"What's this?" Mila furrowed her brow, glancing between Josef and the brown package tied with string he held in his outstretched hand.

He had offered to cook a Christmas Eve dinner for her, and she had accepted, glad to not be spending the holiday alone with her thoughts. They had eaten and were now sitting on the sofa, enjoying a glass of whiskey, the sound of soft jazz coming from the record player in the corner of the room.

"Your Christmas gift," Josef smiled, taking her glass from her hand, and replacing it with the package.

"I thought we weren't buying each other gifts?" She raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Well, I didn't buy it," He smirked. "Just open it," He said after she gave him another look.

"Alright, alright," She laughed, undoing the string around the package. Tearing open the paper, her eyes fell on the book wrapped inside. "Great Expectations," She read the title aloud.

"It's my favorite book by Dickens," Josef smiled. "I wrote to my mother and had her search my room back home for it. She found it and mailed it to me."

"How long have you been planning this?" She asked, glancing between Josef and the book in her hands.

"Since I saw you at work, reading in the break room," He grinned. "Christmas just seemed like an appropriate time to give it to you," He shrugged.

"Well now I feel bad for not having you anything," She frowned slightly.

"I have all I want right here," He smiled at her. Leaning in, he pressed his forehead against her's, giving her a quick peck on the lips.

"Your favorite Dickens book, huh?" She asked, a small smirk turning up the corners of her lips.

"Mhm," He nodded against her forehead.

"Yet Bleak House is too sad for you?" She asked, her smirk widening as she pulled away to look at him properly.

"I always found Pip and Estella's story ... Redemptive," He smirked, though his tone was serious. "They both grew. Pip- because of his good fortune, and Estella- despite her misfortune ... It's Pip's forgiveness, in the end, that shows her how to love."

"I've never thought about it that way," She smiled softly. "I suppose she's right though, suffering has been stronger than all other teaching," She said, quoting Estella's words from the book.

"And has taught me to understand what your heart used to be," Josef said, finishing the quote.

"You never cease to amaze me," She shook her head. "You're so..."

"Not a complete imbecile?" Josef smirked.

"I was going to say well read," Mila chuckled.

"Well there wasn't much else to do on slow days at my parents' store, but to read," He shrugged. "My father had this enormous library in his office above the shop. I remember, I used to go upstairs and pick out a book to read while I sat at the cash register. I read this one so many times, he wound up giving it to me," He said, patting the book in Mila's lap.

"Well thank you for giving it to me," She smiled.

"Of course," He smiled back. Leaning closer, he slid his hand off the book and onto her knee. Her eyes met his, which were dark with something that sent a chill coursing through her body. She closed her eyes, her lips finding his as she placed the book blindly on the side table. Sliding his hand up, he gripped her waist, his lips leaving her's, connecting instead, with her neck.

"Stay here tonight," He said against her ear, planting a light kiss on her earlobe. She nodded. Taking the hand that gripped her waist, she stood up, pulling Josef off the sofa with her, towards his room. He let go of her hand, and gripped her waist, hoisting her off the ground, and over his shoulder in one swift motion.

"Hey! Put me down," She laughed, hitting his back as he carried her down the hallway. Throwing her off his shoulder, her back bounced against the bed. "That wasn't very gentlemanly," She smirked, propping herself up on her elbows.

"I can't always be a gentleman," He returned her smirk, climbing onto the bed. She laughed, looping her arms around his neck and planting a kiss against his lips.

"Merry Christmas Josef," She said, pulling away to look at him, their eyes meeting.

"Merry Christmas Mila."