❛ And that's the thing about illicit affairs
And clandestine meetings and stolen stares ❜
- illicit affairs, Taylor Swift

I might be a little biassed when I say this, but this winter break has been the absolute best!

Not only is it the winter break of my senior year in highschool, but it's also the first winter break I get to spend with Reese.

Reese—I giggle to myself just thinking about him. His stupid hair and his reckless behaviour and his heart of gold; I love it all so much.

I never thought I'd feel this much bliss in my life. Sure, I've loved him in the back of my mind for as long as I can remember, but saying it and knowing it is something else. I love Reese Wilkerson, and he loves me back. It's so unbelievable but so right and real.

We've been spending pretty much every waking moment together, and that has reflected well on the both of us. Reese in particular has been the best version of himself. He has been doing relatively great in school thanks to both of our efforts, and he's been staying out of trouble—still pulling crazy stunts, but he's trying to be careful enough not to get caught or killed. He's even started to get closer with Dewey instead of constantly antagonising the poor boy.

It's been pretty hard to keep our situation a secret, but it seems to be working out since no one has caught on in months! We've been hanging out at the park more often and choosing my house over his for some more privacy. Although, It's been getting pretty hard not to kiss him in the middle of the living room when he's being his adorable self all the time.

Christmas at the Wilkerson's has always been something for the books. Something crazy happens almost each year. But, without fail, each year is the 'best christmas ever'. That is, until, the one next year beats it.

That's why I woke up extra excited this Christmas morning. Lois announced it would be a handmade Christmas due to the family's financial struggles and her destroying their car (which Reese couldn't stop raving about). She insisted I take part too, but I still gave in the to the boys' demands to actually buy them their gifts. Although, I didn't bother going over to eat this time, I would rather not have a meal of oatmeal and hotdog buns.

During breakfast, my Dad offered to take me with him to Santa Barbara for Christmas at my grandma's and I kindly refused. The last and only time I spent Christmas at her house, she preached the entire Bible to me and made snide remarks about my slightly cropped shirt; complaining to my father that I was turning out to be just like my mother.

After that, I never visited again. One phone call wishing her a merry Christmas would suffice.

And so I put my yellow sweater dress on, did some quick makeup, tied my golden curls up into a messy ponytail, and shoved the gifts into a bag.

"Merry Christmas!" I exclaim as I enter the busy house through the glass doors in the living room.

The first person to greet me is Lois. "Hi, Tessa. Merry Christmas!"

I set the bag with all the gifts by the coffee table. Reese abruptly stands up from his seat with Dewey on the couch to greet me. His excited face immediately triggers a large smile on my face.

"Hey, Merry Christmas," he says sweetly, eyes scanning me from head to toe. I can't contain the urge to hug him, and so I do. My arms wrap tightly around him and his wrap around my waist. I breathe into the crook of his neck, inhaling his pleasant scent, before pulling away.

Now, Dewey and Malcolm are staring, and I can sense the awkwardness in the air. We aren't really used to displays of affection like this in this house. But, what the hell, it's Christmas. So, I approach each of the younger boys and give them warm hugs of their own. Now they're all even and it's not weird! Right?

I spy Lois prepping the makeshift cardboard Christmas tree in the kitchen and rush over to escape the awkwardness. The boys carry on with their own conversation. I pick up a piece of aluminum foil and promptly begin folding it into a star shape before gluing it onto the top of the tree.

"Thank you, I knew it was missing something. I tried to get them to help me make it all night and none of them would!" Lois says.

"Well, I think it's adorable," I say as I finish setting the star, backing away to see the finished product.

Lois grins and picks up the tree to place it on the coffee table next to all the gifts, and I take out mine from the bag to lay them out.

I steal a glance at Reese and he's observing me intently, so I sit down on the couch next to him instead of standing idly.

He raises his hand to cover his mouth and whispers into my ear, "I like your dress, hot legs."
My face turns bright red at his comment. I hold back the urge to tell him how cute he looks in his green sweater and instead giggle, earning myself a charming wide grin from him.

A few moments later, Reese sniffles then turns to Dewey, asking in a hushed voice, "I've always wondered why I can't smell my nose hairs." I roll my eyes at his dumb question, but a part of me is curious as well. Damn this family and how they have permanently altered my brain.

