The tree was all lit up. The presents were sloppily stacked under the tree. Kerri, Erica, Stacie and their families were all at Erica's. The girls had finished eating and were excused from the table. They now sat in front of the blazing fire in the living room. The snow was delicatley falling outside all clean and white until tomorrow when the bustle of traffic would turn it brown and slushy.
"How come we haven't heard from the guys yet? I mean, it's Christmas Eve." Stacie complained.
"Maybe they're busy." Erica shrugged as she glanced at the presents under the tree.
"Girls," Erica's mother said walking into the room,"this arrived here yesterday," she said handing them a package,"I wasn't supposed to let you have it until now though."
The girls glanced at each other,"Weird." Erica mumbled taking the package.
Her mother left the room.
"Rip it open!" Kerri said eagerly.
Erica ripped the paper off. It was a cassette tape. It said Play Immediately. She walked over to the stereo, popped it in and pressed play. Then she turned up the volume.
"Hey girls!" Ike's voice came through.
"Of course." Stacie laughed.
"Sorry we couldn't be there for Christmas. We hope everything is okay." Taylor said next.
"We miss you!!" Zac screeched.
The girls laughed.
"But we did get you all something..." Tay said suspensfully.
"It's a puppy!" Zac yelled.
"Shut-up Zac it's not a puppy!" Ike scolded.
"Anyway," Taylor interrupted,"it's in the front yard so go right now." he said stressing the 'right now'.
"For the love of God go now!" Zac yelled.
The tape cut off.
The girls looked at each other,"Geez, what did they buy?" Stacie asked.
Kerri and Erica shrugged as they all walked to the front door.
"Hey, maybe it's a car!" Kerri exclaimed.
"I doubt it." Erica said as she placed her hand on the doorknob.
She pulled the door open. There stood Taylor, Isaac and Zac all bundled up and freezing. Their teeth chattering and they were shaking,"Merry Christmas." they chattered in unision.
The girls rushed out into the cold without thinking twice. They wrapped their arms around the guys.
"Oh geez," Tay said laughing,"you guys are gonna get sick out here."
"Oh who cares!" Erica said pressing her lips on Taylor's.
"I thought you weren't coming home for Christmas." Kerri said to Zac.
"Well, they offered and we accepted." Zac shrugged.
Isaac and Stacie didn't even get a word in. They were busy making out on the doorstep.
"Ugh, come on babe, I'm cold." Taylor said still holding Erica and backing her into the house. The rest of them followed.
The girls helped the guys take off their jackets and gloves and scarves and put them away.
"Okay, where's the food?" Zac asked rubbing his hands together with a devilish grin on his face once he emerged from his winter wear.
Kerri laughed and walked with him into the dining room.
"The family will be over in a half an hour or so. Mackie is napping." Isaac was telling Stacie as they walked after Zac and Kerri into the dining room.
Erica smiled at Taylor as she hung up his jacket.
"So, how are things?" he asked as he shoved his hands into his pockets.
"Good." Erica said smiling and not really saying what he wanted to know. She turned towards the dining room.
"Wait!" he called grabbing her arm.
"Aren't you hungry?" she asked coming back over to him.
"Well yeah but, have you been clean?" he asked bluntly.
"Your hands are cold." she said cupping his hands in hers and blowing on them to warn them.
"Erica!" he pouted.
She smiled sweetly and said,"Clean for the whole two months."
Taylor searched her eyes quickly to see if she was lying. She wasn't, he could tell. He let out a sigh of relief,"Great, that turns me on." he said stepping closer.
"That turns you on? Why?" she laughed.
"Cause you're in control," he said wrapping his arms around her waist,"I love it when you're in control."
"Woah, settle down Taylor." she laughed placing her hands on his chest to keep him at a distance.
Taylor groaned,"Erica, we haven't made out in four months. I am seriously horny! I am one big hornball!" he almost yelled.
She covered his mouth,"Shhh...Tay everyone is just in the other room."
Taylor groaned again,"Erica this is built up frustration. I might explode."
Erica laughed again,"Well Taylor, I don't make out with you on command."
