SECOND CHANCES (ORIGINAL WORK)

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Aaliyah usually hated how night came so early in winter, but tonight, she didn't particularly mind it. Now that she was home and out of the cold, the darkness pressing against the windows only made her feel even cozier, especially since she was here with Jason.

Earlier that day, she had met him on her lunch break from the diner to pick out their tree. They hadn't had to search the tree farm for long, having found a medium size pine that was the perfect height to fit in their house, after only ten minutes of looking. Jason had paid the cashier and hoisted it over his shoulder as if it had weighed nothing. With a kiss to Aaliyah's lips, he had headed towards home as she made her way back to the diner.

When she had finally arrived back to their house sometime later, he had already rearranged their furniture and set up the tree in the corner. He had even gone out and bought some lights for it, a gesture that delighted Aaliyah and warmed her heart, for he knew she wasn't really one for Christmas festivities.

She watched him now, struggling adorably to untangle a length of said lights from the cardboard spool it had been packaged on. A mug of hot cocoa warmed her hands, a treat she seldom indulged in except on cold nights like this. She couldn't help but smile at her lover.

Jason huffed softly in irritation. He couldn't figure out how the lights had started out wrapped up so neatly and had somehow ended up in this tangled mess that brute strength alone wouldn't solve. Mustering his patience, he worked the green, plastic-coated wires out of the chaos until he at last had them laid out in a straight line. When he plugged them in to test them, he was relieved to see that all the lights were in working order. Thank goodness for small favors.

"You know, you're adorable when you try to be a handyman," she said, her tone playful.

Jason turned to look at her over his shoulder as he pulled the lights from the socket, his lips curled into a sly grin.

"Well, you know I'm good with my hands."

Aaliyah giggled and set her mug down on the coffee table behind her before making her way over to him as he rose from the floor to his full height. She reached up to caress his cheek gently. Wordlessly, she leaned in for a kiss, and Jason smiled at the discovery that she tasted like chocolate. Even though the touching of their lips was gentle and tender, something burned just under the surface that threatened to distract them from decorating the tree and he pulled away before things got too heated.

Nuzzling her neck, he whispered, "Do you want to help me put up the lights before I decide to help you out of your clothes?"

Aaliyah giggled again, loving the way his body felt against hers. In all truth, the second option sounded more appealing, but since it had been her idea to get a tree in the first place, she grabbed one end of the multicolored lights while Jason grabbed the other and proceeded to wrap it around the evergreen, tucking the lights between branches of fragrant needles.

After that, it didn't take long to hang the ornaments Jason had bought, all fragile looking glass baubles that shimmered in the light. Aaliyah found she was actually enjoying herself as she decorated the lower half of the tree where she could easily reach. Jason was chatting happily about past Christmases with his family as he searched for the perfect place for the ornament in his hand and she listened wordlessly, enjoying his voice and his company, his youthful enthusiasm and the excitement in his eyes.

Aaliyah hung the last ornament and stood back to admire her handywork. Jason plugged in the lights once more before switching off the lamp that was the only other light source in the room. Instantly, the room was illuminated with color, the lights shining through the transparent glass and tinting them various shades, making them glitter like jewels.