Lois walks away to search for Hal and I listen in to Reese and Dewey's quiet conversation about the silly matter.

"What are you talking about?" Malcolm asks from his seat on the Lay-Z-Boy. He had been so quiet that I almost forgot he was there.

"Nothing you'd be interested in," Dewey says.

"You don't know that. If it's interesting to you guys it's gonna be interesting to me," Malcolm replies and I frown. When had he ever been interested in Reese's stupid musings?

"We were wondering what nose hairs smell like," Reese states. Malcolm's face contorts just as I had expected. As far as I knew, the only person he ever comes to for an interesting conversation is me, so this is amusing. He quickly wipes off the confused look off of his face.

"Well that's very interesting," he says, and it's clear as day that it's a lie. My eyebrows raise at this interaction, how strange.

Lois yells out to Hal and our heads turn to her. "I wonder what's taking him so long," Reese says.

"How long has he been in the garage?" I ask.

"About three hours now," Malcolm says while shaking his head.

A minute later, Hal comes running into the living room. "Alright, everyone over by the tree." We all sit down by the table and I fidget with excitement.

"Open mine first!" Dewey exclaims and passes his aluminium foil wrapped gift to his father.

Hal excitedly opens the box quite literally like a child on Christmas. It's so endearing how much he cares about making sure his boys are happy. "Okay, Okay. Let's see what little Dewey made for his dad... Wow." he reveals a picture frame. I lean closer from my seat squished between Lois and Reese to get a better look. It has a pretty photo of Lois in it, and it's adorned with little charms.

"Where did you find that? I never take a good picture." Lois' face lights up.

"I went through every box in the attic and found that one. I made the frame with mementos of your hobbies," the boy explains.

"Wait, you made this frame?"

"Yeah! See, it has a little golf club, a fishing pole, a poker hand. I even pasted on the jumble you finished."

Hal admires the frame a little longer. "Dewey, this is really nice..."

Reese then gives in to his excitement and picks up a heavy looking box from the ground. "Here, Mom. This is from me."

She takes it from him. "Oh, it's so heavy." She opens the box to reveal beautifully organized jars. Even I gasp a little.

"Wow! Reese, are these jams?"

"And candies," he adds on. "I had some sugar left over, so I figured, why not? It's Christmas." A proud smile is plastered on his face and it makes me even more excited to see what he made for me. I rub his shoulder in encouragement.

"You made this?!" Hal holds two jars in awe.

"Me next!" I say as I had Lois and Hal their individually wrapped gifts. I actually used wrapping paper instead of old newspapers and bags. They unwrap the matching mugs I painted on for them. I did my best calligraphy work to write their names on them. Lois' is decorated with flowers and butterflies, whereas Hal's is decorated with cars (which were really hard to draw).

"Oh, Tessa, these are beautiful!" she says with her eyebrows raised in appreciation.

"You drew this?!" Hal says, looking back and forth at the mug and then me.

I giggle nod, thanking Lois for her compliment.

Malcolm goes next and hands his parents their gifts. Lois hastily opens the box. "Oh my god, it's a clock!" My eyes widen. It does seem to be a fully functioning clock. Malcolm was never the type of genius that built machines and stuff, but he is a genius nonetheless, so I brush off my surprise.

"You made this?!" Hal exclaims. Now, he looks absolutely bewildered.

"Yeah! I read up on all-wood clocks and then borrowed the tools from the wood shop," He explains. "See the gears? They make different patterns as they turn."

Hal takes off his glasses in exhilaration. "Oh, I'm very impressed, guys."

" You all worked so hard on these gifts," Loos adds. Malcolm, Reese, and I all smile at each other.

"Open mine next." Dewey hands his last gift to his mom, a CD case shaped thing with a pretty bow on top. "It's a sonata I composed for you." At that, I give the younger boy an impressed nod. We've always bonded over music, and he seems to have gotten way ahead of me with his skills and creativity.

"Oh, I'll get to it," she says, "It's your father's turn to give something." She turns to her husband.

Hal stammers, "Uh... my gift... isn't here
" It's unusual behavior, but nothing too weird coming from him.

"Not here? What do you mean?" Lois asks.

"Well, we—we knew they would all really come through with great gifts.. and any present that could top what they did can't be here... can it?" He gestures around and laughs nervously.

