Something? Someone? Was screaming in his ear. Brayden jolted upright, upsetting where Lillian had been on his chest, making her sit up quickly and glare at him.

“What the fuck dude? Jesus.” She muttered grumpily.

She reached across him and turned her alarm off. His heart was beating like a racehorse. He felt sweaty and shaky. He glanced around the room again one more time, making sure there wasn’t anyone else there. Lillian noticed his shaky look and touched his shoulder lightly.

“What is it?” Her voice turned gentle.

“Just – freaked me out.” He muttered.

Her eyes implored him to tell her more.

“I just – I don’t think I’ve slept that deeply in a while, the alarm it just sounded like… Usually, I – I’m just more aware of everything, on my own.”

“I’ll change it to something different.” Lillian nodded, changing it to a more musical option.

“You don’t have to do that just for me.” Brayden insisted.

“The siren alarm freaks you out, so I changed it. It’s literally not a big deal.” Lillian smiled, stretching. “Merry Christmas by the way.” Lillian smacked at quick kiss on his cheek before climbing over him out of the bed.

“Thank you.” He whispered.

Lillian touched his face lightly from where she stood.

“I couldn’t be happier to do it for you.”

“Merry Christmas to you too.” His heart finally calming down enough for him to etch out a genuine smile for her.

“So, I’m about to get in the shower, where do we think that lands on the whole

“schedule”, that you have? Too soon?” Lillian flirted.

“That is a very big question for first thing in the morning.”

“While you contemplate it, I will be in the shower.” She grinned, as she skipped out her door and into her bathroom.

He followed her after about 5 minutes of his own contemplation. He had totally freaked out when that alarm went off. He scrubbed his hand over his face. She didn’t even hesitate to change something in her life to accommodate him. He squared his shoulders before stalking into her bathroom.

Brayden stood just outside her shower and called out to her.

“Ann? Is it alright if I just shower after you? I’m afraid if I got you wet and soaped up, you’d be bent over clinging to the wall in seconds.” His grin was fiendish.

Her headed popped out from behind the curtain.

“You – are incorrigible.” She smiled. One soapy shoulder peeking out.

“Just get back behind that curtain. I’m just going to hang out in here with you.”

“You deemed it too soon?”

“Well, I skipped the 3 months I’d planned on waiting to talk about my work, so I could at least stick to not fucking you immediately post break up. I’m re-working the schedule as we speak.” He called back over the running water.

“You have such a gentlemanly way with words.” Lillian laughed.

“I know, my mom is very proud.”

“You can’t talk to her…? Your mom? About your work, I mean.”

“Oh, no I could. Mom and Dad would and do support me so much. You know how my parents live out there on the acreage? They’re just kinda old school, and I was raised not to tell my mom that kinda stuff, she’s a lady. My sister beat that out of me though, when it comes to every other woman, but not my mom.” Brayden prattled.

“Your dad?”

“Like I said, pretty old school, and he supports me in every way he can, but he thinks it just part of job too. He means well, he just doesn’t know how to deal with the heavier stuff except by making it work sons’ problem and not me sons’ problem.” He starred at the ceiling through the fog.

“Hmm, that’s hard, you having been you and work son.” Lillian said perceptively.

Brayden grunted his agreement, out of words. They sat in the shared silence for a while.

“Do you want to hand me those two towels?” One hand reaching out of the shower patiently.

Brayden grabbed the two towels he could see on her little hanger. The water turned off, and another minute later she appeared, clad in her towel, hair up in that inexplicably twisted towel. Her eyes weren’t sad when they turned on him, they flickered with understanding. Brayden kissed her before he could stop himself, just a quick peck.

“Thanks. For even asking.” He smiled down at her.

“I’m just such a good listener, you know.” She boasted jokingly back at him.

“Alrighty then.” Brayden rolled his eyes.

“I won’t look, you can get in the shower, I’m not done in here yet.” Lillian lilted easily, turning and pacing to her sink.

Brayden griped about her looking if she wanted to under his breath, loud enough for her to hear. She waved him off flippantly, brushing her teeth without a whisper of her eyes darting his way.

He yelped loudly and nearly slipped jumping out of the spray of the water.

“I have so many questions. 1) how is it still so hot, you were in here 20 minutes? 2) WHY is it so hot, what is wrong with you? 3) make IT STOP PLEASE? I’m being scalded.”

