Being With Him by Mickie B. Ashling

Author:Mickie B. Ashling [Ashling, Mickie B.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: gay romance
ISBN: 978-1-64080-051-9
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Published: 2017-12-27T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

ALEX AND Zeb stepped back to view their handiwork from a distance. The tree took up an entire corner of the small apartment. Mindful of Bacon’s tendency to grab shiny objects, they only decorated the top half with ornaments. Two strands of colored lights were looped around the inner branches. It was definitely lopsided, but dog friendly, and provided the holiday atmosphere Alex had been aiming for. The smell of pine would soon overpower the aroma of food, another reason why natural trees were better than the fake ones.

“We’ll never win a Martha Stewart award,” Alex commented, “but I like it.”

Zeb wrapped his arms around Alex’s waist and leaned on him. “Thank you for going through so much trouble to make my first Christmas away from home less daunting. You don’t realize how much you miss family until you’re separated.”

“The first is always the hardest. Tell me about Christmas in the Philippines,” Alex said, trying to lighten Zeb’s mood, which had grown melancholy.

“What do you want to know?”

“Is it strictly a church thing or does Santa get to play a role?”

“A little of both,” Zeb admitted. “We have three celebrations in December. Christmas Eve, to honor Christ’s birth in the manger, Christmas Day, traditionally the big Santa Claus event, and on January sixth, we celebrate Three Kings’ Day, also called Epiphany in different parts of the Christian world.”

“We don’t celebrate Epiphany in our family.”

Zeb smiled, probably recalling his childhood. “It’s a huge holiday in Spain and still retained in our culture.”

“What do you do on that day?”

“On the fifth, we leave a pair of shoes outside our bedroom door before going to sleep. If you were a good boy or girl, candy spills out of your shoes the next day.”

“And if you were bad?”

“Coals,” Zeb said, looking up at Alex with a grin. “I got those a few times.”

“Aw, poor baby. Did you have a tantrum?”

“I was more pissed than anything else,” Zeb said, amused.

“What else happens on that day?”

“There are parades in some of the big cities with floats depicting the arrival of the three kings. Afterward, it’s the usual food orgy.”

“Speaking of food,” Alex said. “Are you hungry?”

“A little bit. How long before dinner?”

“Do you want to eat before or after Mass?” Alex asked.

“Why don’t we eat around six,” Zeb suggested. “It’ll give us plenty of time to clean up and get to St. John’s early enough to find good seats. I’m sure it’ll be packed.”

Alex looked at his wristwatch. “It’s only two o’clock. There’s nothing for me to do in the kitchen until four, and all I’ll have to do then is put the pans in the oven. Let me make some sandwiches so you’re not gnawing on your fingers while you wait for the big meal.”

“Will you sit and eat with me?”

“Of course,” Alex said. “Give me a sec.”

Alex returned in about ten minutes with two subs and a bag of chips. “I wasn’t sure what you wanted to drink,” he said, placing the food on the coffee table.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.