S-2878 • L8 Libeluna • D09 Tecesi
"Libeluna releases the thread in a gentle glow. Tecesi weaves a gesture in a precise tone. The tide draws a map in living silver. The story continues steady, in clear light."
Maia and I spent that moon together as though it were Nativity. A welcome unpredictability, since that day had always meant very little to me. What mattered was sharing that moment with her, regardless of the date.
My Enchantress heart leaped with joy. The apartment was cozier than ever, entirely filled with Nativity decorations. Lights filled the rooms, spreading a warm, almost incandescent glow that radiated the feeling of those clichés I had always despised.
Yet there, with Maia, everything made sense. I floated at the thought of her and all the experiences I wanted to live by her side. Celebrating Nativity? It would be only one of so many things we could share.
So I let myself live that feeling intensely. Even with all the mysteries Maia carried, my chest swelled whenever I saw her. Her enigmas remained concealed beneath dense layers, but they were part of her. And if they were part of her, they also belonged to the world I had chosen to enter. I trusted Maia. One day, when she felt comfortable, she would tell me her secrets.
I stretched toward the other side of the bed and felt her warm touch caress my cheek. I smiled. The comforting aroma of tea, bread, cookies, and toast finished waking me.
Maia looked stunning, even in simplicity. She wore a blue T-shirt printed with a very poorly drawn sandman. Those shirts looked tacky on anyone but her.
I wore a matching one at her insistence. That woman's stubbornness was too great for me to resist. Honestly? It had been very cute.
"Sleep well?" she asked, holding a tray of Nativity cookies shaped like sandmen, ice creams, and starfish.
"Wow! Did you make all this last night?" I picked up a cookie and tasted it. "How did I miss it?"
She smiled. "You were too busy being dizzy from the wine."
My face warmed. I remembered the previous night. "Am I that embarrassing?" I took another cookie, shaped like a little pink ice cream. It was delicious, the chocolate melting in my mouth.
Maia ate one too, trying to hide a chuckle. "No… Anyway, let's have breakfast. Wanna open the presents."
I looked away. I didn't know whether she would like what I had prepared. When Maia suggested exchanging gifts, I thought it was adorable. Since then, however, the possibility of disappointing her had troubled me. I was used to giving gifts that pleased people easily. But Maia was special. I wanted her to truly like it.
Very excited, she led me to the Nativity mango tree, and we sat around it. "So?" Maia held out her arms eagerly, wiggling her fingers in anticipation.
I sighed. She really was like a child. I took a deep breath and handed her the small package. "Um… I hope you like it…" My hand trembled slightly.
"What could it be?" Maia unwrapped the gift and found a black nanobox. She raised an eyebrow curiously and took out the tiny device. "What is this?"
I felt my face warm. "Press that button."
Click. A light kindled in the center. And the entire Universe appeared in her hands. A perfect holoprojection of the Cosmos expanded before us.
Maia's eyes shone.
I smiled at her reaction. "It reproduces the sky, planets, celestial bodies, and galaxies of the Universe live. Say the name of any of them, and the image appears."
"Really?" Her amber irises gleamed. "VY Canis Majoris."
My lips parted. She knew celestial bodies' names by heart? Incredible.
The projection stirred until it revealed a gigantic orange sphere resembling the Sun.
Constellation: Canis Major—approximate radius of 1,420 solar radii.
Maia brought her face close to mine. "Aki…" Ah, how I loved hearing her call me that. She kissed me. "Thank you. I…" She lowered her eyes. Seemed lost, stumbling in her search for the right words. Then she handed me a little box, scratching her cheek. "For you. But it's nothing compared to your gift."
I rolled my eyes and opened the package. Inside was a small chest containing two silver necklaces. One bore a pendant with the letter A; the other, the letter M. I smiled tenderly. "Maia…"
She took the jewelry box from my hands and removed the necklace with the letter M. Sitting behind me, she swept my hair aside and fastened the chain around my neck.
I ran a finger over the charm. My heart leaped with happiness. I couldn't stop smiling.
Then Maia sat with her back to me and brushed her white hair aside.
I laughed at her excitement and fastened the necklace with the letter A around her neck.
"Now we have necklaces with our initials." Maia turned to face me. Her face glowed.
"I love it." I plunged into those captivating eyes. "I'll keep it with me forever."
"Me too. Forever." She rested her forehead against mine. "Ah, let's watch the movies already."
I held back a smile.
We spent the day watching Nativity films and series.
I found the difference between the first time I'd seen her watch something and that moment amusing.
"What do you mean? How did they end up together?" Maia grimaced indignantly at the screen.
"What?" I laughed in disbelief. "It was obvious! It's a romantic comedy. What did you expect?"
"They should've gone their separate ways. The guy was an asshole. So people can be jerks, but if they make a public declaration, everything gets forgotten?" She frowned. "Prefer the reindeer cartoon. At least she apologized to the others, and the little songs were nice." Maia pressed her lips together.
I stared at her, mouth slightly open. Then burst out laughing.
"What?!" She looked at me with genuine surprise.
Was Maia really unaware of her own effect on me? "No… It's…" Stopping my laughter was almost impossible. "You're right. I prefer the reindeer movie too."
Maia's expression practically said, 'Didn't I tell you?'
I glanced at the clock. It was almost nine at night.
"Wow! I nearly forgot." I brought a hand to my forehead. "I'll make our dinner. Or rather, our Nativity feast." I stopped before Maia could offer. "No. Don't even try. You always cook." I pointed at her firmly. "Leave it to me this time."
