I take the leather from his grip and examine the hand sewing. It’s crooked instead of straight. “Not paying enough attention to what you’re doing. Your quality is falling.”
His face crumples when he takes the leather back and looks over the work. “No,” he whispers.
“Yes. Come with me. Please?” I hold out my hand.
He just stares at my offering and plays with his star necklace. After what feels like hours, he nods. “Okay. But I’m getting up bright and early to fix my mistake.”
“That’s fine, but you’re done for today.”
“Okay.” He takes my hand and I wrap him in my arms.
“You’re doing great, Tinsel,” I whisper to him. “But please remember to rest.”
He returns my hug and we stand like that for who knows how long, but I’m happy to be here for him. I just wish he mentioned how much he’d been struggling.
“Thanks for summoning me,” I say as I help him shuffle out of the studio and out to the warm air outside. Rubbing his back, I stop him from going further. “Are you okay?”
He chews on the inside of his cheek, then lets out a long sigh. “I’m disappointed in myself for doing this again. It happens every year. Last year, you really kept me from spiraling out of control.”
“Let me help you again. I want to help. Please.”
Tinsel nods again. “I need to ask Snow about helping us with shipping too, like he does Dylan. He offered earlier, but we didn’t have enough to warrant his help just yet. But now… it’s a different story.”
“Then the plan is food, then ask Snow for his help, then bed. No fun times, though. You need the rest.”
Tinsel lets out a contented sigh. “Sounds perfect.” He takes my hand and we walk in silence to Jingle Bell Cafe.
Once we enter the cafe, a happy jingle bell announces our arrival, and it’s like weight falls off Tinsel’s shoulders. The place is festive with shiny jingle bells hanging from the ceiling. Tinsel reaches up to bat a few of them and his smile makes his entire face light up. Like all the tension leaves his body.
The host leads us to a table in a corner that’s next to the huge window that looks out onto the street. Elves rush around and I’m glad I’m inside with Tinsel, where he can relax.
“Thank you for coming to get me. I would have worked all night.” His stomach growls so loud I can hear it over the soft music from my side of the table. He chuckles and clutches his stomach. “Sorry. It’s been a while since I’ve eaten anything. I might not have eaten anything today.” He tips his head. “I don’t remember.”
“We’re gonna get you filled up and I think I’m going to start texting you every few hours to make sure you get breaks in. You can’t keep going the way you are. You’ll burn out.”
“I know. I’ll do better.” Tinsel smacks the table. “I have to. I can’t collect my trophy for the best Naughty workshop if I’m passed out.”
“Exactly!”
Over the next hour, we chat, and the sound of his laugh puts me at ease. I believe that Tinsel will do better at taking breaks and checking his mental health.
“Okay, let’s go bug Snow,” Tinsel says after we pay our checks. He dabs his mouth with a napkin, but there’s still a smear of whipped cream on his lip.
“Come here.” I pull him in and lick his lip before kissing him. We both moan into the kiss, but the moment doesn’t last too long.
“PDA, gross,” Fruitcake comes up behind us by himself.
Tinsel tenses, but lets out a breath when I squeeze his hand. “Don’t let him take away your happiness at the moment,” I whisper. We walk past Fruitcake without another word.
“Sometimes I think he just says things to be annoying,” Tinsel mumbles. “We weren’t even that intimate. It was an innocent kiss.”
“Don’t mind him. He’ll either get his head out of his butt, or he’ll be miserable forever. Not our problem. We just need to ignore him.”
“True.” Tinsel squeezes my hand. After eating, he seems energized, but I plan to stick with the agenda of getting him to bed as soon as possible. He’s been neglecting himself and that’s not good for him.
He hums along with the soft Christmas music being piped to the street. His eyes sparkle every time he sees something shiny. I love watching him.
“What?” He turns to me to find me just staring at him. The sweetest smile graces his lips, and he drops his gaze to the ground. I can’t help tilting his chin to meet his eyes again.