Martin walked over to the table where his satchel bag sat. He had heard the phone within vibrating, indicating an alert. Today was full of them seeing as it was Christmas Eve. “Alright, I’m done delivering the cookies with mom, caroling with Yvonne and Yvette isn’t until after six, so now I have a gift exchange with…” A moment later he blinked. “I am so happy I put this on my calendar. How did I forget something like that?” Pulling his satchel bag up onto his shoulder he walked over to Andais. “Hey, mom, I’m going to head out for an hour or so. I forgot that I had a gift to exchange.” “Okay, honey. Just remember to be at home in time for dinner.” “No problem, mom. I’ll see you and the girls after giving Selene her gift.” Andais blinked, giving her son a knowing smile. “I’ve noticed you spending a lot of time with her, does that mean you’re interested in her is more than just friendship?” “No, mom, she’s just a friend.” He smiled at the older mink. “Selene’s a great person, but I really have no interest in romance right now. Besides, it’s nice having a friendship that doesn’t involve sex.” “True.” She then gave him a hug. “Make sure you say goodbye to your sisters before you take off.” Walking over to where the skunk twins were dressed as Santa’s helpers, handing out gifts to the children that sat on the male’s lap. Martin leaned in. “Hey, girls, I’ll be back home in an hour or two.” “Okay.” Yvonne remarked. Poking her head over, Yvette smiled. “Where are you going?” “I’m just heading out to exchange gifts with Selene.” “Selene?” Yvette blinked. “Do you… like Selene?” Martin nodded. “She’s a good friend.” The skunk blinked, unsure of what to make of that statement. “Okay, then we’ll see you at home.” Yvonne interjected. “Come on, Yvette, you’re presenting.” Within minutes he was cycling down the slight incline to the main road, the cold air moving past so that his tail ruffled in the draft. He had been to Selene’s house only once before, but rarely (if ever) thought he would return. It was around nine when he pulled up in front of the two-story house, his face chilled from the movement of the cold air across his fur. Dropping the kickstand, he pulled his satchel flap up, and extracted the wrapped sweater box. Draping his satchel bag over the handlebars of his bicycle, he walked up to the front door and depressed the doorbell button. It took several seconds before the door opened. “Martin! I almost thought you forgot.” “Actually, I did forget. I’m sorry.” He then rubbed at the back of his head. “That’s alright. Let me go ahead and get your gift.” He watched as she turned around and headed back inside. The cute little twitch of her tail made him smile as he finally noticed her outfit. When she returned, he smiled at the feline, “Okay, I have to say it. I love your outfit, it looks adorable on you.” “Aww, thank you. I’m planning on meeting up with a couple of people after dinner, and I was wondering if this outfit would be good enough for the party.” “Definitely.” Handing over the package, he leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. “Merry Christmas, Selene.” “Thank you, Martin. Merry Christmas.” Handing over her gift, she looked at the package, her tail tip twitching. “… so… can I open it now?” “Only if I can open the one you gave me.” Selene nodded, “Oh, of course.” “Then shall we?” With a nod, the pair tore into their individual packages, with Selene popping the top off of the box. Almost instantly her eyes lit up. “Oh my god! Martin! It’s gorgeous!” Pulling the deep green dress from the box, she held it up in front of her to note the top would wrap around her neck, supporting the garment. The entire dress fell to just above her feet, with a slit that would go up her left leg, leaving her entire back exposed. The accompanying choker with a jade green stone in the center was the only other item in the box. Martin’s eyes widened “I love this anime! Thank you, Selene, this is perfect!” Looking down, the feline shook her head as she looked at the dress in her hands. “You shouldn’t have bought something so expensive! I… now I feel bad.” “You shouldn’t feel bad, Selene.” Martin smiled. “I managed to talk with your parents about getting you a dress for your Christmas party. They gave me your sizes and suggested a color. I found this after only a cursory search. Selene blinked. “You… what? You asked my parents about getting me a dress?” “It was them that made the suggestion when I asked about a Christmas gift for you.” He then blushed. “Besides, it really wasn’t that much. In truth, the choker was more expensive.” Looking at everything in the box, Selene smiled. “Thank you, Martin. It’s wonderful.” With that, they wrapped each other up in a hug. “Will I see you after Christmas?” “Sorry, but mom wants to see dad this year, so we’re going to be out of the state until the 31st of December.” “When do you leave?” “Christmas evening.” Nodding, she smiled. “Then you have fun, and I’ll see you in the new year.” “Okay, Selene. I’ll see you then. Thank you again for the anime.” Waving at each other, he headed back to his bicycle and slid the DVD into the satchel bag. Once it was over his shoulder he watched as the young woman walked into the house and closed the door. It was nearly a half hour ride back home, and he had a couple of promises to keep today.