Maia drew back, smiling. "Why? I'll keep you company."
I wagged my finger at her repeatedly. "Absolutely not. Wait here. Watch something else, I don't know. Don't even think about going into the kitchen."
She raised her arms in surrender. "Alright."
"Good." I went to the kitchen and began preparing our feast.
I made caviar with smoked nanovegan salmon, amuse-bouches, blinis with a little sour cream, chilled oysters, and scallops. I prepared winter vegetables in cream sauce, a capon stuffed with chestnuts, and lobster accompanied by nanovegan crab and nanovegan king prawns as the main course.
Then came the thirteen desserts. The four mendiants, walnuts, hazelnuts, raisins, almonds, and figs. Black and white nougat. And finally, the classic brioche.
"Smells wonderful," Maia remarked from a distance.
I set the table and fetched the bottle of Vouvray, a white wine made from Chenin Blanc grapes, with a sweet aroma and notes of fruit and flowers.
I put on some background music and dimmed the lights. When everything was ready, I called Maia.
She came eagerly. Until she stopped. Her expression closed.
My heart pounded, and a chill crossed my spine. I waited uncertainly for any reaction.
"How…?" Maia walked slowly around the table. Her eyes shimmered beneath the golden light surrounding us.
"It was difficult to find out what it was like," I began nervously. "I hope I got it right." My hands trembled. I gave a weak smile. "And the wine! Thank goodness Takashi helped me… French wines practically don't…" My voice faded.
Maia stared at me with an unreadable expression.
There was more in that gaze than an emotion capable of flooding my soul. She seemed to be searching for the answer to a question formed within feeling itself.
I held her gaze, overcome by an uncertain melancholy. I had tried to recreate a traditional French Nativity dinner. Had I succeeded?
Maia took my hand. Her eyes grew moist, though no tears fell. "You…" She placed my arms around her neck, held my waist, and rested her forehead against mine. "You… your heart… your heart has become my home."
My heart burst into flames. Her words left me speechless. They chimed within me, mirroring the essence of a feeling I carried too. Maia's heart had become my home. I smiled.
"Shall we eat?"
I nodded.
We sat down to our feast.
Everything was delicious. But nothing was as pleasurable as watching Maia eat with relish. She savored every bite as though participating in a sacred ritual. I would go so far to see her as happy as she was in that instant…
Maia cleared her throat and sipped her wine. "Unimaginable… You really are extraordinary."
I looked away, feeling my face warm. "I went overboard… Made too much food."
"It's alright. We can have more tomorrow."
We tried some desserts and finished the bottle of wine.
Then we returned to the living room and put on another movie.
Halfway through, my mind began to wander. Another Nativity cliché. Another predictable ending. I rested my head in Maia's lap, raised a hand to her face, and traced her jaw with my fingers. So beautiful.
She lowered her half-closed eyes to me. "What are you doing?"
"It's just that you're much more interesting than the movie."
Maia raised an eyebrow. Her expression took on that familiar danger as she caressed my face, enveloping me in the sensation of her sharp claws. "Really? Was thinking the same thing."
I sat up, coming face-to-face with her. No movie could distract me or stop me from plunging entirely into that predatory aura.
Maia brought her hands to my waist, pulled me into her lap, and kissed me. Her lips traveled downward, brushing my neck.
I closed my eyes.
She stood with me still entwined around her body, my legs wrapped around her waist, and walked to the bedroom. She laid me on the bed and leaned over me, continuing to kiss me. Her hands moved slowly downward. Her fingers traced paths that left trails of flame across my skin.
My body responded instinctively.
She reached my belly, lifted my shirt, and caressed every part she uncovered. "You…" Maia sighed near my ear, raising every hair on my body. "Are so beautiful." Her fierce eyes remained on my face. She ran her fingers over my cheek and lips. "You… looking at me… like that…"
I felt my face warm.
Maia kissed me ardently. Our breaths intertwined, and the universe seemed to ignite within us.
I smoothed her hair. My hands traveled over her back, recognizing muscles and scars. All I wanted to know was what she made me feel. The measured beats of our hearts. The warmth radiating from every breath.
Maia drew her lips from mine and covered my skin with kisses, leaving embers wherever she passed. "You're so warm…" Her hands held me more firmly. "I want you so much…" Her breath caressed me.
I was delirious in that encounter. Trembled with every kiss, every caress, every new touch that set me alight. I gripped her arms and stroked her hair as my breathing grew heavier.
Between moans and sighs, Maia enveloped me with an almost devout desire.
My pulse quickened. I could barely breathe with excitement. She left me in flames. Her desire met mine, and my body writhed as I felt her inside me.
Ecstasy took over. I focused every thought on her. I only wanted Maia. Wanted to stay with her. Wanted to keep feeling that, so intensely, as only her presence could awaken. Wanted to forget there was a world outside. There were only the two of us. Nothing else.
"M-Maia…" I moaned softly, gripping her hair. I bit my lips. Electricity traveled down my spine, and numbness washed over me. I opened my eyes, utterly breathless.
That moment became a poem in embers, a murmur among the stars.
Maia ran her tongue over her fingers, casting me a more provocative look than ever. Her amber irises radiated beneath that mischievous aura. Ah, yes… looking at me like that, Maia was at the height of her impetuousness. Her hands caressed my face. Her warm breath reached my skin.
And I surrendered to every touch. Every sigh. Whisper. Predatory gaze. Trace of dawn across her burning skin.
Maia smiled seductively. "Hey, I'm just getting started…"