The Carousel

Vingt

"The downside to living with you is..." she stopped again as her eyes rolled to the back of her head.

"Is..."

"I have to make sure to shave my legs every day."

"Silky, smooth legs. My fifth favorite part of your body."

"Fifth?" she asked curiously.

"Fifth."

"What's the first?" she was breathless, but she couldn't stop herself from asking.

"Your eyes," he kissed each eyelid.

"Second?"

"Your lips," he planted a peck on her lips.

"Third?"

"Your boobs," he bent down and kissed one.

She slapped him. "Babe! The fourth?"

He reared up one more time and she exploded, she swore she saw stars. "That was the fourth."

"Gah, Jay, I should be offended, but...point taken."

They both laughed, enjoying the comfort they found in each other.

Ondine pinched Jared lightly on his side when her laughter subsided. "Only you could make me laugh while copulating."

"Good thing you weren't distracted from the task at hand," he pinched her nose.

"Oh you made sure of that, mister!" she giggled again as she flicked his ear playfully. She stared at his face and traced the contours with her finger. "Why are you so hot?" she asked him rhetorically.

"I don't know...thank my mom and dad," he answered anyway.

"You have been blessed by some pretty amazing genes. You have the most perfect nose I've ever seen..." she continued to talk, mesmerized by his face still.

"You have the cutest nose I've ever seen," he kissed the tip of her nose.

"Exactly. Cute, not perfect, like yours."

"Babe, no one's perfect. But for me, your cute nose is the most perfect nose I've ever seen," he said back to her. "Your face is the most perfect face I've ever seen. And your body..." he trailed a hand down her side, "...is the most perfect body I've ever seen.

"You better stop that, babe, before we get carried away again."

"So?"

"So? I'm hungry, that's so."

"What do you want to eat?"

"Let's go to MNL. I want some pancit and lumpia," she told him, referring to the Filipino noodle dish and Filipino egg rolls. MNL Kitchen + Bar was the restaurant that Jared's dad owned. "I'm craving for some Filipino food."

"Okay. Shall we get dressed and eat there or just take it to go?"

"Let's get dressed and eat there."

"You are adamant about getting out of this bed, aren't you?"

"Yes! Now come on!"

***

Ondine tugged at her boyfriend's hand as they made it in time to the Christmas tree lot an hour before it closed for the night. Jared had been at rehearsals all day, but he told her to wait for him before she picked a tree for their house. They were in charge of decorating the beach house because Emily Jane was helping Aiden with his condo. Jared laughed at Ondine's excitement. She had told him before how Christmas was her favorite holiday, but he didn't realize how true were her words until he saw her running around the lot looking for the perfect tree.