Page 63 of All My Firsts

I only knew three people; the other fifty-seven or so were loaded with questions for mewhen we met.

“How did you and Xander meet?”

“‘Are you and Xander dating?”

“Where are you from?”

“How long have you and Xander been together?”

They went on and on and on. I was doing my best to answer as many as I could. But some started getting too personal, and I got nervous. Thankfully, Xander rescued me and brought me intothe kitchen.

“My mom told me you could help her in here, steer clear of everyone for a while. Sound good, birdie?” He kissed my forehead as he hurried back to his friends he hadn’t seen sincethe summer.

I looked around and noticed Jane pulling dish after dish outof the oven.

“Tell me what to do. Let me help,” I said to Jane.

“Oh, honey, I heard the hordes of guests weren’t leaving you alone. I’m sorry. Here, start putting these on the buffet in the dining room for me.” She handed me a hot dish with potholders underneath. I worked my way through the crowd to the room off the kitchen and looked for a spot on the sideboard. Dish upon dish of food were piled up on the space. Lasagna, charcuterie boards, dips, pasta dishes, casseroles, you name it, and it was on that table. I’d never seen so much food in one place before. But I guessed the enormous amount of food coincided with theguest list.

Once back in the kitchen, I realized Jane wasn’t there. I grabbed a soda from the cooler and tucked myself away in a seat by the window where I could watch people coming and going. There was a dynamic between these people I wasn’t used to – a closeness, whether family or friend.

Then I felt warm, muscular arms reach around from behind and elicit that familiar tingle through my entire body. I could have my eyes closed, ten guys could touch me, and I would know which was Xander. No one made my body respond theway his did.

“Hey, baby, you OK? Want me to stay here with you?” He nuzzled his nose into the back of my neck, his warm breath making bumps riseon my skin.

“I’m OK. I was just hanging out here since I couldn’t find your mom.” And because I didn’t want to be around all of these strangers. I felt him nod into my hair. “I’m enjoying watching you with your family. Go, keep hanging out with your cousins. It’s only once a year. I’m fine, and I’ll keep helping your mom with the food.” He reached around and found my cheek with his mouth before I was cold from him letting go of me.

After dinner and dessert had been served, many of the older guests started heading out due to the late hour. I peered into the living room to see Xander and his brother still enjoying themselves with their friends and cousins. My insecurities about new people took over, and I decided to retreat to Xander’s room to escape for a bit. Picking up my Kindle, I got lost in my book until I realized the hum of the voices quieted downstairs. I decided I should at least head down to see if Jane needed helpcleaning up.

I passed Bryce on the stairs as he washeading up.

“Merry Christmas, kiddo.”

“Merry Christmas, Bryce,” I echoed as he fist-bumped me.

Once I made it to the main rooms, I realized all the guests wereindeed gone.

Xander startled me as he grabbed me from behind while I was gazing at the tree. “Hey, birdie, I was just going to come find you. I hope tonight wasn’t a complete fail for you. I know being with a crowd of strangers is probably not high on your list of favorite things to do.”

I smiled at his new nickname for me. I hadn’t been sure about it at first, but I liked it. The significance of it would never be understood by anyone else but us. And I loved that he only used it around us. He turned me to face him before he went toward the couch. I pulled towardthe kitchen.

“I was coming down to help your mom clean up,”I told him.

He kept pulling me toward the living room. “It’s mostly done, and what isn’t we’ll worry about tomorrow.”

He pulled some pillows and blankets to the floor, making a comfortable pallet to lie on beneath the lights. He pulled me by the hand to the ground, and we got comfortable. I lay against his side, my head on his shoulder.

“No, not my favorite, but believe it or not, I enjoyed myself. I loved watching you in your element, and seeing you with your extended family was great. You may not know this about me, but I love to watch people.” I paused, getting shy, recalling the embarrassing moment I was about to disclose. “You may not remember this day – it was way back in the very beginning of the semester – but I was sitting on a bench by the student union. I was watching people that day, something I’ve done since Texas. It, um, it was a kind of escape for me. And, well, I wound up watching you that day. You with a girl. She obviously liked you, but you were trying, in a nice way it seemed, to dismiss her. And then you caught me looking at you. Oh my God, I wasmortified.”

With a nervous laugh, I looked at Xander, but he was quiet for a while. I wasn’t sure if he was trying to remember that day or not. But he finally spoke.

“Lanie, that day is ingrained in my mind, and it will be forever.” My quizzical look must have enticed him to continue. “That was the day I knew I had found the girl Iwould love.”

“What?” I pushed up on his chest more, not understanding his words. “But how ...”

“I don’t know – I just knew. I knew there was something special about you, and I needed to find out what it was. By simply looking at you that day, I knew you were my future. I can’t explain it, but here we are.”

He rolled onto his side, facing me, and pulled me to face him. I could feel a significant shift in the mood, becoming serious, even life changing. He continued to stare into my eyes, not saying anything for quite a while.

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