Page 50 of Season of Gifts

His dirty dishes might’ve maybe saidahemif they’d had mouths.Good thing they didn’t, because then the dishes would eat food, and how would they hold food, and would having dinner in them starve them if they weren’t allowed to eat—

He shook his head to knock the static out, set the card down, and picked up his glass and bowl.Cleanup first, the same way Henry would have them do it any other night.With everything rinsed and in the dishwasher, he edged toward the table again.

Henry usually had outfits for them to wear, and he’d been roaming the house naked since his post-work shower.Nobody would see the outfit, nobody would appreciate it or praise him for it or anything.But if he didn’t cobble something together,hewould still know.His heart would know he hadn’t tried to follow the orders that Henry would have given.

“You and me”—he flicked the card so it toppled to its back—“five minutes.It’s a date.I have to get my date clothes on first.”

His Henry-green boxer-briefs were snug without being a hot-dog-and-buns display like the elf shorts.He added the Santa hat for the season.His bare chest wanted the harness, but he hadn’t asked permission.Maybe they could talk about that after Christmas.Could he choose to wear it without needing Henry or Alice to put it on?Or could he only wear it when they wanted his specific service?

Detouring into the playroom, he started a new page for the week in his wish book.Expanded rules for the harness would be great.Not like wearing it in public the way Alice sometimes wore rope under her shirt.But around the house.Days when he needed the reminder on his skin.

For the first of his threeproud-of-myselfmoments for the week, he jotted:Following the rules when no one’s watching, because they’re important to me.

Besides, he had his wedding ring, and that stayed on all the time.He didn’t need the harness to know he’d been claimed.Closing his eyes, he imagined the soft weight of it landing on his shoulders.The slight tickle of Henry and Alice’s fingers as they closed the side buckles.The way Alice smoothed every strap with a caress.

“Okay,” he whispered, opening his eyes.“Let’s go hunting.”

He not-quite-galloped down to the kitchen and retrieved the card, taking it and his phone in case Henry or Alice called while he was searching.Silver screenwould be the TV room in the basement.Everything looked as they’d left it after movie night, the blankets folded over the cozy new couch, the pillows hugging the corners.Ancient artifact…

The VHS player.

Poking open the front showed nothing inside where the tapes went.He tipped up the front edge.Jackpot—another envelope underneath.Like the ones he and Alice had found so far, this one had the number for the day on the front and a note on the back in Henry’s neat script:If you’ve come across this before its appointed day, bring it directly to me unopened, please, so I may make alterations.

Fingers tingling, he peeled open the envelope and tugged out the card.

Your quarry rests beneath an offering for guests, as neither of you would savor the flavor.

Guests could be third floor, the extra bedrooms, but flavor would be a kitchen thing.Mouthing the words, he trotted back up and stood in the entry.Something he and Alice disliked but visitors would expect them to offer…

“Coffee!”He dashed the teeny-tiny bit to the pantry, flipped on the light, and scanned the shelves.Somewhere, Henry had a tray for things like that.“Gotcha!”

Tucked under a bag of dark-roasted nastiness, the next envelope waited.If it had been under his sugar stash on the opposite shelf, he would’ve seen it ages ago.“Sneaky, Henry.Very sneaky.”

The card fell into his hand, a steaming mug of coffee drawn on the front.He would save these, too, and add them to the collection upstairs.Alice would want to see them all.Maybe he could tuck them back into their envelopes and show them to her one at a time so she could still play the game by guessing where he’d gone to find the next.

Seek the heights and toast your good fortune as we all once did.

Heights would be up, as up as up could get.Circling up the stairs, he turned on lights as he went, the garlands and bows swagged below the railings glittering.He’d been sweeping up a few needles every day, but so far the greens kept giving off their comforting scent.“Nice job, everyone.I know it’s a lot to ask, but if you could keep that up a while longer”—like until Henry and Alice were both back home—“I’d sure appreciate it.”

One more flick, and the attic lights came up over the kitchenette.They’d had hot chocolate up here, but that had been outside on the deck, and they hadn’t been toasting anything but marshmallows.

His feet carried him to the other side of the room.Henry wouldn’t have hidden clues in his studio space.Ghostly sheets draped two easels.The air smelled of him, faint like aftershave when the wearer had already moved on.Jay sucked in a lungful of lemony citrus.

The first time he’d been up here—

“Thank you, Henry.”He rushed back to the kitchenette side and checked the cabinets for skinny champagne glasses.Nothing.Maybe the bottles.The wine fridge glowed blue when he opened it—and in the top rack, attached to a bottle, lay another note.He pulled both out and set them on the counter.

Emma had brought the bubbly that first time, to celebrate Henry’s decision to buy the house.Probably Henry meant for him and Alice and Jay to drink this one tonight.The sketch on the card showed three of the skinny glasses with bubbles floating in them.

“Not gonna drink a whole bottle myself.”His fingers left prints on the neck from freeing the card.Maybe he could take the bottle to Maine with him, and they could share it on Christmas.He slid it back into the fridge and closed the door.

Clutching the card in both hands, he thumbed it open and read the message.

This game ends where games begin.Go there and find what I’ve unlocked for you.On your knees, my dear ones.

“On my knees.”His dick liked it better when Henry said the words.On your knees.Mm-hmm, letting Henry’s voice in his head talk got a much bigger reaction.

Games began in the playroom.He scooped up the cards and his phone and jetted down the stairs, shutting off the lights as he went.

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