Chapter 1 - Happy Holidays

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Gabi's POV

"Gabi," Toni whispered gently, his breath warming the back of my ear. "Wake up, sleepyhead."

"Hmmm?" I mumbled, snuggling up into a comfortable little ball.

"Wake up," he shook me gently. "It's snowing."

"Snowing?" I murmured. "Nice."

"Wake up and watch the snow with me, Gabi," he placed his lips on the back of my neck and traced a line of soft kisses down my shoulder.

I groaned and opened my eyes reluctantly. The room was dark except for the dim glow of the streetlight outside Toni's window. "What time is it?" I asked groggily.

"Um...four-thirty."

"In the morning?" I shrieked. "Toni!"

He shrugged apologetically. "It's the first snowfall!"

I sighed and swung my legs out of bed. "Okay, how do you want to watch it?"

A childlike grin invaded his beautiful face. "Here. Anywhere. With you."

I patted the space beside me on the bed, where I was sat facing the window. "Come here, then."

He crawled next to me eagerly and wrapped his arms around me, planting a gentle kiss on the top of my head. "Thank you, baby."

"You're such a child, you know?" I complained.

"Thank you, mummy," he smirked.

I ignored him, turning my gaze to the snow falling outside. Even though I was tired, I suddenly didn't mind staying up like this – there was nothing more romantic than sitting in the warmness of his room and watching the snowflakes slowly float to the ground in the light of the street lamp outside; sitting in the comfort of the arms of my Toni.

My performance had been satisfying enough for me to be granted a whole two weeks of leave from work, so I'd decided to spend the holidays and the last of 2012 with my family and Toni. About a quarter of my break had already gone, and I'd spent the most of it sleeping in Toni's bed instead of my own. With every day that passed with him by my side, the more I was convinced that I was right to have resolved my 'maybe' into a 'yes.'

I lost track of time, immersed in my thoughts and hypnotised by the beauty of the impending winter, until the snow stopped and the sky showed a hint of the dark purple of sunrise.

"I love you, Gabriele," Toni whispered into my hair, waking me up from my daze.

"I love you, too," I whispered back. "Merry Christmas."

I felt him smile. "Thank you for coming back to me."

"Stop it," I mumbled. "That is so last month."

He chuckled and wrapped his arms more tightly around me. "I'm just glad I'm getting to spend the most romantic day of the year with you again."

I turned around and gazed at him without removing myself from his arms. His eyes were almost dark blue in the light. They were piercing through me with the most grateful, relieved and joyful gaze I'd ever seen; all those emotions combining perfectly into the magical look Toni was looking at me with.

Before he could respond, I grabbed his face with both hands and kissed him hard on the lips. "I wouldn't spend it with anyone else," I whispered.

He smiled into the kiss. "Neither would I."

In typical Toni fashion, he dragged me onto his lap and wrapped my legs around his waist. Before it could go any further, I dragged myself away from him and held him by his shoulders. "Sleep?" I asked, trying to slow my breathing.

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