.

"Well..." She looked at me, eyes meeting mine, a feat I had a hard time copying. "Answer this. Should we... I don't know, date, or something? Or should we just use each other for our bodies?"

I looked at her searchingly. Ava almost always knew what she wanted. It was weird, looking at her, seeing in her eyes that she didn't know what to think or do. I ran my hands through my hair. "I think both."

"What?"

"We should date, then use each other for our bodies. Or use each other for our bodies, then date. Your call." I grinned as she laughed. She leaned into me, and I became acutely aware that we were both naked.

"I like the way you think," she murmured in my ear. I pulled her close to me, kissing her gently.

"Merry Christmas, Ava."