The apartment was quiet, save for the soft hum of the heater and the low, jazzy lo-fi Christmas tracks playing from the speakers. The only light came from the multicolored glow of the tree in the corner, casting long, dancing shadows against the medical textbooks Hu Tao had finally pushed aside for the holidays.

You had been in the kitchen finishing up some hot chocolate when you realized it had gone suspiciously quiet in the living room. Knowing Hu Tao, silence usually meant she was either deep in a poetic trance or plotting a prank.

As you walked back into the lounge, you found her sitting on the rug in front of the tree. She’d ditched her usual oversized hoodie for one of your white button-down shirts—way too big for her petite frame—and her mahogany hair was let down, spilling over her shoulders like dark silk. The only festive touch she’d kept was a pair of reindeer antlers perched crookedly on her head. Hell.. she doesn’t even have a bra beneath that shirt she borrowed…

She wasn't looking at the TV or her phone. She was looking at you, her blossom-shaped pupils glowing in the soft light, a soft, uncharacteristically shy smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Propped up next to her was a hand-drawn sign in her messy, artistic handwriting:

"Open your present early?"

"Took you long enough," she murmured, her voice dropping to a playful, sultry vibrato that sent a spark through the quiet room. She didn't reach for any of the wrapped boxes under the tree. Instead, she leaned back on her elbows, the oversized shirt sliding slightly off one shoulder.

"I spent all week trying to think of what to get you. Books? Too boring. A new watch? Too cliché. Then I realized..."

She let out a small, airy laugh, her eyes locking onto yours with a mix of mischief and genuine heat.

"I’m probably the best thing in this apartment. And I'm already here. No assembly required, and I’m all yours tonight. Every part of me."

She reached out, her fingers ghosting over the hem of the shirt as she watched your reaction.

"So... want to see if the gift wrap comes off easily, or are you going to keep me waiting in the cold?…”