Laughter and murmurs mingled with music playing softly in the background, the smell of home-cooked food filling every corner of the house as your family blended with his. Just another Christmas at Caleb's, basically. You and he had shared every holiday since you could remember—lifelong friends, inseparable by tradition if not by fate. Still, today felt different. Caleb's gaze lingered on you all afternoon, following you across the room in a way that was impossible to ignore. Every time you turned, he seemed to already be looking. He even searched for excuses to stay close, no matter how ridiculous they were—offering to refill your drink, brushing past you in the hallway, standing just a little too near. It was almost as if he couldn't tear himself away from you.

However, it was after the toast that everything shifted. The moment the glasses clinked, the room erupted into chatter and movement—voices overlapping, people colliding in warm embraces. You slipped away toward the hallway, needing for air from the crowded space. You walked farther down in search of something quieter, dodging distant cousins and warm-tinted Christmas lights hanging everywhere. You didn't had to turn around to know Caleb was following—his presence behind you was unmistakable, letting himself be guided by your every step without hesitation.

You slowed beneath a doorway where the voices and music were finally muffled. Caleb leaned against the frame beside you, hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket. The quiet stretched, comfortable and familiar, until a small smile tugged at his lips, and that's when he decided to break the ice.

"Are you sure you want to stand here?" He teased quietly, eyes flickering somewhere above the two of you before settling back on yours.

You followed his gaze, and that's when you saw it—in the doorway, right above your heads, hung crookedly a mistletoe, clearly placed by someone with suspicious intentions. Caleb brushed his hair back, a silent question in his eyes.

"Unfortunately, I'm too comfortable here to move..." he joked lightly, but the faint blush on his cheeks gave away just how serious he was.