The Cozy Christmas Cabin

Asher used the remote control to turn off the TV, and then placed his hand on Xandre's shoulder to shake him awake.

"...mmph?" Xandre was dazed as he rubbed his eyes. The gesture also woke up Beatrice, where he realized they were both naked under the cover of the bathrobe. He glanced up to see that there was Asher, standing by the couch. "Oh, Asher!" Xandre was startled as he made sure the bathrobe adequately covered both him and the noirette.

"You should get dressed before the others start coming down," Asher said without batting an eyelid. Then he walked away to start his exercise routine in the gym.

The blond man was grateful that his friend was indifferent in finding both of them lying on the couch nude. Then he sat up to grab Beatrice's nightie and panties, and then he grabbed his tank top, boxer briefs and sweatpants. Beatrice was slowly getting up, where she stretched and then said, "Good morning Alexandre."

"Good morning," the blond responded. Then they got dressed before lying down on the couch again. "Normally I would also be in the gym by now, but I do not wish to be away from you," Xandre said as he placed his arm around Beatrice's shoulder.

"I would like to sleep a little longer," Beatrice said as she yawned.

Xandre gave a smile and said, "Yes, I do not believe we had adequate rest last night. I can always make time to exercise later in the day."

Beatrice then laid back down on the couch and Xandre joined her. He placed the bathrobe over both of them as they held each other close. When their eyes shut simultaneously, they fell into a dreamless sleep.

*

It was after breakfast, when Brandon wiped his hands dry on the tea towel after washing the dishes. He turned around to see that Silas was just a foot away from him.

"Hey man. Remember that offer you gave me? Saying that you would make a lecture on my behalf?" Silas said.

Brandon nodded and said, "Yes I remember. I offered it to you yesterday."

"I thought of a topic... but the circumstances are a bit more complicated. I am wondering if you can help me out," said Silas.

"If it's a feasible task, then I will assist you," said Brandon.

"Great," said Silas. He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb and said, "Let's talk in my room then."

Both of them headed up the stairs, and into Silas's and Doralee's room. Brandon closed the door behind him, when Silas dug a piece of folded paper out of his pocket. He handed it to Brandon, who then opened the sheet up and read the contents.

"What do you think of the plan and the topic itself?" Silas asked, "Do you think you can finish by... tomorrow? I know it's short notice and all, but it's really urgent. I can help you out with... anything really."

"Yes, if I am to work on this starting right now, I will be able to finish by tomorrow, shortly after noon. Then I will be able to execute the rest of this plan," said Brandon, "And I will not require any assistance from you."

"Great! That's good timing too," said Silas, "I really appreciate it. I owe you, big time."

"You do not owe me anything," said Brandon, "But perhaps we will play a board game of my choice tomorrow."

"Is that all it takes? Well then, no problem," Silas said as he gave a smile.

It was late afternoon, when Tyra and Doralee were in the living room, reading magazines and catching up on the latest gossip while sitting on the loveseat sofa. Brandon was on the armchair with his laptop and has not teared away from it all day since he spoke with Silas. Asher and Elise were taking their turn cooking dinner for the group, while Xandre and Beatrice sat on the dining chairs, sipping tea.

"Hey Elise," said Asher as he held up a wooden spoon that contained one meatball covered in tomato sauce, "Do you want to try it?"

"Sure," said the blonde. Asher blew on the meatball to cool it down before Elise took a bite. After carefully chewing and swallowing the juicy morsel, she said, "Oh wow, that's really good. Tender and flavourful." She glanced inside the pot of meatballs with sauce and said, "You always make the best meat dishes. I could probably eat this whole thing by myself."

"Glad you like it," Asher said as he gave a small smile to his girlfriend.

Then Elise glanced at the even larger pot that was boiling some fragrant herbs and orange slices. "What is that?" she asked.

"That's the brine for the roast turkey. It has to be soaked in this solution overnight," Asher explained. He fished out another meatball with the wooden spoon, blew on it and fed it to Elise. She gave a grateful smile, and after swallowing the food, she kissed him on the cheek. A faint hint of pink appeared on Asher's cheeks as he continued to stir the pot of meatball sauce. Elise turned around to continue chopping the romaine lettuce to make a salad.