Lillian’s giggles bounced around him endlessly while he was trying to avoid the hot water trying to cook his skin. She padded over, one hand sliding between the shower curtain and the wall opposite him, turning it a quarter of the way back to the cold setting.

“Tankless hot water, so the hot water is forever, we don’t run out. It’s not that hot you’re just a baby, and you’re welcome.”

“I am not a baby.” He griped, sticking his head out the other side of the shower curtain.

“Okay, baby.” Lillian shrugged smiling wickedly, in a soft looking bathrobe.

“A monster.” He muttered before returning into the shower, before he could look at her too long.

Lillian’s laugh bounced around the small room again.

Brayden reached for a bottle in the shelf stuck to the wall.

“What the…” He started to himself, “What the fuck is all this shit?” He called out again.

He heard Lillian’s exaggerated sigh, and grinned.

“Well – actually, there’s the stuff James liked in the corner there, or you can use mine. Purple is shampoo, white – conditioner, and green with the pump is body wash.” Her voice was timid.

“That’s great and all, and I can read, I meant rhetorically the dozen other weird products you have in here. Aromatherapy scalp scrub? Ah! Oh my god it’s like chunks of glass! Are you okay?” He popped his head out of the shower again.

“Stop snooping and just shower.” Lillian rolled her eyes, flipping him off.

“I just want to make sure your scalp its bleeding.” He replied with a genuine laugh, disappearing behind the curtain again.

Glancing at James’s preferred product in on the corner of the tub, he turned up his nose. No wonder every time James got out of the shower Brayden had flash backs to his hockey locker room growing up. Opting for Lillian’s prettier smelling options, he washed quickly and quietly.

“Can I have a towel?” He called out, rinsing the last of the conditioner out of his hair, and flipping the water off.

A towel was quickly dropped into his hand.

“Also, it’s your Christmas pjs for the morning too.” Lillian called as she opened the bathroom door. “I’m going to get dressed, bathrooms all yours.”

“Can you pass that little bag on the top of bag actually I forgot it in there.”

“Of course, Ben.” Lillian’s voice growing distant.

Brayden stepped out the shower and wrapped his waist in his towel quickly. Lillian came back quickly knocking barely before pushing the door open to drop the bag on her counter. She stopped when she saw him.

His hair had dripped water onto his chest, and hung just barely in his eyes, shooting off in every direction from being roughed up by a towel quickly. His skin was a little flushed from the hot water. The towel he had wrapped around himself hung low on his hips, revealing that trail of hair from his navel down, gradually getting darker. The v shape of his hips dipping low and out of sight.

“How – sometimes I wonder how I wasn’t climbing you like a tree the whole time.” She muttered a little grumpily.

She spun on her heel, blushing fiercely, and closed the door behind her before Brayden could quip his flirty reply.

“You know for flirting to work you have to be present right?” He raised his voice to call at her in the other room.

“I have no idea what you mean.” She snapped back stubbornly.

A riotous laugh bubbled out of Brayden as he turned to the mirror to finish getting ready.

“What do you mean its 7am?” Brayden cried.

“What do you mean? You woke up an hour ago and now after an hour its 7.” Lillian exclaimed back.

“That stupid alarm went off at 6 AM? You wake up at 6am every day?”

“It’s Christmas!?”

“And? Its 6 in the morning.”

“No, it’s not it’s 7.” Lillian snapped back smartly.

“You’re insane.” Brayden said decidedly.

“It is CHRISTMAS.” Lillian reiterated.

“The sun hasn’t risen!”

“CHRIST – MAS.” Lillian said slowly.

Brayden swooped her up before setting her on her desk. He kissed her on the mouth, growing more desperate, almost forgetting his point.

“Look at us, our first fight.” Brayden crooned.

Lillian opened her mouth in distress several times before just groaning in defeat. Brayden placed a kiss on her nose and slid her off the desk.

“I assume your whole family is also insane?”

Lillian blushed.

“What…?”

“It’s just me and my brothers up this early.” She mumbled.

Brayden made a squeezing noise pretending to grab her head and squish.

“What on earth.” He muttered.

“There’s Froot Loops, and coffee.” She offered him.

Brayden looked at her, considering.

“Fine.” He bowed, letting her lead the way up the stairs.