THEY LIE TOGETHER LIKE OIL AND WATER

          “I’m sorry, Dalton,” she quickly said, not wanting to ruin anyone’s mood. As soon as they were in her room, she moved to pull her hair out of the updo it was in, letting out a soft moan at how good it felt for it to be free. “Best night of my life. What about you?” She knew he had been stuck talking to Talia for most of it, and she was worried it wasn’t as great for him as it was for her.

          “No cute, Southern pet names for you? Fine,” she said with a slight scoff before chuckling a bit. “Oh, thank god,” she breathed out when he said he planned on getting her out of her dress. She eagerly let him lead her back inside, grinning the whole way.

          “Alright, then a professional teacher it is.” Cheyenne couldn’t believe how her life was now turning out and it was all thanks to this man. “You probably need it more than I do, hon,” she said softly, her hand coming up to cup his cheek. “Help me out of this dress?”

          “Whatever you want, I’ll do. Real instructor, your driver… even you,” she said with a chuckle. A car. Cheyenne never thought she’d own an actual car. “I promise, I’ll be safe. I’ll always be safe.” She was in awe. “Dalton Knight, you’re the best Christmas gift a woman could ever have. Thank you.”

           “This is going to end well,” Cheyenne commented with a chuckle. Arms out, she tried to feel the walls with her hands as they walked, not wanting to trip and fall on her face, especially with her being in heels. It didn’t take long for them to arrive in their destination in the house and as soon as he allowed her to open her eyes, her jaw dropped. “Oh, my god,” she whispered, taking a step forward. A car. He actually bought her a car. “I… I guess it’s good your driver’s been giving me lessons, huh?” Cheyenne didn’t have her license yet, and she knew Dalton wasn’t a fan of her walking to work. This was beyond her wildest thoughts. “Oh, thank you,” she said, throwing her arms around his neck.

          Now that the party was over with, Cheyenne could feel the tiredness settling in. “I cannot have you passing out on me, so I’ll close my eyes right now,” she said, doing just that, grinning the whole time. Another gift. What more could he possibly have up his sleeve?

           Jade had helped Cheyenne pay for this, which she still owed the raven-haired girl for. She had saved as much as she could to ensure he had the best gift. As soon as he opened his eyes, she watched his reaction and he didn’t disappoint. Still, Cheyenne didn’t dare take a breath until he spoke his nickname for her, hearing how grateful he was in it. He told her long ago that he loved music. She just wanted to support that. Her arms wrapped around him as he hugged her, thanking her. “I just wanted to get you something special. You deserve the world,” she simply said, looking up at him. 

          Saying goodbye to every single guest had Cheyenne’s head spinning, her trying to remember names. She was actually doing rather well, giving out handshakes to most of the people who came up, smiling brightly to every one. They were now her family, so she wanted them to all see how happy she was to be a part of all of this. When Alexander and his family came up, Cheyenne let out a chuckle when Alexander hugged them both at the same time. “It was lovely to meet you as well, Alexander. Hopefully you and Lily can come over soon for dinner.” She would love to get to know them a little more and discover more about his and Dalton’s friendship. “I promise. I’ll take care of him,” she whispered back with a nod. Nothing would stop her from living up to that promise.

Talia was stunning in person, but Cheyenne could feel how horrible of a person she was and she hadn’t even opened her mouth yet. She moved closer to Dalton, not wanting him to get too close to this woman again. She still didn’t know why they had been talking for so long earlier, but she didn’t like it. She tried her hardest not to glare at the woman who didn’t even acknowledge her, but as she walked away, Cheyenne swore daggers were coming out of her own eyes. As soon as the front door shut, she sagged a little before letting out a big sigh. “Oh, thank fuck,” she cursed before letting out a chuckle. “Now, it’s time for your gift. Go sit on the couch and close your eyes.”

Running to her room, she opened her closet, getting Dalton’s gift. It was impossible to wrap properly, so Cheyenne only stuck a bow on it. Walking back out, she held it behind her until she knew his eyes were shut. Setting it on his lap, she held her breath again. “Merry Christmas, Dalton.”