"That's why I'm trying to finesse you." he smiled.
She shook her head,"It's not working."
"What if I ask you straight out for a kiss?" he asked.
"I'd say okay, one kiss." she told him.
"One kiss?" he asked in disbelief.
"One kiss." she confirmed.
"One long kiss?" he pleaded.
She hesitated,"Okay, one long kiss."
"One long, sensual, passionate, tounge-swirling, earth-shattering, bells ringing, fireworks bursting kiss?" he asked smiling.
She giggled,"We'll see."
Taylor brushed his lips on hers. She pulled away and smiled. He leaned forward more and as soon as his lips touched hers she pulled away teasingly.
He stopped,"Oh God, Erica please. This isn't fair." he whispered smiling.
She gave in and kissed him and hoped that it was everything that he had just asked for, and more.
"Boys, cold you take the little ones back across the street and put them to bed? They're already getting cranky." Mrs. Hanson said.
"Sure." Isaac volunteered picking the sleeping Avery up off of her. Stacie and Kerri and their famalies had already gone home so Isaac and Zac figured that they might as well go home too.
Zac scooped up Mackie,"Come on Mack-Truck." he heaved as Mackie whined and buried his face in his brothers shoulder.
Jessica was moving as slow as a turtle as she tried to zip her jacket in a daze.
"Here." Taylor said crouching down and zipping his younger sisters jacket.
"Thanks." she yawned.
Taylor turned towards the parents,"I'm just gonna say goodnight to Erica really quick okay?" he asked pointing up the stairs.
"Take your time." Isaac volunteered again as he grabbed the back of Jessie's coat and guided her out the door with Zac and Mackie close behind.
"We're going to have another drink or two Tay," his father said,"so you can stay here for another half an hour."
Taylor nodded,"Thanks." he said as he started to ascend the stairs.
He knocked on the door to her room before entering. She was sitting in her adidas pants and a t-shirt. She was also talking on the phone. She smiled and motioned for Taylor to come in.
He smiled and happily plopped on her bed. He picked up her remote control for her t.v and sat between her legs with his head resting near her shoulder.
She absentmindedly ran her hand through his hair as she talked.
Taylor only picked up pieces of her conversation,"He came back and surprised me..." she laughed to the other party,"Yeah he's here right now laying on my bed and watching my t.v."
Taylor looked up at her and made a face. She stuck her tounge out at him and then smiled. Taylor pouted and tugged on the phone cord so she would get off of it and pay attention to him.
"Okay, I gotta go, Taylor's being a nuisance and I think he wants me to get off of the phone." she laughed.
Taylor gave her his best "Who me?" look.
"Bye." she said hanging up the phone,"Okay Tay, you have my undivided attention." she smiled.
"Okay." he smiled and leaned against her again.
She laughed,"So you wanted nothing more but for me to get off of the phone huh?" she asked.
"Yup." he said flipping through the t.v stations.
"Rather selfish, don't you think?" she asked crawling out from behind him.
"No." he said sitting up now that he couldn't lean against her.
She walked over to her make-up table and pulled out the little drawer to get a scrunchie. She tossed her head over and put it up in a messy knot before plopping down on the stool in front of the mirror,"You're impossible." she sighed sticking bobby pins in the various loose sections of her hair.
"Aah, but that's why you care." he said shutting off the t.v and sprawling across her bed on his stomach.
She turned around and flashed him a smile,"My only weakness is your obnoxiousness. It just turns me into putty in your hands."
Taylor laughed,"That was a little over dramatic don't you think?"
She laughed,"You're the last one to talk about being over dramatic." she walked out of the room.
Taylor followed her,"I'm insulted." he joked.
She smiled as she walked into the bathroom and turned on the sink to wash her face,"I'm sure you are."
"Who were you on the phone with anyway?" he asked as he propped himself against the doorframe and crossed his arms.
"Mike." she replied as she turned off the sink and dried her face with a towel.
Taylor groaned.
"What?" Erica asked glancing at him as she broke out her toothbrush and toothpaste.
