PROMPT : ROUND
“Did Eli tell you what he was getting you for Christmas?” Shane flopped down on the sofa.
“You could actually help, you big lug,” I threw back.
“Tiny metal things and tiny pointy things?” Shane sniffled a shudder. “No thanks, sis. It’s all yours. So did he?”
I gave him a look for that, but he only grinned lazily from his new appointed vantage point on the sofa. “He didn’t. It’s a gift. A gift is a surprise. I don’t want to know.”
“Not even a little hint?” Mischief imprinted itself on Shane’s face. “It’s a good one,” he sing-songed.
“And I don’t care!” I threw one of the sparkly garlands at him. “Untangle that.”
“It’s round,” Shane said, wrestling the garland out of the plastic shopping bag. “You’re gonna like it.”
“So as long as I don’t know what it is, I’m sure I will. Keep your hints to yourself.”
“Dana?” Eli poked his head through the doorway. “I didn’t know you were back from the grocery store.”
“I didn’t leave,” I said, turning away, quickly. “Sent that lout instead and he brought back all the wrong things.”
“…Do you still need anything?”
“There’s a list—somewhere. Mom has it.”
“Right,” Eli said, from somewhere right behind me.
I jumped. Boyfriend or not, he was always too quiet and one of the few who could sneak up on me. I never liked people sneaking up on me.
Then again, this was Eli.
I’d given him his own share of grey hairs and scares, considering all that we’d been through.
“Shane, could you give us a moment?” Eli asked, smooth and polite as always. He looked dashing in his new sweater and smelled like winter and pine trees.
I took note of his deceptively relaxed posture and inwardly stifled a groan. The house was filling with relatives and the last thing I needed was any kind of gossip floating through the family grapevine.
This would feed it for weeks.
Snickering, Shane excused himself from the couch and the family room, his grin a mile wide.
We both waited until we were sure that he hadn’t lingered in the hallway to eavesdrop.
I whirled on him at once. “Don’t you dare tell me that you’re giving me a ring for Christmas!” I hissed. “I can’t do that.”
Eli rubbed his face. “Dana, we can’t keep on doing this and expecting to-“
“We’ve already been married three years!” I snapped. “You’re the one that didn’t want to tell anyone!”
“And that’s—that was my fault,” he admitted. “But now that Dad’s-“
“You’re right its your fault,” I huffed, feeling my ruffled feathers already settling at the contrite expression on his face. Eli rarely ever did anything to deliberately upset me. He’d always been considerate that way. “I just—look, my family will make a big deal out of this, okay? I just don’t—I don’t want this on camera. Don’t make me open a ring in front of everyone and have to pretend to-“
“Pretend?” He asked, hurt.
I leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I’m already happy. I’ll be even happier when the truth is out, but this—Christmas isn’t about us, alright? Just—give me the ring earlier or something, after dinner maybe and we can—I’ll do my best, okay?”
Eli sighed. He hugged me and kissed the top of my head, his arms tight and warm. “That’s all I can ask, Agent 13.”
I stepped on his foot.
(c) S. Harricharan