The Christmas Morning After: Chapter Three - Cold Snow, Hot Tension
Chapter Three
Elara
Cold Snow, Hot Tension
The sound of the front door clicking shut behind my parents felt like the falling blade of a guillotine.
For three seconds, the foyer was silent. Then, Leo turned. The ‘festive’ cheer he’d been faking for the sake of my mother’s mimosas vanished, replaced by a cold, hard fury that made him look a decade older.
"Out," Leo said, his voice low and vibrating.
I blinked, my hand still clutching the hem of Julian’s sweater. "Leo, I—"
"Elara! Go to the guest room. Lock the door. I don't care." He pointed a shaking finger at Julian. "I need to talk to him. You and I are going to have a man-to-man, Jules. Right now. Because if I don’t get some answers that don't involve 'rare finds' and 'long waits,' I’m going to lose my mind."
Julian didn't move. He stood by the dining table, looking entirely too comfortable for a man whose best friend was about to swing at him. He crossed his arms, the fabric of his shirt straining against his shoulders. "I'm not hiding anything else, Leo. I told you. I’ve wanted her for years. Last night was the first time I finally stopped being a coward about it."
"A coward?" Leo let out a jagged, bitter laugh. "You were supposed to be the one person I didn't have to worry about with her! You’re the 'safe' guy! You’re the brother-by-choice!"
"That’s the problem!" Julian snapped, stepping forward. The calm mask finally slipped, revealing the raw intensity underneath. "I’ve spent years being the 'safe guy' while watching her date idiots who didn't deserve her. I’ve sat at your dinner table and watched her grow up, waiting for the moment when it wouldn't be 'weird.' Well, newsflash, Leo—it’s always going to be weird. But I’m done waiting."
I stood frozen in the hallway, the charcoal cashmere itching against my skin. The tension in the room was thick enough to choke on. I saw Julian’s eyes flicker to me for a split second—a silent check-in—before he turned back to my brother.
"Elara, it’s okay, go ahead," Julian said, his voice softer now but leaving no room for argument. "Leo and I need to settle this."
I didn't want to leave. I wanted to scream that I wasn't a ‘thing’ to be settled between them, but the look on Leo’s face—a mix of betrayal and genuine hurt—stopped me. I turned and retreated to the bedroom, the heavy oak door clicking shut behind me.
I didn't lock it. I just leaned my back against it, sliding down until I hit the floor.
The room still smelled like the night before. I looked at the bed, the sheets still tangled from when I’d scrambled out of them. A flash of memory hit me, unbidden and searingly hot: Julian’s hands, rough and calloused, gripping my hips as he lifted me onto the edge of the dresser because he couldn't wait another three seconds to be inside me. The way he’d looked at me—not like my brothers best friend, not like a brother, but like a man who was finally, finally claiming what was his.
My breath hitched. My body felt heavy, still vibrating with the ghost of his touch from under the table. Even with my brother shouting in the other room, all I could think about was the way Julian’s thumb had grazed the lace of my underwear at the table earlier, while my mother talked about Christmas lights.
The shouting in the living room died down to a low, rhythmic grumble. I couldn't make out the words, just the cadence of two men who loved each other trying to figure out how to navigate a world that had just been set on fire.
Then, silence.
I sat there for what felt like hours, but was probably only twenty minutes. A soft knock came at the door.
"El?"
It was Leo. I stood up, smoothing the makeshift sweater dress down, and opened the door.
My brother looked exhausted. His 'Sleigh All Day' sweater was rumpled, and he wouldn't quite look me in the eye. Julian was standing behind him in the hallway, leaning against the wall with his jaw set.
"I’m going," Leo said flatly. "I’m going to go to the gym and hit something until I don't want to punch Julian anymore. Then I’m going to go to Mom’s for dinner." He finally looked at me, his eyes searching mine. "Are you coming? Or are you... staying?"
The question was a trap. If I went with Leo, I was choosing the status quo. I was choosing the safe Elara who didn't make waves. If I stayed... I was choosing the man who was currently watching me with a hunger that made my knees weak.
I looked at Julian. He didn't say a word. He didn't beg. He just waited.
"I’m staying, Leo," I whispered. "I need to... we need to talk."
Leo nodded once, a sharp, pained movement. He didn't say goodbye. He just grabbed his coat and the box of half-eaten donuts and walked out the front door.
The silence that followed was different. It wasn't the silence of a secret; it was the silence of an open door.
Julian moved first. He didn't walk; he stalked toward me. Before I could even draw a breath, he had me backed against the bedroom door he’d just closed. His hands came up, pinning my wrists against the wood over my head.
"You stayed," he rasped, his face inches from mine. The scent of him, sandalwood and the lingering citrus of the mimosas, swirled around me.
"I stayed," I breathed, my heart drumming a frantic rhythm against his chest.
"Leo knows," Julian whispered, his gaze dropping to my mouth. "Your parents are gone. There are no more secrets, Elara. No more pretending."
He leaned in, his lips grazing the shell of my ear, sending a jolt of pure electricity straight to my core. "Do you have any idea how hard it was to sit next to you at that table? Watching you wear my sweater? Knowing exactly what was—and wasn't—underneath it?"
His hand dropped from my wrist, sliding down my side to the leather belt cinched at my waist. He didn't unbuckle it. He just used it to pull me flush against him, showing me exactly how much he’d been struggling with during brunch.
"I'm not being the 'safe guy' anymore," he groaned, his mouth finding the sensitive curve of my neck. "Is that okay with you?"
I didn't answer with words. I arched my neck, giving him more room, my fingers tangling in the dark silk of his hair. "Julian," I whimpered. "Please."
Come back tomorrow for another chapter
Copyright © by LS Phoenix
No portion of this story may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.
Published by LS Phoenix
New Hampshire, USA
https://linktr.ee/authorlsphoenix
First Edition: December 2025
Cover Design by LS Phoenix
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