A voice comes from the door and we all turn to face it. "Merry Chris... you started without us?"

It's Francis! No one even told me he'd be back for Christmas, how great! The last time he was home was super fun. He took Reese, Dewey and I on a beach trip. Although Malcolm wasn't there, it was for sure one of the best beach days we've had together. The waves were wonderful and we played all the beach games in the book. It was just like old times.

"Dad's about to give us a really cool present!" Reese informs him.

"Is it outside?" Malcolm interrogates the frazzled man.

"Let's find out!"

"Like a treasure hunt?" Dewey asks and Hal just bursts into high-pitched laughs as a reply.

"Alright, let's go!" Reese exclaims and runs outside with his brothers. Oh well, I'm no stranger to curiousity. I follow them outside and we begin searching around the backyard.

It barely takes a minute of searching until we simultaneously give up. We've never been good at scavenger hunts. I still remember that unfortunate time Lois tried to organise a easter egg hunt for us, which ended up with little Dewey eating all the eggs... "So, Dad, where is it?"

"Are we supposed to drive to it?" Reese asks.

A look of realization comes over Hal's face. "Yes. Yes! You guessed the first clue!" He claps for Reese. "Everybody get in the van. Let's go!"

We exchange looks of amusement and practically run into the house. The boys go into their rooms to fetch their jackets and I search for mine in the bottom of my bag. Once I retrieve the denim jacket, I put it on.

Reese is quick to reemerge into the living room. "Hey, Tess. Come here and see what I made you." He doesn't have to ask me twice, I beeline to the kitchen where he is standing next to a wrapped box and a mysterious container.

"Are they both for me?" I ask, intending it as a joke.

"Yeah!" he says. Oh.

My curiousity piques even more and I reach for the box wrapped with newspaper first. I remove the ribbon and rip away the wrapping, opening the box to reveal... Cookies!

I laugh in approval and he motions for me to open the other container. When I do, I am welcomed by the most delightful, warm scent.

"Banana bread?" I ask, looking at the large and perfectly plush piece in the container.

"Yep!" he nods. "And those are peanut butter cookies. I know both banana bread and cookies are, like, both your favorite things in the world—so I couldn't choose just one. I also know that you prefer chocolate chips in both, but, you know." He gives me an apologetic look. "I got lucky that we had a bunch of bananas and some peanut butter left, so I used them all. Oh, and the cookies are a kinda new recipe because I ran out of sugar halfway through. Sorry about that, I hope they're still good though..." he finishes rambling. I had to resist the urge to cut him off.

I smile and shake my head at him. "Reese... they look delightful. You could never go wrong."

His apprehensive expression turns into one of pride. If anything, I should be the one that's unsure about their gift. I mean, he probably spent all of last night preparing these treats for me, whereas I just went out and bought him his gift.

"My turn!" he exclaims as if on cue.

I grin and becon him to walk over to the table. I wanted to give all the boys their gifts at once, but I'll make an exception. Plus, this is a perfect time since Lois is outside with Hal and won't see the clearly store-bought gifts I got each of them.

I hold out the small box I made for him, and that adorable Cheshire cat smile appears on his face again. The things I would do to see that smile 24/7...

He clumsily unwraps it to reveal his present. A brand new digital watch. He gasps when he sees it. Malcolm and I got him his first digital watch a couple of Christmases ago, but he broke it recently while graveyard biking (you don't even want to know) and honestly, it was about time. He had had that piece of junk for years, and it kept getting stuck. Once, it made him think it was Saturday for a week straight.

"Is this the new G-shock?! Those things are expensive!" he says, looking up at me.

"Eh, it was nothing," I shrug. Truth is, I did spend all the money I had saved for the next month on it.

He takes it out of the box and I help him put it on his left wrist. "It looks great! I think I can set alarms on it too." He leans on the couch as he fiddles with the dial.

I get the craziest deja vu to the Christmas where I pitched in to get him his last watch and he got me my beloved star necklace, my hand unconsciously goes up to my neck to touch it. What a sweet memory.

"Yeah, it's also water resistant and you name it. I think this thing is gonna last you a long time," I grin at him. I knew how much he cherished his last watch, so I've done all my research in hopes that this one can do it justice.

"Thank you," he says, still staring at the watch.

"You're welcome," I reply, staring at my shoes. I can't believe he still has the capability to make me nervous.

