"Daniel, you just need to get the words out. She's never going to know how you feel if you hold back on it."

George stands by the back door, with a glass in one hand; the evening is drawing in, and with it being a long day, there are some tired eyes in the house. Levi and Penny remain in the living room out of earshot; allowing George to talk to Penny's beau without fear of judgement. He glances at the middle-aged man, placing an arm around him comfortingly.

"I just don't want her to be scared off," Daniel admits forlornly. "I know Levi has his reservations about me, even if he is getting better at talking now. I don't want my silly feelings to be the reason things change."

"They'd only change for the better," George reassures him enthusiastically; his moderate alcohol consumption makes him slightly giddy. "And what better day to do it, than Christmas Day? What a fucking gift that would be: being told you're loved."

"I suppose that's a good point," Daniel evaluates quietly, taking another swig of his drink. "You don't get many twenty-three-year-olds with mature minds anymore."

"I aim to please." George withdraws his arm from Daniel, before playfully taking a bow to emphasise his chivalry in the most disparaging way. "Now go forth, and tell the woman you love her. Oh! And make sure you do it strategically beneath the mistletoe. Girls love that shit. I love that shit. Everyone loves that shit. You can't go wrong."

"Under the mistletoe so that she'll kiss me?" Daniel asks innocently.

"Obviously," George chuckles. "You act as if you've never kissed her before." With a pause and a silence, George fixes his stare on the man. "Hang on. You've been dating for — how long? — and you haven't kissed her yet?"

"I didn't want to overstep the mark," Daniel divulges shyly. "I've wanted her to make the first move, but she just never has done. What if she doesn't want to kiss me? What if she just wants to be friends?"

"Pfft, please," George scoffs, swatting the air with his free hand. "You practically live at this house. Penny likes you. I promise you that." With another swallow of his drink, he nudges Daniel on the arm. "Go on. I'll even come with you, if you like. But you're telling her you love her today."

George can see the apprehension in Daniel's face, so he kindly links arms with the man to gently push him into facing his fears. The pair head towards the living room; George tips back the remainder of his beverage, placing the empty glass on the windowsill as they arrive in the same part of the house as Levi and his mother.

"Hello boys," Penny greets, with a smile. "Did you have a nice chat in there?"

"It's always a pleasure to talk to this one here." George points to Daniel with his thumb, to give him a little confidence. "But I think now he wants to be the one doing the talking. Isn't that right?"

"I guess it is," Daniel responds nervously, though trying to hide this fact. His eyes shift to Penny, who is beaming at him in anticipation of what he has to say. "Um."

"I'm just going to get a drink," Levi announces, shuffling out of the room, sensing that the pair may require some time by themselves.

George picks up on Levi's plan, following shortly after. "Me too. Me too." He hurries out of the living room, as not to distract Daniel any further.

"What's this all about?" Levi interrogates George, once he's aware that they can't be heard. "What did you guys talk about just now?"

"Daniel wants to tell your mum that he loves her. He's been too scared all this time," George explains. "I told him he should do it today, what with it being Christmas Day. Today's all about love, isn't it?"

"I suppose that's true," Levi answers; it's clear to see the worry in his expression despite knowing Daniel for a little while now. "I just hope it isn't all an act that he's putting on."

"Hey." George rests his hands against Levi's cheeks, bringing their heads close enough together so that they touch. "You need to try and let go of what happened to your mum in her last marriage. What he did is not a direct correlation to Daniel. It isn't his fault that your mum's ex-husband was a complete arsehole. Daniel is a good man, Levi. You've spoken to him before. You're doing better than you have been. I know how trauma can impact how you view things; I'm no stranger to that. But you need to give this guy a chance to prove himself. He loves your mum and you should feel relief in that. He isn't out to hurt her."

"It's just difficult, isn't it?" Levi's demeanour softens in defeat, as he withdraws from George's touch. "Trying to forget what someone else did wrong. I know Daniel hasn't done anything to hurt my mum. It's just ... I'd hate myself if anything else happened to her."

"Trust me when I say, that if anything happened to your mum ... I'd be going to jail for grievous bodily harm," George encourages, with a laugh. "And I'm not even keen on violence."

"You know how to make me laugh, don't you?" Levi compliments. "Thank you."

"It's what I'm here for, isn't it?" George picks up his freshly-poured glass, taking a sip. "I'll make this my last drink though, because I'll need to go home soon. I've got some grovelling to do, haven't I?"

"What actually happened earlier with Steph?"

"She was sick, and when I asked her what caused it ... she said it was my parents' food. I got offended because she made it sound as if they'd done a bad job. But I think in hindsight, I misinterpreted what she meant." George heaves a sigh, feeling guilty for leaving his girlfriend alone with his family on Christmas Day. "I think I just took out my mood on her. I felt terrible because I thought I couldn't see you today. It's our first Christmas together, and I didn't want to miss out on seeing you. But now I have seen you, and I've had time to think over the situation with Steph ... I feel pretty bad."

