Laying together on Derek's bed, out of breath and flushed, I think back to a question I wanted to ask him about the holidays.

"Hey, Derek?" I ask, lifting my head up from his bare chest.

He looks down at me, a thin line of sweat peaks out on his forehead and his blue eyes are still in a daze. He lazily smiles at me. "Yes?"

"What are you doing for Christmas?" I ask in a rushed voice. This topic is something I didn't even think of until today when I was thinking about winter break. Well, seeing as we weren't even officially together three weeks ago, I'd say I'm allowed to be a little late.

He thinks on it for a second, playing with a piece of my hair. "I'm not sure yet," he says with a frown. "My mom and her sister had this whole trip planned to Cancun during the summer and her sister just got recently married so they wanted to make it a couples trip." His frown deepens.

My eyebrows scrunch together confused. "Wait couples trip? I thought-"

His eyes don't meet mine. "She told me last week she has a new boyfriend. A friend of hers from work."

This time I raise my eyebrows. "Oh and how does that make you feel?" I ask.

He shrugs. "I've just never imagined anyone with my mom besides my dad. It's weird to think someone else is there and he isn't." His sad expression makes me sad for him. "But as long as she's happy then I'm happy."

I give him a sad sort of smile. "Have you talked to her about it?"

He shakes his head. "I didn't want to ruin something she finds happiness in. After dad died I didn't see much happiness in her unless it involved me." He says.

"Aww Derek, if it makes you that unhappy you should tell her," I amend. "She's your mom. You guys can work something out."

He shakes his head again. "I am happy for her. It's just... different."

"I understand," I say.

"Why bring up Christmas?" He asks.

Here it goes. "Well uh," I stumble on how I should ask this. "My mom called me the other day and asked when I was coming home. I've told her about you and she um..."

He smiles and slits his eyes teasingly. "She what?" He teases.

"I Uh-" I stammer.

He chuckles. "Oh come on babe you can't be nervous around me after what you just did to me." He says with a smirk. I hit him on the shoulder. "Hey!" He yelps and I laugh.

"Okay, okay, she asked if you would like to come home with me for Christmas?" I ask nervously.

We've only been dating for like three weeks. Three weeks isn't that long and I don't want to freak him out. It kind of freaks me out that a boy might be coming home to meet my parents.

He smiles but doesn't say anything, just watches me nervously wait for him to respond.

"Nothing?" I jokingly ask. I sit up and throw my hands in the air in defeat. "Well guess I've got to go home by myself," I say and start to get up from the bed but not before Derek tugs me back down on the bed. I squeal and I fall back onto the bed, him hovering over me.

He kisses me on the lips. "Of course, I'll come home with you," he says. "Better than spending Christmas here alone."

I tear my gaze away. "Are you sure? I know we've only been dating a short time and I don't want you to feel like we are moving too fast."

He shakes his head, his hair moving with the movement of his head. "I think we are just fine."

I nod and smile.

TTTTTTTT

The trip home was actually very pleasant. Derek had practice and a game after the day I was leaving so he decided to take a flight a few days later and meet me here.

My parents, well more my mom, had been on edge all day waiting for me to leave to pick up Derek. Sitting on the couch with my dad, he watches her pace around the house making sure everything is clean.

"Your mother is crazy, you know that?" My dad jokes.

I laugh. "I don't think she was ready when I told her a week ago that he was coming."

Finals week was very eventful. They went as I expected them to. They were hard but I got through it by doing the best I could. It's only my first semester of college so it prepared me for more to come and what I could do better.

Derek and I saw each other a few times through the week. Mostly to rant to each other about school or hockey or just relax with each other. We actually went ice skating last week. Which was fun and since he's Mr. Allstar Hockey Player, it was a little hard for me to keep up.

I get up off the couch and grab my purse. I say goodbye to my dad and to my excited mom and drive to the airport. The airport by our house is not a large one but has been the one we have used all the time we have lived here. I take the directions to the right terminal and walk into the airport to wait for Derek to land.

I hear over the speaker that Derek flight landed and that they should be out soon. The airport is a fun place to people watch. All kinds of families and people fill the area. I smile at a family excitedly holding a sign for their son that's coming home from the military. I see another lady with a young daughter who's jumping up and down yelling, "Daddy's coming home!"

People start to come down the escalator and happiness ensues. At first I don't even see Derek start to come down the escalator because the little girl runs to a man who I assume is her Dad.

I look back up at the escalator and see Derek. Black beanie on his head and his signature Teakwood sweatshirt and grey sweatpants. I smile wide up at him. He gets off the escalator and he does a funny fast walk to me. He drops his bag next to us and lifts me off the ground. He hugs me tightly and spins us around one time.

I kiss his lips and he gladly kisses me back. He puts me back on my feet but doesn't release me. "I'm happy you're here."

He chuckles. "Well I'd hope so, Mayfield. I flew all the way here." He teases.

I teasingly glare at him and he just smiles.

