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Alex had been minding her own business in the parlor of Il Bastone when Darlington unceremoniously shoved a brown paper-covered rectangle into her line of sight. Her phone chirped as she failed the level of Subway Surfer she had been focused on.
“Happy Christmas Eve, Stern.”
She looked up at him. He was wearing Lethe House sweats again. Darlington practically lived in them at this point. Alex wasn’t sure if he had been back to Black Elm since they had dealt with the fallout from the second trip to Hell.
“What’s this?” She took the present. It was solid and heavy. Knowing Darlington, it was some tome meant to help expand her knowledge of protective magics or the history of New Haven.
“While I know you don’t celebrate Christian holidays, I was under the impression you were familiar with the concept of presents.” He smirked down at her. Sometimes, Darlington could be such a pompous ass.
“Yes, but last I checked, Christmas is on the 25th. It’s the 24th.”
Darlington’s eyes sparkled. “How close-minded of you, Stern. Every culture has its own holiday traditions. Not all take place on December 25th. Take, for instance, Italy’s Feast of the Seven Fishes, which happens on the 24th, or Germany's St. Nickolas Tag on December 5th .”
Alex sighed. “And what culture are you appropriating today?”
Darlington chuckled. “We’re not appropriating, we’re experiencing. Iceland has a tradition where, on the 24th, everyone is given a book and then spends the night reading with tea, cocoa, snacks, etc.”
“But I didn’t get you….” Darlington pulled a wrapped gift from behind his back.
“I had Dawes pick this one out for me and stock the larder for our evening. So, shall we see what has been bestowed upon us?”
Alex ripped into her gift’s paper as Darlington began to slide a finger under the tape on his. Slowly, a paperback book revealed itself to her. The cover was green and gold. It sparkled in the faint light of the fire Darlington had started in the hearth hours before.
“The Princess Bride?” Alex blinked. “I thought that was a movie?”
Darlington chuckled as he removed the paper from his book. “It is. It is also a book. You seem to like fantasy, and it will certainly be a better read than Spencer, or whatever Brit you decide to pick up next semester.”
Before Alex could respond, Darlington finally revealed his own book. She hadn’t realized how much larger it was than hers until then.
“The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson….” Darlington flipped the frankly obscene paperback over to read the blurb. The thing was nearly as thick as Darlington’s forearm.
She watched his brows scrunch together, then relax. “Seems interesting. Shall I get you a beverage? Or a snack?”
Alex shook her head. She set her phone on a small side table and lay back. Darlington disappeared into the kitchen, reappearing with a pitcher of what might have been punch and two glasses. Then he picked out a record.
Take 5 by Dave Brubeck began to play.
Alex shifted, pulling the sofa’s small pillow behind her neck as she opened with one hand. The pages cracked as she separated them from one another. Darlington settled into the upholstered wingback chair by the fire. He casually threw one leg over the other and leaned back. He broke the spine of his book over his knee, then looked over at her.
“Happy Reading, Stern.”
“Merry Christmas, Darlington.”