But now it seems too corporate, too impersonal. Why didn't she try any vintage shops, any boutiques? What if Natasha thinks it's a comment on the way she looks? Surely she must know that Sawyer thinks she's the most beautiful woman she's ever seen.
Sawyer had bought a large patterned box, filled it with red and gold lametta and all the smaller boxes. Natasha is rooting through it, letting out little gasps when she stumbles upon another little box buried in the packaging.
"Are they okay?" Sawyer asks worriedly, "I can exchange them. I'm not saying you need lots of make up! But I knew you ran out of -"
Natasha launches herself into Sawyer's lap, grabbing her cheeks and leaving a sloppy kiss on her greasy, unwashed forehead.
They spend the next half an hour listening to Sawyer's favorite country Christmas playlist while she tries her new boots on and Natasha slowly lines up her makeup boxes in height order, cooing over the matte black packaging.
When the playlist loops around to the beginning, Natasha crowds into Sawyer's personal space. She's all dark eyes and sharp teeth. Her pajama top is hanging on by one button. She smells of comfort and home, at odds with the downright dangerous expression on her face.
"So, Sawyer Martinez. What do you want to do now?"
Twenty minutes later, and Sawyer is coming twitching on the rug, Natasha's fingers pushing in and out of her while she touches her own clit. She's rocking back and forth onto Natasha's hand, making her breasts bounce under her pushed-up pajama top. It doesn't take long for Natasha either. Sawyer pushes herself up against the sofa and Natasha straddles her, wrapping her legs around Sawyer's middle and running her hands through her hair. Sawyer dips her hand between them, teasing Natasha lightly until she bites down hard on Sawyer's shoulder.
It's only 11, but they decide it's probably time to order a Chinese takeout. They order a feast, Sawyer on the phone with her sticky hands while Natasha lies naked across her lap. Natasha urges Sawyer to get all her vegetarian favorites, and all the vegetarian dishes she hasn't tried yet. Natasha gets a full rack of ribs and something that promises to be almost inedibly hot. Natasha convinces her that it's alright for them to pay $8 for some braised pak choi with cashew nuts. They order enough for the evening, and enough for Lucia when she shows up. Natasha is always a generous tipper but today she tips a full $40 on their order and offers the driver some of her weird European Christmas biscuits.
Before Lucia arrives, they manage to shower and put on some clean clothes. The doorbell trills as they lay entwined on the sofa. Sawyer drags herself away from Natasha to open it, but has to choke back a gasp as she opens the door to Lucia Vanski. Lucia's make-up free, wearing some low-slung jeans, a half tucked white tee and a silver velvet bomber jacket. Her hair is loose and unstyled, the lengths petering out to an inch of straggly dry hair. She gives Sawyer a quick kiss on the cheek and pushes past her to the kitchen.
"I'm fucking starving! Where are the noodles you promised me?"
Sawyer can't push down the pang of jealousy that she gets when she sees Natasha and Lucia open their presents for each other. She does a quick calculation in her head and is shamefully pleased that her gifts are, depending on the price of the ring, the most expensive. But she still feels resentful of the four years of history on display. Natasha has got Lucia a weird collection of presents, from a creepy china clown to a set of cutlery clearly stolen from the nice restaurant Sawyer took Natasha to. She also seems to have made Lucia nipple pasties covered in googly eyes, and splashed out on a beautiful vintage night gown. In return, Lucia has got Natasha some crinkled and water stained tarot cards, a strange choker made out of keys welded together and a disconcertingly sharp-looking knife.
Sawyer surreptitiously checks her phone. There's been a flurry of messages between Kimberly and Mikaela. Kimberly is at home with her family and has posted a series of sweet selfies with older family members. Meanwhile, Mikaela is cursing her decision to be a dresser for a matinee of The Nutcracker. Sawyer coerces Lucia and Natasha to take a selfie with her which she shares with the group. Mikaela swiftly replies with 'Natasha's friend...' and a series of the eye emoji.
She's flabbergasted when Lucia presses a messily wrapped present into her hands. It's a cook book entitled "Easy Veggie Meals," with a pull quote on the blurb reading, 'perfect for the college freshman in your life'. Inside the cover, Lucia has slipped a pen drawing of Sawyer that she has penciled over in bright pink tones.
"I drew it for Natasha and she thought it was hilarious, so I saved it for you."
Lucia has drawn her as Porn Barbie, complete with a fairly good rendering of the Martinez font on the outside of her box. Lucia has drawn her with a waspish, exaggerated waist and long, thin arms. It's something that a lot of slim people do, even Mikaela. She finds it intensely irritating, but she can't pretend she doesn't like the drawing as a whole.
"I love the way you've added the little plastic tags on my wrists, and the way the window really looks like see through plastic!"
Lucia smirks, "Natasha told me you liked a bit of tying