Tyra was watching the interaction from afar while Doralee was quietly flipping through the celebrity magazines. The light blonde haired girl leaned in to the brassy haired young woman and said quietly, "Hey, so what do you think of the couples?"

"The couples?" Doralee asked, "Like... Asher and Elise? Who is the other 'couple'?"

"Beatrice and Xandre, duh," Tyra said as she rolled her eyes, "Can't you tell?"

Doralee blinked. She hardly paid attention to them, as she was mostly watching Asher and Elise from her peripheral vision. "Didn't Xandre say that they aren't together?" she pointed out.

"Oh, I'm sure that was true when we first came here. Something changed though, since last night," said Tyra.

"What changed?"

"Well for one thing, Beatrice left her bed in the middle of the night and didn't come back until the morning. That means she was likely with Xandre."

Doralee raised her eyebrows. She glanced at Xandre and Beatrice, who occasionally spoke to each other, but they were mostly just silently meeting their eyes. It was almost as if they were speaking with their minds, and they had a huge secret between them.

"Now that you mention it..." Doralee said, "I do see what you're talking about."

"I guess we'll see if any of them will admit that they're in a relationship," said Tyra, "And Asher and Elise... they're acting like they've been dating forever, even though it's only been what, two months?"

"They've known each other for years," Doralee defended her favourite couple, "They pretty much know one another inside out. It was just a matter of time before Elise realized how perfectly her and Asher mesh well together, and that they're made for each other."

"Aw, you believe that? Like they were destined to be together or something?" Tyra asked as she leaned in even closer, "I didn't know you were such a romantic."

"I'm just a fangirl for those two," said Doralee. Then she glanced around to see if Silas was around, as she remembered the favour she asked him to do to bring them together in bed. 'I hope he is really going to follow through with it,' she thought. Then she leaned in even closer to Tyra and asked, "So any progress with you and Brandon?"

"Oh no," Tyra said as she giggled, "He's super hot and all, but he's clearly just a friend material. He's not that fun to flirt with."

Then Doralee couldn't pass up the opportunity to ask the question she has been aching to ask since their freshman year. "So... does this have to do with Clare-," she began to say.

"Hard pass," Tyra abruptly said as she jumped back into her side of the sofa.

*

After a day of hot tubbing, snowshoeing, cooking and keeping each other company, it was well into the night when everyone was getting ready for bed. Xandre was tired from the lack of sleep last night, so he was comfortably and silently lying down in the lower bunk of the bed. Brandon was sitting up with a pillow behind his back, as he continued to furiously type away and click with the touchpad on his laptop.

Then a knock was heard on the door, where Xandre was puzzled on who it could be. He got up to answer it.

It was Beatrice, wearing her figure hugging red cotton nightie.

"Oh!" Xandre said as he blushed at the sight of the captivating noirette, "Welcome, Beatrice." He paused as he glanced behind his back, "Your... brother is here..."

Beatrice also glanced towards Brandon's direction, who was clearly preoccupied with his task. "Tyra isn't in our room right now, if you would like to go in there instead," Beatrice offered.

"Is that so?" Xandre said, "Where did she go? I thought she went to bed before we all did."

"She is in Clarence's room. She has been staying there for about an hour every night before coming back to our room," Beatrice said.

Xandre looked towards Clarence's bedroom door, which was closed. He wondered why Tyra would be spending time there with him. Then something clicked in his mind as he realized exactly why; The freshman year days when Clarence was his dorm roommate, and he would put a sock on his doorknob, and it would usually be Tyra walking out at the end.

Brandon got out of his bed and said, "You don't need to leave, Alexandre. I'll use the armchair downstairs," he said. His eyes and fingers did not leave the laptop as he announced when leaving through the doorway, "I'll return in an hour."

Beatrice stepped into the room, and closed the door behind her as soon as Brandon left. Without a moment's hesitation, the noirette and the blond embraced as they passionately kissed. Her warm hands touched his cheek that had the small bristles of the five o'clock shadow. The muscular man held onto the young lady's thigh as she lifted her knee to wrap her leg around his hip and grinded against his crotch. Their tongues were on a fencing match as they melted into each other's arms.

Xandre wanted Beatrice, more than anything. Yet, he had to have a conversation with her, before they were to proceed further.

