Good tidings we bring / To you and your kin.
3:55 pm
I barely makeit to my room when I remember.
Damn it.
The watch. I forgot it in her room when I left this morning and I've felt naked all day.
I stop in the doorway, not even bothering to sit down.
With everything going on today, it completely slipped my mind to tell her. It’s been only a few minutes since I left her, and I’d meant to ask about it earlier, but of course, with all the ups and downs, it fell off my radar. I want to try to catch her before she jumps in the shower.
I glance at my phone, knowing I’d better text her to make sure it is okay. I certainly don't want to surprise her. I'm sure she isn't in the shower yet, but you never know.
Hey, I think I left my watch in your room last night. Mind if I swing by to grab it before you shower?
I don’t even have time to second-guess myself before my phone buzzes with her response.
Sure, come by. I’m about to get in the shower, but I'll wait for you. I don't see it, but you can come take a look.
I sigh, relieved to get it sooner than later. I could ask her to bring it down with her, but I'd rather have it now so I don't forget again. I hate being without my watch.
I head straight for her room, my hands already getting clammy at the thought of seeing her again. How is she having this effect on me?
I knock lightly, and when she opens the door, she’s wrapped up in a robe. My mouth immediately waters at the sight of her at the same time my throat feels dry. She looks striking and for a moment, I'm speechless.
“Hey,” she says, leaning against the doorframe, keeping her left leg off the floor. It looks like she has already taken off her black knee brace she has been sporting. “I looked around but didn’t see it. You can come in and check around, though.”
She hops over, motioning me in.
“Thanks,” I say, stepping inside, trying to ignore the fact that she’s standing there, looking irresistible, her bare feet against the floor. My eyes skim the room as I try to focus. “It’s gotta be around here somewhere.”
“I thought I checked pretty well,” she says, motioning to the bedside table, “but maybe I missed it.”
I crouch down next to the table, peering behind it, and sure enough, there it is, wedged between the table leg and the wall. I reach for it and pull it out, holding it up with a small smile. Must have gotten jostled in the wildness of the night.
“Found it,” I say, standing up and showing her the watch.
Her eyes soften for a second as she looks at it. “Is that... the watch I gave you? That Christmas we were together?”
I pause, glancing down at the familiar band and face. “Yeah, it’s the one. One of my favorite staples.”
She gives me a faint smile, something unreadable in her expression. “I’m surprised you still have it.”
I slip it back onto my wrist, feeling the weight of it settle against my skin. “Of course I do.”
Before either of us can say anything more, she clears her throat, stepping back toward the bathroom. “Well, I’m glad you found it,” she says, her voice casual but a little too stiff. “I need to, uh, jump in the shower now. Six o'clock?”
I slip the watch back onto my wrist, the familiar weight of it grounding me, while also connecting us. Something in her eyes switched when she realized I'm still wearing the watch she gave me all those years ago.
The bathroom door is still slightly ajar, the soft hum of the shower already running, but that’s the last thing on my mind now. She’s right here, just inches away, and I can feel the heat radiating from her, the same heat that’s been pulling me in since the moment we reconnected.
I clear my throat. “Yes, six o'clock,” I answer her, my hand brushing against her arm.
She doesn’t pull away. Instead, her breath hitches, and I can see the slight smile on her lips. When she doesn’t move, or push me away, I take it as permission to touch her—silent, but there.
I lean in, my hand sliding up to cup the side of her face, my thumb brushing her cheek. She exhales softly, like she’s been holding her breath this whole time, and then, her lips part.