JOHNNY’S POV:

A few days have gone by since the little incident at the club and yet no one ever talked about it. Shannon was sitting on the floor unpacking all the Christmas decorations and even had Christmas music playing. We went and got a tree a few days ago, a real one at that. This is a first for us. We had lived on our own here for a while now and we never decorated or had an actual tree. One year Jimmy got the idea to make one out of cardboard but that didn’t last long seeing we had empty beer cans all over our tree as the decorations. I sat on the couch watching her pick through the stuff and she seemed happy. At least happier then she was when she first got here.

“Hey short shit.” Brian said interrupting my train of thought.

“What?” I asked looking up at him. He was holding a garment bag. I already knew what was in it so I didn’t bother asking about it.

“You promised.” Brian said with an evil smile on his face.

“Yeah yeah yeah, I remember.” I said as I stood up and took the bag from him.

“Come on get to it so we can decorate already man.” Matt told me.

Fuck! I guess I really had to do this. I stood up and took the garment bag from Brian and walked to the bathroom to change into everything. I looked in the mirror when I was finished dressing. I looked fucking ridiculous! Looks like I came straight from the movie Elf with Will Ferrell. I had on a green hat, green button up shirt, red stockings and green pointy shoes. Fuck!

“Come on Johnny, get your ass out here man.” Jimmy yelled to me from the living room.

Well, I guess it’s now or never. I opened the door and walked down the hall to the living room where everyone was. When I turned the corner Jimmy was ready with the camera and started snapping pictures.

“Come on, stop with the pictures Jimbo.” I said putting my arm up in front of my face.

“Come on, we need a good one for our Christmas card this year.” He told me.

Matt, Zacky and Brian were basically on the floor laughing their asses off at the site of me dressed as an elf, holding their stomachs and basically almost on the verge of tears.

“You guys suck!” I stated.

“It’s Johnny, Johnny the Christmas gnome.” Matt managed to get out between laughing.

“Do a little dance for us Johnny.” Zacky told me still laughing.

I flipped them off then looked over at Shannon who was still sitting in the same spot on the floor with the ornaments. She had a smile spread across her face, one that made this all worth it. I extended my hands out to each side, in the sort of way to say ‘what do you think’ and raised my eyebrows. She gave me the thumbs up and stood up to walk over to me. She stood in front of me with her hands on her hips, looking me over from head to toe.

“Go ahead, pick on me. I know you want to.” I told her with a crooked smile.

“Why would I pick on you?” She asked and straightened out my collar. “I like it!” Jimmy started to snap more pictures, this time including Shannon in them.

“Come on, smile short shit.” Jimmy said and got real close to my face with the camera and snapped another picture. I smacked his hand away then wrapped my arm around Shannon’s waist, pulling her towards me.

“Take a picture with me.” I said to her. She smiled and turned to face the camera, holding my arm around her waist still.

“Awww, Johnny has the cheesiest grin on his face right now.” Brian said. Shannon looked back and smiled at me. Jimmy took a few more random pictures of us.

“Ok enough with the photo bullshit. Let’s get these decorations up already.” Zacky said and stood up.

SHANNON’S POV:

We spent the next hour hanging up decorations inside the house, another hour and a half decorating the outside of the house, and another half hour after that decorating the Christmas tree. The house looked great and the guys acted like children the whole time. Jimmy chasing the guys around with the tinsel, Zacky wrapping Brian up in the Christmas lights, Matt snapping random photos and singing Christmas songs and Johnny, well Johnny looked very uncomfortable in his elf suit but didn’t complain one bit. This was going to be one hell of a Christmas.

When we were finished and everything was cleaned up I decided to cook dinner for the guys. It was the least I could do for putting them through all of that. I started cooking everything to make my famous baked ziti. While things were cooking in the oven I sat up on the counter and stirred the sauce. Johnny walked in the kitchen still wearing his outfit. I looked at him and smiled and he did the same.

“I think you like that suit a bit too much now!” I told him. He leaned his back against the counter adjacent from where I was.

“It’s itchy as fuck!” He told me and looked down at his suit.

“Go change into something else then.” I said and popped a grape into my mouth that was in the fruit bowl sitting next to me.

“Naa, I’ll wait till before dinner.” He said jingling the little bell that was at the end of his elf hat. “Toss me one of those grapes.”

“Open up.” I told him. He did so and I tried to make it into his mouth but failed terribly. We both laughed at my attempt and tried another time but hit him in the eye.

“Ahhh fuck. I’m going to be blind now.” He said rubbing his eye.

“I’m so sorry.” I said with a laugh.

“It’s ok.” He stated. “I’ll just buy an eye patch and tell everyone I’m a pirate.”

“An elf pirate?” I asked raising an eyebrow.

“Sure, why not?” He said laughing a bit. I shook my head and popped another grape in my mouth.

“Try again.” He told me and opened his mouth.