"B-Beatrice... dear Beatrice," Xandre managed to pant out when their lips were unmet for a brief moment, "May I have... a word with you? Please?"

The young woman nodded in agreement. Then Xandre took her hand and they sat down together on the edge of the blond man's mattress.

They remained sitting together in absolute silence, while Xandre was pondering on how he could bring up the conversation. Beatrice sat patiently, just gazing at the incredibly handsome man who was lost in his thoughts.

Several minutes later, Xandre gave a little smile to Beatrice and said, "It was very courteous of Brandon to leave the bedroom. I should thank him later tonight."

Beatrice nodded in agreement, and this time she had a slight smile.

"It's wonderful that you have a brother whom you have a very close relationship with," said Xandre.

Beatrice knew that Xandre had no brothers or sisters of his own and asked, "Did you always want a sibling, or did you enjoy being an only child?"

"I never thought about it. My mother perished when I was very young, and I have vague memories of her. The only thing I can recall clearly was when I was clinging onto her until she never woke up from her sleep," Xandre said as he sighed. He appeared remorseful and full of regret as he sighed.

The noirette placed her hand on his bare shoulder, and sat closer to him until their hips touched. Xandre in return, wrapped both his arms around Beatrice and cradled her, as he buried his cheek in her feathery soft hair.

Then Xandre said unexpectedly, "... I did... almost have a sister."

Beatrice glanced up with a confused look on her face. "Almost had a sister?" she repeated, "What do you mean?"

"Ah... well..." Xandre began to explain, "It was about a year after my mother passed away, when my father began to court another woman. I was young back then, and he introduced this woman as his 'friend', and she had a daughter about my age. Edith and I got along pretty well, and I was happy that I also made a new friend."

The young man swallowed hard, shuddered, and tightened his embrace around Beatrice. He continued with a more quiet tone, "My father was driving... when he told me he was ecstatic to see that I was cordial with Edith. He asked me... how would I feel if she and her mother would be part of the family... as he was planning to marry his 'friend'."

Beatrice was completely silent, as she didn't know why Xandre was trembling as he held onto her body. Then he continued with, "My young self... was confused on why my father would want to marry someone else... as he was married to my deceased mother. I asked him how he could be married to two people... and I must have sounded upset, as I am sure my father knew I was implying that he was betraying my late mother."

He wanted to stop talking, as he was afraid of what Beatrice's reaction may be. He glanced below to see Beatrice's dark grey eyes; full of innocence and curiosity, and without a shroud of pity or judgement. The tension in his heart melted at the sight of the noirette staring right at the handsome man. He couldn't help but chuckle briefly at how she appeared to be so endearing and adorable to him.

"What did your father say?" asked Beatrice.

Xandre closed his eyes and took a deep, meditating breath. He continued with, "Nothing... because the next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital bed. My grandparents were present, and they told me... my father was killed in the car accident. I cried and told them it was my fault because I was upset with him... and that's when they told me my father and I were hit by an intoxicated driver."

He opened his eyes again to gaze at Beatrice's flawless face. "I've never told anyone the story of the accident in this much detail before... because I felt a tremendous guilt that I still had some involvement in the cause of the accident. If I had just... accepted that my father would... move on from my late mother... I wouldn't have had him lose concentration from driving. Perhaps he could have avoided that incoming driver... perhaps..."

Beatrice gently placed her hand on Xandre's cheek. Then she said calmly with a monotone voice, "You were only a child."

"Yes... yes I know. It's one of those things where the facts do not coincide with how I feel in my heart," Xandre said as he sighed, "That whole year was catastrophic for me. I lost my father, I never saw Edith and her mother again, and my elderly grandparents most certainly felt obliged to take care of me. I was even held back a year from school because of the profound impact the collision had on my life. The court case... meetings with the lawyer to regurgitate that traumatic event incessantly..." Xandre stared blankly across the room, where his sky blue eyes turned into a duller shade once again.

The noirette placed both of her warm, gentle hands on Xandre's callused ones and gave them a squeeze. That seemed to have the blond man return from a trance, as he looked down to the concerned Beatrice.

"I'm sorry... that I caused you to worry, dear Beatrice," Xandre said as he had a sorrowful expression, "I did not mean to be so troublesome."