"Well, you were talking to Mike on the phone." he sighed.
"So?" Erica asked through a mouthful of toothpaste.
"I just don't like him." Taylor said looking at the floor and shoving his hands in his pockets.
Erica rinsed her mouth and put her toothbrush back. She walked over and put her hands on his waist,"Don't worry I'm completley yours." she said brushing her lips across his. She turned and went back into her room. He followed her once again.
"It's not you I'm worried about, it's him." he said,"I mean he'd have to be insane not to notice you. I mean, look at you, you have a great personality and you're pretty." he complimented.
She laughed and fussed with the knot in her hair.
"What?" Taylor asked obviously hurt by her laughter.
"I'm sorry, but I look like absolute shit right now. No make-up, cruddy clothes and my hair is just thrown up, you just wasted a compliment." she observed.
"No I didn't," he said stepping towards her and placing his hands on her hips,"I fell for you when you didn't care what you looked like. I didn't fall for your body, I fell for you as a person."
"Really?" she asked in disbelief.
"Yeah, I don't care what you look like." he said wrapping his arms around her and kissing her neck,"I mean you are hot..." he whispered in her ear.
She blushed,"Taylor stop it." she said pushing him away.
"Erica," he said closing his eyes,"I need to kiss you and hold you and touch you before I die." he whispered running his tounge on her neck.
She exhaled heavily,"Our parents are right downstairs." she mumbled but held him tighter nonetheless.
"I'll be quiet." he muttered pressing his lips on hers. He ran his hands up and down her back and then around to her stomach.
"I want to mess around Taylor, I really do but..." she started to protest.
"No buts," he interupted,"please Erica," he kissed her gently,"I am begging you Erica, please." He moved his hands from her stomach to her chest and back down to her stomach again,"Please."
She pressed her lips onto his harder because she wanted him to touch her and him begging only turned her on.
He gently laid her onto the bed and kept kissing her neck. She breathed heavily and ran her hands over his back as his hands took a different course other than up, they fell on the draw-string of her adidas pants and he carefully un-tied the knot while he brought his lips up to hers. She froze slightly, she wasn't sure if this was what she wanted to do and as she hesitated she felt his hand sliding in and between her legs. She gasped as a tingle ran through her body, she heard Taylor moan as he rubbed his hand on her.
She placed her hand over his mouth,"Shhh," she whispered but he still let out a muffled moan,"Okay Taylor stop."she said pushing him away.
"What?" he asked as she pulled his hand out from her pants.
"I said stop, that's enough, no more." she repeated.
"What's wrong? I wasn't doing it right?" he asked uneasily.
"No, it's not that, it's just that you were getting a little loud while you got into it." she told him.
He blushed,"I thought I was supposed to get into it."
She smiled,"Well, yeah but, I don't know. Another day Tay okay?"
He nodded and kissed her softly,"Well you see what you do to me." he said as he rolled off of her onto his back. He looked up at the ceiling,"AUGRH!" he screamed jumping and falling off of the bed.
"Oh my God!" she laughed and peered over the edge of the bed.
"What the hell is that doing there?" he asked pointing at the ceiling.
She looked up,"Oh, I forgot," she laughed,"I bought that after you guys left so I could see you every day."
He stared at the Hanson poster on her ceiling and shivered,"Take it down."
"Why?" she asked studying it.
"Because if we're, you know, making out or something, I don't want a poster of me and my brothers smiling at me in the room." he explained.
"Who says we'll be making out?" she teased.
His face fell,"Well..."
"Taylor!" his mom yelled,"We're leaving!"
He sighed,"I gotta go."
She sat up,"Okay."
He kissed her quickly,"I'll call you tomorrow." he said walking out of her bedroom door.
She smiled as she heard him walk down the stairs. He was so sweet about everything. She turned around to climb into bed when her foot hit something. She looked down and saw Taylor's wallet. She bent over and picked it up. It must have fallen out when he fell off of the bed she thought to herself. "I wonder what he keeps in here." she said outloud as she opened up the wallet and sat on her bed to examine its contents.
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