It's our first Christmas together, for Kerri and I, but she won't tell me anything and neither will Justin. No clues, nothing.  

I know she's had nothing short of relationship hell since she began dating and it almost got as bad as when she had been living in Orlando. I'm happy to help her heal from her past and move on; showing her what real love and a positive relationship is. She's also taught me a few things about a good woman, a faithful and honest one as well. She's definitely a fighter, that's for sure. 

I'm sitting in her living room, glancing around for clues, but all I'm finding is a bunch of unoriginal thoughts. I know she said she said to be original and creative, but I can't think of a single thing. I hear her footfalls as she ascends the steps from the basement. "You won't find much here," she tells me. 

"I found that out already, Kerr." 

I turn around to wrap my arms around her waist and find she has a huge box marked Christmas Stuff in her looping and swirling cursive. I take the box from her and place it by the bay window, taking her into my embrace and quickly kiss her lips, an idea coming to mind. Of course! It makes sense. She loves to write and often listens to a multitude of music as she does.  

I zip around, locating my shoes and jacket, kissing her again on my way to the door. "Where's the fire, JC?" 

"No fire; just an idea for your gift, or part of it at least. I'll be back as soon as I can be and help you with setting this all up. I should be back soon, maybe around dinner time," I inform her, smirking. 

"I don't like that smirk. That's also half a day away!" she shouts after me, the door softly clicking closed behind me. 

I raced all the way home, down into the studio and picked up my acoustic guitar, beginning to work on this portion of the gift for her. My phone rings and I know Justin's ringtone by heart. "What's up, Justin?"  

"My sister tells me that you took off after saying something about part of her gift?" 

He sounds confused, but I'm not telling him much. "Yeah, I had a good idea and I'm running with it." 

"What would that be?" 

I silence the guitar strings by placing my hand over all six. "I know if I breathe a word of it to you, you're going to turn around and tell her. I'm not telling you shit." 

"But I thought we're friends," he pouts, playing the guilt card. 

"Nope, fuck you. You ruined Valentine's, Easter, and her birthday; I refuse to allow you to ruin her Christmas." 

"But, Jaaaaccceeee," he whines into the phone as I write down a few lyrics and notes. 

"No way I'm telling you shit because you're going to fuck it all up, Justin. I gave you three chances to not tell her and you couldn't keep your big fucking mouth shut!" 

He huffs his disagreement. "It's not my fault that she threatened to set my entire collection of kicks on fire in the fire pit out back!" he defends, aware that she knows how to torture the answers she wants out of her brother. 

"She can torch them because you can't tell her if you don't know." 

He gasps and disconnects the call. I check the time on the phone's display, eleven hours to go. I have to have this part of it knocked out in ten hours, get through rush hour traffic and back to her house by five. 

I get it done with an hour to spare, written out entirely and a rough cut recorded, and I'll beat the rush hour assholes back to her place. On the way there, I grab her and I coffees because it's decoration time. I hid the evidence in my safe and locked my studio so nobody can get near it, even Justin. I walk in and see Justin on his knees on the patio through the glass doors leading to her backyard. I walk through the living room and kitchen, exiting to the yard. I sit at the table as I watch her hold his favorite pair of Jordans over the fire pit, chuckling softly to myself. "Kerri, he wouldn't tell me anything, I swear!" 

"Tell me what you know and I will hand them back to you," she threatens, focused on her brother. 

"I promise, I know nothing!" 

"You weren't kidding, J." They both look at me; his eyes filled with sadness and hers filled with shock. "Baby, give him the shoes. He knows nothing because that's what I told him." 

She crosses the yard and drops them on his head, laughter quietly bubbling up from my chest. "I wouldn't really do that to him," she claims, but I know better. 

I give her a disbelieving look. "I know you better than that." 

She folds her arms and pouts. "You're evil," Justin hisses at her. 

"I'm not telling you, either." 

"But, Jace," she begs. 

"No, mami." 

"Can we at least decorate for Christmas?" 

"That I promised you we would do once I came back and I even got you a coffee for it." 

"Oooh! Pumpkin spice!" she happily announces as she smells it. 

"I know my beautiful girlfriend and her holiday habits."  

"Awww," she coos, brushing her lips against mine. 

"Gag me," Justin mutters and gets kicked in the shin by Kerri. "Oww!" 

"Let's kick this holiday decorating thing off." 

She leads the way as I get up, Justin waiting for me to start following her. "You would've let her burn them," he whispers his accusation. 

"Shut up. Granted it would be highly entertaining to me, but I know how it feels because of how my sister is." 

"I miss her. When will she be here?" 

"I don't know," I reply, smirking the same as I had before heading to my place this morning. 

"Liar." 

"I'd rather not have sugar shoved up my nose." 

Justin chuckles a moment. "Enough with the bromance." Kerri hasn't met my sister, Oshannie, yet. Yeah, I mean little Jazzy.

"Is your youngest sister coming this time?" 

"I can't say," I answer as honestly as I can. 

Justin fires off a text faster than I can see who it's to. "I guess I'm gonna have to find out from her myself," he explains, aware that she's not going to bother telling anybody else jack shit.