"You're not troublesome," said Beatrice, "I care about you, so I want to help you."

Xandre smiled and said, "You're very sweet and thoughtful. Thank you." Then he laid down on the mattress and scooted to the edge to make room for the noirette. "Please, come join me," he said as he opened his left arm to invite her in. She laid her head down on the left side of his solid chest, while he pulled up the blanket to cover them and embraced her.

The handsome blond man swallowed hard and said with his melodic voice, "...Beatrice... I want to talk to you about something that was on my mind all day."

"What is it?" Beatrice asked.

"I... well..." Xandre lost his confidence as he knew how Beatrice would most likely respond, but he knew if he didn't have this important conversation, he was going to regret it. Then he took a deep breath and said, "I... know when we first became... intimate... that our original plan was to just maintain our friendship afterwards, because we did not wish to have any barriers when it came to achieving our academic and career goals."

"Yes, we did agree to that," Beatrice said, without a hint of encouragement in her tone for Xandre to continue with his speech.

That further demoralized Xandre, but he knew Beatrice was just being herself. He took another deep breath and said, "Well... dear Beatrice..." He glanced below to see that her large, grey doe-like eyes were looking up at him as he continued, "I underestimated the emotional impact it would have on me. Ever since that day... I couldn't stop thinking about you."

Beatrice placed her hand on his chest, where Xandre felt her warmth radiating from it. He laced his fingers around hers as he confessed, "My feelings for you... are beyond that of a friendship, and I cannot ignore it any longer. Instead of believing that being in a romantic relationship with you would be a hindrance to my or your career prospects, I want to think of it as an opportunity for us to enrich each other... not just academically or professionally, but also emotionally and psychologically. And... hopefully physically as well, if it pleases you."

The noirette was silent for a moment. Then Xandre said, "What do you say, Beatrice? Will you accept my proposal?"

"I don't understand what you are proposing," Beatrice said, as she slightly raised one of her eyebrows in confusion.

Xandre's face fell for a moment, and then he chuckled. "Ah yes, that is my fault. Perhaps I was not perfectly clear on what I was asking for," he said. Then he cleared his throat and asked, "Dear Beatrice... you... who is intelligent, pure-hearted, kind and wonderful in every way. Would you do me the honour of being my girlfriend?"

Beatrice sat up and turned her head back to look at Xandre with a deadpan expression. "I submitted my application to different universities to pursue my doctorate, including University of Michigan. What if I accept any of the ones that are not in Seattle?" she pointed out.

"That was part of my thinking process today. As you know, I do have to stay in Seattle, even if I am not successful in enrolling in law school. I would just have to try again the year after, while improving on my academic and professional goals. Meanwhile... if you are pursuing your doctorate in other states, no matter how far it is, I will come visit you as often as possible... we can speak to each other on video calls," Xandre said, "I am determined to do whatever it takes to make our relationship successful. My heart is dedicated to you... and only you."

Then the noirette laid back down on the blond man's chest as she wrapped her arm around his waist. She snuggled in and said, "I want to help you pursue your goals, and support you to live your life the best way you can. So yes, I want to be your girlfriend."

Xandre gave a big, bright smile as he embraced Beatrice as tightly as he could, where she wrapped her arms around his neck.

*

Exactly an hour after Brandon left the bedroom, he returned. He knocked on the door a few times to hear a response, where he heard none. Then he slowly opened the door, only to hear slow, heavy breathing from Xandre's lower bunk bed.

There was Xandre, holding Beatrice as they were sleeping together. Both had a faint smile on each of their faces.

Brandon plugged his laptop on the night table, and then turned off the lights. As soon as he hit his head on the pillow and covered himself with the blanket, he fell asleep.

*

It was very early in the morning, and the sun still had not risen. Xandre woke up and rubbed his eyes. He felt a thin, but soft, warm body on his left side that rubbed their cheek on his chest for a brief moment. He looked down, and it was Beatrice unconsciously cuddling against him as she also slowly woke up and rubbed her eyes.

Xandre placed his large hand on Beatrice's feathery dark hair. "You should sleep more," he whispered.

Beatrice did not comply. Instead, she sat up and gave one of her rare smiles. "Good morning Alexandre. Happy birthday," she said.