Chapter 9

"Misteltoe?" Adam asked as he entered the kitchen to see a nearly-naked Sarah and a completely naked Tabitha kissing.

"It's OK," Sarah said as she broke the kiss, her sheer negligee riding up as she swung around. "We aren't stopping. Just doing the breakfast."

Adam pursed his lips and rubbed his nose. "I can give you two some space," he told her and Sarah looked back.

"We are fine."

"I spoke to Natalie," Adam admitted. "She got to her parent's at eleven thirty last night." Tabitha and Sarah looked at each other and Adam continued. "Said the roads weren't quite as clear as she hoped."

Sarah licked her lips and smiled. "Well it was Christmas Eve," she muttered and ran her hands through Adam's chest hair. "Shall we open presents."

"I want my breakfast," he muttered but Sarah dragged Adam into the lounge as Tabitha poured three bowls of corn flakes and made three cups of tea. The Christmas tree, purchased by Sarah a few days previously was sparsely decorated. Tabitha was off to her friend's house for Christmas dinner and Sarah were going to have dinner with her family while Natalie left at lunchtime on Christmas Eve to drive to Scotland and Adam was planning to walk to his family's house, so no-one really saw the point in having much of a tree.

Sarah had purchased it from a local garden centre for a couple of pounds as the holidays approached and she had gleefully erected it in the corner of the room with a handful of baubles. Adam watched as she moved the chair in front of the tree and beamed at the handful of presents underneath it. "It makes the room look Christmassy," she told him and Adam didn't have the heart to disagree; one three foot tree and six red baubles did not make a room look "Christmassy" in his opinion.

"Yeah," he muttered and sat down on a towel in the chair as Sarah pulled out the presents. "I've already given Natalie hers to take up to Scotland," he told her and Sarah scowled.

"Why didn't I think of that?"

Adam shrugged and had Sarah pass him two packages as Tabitha gave him a bowl of orange cereal floating in a sea of milk, followed by an impossibly strong cup of tea. "Cheers," he muttered as Sarah put three presents on the chair for Tabitha and six on her chair.

"You first," Sarah excitedly told Tabitha as she sat down around the small pile of gifts and took a sip of her drink.

Tabitha glanced up at the expectant face of Sarah and unwrapped the biggest present – a giant cuddly toy from Natalie. Sarah wrapped her arms around the three-foot high bear and then watched as she unwrapped Nelson Mandela's autobiography from Adam. Tabitha glanced up at him as he nervously ate his cereal. "Thanks," she said genuinely. "That's um ... cool."

Adam breathed a sigh of relief as she smiled at him and then she nervously unwrapped the smallest present, cooing as she did. "Oh Sarah, thank you," she said, removing a gold chain from a box and holding it under the light, before wrapping it around her wrist. She looked down at her partner and held her hands out, hugging and then kissing her girlfriend. "It's beautiful," she cooed. "Wonderful."

Sarah was next to unwrap her gifts, getting two bottles of wine and a box of chocolates from her school, followed by two tickets to see a comedian in Preston from Adam, a sex toy from Natalie, and a silk dress from Tabitha. She beamed at her "haul" and felt the dress against her skin before standing up and putting the red garment on, replacing the sheer nightdress she was wearing.

Adam licked his lips, the dress showed off Sarah's cleavage nicely and whereas he barely noticed her breasts when she was wandering around naked, the shortness of the dress and cut of the garment, made her look sexier and he felt his loins stir. "Very nice," he muttered tactfully as he finished his tea and leant forward to open a two foot wide box.

Sarah's eyes sparkled and he unwrapped an Indian cookery set from Sarah and Tabitha – containing spices, bowls and sauces. "We thought it is something you could do with Natalie. Get her to teach you how to cook a proper curry."

"Instead of always buying them," Tabitha added.

"Be healthier," Sarah told him and Adam smiled, thanking them both. Natalie's present felt light and he tore off the gold wrapping. There was a post-it note wrapped around a DVD and he read it out loud.

"You said you wanted to watch. Love, Nat." He tore off the note and laughed – it was a lesbian porn film and Sarah burst into hysterics.

"Can we borrow this?" Sarah teased and Adam laughed.

"Maybe later," he promised and took the DVD back. "When I've finished with it."

Sarah giggled at his expression. "Finished, eh?"

Sarah grinned as her brother took a swig of his beer, leaning against the wall. "So where's the love of ya life," she teased. "She's not been 'round all day. Expected at least a phone call."

Liam grinned. "Well ... I sort of haven't told Mum yet but I'm going 'round Boxing Day." He hesitated and Sarah tapped the brickwork.

"Parents going out?"

"Oh yes," Liam replied in a silly voice, copying an advertisement on the television with a grin. "House to ourselves all afternoon and evening."

"You do know you are going straight to Hell," Sarah teased.

"Of course, wouldn't have it any other way," he replied nonchalantly and then looked at his sister. "Don't tell me you didn't do things you didn't want Mum and Dad to know about when you were a teenager?"

Sarah shrugged. "I do things now that I don't want Mum and Dad to know about."