Pleasures remain

 Of course, Rox wanted to blame it on the turkey. Why else would she have slept at Nonnie's? Actually, she slept in Elvis' bed, but no one needed to know that. And she wouldn't dare breathe a word of it.

The next morning Tristan did bring it up when he saw her grabbing what was left of the coffee. 

"Are you moving in with us?" He asked. She shook her head, no. As if it would never happen again, but now she was over for dinner, a lot. 

Naturally, Elvis was always happy to see her. He'd brought her fuzzy socks for her cold feet on these snowy winter nights from the grocery store. He assured her he was doing all his Christmas shopping there. 

"But we should go to Five Below," he said when she was free and it was a date before she knew it. She didn't mean to be wrapped up in his world, but he really did have a way of making it all so cozy and full of wintertime bliss. 

She needed time to breathe. She wanted to beg him to stay away from her, but where did she go when she was feeling a little low. It was always Elvis. 

Not that anything had happened yet. Except, it was a matter of time. 

Yes, she would see Pan in passing. She said nothing. He said nothing. It was going to be like that. She couldn't even have people over.

There was that conversation where she assured Pan she was employed now. She was working at the pizzeria. "I work days mostly." She told him she was taking the bus. All she got out of him was a nod. The usual. Oh, she just wanted to be in a stomp and then there was Elvis to make her all happy with some little something he wanted to give her.

"It's my twenty-four days of Christmas with you," he smiled as if the world was their oyster and they could do whatever they wanted which meant going to the Arcade and playing every game possible.

Then late at night, like every night she'd tell him, "You're gonna find someone and forget all about me," it sounded like a deal of some kind. But he'd look her in the eye, brush his index finger across her nose.

"No, I won't and you know it."

She tried her best to think of only Pan. How they first met. How he was so stubborn even then. How did they possibly ever get together? Of course, Pan would turn into Elvis. And as much as that bony body of his was practically creepy, she loved every minute she spent with him.