His hand then goes up to lift my chin up and I look at his face. His soft smile is glowing in the sunset lighting through the window and his eyes shine even more as they match with his green sweater. It feels so warm and magical—this is what Christmas is supposed to feel like. I soak it in.

I bite my tongue as I resist the urge to kiss him. Instead, we both pull each other into a hug as if reading each other's minds.

His arms wrap comfortingly around my waist and I nuzzle my face into his neck. It smells so good—like his fancy hair products and body wash. I even get a whiff of a scent from his clothes that is so distinct, but I've never been able to place it. A scent that I've only ever smelt in their house, and in their room. It fills me with nostalgia and love.

Lois' voice barging into the living room causes Reese to flinch slightly and then seperate the hug. "Boys! Come on, your father is waiting outside!"

Malcolm and Dewey come running outside. I scramble to collect the evidence of my store-bought gift and throw it into the trashcan. I pause by the kitchen counter where my cookies and banana bread are... and after some consideration, I grab the box of cookies and follow out after the rest of the family.

I stop by the car and wait for Malcolm to scoot over so that I can sit. I feel a tinge of disappointment because I won't be sitting next to Reese. During car rides, I usually sit between Reese and Dewey as a means to protect the younger boy.

"Malcolm, why don't you sit with Francis and Piama?" Reese says. I perk up at his words

"Why? We'll fit."

"Malcolm, we don't know how long this ride's gonna be." Reese raises his eyebrows at his brother.

"Why doesn't Tess sit in the back?" Malcolm replies.

I open my mouth to speak, but Reese beats me to it. "God, Malcolm. Why does everything need to be so complicated with you?" He frowns.

After a moment and a loud huff, "Fine." Malcolm pushes his seat so that he can get in with Francis, Piama, and Jamie. I feel sort of bad for him... but it's just one car ride. I'm sure he'll get over it.

"Sorry," I mumble as I take my seat next to Reese, giving him a smile.

"You got them with you," he motions to the box of cookies on my lap.

"Yep. A little snack for the drive," I giggle.

As the van starts, we begin singing a medley of 'Jingle Bells'.

Hal pulls out of the driveway and onto the road. As we pass by my house, I realise that I should tell my Dad that we're leaving. But it's fine, he knows I'm with the Wilkersons. I continue singing along.

After 20 minutes of driving, I'm on my second peanut butter cookie. I'm savouring every single velvety bite. Reese is an absolute magician for making these.

"Are we there yet?" he asks his Dad.

"Where are we going?" Malcolm asks.

"I know! We're going to Disneyland," Dewey guesses. I gasp at the thought. I love Disneyland! But so late at night?

"It's a thousand times better than Disneyland," Hal exclaims.

Reese laughs in excitement and I mirror him.

"Cool!" Dewey says.

Reese turns to his little brother and they exchange their handshake. It's adorable, they made it up ever since Reese got distracted with me and began acting all civil.

"What's that?" Malcolm asks, peeking from over the seat.

"A handshake," Reese simply replies.

Dewey begins a chant and Reese joins in. "We love Dad!" I just giggle in amusement and take another bite of my cookie.

A few minutes later and we make a pit stop.

"Rest stop, everybody out! No eye contact with strangers," Hal orders.

Dewey and Reese jump out of the car and I get out after them. I don't really want to use the bathroom, but it won't hurt to wash my hands and fix my hair a little.

Piama and I walk into the worn down restroom one by one. I turn on the faucet to wash my hands of the cookie crumbs.

"So, how's it been now that Reese is back?" Piama starts.

The question feels a little sudden, but I answer nonetheless. "Uh, it's been great." I say with a smile. It's true.

"That's good, I can tell just by looking at you. I remember how depressed you seemed when he was gone..." She gives me an empathetic look, one that I'm grateful for.

The time Reese left is something I try my best not to remember. It was as if he took a large chunk of me with him. I wasn't myself, not in the slightest. Flashbacks of my terrible attitude towards Piama and just everyone begin coming back to me. I hope I never have to encounter that version—or shell of myself ever again. Reese better stay in my life forever and ever.

"Yeah... thanks," I speak up.

She winks at me and brushes past me to enter one of the stalls. What the hell was that supposed to mean? I shrug.

