**edited 21/01/2021**

Elle's POV

Saturday 15th December 2018

         It was mid-December, the Christmas lights had begun lighting up streets all over California, school was closing up for the year and students all across campus were packing up and heading home. Ace and I had been happily seeing each other for nearly a month and in less than a week I was set to introduce him to my whole family.

 I had sort-of chickened out of telling them he was actually my boyfriend, especially since it had barely been any time since my break up from Carson. I told myself and him that I would break the news to my family when they met him and see what happened.

 "What about this?" Delilah asked hopefully, rushing over to where I was holding a leather jacket in her hands. I had dragged her and Maya with me to the mall to find Ace, and everyone else, good Christmas presents but nothing seemed good enough for him.

 "Bluergh, I think I just threw up looking at that," Nina said from behind me, pretending to stick her fingers down her throat to imitate being sick. Did I mention Nina tagged along with us to the mall, much to our dismay?

 "Why are you even here?" Maya rolled her eyes, running her hand over the leather jacket that Delilah had brought over for us to look at. "I think it's cute babe."

 "I came because I have Christmas shopping to do too, I didn't realise Little Miss Priss here would take seven years to choose a present for Ace," Nina said with a roll of her eyes. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say she doesn't know her so-called 'boyfriend' as much as she says she does." I looked over at Nina and saw her eyes dancing with amusement.

 She was right. I had been in this damn shopping mall for hours, I had gotten presents for every single person I knew except for Ace. Every single thing I picked up, or anyone suggested to me I just shrugged off because I didn't know if it was good enough. I didn't know if he'd like it or not.

 "Or maybe she's worried he's getting bored of her... Ace isn't the type to settle for one pussy, let alone a mediocre one," she smirked, knowing she was playing with my emotions. 

 I hadn't yet gone that far with Ace but he didn't show that he minded, every time our make-out sessions began getting out of hand we'd do... other things to satisfy each other. I didn't know that was an issue though, until Nina has just said that.

 "I-" I wanted to stick up for myself but the words got caught in the back of my throat and I choked, looking down at the floor in shame.

 "Oh screw off Nina," Delilah grumbled which made me look up again, smiling gently that I had friends to back me up now. "Do you like the leather jacket, Elle?" She asked me hopefully and I glanced at the piece of fabric before sighing, reluctantly nodding.

 "I guess it'll be great. His one is getting tatty anyway," I said, taking the jacket from her. Ace had this one jacket that he wore most days, it was getting to the point that it was ripping in a few places so it'd be nice to get him a new one. "Thanks for the help guys," I said, directing my gratitude to Maya and Delilah. 

"No problem. Can we finally go now?" Delilah asked hopefully and I nodded.

 "Let me go pay for this and then we're officially done," I said, walking over to the tills with my new present for Ace. I paid the $70 for the jacket and then walked out of the shop alongside Maya and Delilah, with Nina trailing behind us on her phone.

 "Shall we go and get some food? My feet are killing me after all that shopping, could do with some food?" Maya suggested and both Delilah and I agreed, reluctantly looking back at Nina to check if she wanted to join us.

 "Nina, do you wanna grab some food?" I asked her and she looked up at me with a disinterested face.

 "You want me to eat at a mall food court? I don't look like this from eating junk from there, I see you don't quite follow the same diet regime as I do," she said with a bitter smirk and then shrugged. "I guess I'll be off, see you bitches around."

 "Bye," Maya said with a fake sickly-sweet voice as Nina waved at us and then walked away.

 "Good riddance, bitch," Delilah stuck her middle finger up once Nina was out of sight. We could then all walk and chat about what we wanted to without her having something to say about it as we headed for the food court.

 "So Elle, are you excited about Ace meeting your family?" Maya asked me as we lined up to order our food.

 I shrugged, my eyes trailing over the menu that hung on the wall in front of me. "M'nervous and excited. My family only just found out that Carson and I ended it, how will they feel about me bringing a new boyfriend home?" I admitted.

 "Difference is that Ace is actually a decent human being. They'll love him," Maya reassured me but I could see the look of uncertainty in Delilah's eyes.