The drive from the airport consists of Derek insisting on the music choice. I roll my eyes and tell him it's my car and I get to pick the music. Which is his tag line he uses everytime we drive in his car. He rolls his eyes.

"But come on Ash," he complains. "Its music. We like the same music anyways."

I give him a look. "Uh, I beg to differ. I cannot stand that techno crap you listen to." I say.

He fake gasps. "Hey, it's not techno crap music. I hate techno music. It's rap music. Remember how I told you I like instruments?" I smile at the memory of the first night we met when I heard his ring tone. "And I wasn't even going to play that anyways."

He steals the AUX cord and plugs in his phone. More Surprised Than Me by Morgan Wallen starts to play and I smile. I do like this song.

We get closer to my house and I start to get a tad nervous. It's also weird having me drive and not Derek. I don't have a car on campus so it's usually him taking me places. He teases me earlier about looking like a giant in my car. I have a small blue Honda Accord. Compared to his Jeep it's very small. He had to move the seat back because his long legs didn't fit.

We pull up into the driveway and I turn to Derek. I'm not totally surprised to see him so calm and collected. That's Derek for you. I think some of it has to do with him being a hockey player. Sure, I bet he gets anxious before games or even during a hard play but he's very good at not worrying about things.

I'm freaking the fuck out. I'm usually cool headed and don't get anxious. But right now looking at Ash's house, I'm the opposite. I'm meeting her parents. Her parents. I've never met a girl's parents before. Maybe once in high school before a prom or something but not like this.

Ash is really important to me and I can't screw this up. Channeling in my nerves I turn to look at Ash with a smile.

"Ready?" She asks.

Nope. "Yep, let's go." I say, trying my best to keep my cool.

We get out of the car and Ash helps me get my stuff from the back. I watch her concentrate to grab my backpack and I smile. It's the little things she does that makes me smile. Her expression when she overthinks or is tense about a school thing her eyebrows pull together and her big green eyes are fully in control of what she's doing.

We walk up to her front door and I take a deep breath. She unlocks the door and I follow her in. "Hey Mom, Dad, we're home!" She yells into the house.

A second later and middle aged woman who looks a lot like Ash turns the corner from a hallway. "Derek!" She greets. "It's so nice to meet you. I'm Mary, Ash's mother." She says and comes over to hug me. I hug her back and try not to be awkward about it.

I look at Ash who bites her lip, clearly anxious about this whole "meeting the parents" thing too. "Nice to meet you, ma'am."

She smiles and leads Ash and I to the living room. When we enter the living room, Ash's Dad sits on a leather couch and looks up when he hears us enter. "Ah, you must be Derek, I'm Jared, nice to meet you," he says and hold out a hand to shake my hand

I nod. "Nice to meet you sir." I say politely and shake his hand.

Ash's mom claps her hands together. "Well, I know it's getting late and Ash told me you have had a long day so why don't I show you to the guest room."

I look at Ash who smiles and rolls her eyes at me. I grab her hand and we walk up the stairs, following her mom.

I'm led to a room with a brown comforter on a large bed and forest green walls. Ash places my backpack on the bed and I follow her by putting my duffle there as well. Ash leans on the edge of the bed and I mirror her, placing myself so our shoulders touch.

"I'll get you some hangers from the closet, if you would like to hang up some clothes?" She asks, kindly.

I do have a dress shirt in my suitcase since Ash told me her mom's side has a nice Christmas Eve dinner party. I smile kindly at her. "That would be great, thank you." I say.

She walks from the room and Ash lets out a puff of air. "Oh so you're nervous?" I mock and she punches my arm playfully.

"Ouch," I say. "Babe you have got to stop hitting me or people are gonna think I got beat up." I laugh and she glares at me.

"I did not hit you that hard," she says and crosses her arms over her chest. "Aren't you a hockey player who gets thrown around all the time?"

I give her a look to which she laughs.

Ash's mom returns a moment later with hangers and tells us goodnight. Ash then helps me take my nice shirts out and hang them up. After that's done, she lays on the bed. "Guest room huh?" I tease knowing what she'll say.

"Well I was not about to tell my parents we share a bed 75% of the time," she says. "That's just awkward." She cringes and scrunches her nose.

I laugh. I lay down next to her and push some hair behind her ears. Right as I lean into to kiss her I hear someone clear their throat from the doorway.

"Ash?" Ash's dad questions. Ash jumps up into a sitting position, looks between her dad and me with wide eyes. I just shake my head in amusement.

"Going to bed?" Ash's dad asks, suggestively.

I see Ash nod and she turns to me, kisses me right on the lips and hops off the bed before I can react. "Goodnight bab- Derek," Her cheeks flush with embarrassment. I laugh at her quickness to leave and watch her pass her Dad out the guest bedroom door.

Ash's dad looks back at me and raises an eyebrow. I shrug my shoulders. "Well goodnight son," he says.

"Goodnight sir," I say, clearing my throat.