I fix the strands of hair falling into my face and allow myself one last look in the mirror before I exit the restroom.

As I do, I'm greeted by Reese exiting the men's room opposite to me. We almost bump into eachother, so I let out a startled laugh.

I don't have much time to think before he takes my hand to pull me out of the way and places a chaste kiss on my mouth.

It leaves me wanting more, and I lick my lips to savor it. My eyes fluter open. "...The cookies were amazing," I blurt.

"That's all you have to say?" he laughs.

"Well, you caught me off guard here." I laugh back, staring at our intertwined hands.

His mouth opens to say something but he's interrupted by the sound of stomping out of the men's restroom.

Francis walks out swiftly, not even noticing Reese and I. However, an agitated looking Malcolm following after him stops and gives the two of us a puzzled look.

That is when I realise our hands are still connected, and I retract mine as if I was bitten by a snake.

"Now, what are you guys doing?" he says in an exasperated tone.

"Nothing!" I exclaim as I rush over back to the van. Malcolm simply sighs and shakes his head.

We all get back in the van, our excitement for the trip now rebuilt. That doesn't last for long though, because another twenty minutes later, we're still on the same highway. No signs or landmarks anywhere.

Dewey yawns and that triggers a similar response from me. I rest my head on Reese's shoulder and he squeezes my hand that's already clasping his. It was getting hard to be so close to each other for so long and not touch, especially now that we're getting all sleepy and cuddly.

"Are we getting close?" I ask.

"Now, now! You are not gonna trick me into giving it away. It's a surprise."

I sigh at his response and shift closer to Reese for some extra warmth. Lois whispers something to Hal but I don't bother listening in.

Malcolm then begins speaking and i let out an involuntary huff. "Look, I know we don't talk about our emotions, but I don't care anymore. I'm just gonna lay it out there... My feelings are hurt." I raise my head from Reese's shoulder as everyone turns to face him. "There, I said it," he continues, "they're hurt because you guys are systematically excluding me. Being excluded is extra hard for me because I see all the other places I don't fit in and we're family, I really want us to be in this together." We go silent for a few moments to really process his words. I feel a twinge of guilt... I can imagine how he feels. I wouldn't say we've been excluding him though, we just haven't paid much mind to him since he's been distant anyway.

Things have been weird between Malcolm and I in particular ever since he humiliated Reese at school, ruined Thanksgiving, and triggered Reese leaving for the army. However, I'm not one to hold grudges—and he's right, they're a family and I am a part of that in a way. I thought we'd gotten over any resentment ever since Reese got back.

"What a gasbag," Francis snaps, breaking the silence. "Your feelings aren't hurt, your ego is bruised." I nod to myself in agreement with his words. Malcolm's worst flaw is his massive ego, so Francis must be right

Reese continues after Francis, "The reason we exclude you sometimes is because you're a drag. You always have to be the special one." That was harsh wording to use, but it holds some truth. Malcolm looks back and forth in disconcertedness.

"Even now, this is all about how you feel things more deeply than everyone else... Look, we love you, we just need a break from you every now and then." We all go silent again and I just go back to leaning on Reese. I'm too tired to psychoanalyze Malcolm's issues right now.

"Francis, can I see you up here for a second, please? I need your help with the radio," Hal speaks up. I huff again. Now I have to scoot over to make space for Francis to leap over to the front. I can't get a moment of peace on his tedious ride.

Hal and Francis begin whispering to each other and I reopen the box of cookies to take one out. Reese smiles at me and lifts his arm to put it around my shoulders. I spy a Malcolm peeking over the chairs and giving me an incredulous look. God, does he want a cookie? Cause he could just say so. Francis goes back to his seat and then Hal begins speeding up.

We stop at a gas station and Hal gets out of the car.

Francis reaches over to slide open the door of the van. "Let's get out and stretch our legs!" We all follow suit except for Malcolm.

"You coming, Malcolm?" Reese asks

"You sure? I might accidentally talk about myself," he snarkily replies and I roll my eyes.

"You mean like just now?" Dewey says and I do my best to hold back a laugh.

Reese scoffs and the three of us walk away. Ever since we developed our little trio, Malcolm has shown zero interest in being included. In fact, most of the time, he was just being condescending towards our efforts.

Reese runs over to some parked motorcycles. "Woah, nice rides."