I took a grape and tossed it towards Johnny. This time he caught it in his mouth and smiled as he chewed it.

“Nice shot.” He said pushing himself off of the counter and making his way over to where I was sitting on the counter adjacent from where he was. He stood between my separated legs and popped a grape into his mouth and winked at me then set his hands on either side of me on the counter. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Did you have fun today?” He asked looking up at me.

“I did. The house looks great.” I told him.

“Good. I’m glad that you did.” He said.

We were quiet for a couple minutes, neither one of us saying anything. He reached over to stir the pot of sauce on the counter but never moved from the spot where he was standing between my legs. When he was finished he set the spoon down and looked at me again. I smiled and took his elf hat off, setting it on the counter next to me and ran both my hands through his hair. He closed his eyes as I did it.

“You should cut your hair into a Mohawk!” I told him and played with his hair a bit. He opened his eyes and looked at me again.

“You don’t like my zebra hair?” He asked with a playful smile playing at his lips.

“I do. But I still think you should cut it into a Mohawk.” I told him. “And color it all black.”

“You think so?” He asked.

“Yeah! I think it would look good on you.” I told him and continued to run my hand through his hair, stopping at the back of my head and gripping some of his hair.

He just looked at me like he wanted to say something but decided to keep it to himself. He reached up and put his hand on my cheek, rubbing it gently with his thumb. I leaned in closer to him as he leaned into me.

“What smells so good in here?” Jimmy said as he rounded the corner to the kitchen.

Johnny backed away. He played it off, making sure Jimmy didn’t get suspicious by grabbing a handful of grapes and eating them one by one.

“GRAPES!!!” Jimmy yelled out. “Oh shit, what’s in the bucket? What’s in the bucket but a bucket of shit but a bucket of grapes and the grapes in the mouth, grapes in the mouth make ya happy down south. Make ya get a boner, watcha gonna do?” Jimmy sang out when he saw what Johnny was eating. We both shook our heads and laughed at him. He was always coming up with these crazy songs.

“You’re a nut.” Johnny said to Jimmy and threw a grape at him.

“I’d rather be a nut then be short.” Jimmy said as he caught the grape and ate it. Johnny punched Jimmy in the arm playfully and Jimmy put him in a head lock after he did it.

“Let go Jimbo.” Johhny said trying to fight his way out of it.

“Say uncle… say uncle.” Jimmy said laughing a bit. I laughed along with him. Johnny finally broke free and Jimmy chased him around the table. “Come here you fuckin elf.”

“No…. fuck you man.” Johnny laughed as he ran.

“Santa’s not going to be too happy with you. You said a bad word, you’re a naughty elf. You must be a South Poll elf.” Jimmy laughed and stopped running so he can catch his breath. Johnny stopped also so he can also catch his breath, bracing his hands on the top of a chair ready to block the way incase jimmy came after him again.

“Dinner is almost ready guys.” I told them and hopped down from the counter.

“Good! I’m starving.” Jimmy said and rubbed his stomach.

JOHNNY’S POV:

I changed out of my elf suit and we sat down to eat. I couldn’t help but think the whole time we were eating about how close I was to her in the kitchen. I was so close to kissing her. If it wasn’t for Jimmy coming in the kitchen then it would have happened. I wonder if she was thinking about it too. I know I’m getting myself in too deep here. What if I spilled my guts to her, told her exactly how I felt towards her and she just laughed about it? Would it ruin our friendship, or would she feel the same way? Either way I didn’t want to risk losing her as a friend so as much as I wanted her, as much as I wanted to finally feel her lips against mine, to finally taste her, I had to back off.

~~~~~~~

After dinner everyone helped to clean up and we all settled in the living room and watched a movie. Jimmy was sprawled out on the floor, Zacky in the recliner, Brian in the beanbag chair, Matt on one end of the couch, me on the other and Shannon lying on the couch between Matt and I with her head on my lap and her feet on Matts lap. I laid my arm across the back of the couch, making sure not to touch her but I think she caught onto it though because when she looked at my arm she sat up, pulling her feet up on the couch and tucking them under neither her. She grabbed the throw from the back of the couch and covered up with it then reached over and set her hand on my leg and rubbed it a bit. I shifted in my seat and she pulled her hand away. I let out a little sigh as she leaned against Matt and he put his arm around her. ‘Good one Johnny’. I thought to myself. Push her away enough so she turns to someone else, that’s a great way to lose her all together, STUPID STUPID STUPID!

Half way through the movie I got up and went to my room and slipped my shoes on and threw on my coat. I couldn’t be out there anymore, I couldn’t see her sitting there cuddled up with Matt. I needed to get out of the house and get some fresh air. I walked to the living room and everyone looked at me.

“Where are you going?” Shannon asked and sat up.

“Out.” Is all I said to her as I grabbed my keys and walked to my car. I got in, turned the key in the ignition and started driving. I didn’t know where I was going. I had a full tank of gas and it was still pretty early.