 "What Lil?" I asked her and she just waved it off, shrugging at me.

 "I'm sure he'll be great with them, but have you seen Ace? He's not exactly every mother's dream of who their daughter ends up with, is he?" She reminded me and Maya agreed with a nod.

 I was in deep thought for a few moments when it finally became our turn to order and we all told the woman working behind the till what we wanted. She got three trays out and loaded our food onto each one, and then once we'd paid we took our food to the nearest free table to the side of the room. "What are you thinking about?" Maya asked me.

 "What Delilah said... I never thought about that," I admitted, popping a fry into my mouth. "Ace has a lot of tattoos, granted, but my dad was covered in them too. I don't think she'd mind what Ace looks like at all, my brother's might be a completely different story though."

 Delilah took a huge bite from her burger, wiping her face when ketchup slipped down her chin. "I'm sure it'll be fine, Elle. Ace is a great guy, they'll see that immediately," she said once she'd swallowed her food.

 I nodded, still slightly unsure. "Yeah..."

 "You still look unsure of something," she said and I shrugged, I was still nervous about what my parents would think of Ace, but I didn't want to admit that to them.

 "I don't know if the jacket is a good enough present for Ace," I said, it wasn't exactly what was playing on my mind at that moment but I was also worried about that.

 Delilah shrugged. "Ace is super difficult, I think it's the best any of us could do," she said to me and I nodded.

 Maya agreed with a 'yeah' and then said, "I mean what else would you even get him? He won't like any generic Christmassy crap, he is super uncomfortable with feelings so anything soppy is out of the question, and he doesn't even have any hobbies other than kicking the shit out of other men!" Maya said, sounding like she was stressed for me.

 It was then when a huge lightbulb went off in my head and I gasped. "What?" Delilah said.

 "I know what I'm getting Ace for Christmas," I said, my mind casting back to before Ace and I were together. We were laying in his bed after a very sexual moment that night he called me drunk from his corridor at two in the morning, and he had told me one of his old hobbies was singing and playing his guitar but his father had broken his guitar when he was just fifteen.

 "What are you getting him?" Maya asked.

 "It's a surprise," I smirked mysteriously.

 It was settled, though, I was getting Ace a guitar for Christmas.

. . . 

   Delilah and I arrived back at our dorm a couple of hours later, lugging bags and bags of shopping with us as she struggled with the lock for the room. "What are you doing here, dickhead?" She said jokingly as she walked in the room, and I found out it was Ace she was referring to when I walked in after her.

 He was lounging on my bed with one of the books from my bookshelf opened, when he saw me come in his eyes lifted from whatever he was reading and flashed me a heart melting grin. "How was your shopping trip?" He asked, placing the book onto the side table.

 As soon as the table hit the bedside table, I grabbed it and slotted it back where it belonged in the book shelf. "It was fun," I said, jumping slightly when I felt Ace coming up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing my neck from behind. 

 "Fun? It was stressful as hell girl, don't lie to the boy. That girl is a control freak," Delilah laughed, flopping onto her bed in exhaustion.

Ace let go of me and I turned to Delilah, gasping. "I am not!"

 "You literally just packed away that book two milliseconds after I put it on the bedside table," Ace joked, laying back on my bed with a smirk on his face. I narrowed my eyes at him, pursing my lips in an attempt to look annoyed at him. "I'm joking Princess, if you were as laid-back as me this place would look like a war zone," he joked and pulled me so I sat next to him. 

 "I've gotta say I do like the personal maid," Delilah teased alongside Ace.

 "You guys suck!" I pouted, slapping Ace on the shoulder when he continued to chuckle with Delilah.

 "Sorry babe," he apologised with a smile on his face. "So... What did ya get me?"

 I shook my head and got up, moving the bag with his present away from him. "Nope! You won't know until Christmas. And don't try to peek!" I said, pointing my finger at him.

 "Boring!" Ace hollered and I rolled my eyes at him, although a smile crept on my face. I didn't understand why being around him made me so happy, but I didn't ever want it to end.