"Yeah!" Dewey sounds in agreement.

I raise my eyebrows as well. I'm not the biggest fan of bikes and cars, but I gotta admit that they're pretty cool. The boys admire a yellow bike.

"The fat lady at the car wash rides one of these." Reese raises his hand to caress the motorcycle. However, as soon as his fingertips touch it, it falls into the concrete. I flinch.

"Nice going, Dewey!" he exclaims in horror.

"I wasn't even touching it. It was you!"

We don't notice two biker guys approaching us. "What'd you do, man!" one of them barks. Their tall frames and rugged appearance makes me dread their rage and I instinctively step behind Reese, who steps behind Francis.

"Wait, wait!" A familiar voice—Malcolm's voice—steps in to save the day. He comes rushing to the scene. "Those guys didn't do it." Is this him trying to win us back?

"What are you talking about?" The biker guy with the spiked hair retorts.

Malcolm raises up his hands as defence. "I'm not gonna let these people take the blame when they didn't do it."

The biker guys cross their arms and we continue watching in apprehension.

"It was my Dad," Malcolm poins.

My mouth opens in shock. Why the hell would he say that? What an absolute genius he is!

As expected, the men turn to look at Malcolm's 'Dad'. However, he was pointing at a random guy who is slurping a gas station drink innocently.

"He was trying to teach me a lesson so I wouldn't grow up and be like you," he continues and that just makes them more angry. They charge at the guy and Francis pauses for a moment before cheering Malcolm on.

"That was awesome!" They exclaim in unison. I can't help but laugh along and I give Malcolm a high five, completely overlooking the fact that there is an innocent man taking a beating right behind us.

Our cheering is abruptly interrupted by the sound of smashing glass over at the gas station's store.

"Hal!" Lois' voice shrieks. The six of us exchange confused glances but brush it off since there was no extra commotion.

We begin walking to the van, Dewey and Malcolm take the lead and begin discussing the scene that just unfolded.

Reese wraps his arm around my shoulder as we walk and begins talking, "I think I could've handled those bikers. But, with a baby and you chicks around, Malcolm probably did the right thing." He gives me a confident smirk and Malcolm turns around to smile at his comment.

"Thanks for thinking of us, Reese," Piama says and I almost laugh at the thinly veiled sarcasm.

"What's this?" Dewey speaks up and we all draw our attention to him. He's holding a yellow paper in his hand. He unfolds it. "It's a credit card receipt from the Clockworks." The information takes a moment to process in my head, but when it does, I let out a gasp. "You bought those clocks?!"

"You have a credit card? Since when?" Francis asks. I have the same question, I didn't even know it was possible at our age.

"They sent it to me in the mail a couple months ago. They must have thought I was old enough after I won that physics award."

Reese removes his arm from around my shoulders and I can sense his rage. "So when I superglued my eyelids shut and I was in the emergency room, we could've used your credit card instead of having to call Mom?!" I cringe as I remember that day. He probably wouldn't have even gone to the emergency room if I wasn't there. I was terrified he would go blind or he would fully lose his eyes, I even tried to pry them open myself.

"You were fine, Tess was there. I'm not gonna let you jeopardize my credit rating, I wanna buy a house some day," Malcolm defends and I scoff at his egocentricity.

"Malcolm, you're a jerk," Francis says what's on all our minds.

Lois and Hal appear behind the van. I knew they were alright.

"Mom, Malcolm has a credit card, and he bought your Christmas presents with it!"

Lois' face immediately contorts in anger, but instead of lashing out, she turns to Hal.

"What?" he says and steps towards Malcolm. "Malcolm, you bought those presents? After everything I've been through?" I frown at the interaction. It's truly upsetting what their family is going through right now, but Malcolm has been too busy living in his luxurious bubble to care. "We all worked so hard to make this a special Christmas and you just took a cheap shortcut!"

"Those clocks cost 50 bucks each!" Malcolm retaliates.

"I don't care what they cost!" Hal shakes his fists at his son. "This isn't a competition, Malcolm. You know all I really want from you on Christmas is this!" He takes Malcolm in roughly for a hug and my eyebrows raise at the direction this took. I totally didn't see that coming, but I should never be surprised with this family.

