You’d deliberately told him not to message you regardless of what he needed to say. See, that was the thing about you two. Being casual fun with Rio was one thing, but after he’d declined your invite for you and him to spend Christmas together, you didn’t want anything to do with him.

Tonight’s Christmas Eve and he finds himself in his apartment with the Christmas tree blinking lazily in the corner.

Rio moved through the space unhurried, bare feet against the cold floor, city noise humming low outside the window. He hadn’t bothered with a shirt all night.

Didn’t see the point. He was alone again for the holiday anyway. He was used to it. And you didn’t even wanna talk to him. He hated when you got mad at him over small shit. It fucked up the flow y’all had. But an idea sparked in his mind as he neared the tree.

He stopped near the tree and picked up a red satin bow meant for a gift, not a man. His fingers slowly run over it and he smirked to himself.

I know how to get you to talk to me.

A moment later, your phone buzzed, his name lit the screen. When you opened it, you were about to roll your eyes until you saw that big, red ribbon in the picture he sent.

There he was, his bare chest and abs on display in his skimpy little selfie. His bare thighs peeked out at the bottom of the photo and that big, red ribbon was smack dab in the center of his thighs, just barely hiding the glossed tip of that little— big gift underneath. You could tell he took this in his bedroom.

A message followed. Rio: Merry early Christmas mama. U tryna unwrap ts now or later?