"Okay, guys, listen up," Hal says casually. "I don't want this to ruin our trip. Want to know where we're going?" He clasps his hands in excitement and we all let out a chorus of 'yeah's. I've been waiting for this for hours already! We're all sick and tired. "Snow skiing on Mount Bundy!" he exclaims and we all cheer.

I jump around in place before getting into the car with the rest. Snow skiing?! This definitely beats all the previous Christmases!

It's only 30 minutes until we get to the ski resort, and I don't mind waiting because it looks wonderful! The giant Christmas tree and the lights twinkling in the reception renew the Christmas spirit in my heart. I'm a little confused on how Hal is affording this, but he seems like he's been planning it for a while so I don't question it.

We wait for him to check in at the counter. I sway back and forth on my feet as I continue to look around. "Hey, check it out!" Reese calls out to me and I turn to see him pointing at a taxidermied reindeer. I laugh in awe at the thing, it looks so alive. "Isn't it kinda creepy?" he says and I nod.

"How do they get it to look like that when it's dead?" I ask. It's pretty much a rhetorical question, but Malcolm goes on to explain the technicalities of taxidermy and the chemistry behind the preservation. I pretend like I'm following along but really, I'm not. I stare at Reese's flawless profile as he examines the animal instead. The warm Christmas lights illuminate the lines of his face so perfectly—I don't think I'll ever get sick of admiring his features. His beautiful eyes, his sharp nose, his soft lips; it's like they were specifically made for me to trace with my eyes forever.

"Who wants some hot chocolate by the fire?" Hal exclaims as he's done checking in and I'm pulled out of my trance.

They all say, "Yeah!" in agreement and I follow along. Some hot chocolate would be absolutely delectable right now with the cookies I'm still holding. Reese pushes Jamie's stroller over to the café area ahead of me.

We sit down on the comfortable chairs after receiving our hot chocolates and I smile like an idiot at the drink, taking slow sips and definitely not sharing my cookies with anyone—even though Francis asked. Yep! I said no to Francis! I never thought there would be a day where I would go against him, but those cookies are just that good.

When we're all done with our drinks, Lois and Hal leave the reception to check out the room whereas Francis and Piama walk away to explore the resort. Malcolm and Dewey are engrossed in a demonstration of a mind game Malcolm discovered. I try my best to follow along with them, but I ultimately give up and turn to where Reese is playing with Jamie.

He notices my attention is on him and halts his game with Jamie. He looks back and forth at me, then at Malcolm and Dewey. He's clearly debating something, but I'm not sure what.

He then stands up, drawing attention to himself. "Okay, guys, I'm going to find the bathroom," he announces. Malcolm and Dewey act as if they couldn't hear him.

I don't have time to be confused about his words because he winks at me right after. I give him a confused shake of my head and he simply smiles and silently mouths, 'Find me', before walking away.

I think I have an idea what he's insinuating, so I clear my throat and stand up. "I'm gonna go find a phone to call my Dad," I say and Malcolm just nods to acknowledge me. Truth is, I could go and give my father a notice that I'll be staying overnight at a ski resort, but he'll probably sleep over at my Grandmother's anyway and won't know that I didn't make it back home. Plus, my excitement to go find Reese clouds any judgement I have right now.

I wander around for a bit until I reach the hallway where the restrooms are... but there is no sign of Reese. I take one last look around for extra measure before continuing to walk.

That is until a hand seemingly pops out of thin air and I'm yanked into a dimly lit janitor's closet. I yelp and collide with a hard chest that is unmistakably Reese's. How cliche. I'm met with the harsh smell of cleaning products and Reese's comforting scent because of our proximity. I let out a laugh as my heart beat slows down. "You're gonna kill me some day," I punch his chest playfully.

"But I'll still get you alone," he smiles and I don't think he understands the macabre implications of that. Nonetheless, he grabs my waist and pulls me in for a kiss. There isn't much space to move around but my arms snake their way up to wrap around his neck and deepen the kiss. His devastatingly soft mouth opens a little to allow my tongue to explore, and I'm greeted with the lingering taste of sweet chocolate. The butterflies in my stomach are wild enough that I can practically hear them in my ears.

He takes a short step forward and pins me into the shelves, in return my hands tug at his hair—not considering that I could mess it up. He breathes deeply into the kiss.

We've been doing this for a couple months now, but we've barely gotten to second base. Each time we border on second base territory, one of us backs out. It's not that either of us are afraid of anything, it's just that it's so nerve-wracking for us to even be messing around like this. But now, one of his hands is sliding up my bare thigh, a sensation that's unfamiliar enough that it causes me to tense up, but I don't mind it at all. His hand continues sliding up until it pauses near my bottom, but not a moment later, he makes a bold move and it ends up right on my butt.

The sensation of his cold hand on there makes me get goosebumps all over, and I involuntarily arch my back, practically pushing my butt into his hand. My brain goes haywire at the fact that he is touching my panties as well.

And then he squeezes. My eyes shoot open but I maintain the momentum of the kiss. I can see his closed eyes and drawn in eyebrows in the faint lighting, as if he's focusing. Adrenaline courses through my veins at the contact between us and I sigh into the kiss—I'm assuming that's what causes him to fully wrap his arm around my waist, pulling me in tight against his solid frame, his other hand still firm on my butt.

A loud, CLICK, interrupts our labored breaths and kissing noises. I flinch at the sound and pull away. His hands go back to his sides, but there isn't much room for us to fully pull away. Our heads whip towards the door that feels like it's being opened in slow motion.

"Reese?!" A shrill familiar voice sounds as the door fully opens to reveal a shaggy janitor, and Malcolm standing behind him. I internally yell every single cuss word I know.

Reese's now swollen mouth opens in shock for a moment, before he reaches for the handle of the door and closes it right in their faces.

"What the hell!" I whisper to him and he just stares back and forth in bewilderment. "Oh, this is bad," I say to myself as I smooth my unruly hair and pull down my dress.

"What are we gonna do?!" He asks, eyes wide. I don't even know how to answer, because I don't have a single Goddamn clue.

"Just open the door!" I say in a hushed yell. After all, we've already been caught red handed and we have no escape. But before either of us can do anything, the door opens again to reveal an horrified Malcolm—the look on his face mirroring ours.

"What are you two doing?!" he exclaims. As if it isn't clear as day.

Reese's expression quickly turns into one of rage. "None of your business!" he yells and steps out of the closet to square up to his brother.

Panic builds up in my chest as I recognize the tone and look on Reese's face. He's in 'I'm going to knock you out' mode. I quickly step in between them and grab Reese's arm a bit too tightly to restrain him. Then, I look at Malcolm pleadingly. "Please, Malcolm, I beg you. No one should find out about this."

"I..." he stammers as he looks between Reese and I.

"If you say one more word, you're gonna have to figure out your foot from your ass!" Reese threatens and raises his fist. Malcolm slightly cowers in fear.

I open my mouth to interject but the janitor speaks up instead. "Is this what you were looking for?" He holds up a wooden high chair.

Malcolm takes a moment. "Uh... yeah. Thanks." He takes the chair from the man and stops to give us an strange look before walking away without another word.

What am I supposed to make of that? I don't know if that means I should trust him. Anxiety fills me and in my contemplation I almost forget how hard I'm still holding Reese's arm.

I look up to see the Janitor shake his head at us before locking the door to the closet and walking away. God, this is embarrassing.

Reese still has his angry face on and he's breathing heavily as he stares at the direction where Malcolm walked away.

I look around to make sure there isn't anyone else around before freeing his arm from my harsh grip and cupping his face gently.

"Hey, calm down." I try my best to use my most soothing voice and I can see his breathing regulate.

His green eyes focus on my face and his own softens. "What are we gonna do now?"

My hands fall from his face and I look down in defeat as I try to think, but nothing comes to mind. "I don't know." I look back into his eyes. "We'll just have to trust Malcolm to keep quiet about this... and we'll be more careful."

He sighs. "When are we gonna tell the rest?"

I shake my head. "I don't know either. But I do know that they can't find out in the way that Malcolm just did." Fear bubbles in my stomach as I imagine what would've happened if Lois had seen us in that closet instead of Malcolm. I think that would be the time that she finally lashes out on me. I brush away the thought. "Come on, let's get back before everyone else does," I say and tug at the loose fabric of his sweater.

This is gonna be quite an interesting trip.

AN:

sorry for the long chapter!
Feel free to leave your suggestions or comments.
Also, i'm editing the story from the beginning, so this could be a good time to reread for some of you!
Thank you all for the love