"At least it shows you have a conscience," Levi reminds him. "It would be worse if you felt no guilt for how you've spoken to her today."

"I'm just kind of nervous about going home now. I'm unsure on how she'll react. I think her pregnancy hormones have somehow transferred to me," he teases sadly. "I've really enjoyed my time here today. Being here makes me forget about all the shit back home."

"It's been a lovely evening, hasn't it?" Levi smiles, running a hand through his lover's hair affectionately. "And we'll see each other again before the new year. That's only a week away. And then we start nineteen-eighty-seven. It's a fresh new year to start a fresh new life."

"I guess we'll see where it takes us," George concludes. "Anyway, I think we've given those two enough time to talk. Let's go back into the living room."

The pair head back towards the next room; as they venture closer, they struggle to hear any talking going on. Instead, a silence lingers.

"Why are they so quiet?" Levi whispers, starting to feel a little anxious; as his mind immediately heads to the worst-case scenario.

"Relax," George instructs no louder than a mutter; he opens the living room door ajar, peeping through the tiny gap he's created. "Levi, come look at this."

As Levi peers through the small space with George, he is stunned to find that Daniel and Penny are engaged in a sweet kiss — under some mistletoe, just as George had suggested. George grins triumphantly, knowing that his little pep talk with Daniel earlier has evidently worked well. He almost hates to spoil the moment between the two; alas, he does so anyway, by opening the door wider and entering the room.

"Look at you lovebirds," he jeers joyfully, as he takes a seat on the sofa. "I might ask Levi to go and grab some popcorn for this show."

Daniel is the first to cave, as he parts from Penny to look at the young man. "Thank you, George. I'd never have been brave enough to do this without you."

"He's a good lad, isn't he?" Penny chuckles. "This boy just knows love, through and through."

"Charmers," George gasps; then, his eyes avert to Levi, who is still stood in the doorway. "You coming in at any point?"

Levi furrows his brows slightly, unsettled at the fact George has drawn attention to his presence. He still does not know what to make of Daniel or his intentions; but admittedly, seeing his mother so happy makes him feel a little more at ease. Penny turns her head to see her beloved son fidgeting shyly, in a desperate attempt to avoid eye contact with her.

"Things are going to get a lot better, baby." She moves her arm up to invite Levi in for a hug; the motion — out of the corner of his eye — attracts his attention, causing him to look up at her. He sheepishly enters the room, accepting the embrace from his mother with no questions asked. "Levi, I'm happy. I want you to be happy for me, too."

He looks to her, examining the level of sincerity in her expression; he observes that she appears genuine, so he inhales to brace himself, before nodding in understanding. "I am happy for you, Mum."

"Thank you," Daniel murmurs, placing an arm around Levi too. "I know it's hard after what's happened before. But I love your mum, and I'd never hurt her. That's a promise, from me, to you."

Levi notices the same authenticity within Daniel's eyes, as he saw within his mother's; so much so, that he gives in and coils his arms fully around the middle-aged man in a warm hug. This surprises Daniel, in the most fantastic sense of the word; he smiles at Penny, pleased at the outcome of the interaction. George watches things unfold from the sofa, feeling a sense of pride in both the men before him; for doing the right thing regardless of being scared.

• • •

"I've had the most wonderful time with you today. Thank you for letting me spend some time here." George gives Daniel and Penny farewell hugs in turn, before his attention falls on Levi. "I suppose you'll be coming outside to say goodbye to me, huh?"

"I suppose so," Levi retorts playfully, grabbing his jacket to fend off the cold winter air. Both the men walk to George's car, experiencing a rush of sadness at the notion that they have to part ways yet again. Once they've arrived at the vehicle, Levi speaks more. "It really has been a wonderful time. And maybe next year, you'll be here permanently."

"We'll see," George brushes the subject off quickly, although not wanting to seem too dismissive. "I guess you never know what will happen. A year is a long time."

"That it is," Levi agrees. "Anyway, you should get home. It's already pretty late. Stephanie will be wondering where you are, now."

"Wish me luck for the big apology I'll have to give her when I'm back in London," George jibes to himself.

"I'm sure she'll get over it. She's too obsessed with you to hold a grudge for too long."

"True. Anyway." George moves in to capture Levi's lips with his own in one final kiss; he lingers for a few seconds to savour the moment of bliss. Upon withdrawal, he keeps his eyes closed for a second, smiling gently; then, he opens his car door to get inside. "I love you. I'll see you soon."

"I love you too, my darling. Safe journey home." He closes the car door for his lover, blowing a single kiss as George reverses out of the driveway. He keeps watching as the vehicle moves down the road; eventually going out of sight.

As he drives, George begins to brace himself for the amount of apologising he will have to do once he arrives back at home. He knows he has overstepped the mark in how he has reacted to Stephanie's words; his own private feelings of sadness are no excuse for his unkind attitude towards her when she's in such a state of fragility. He shakes his head at himself in disappointment as he makes his way down the road; and he begins to talk to himself for no apparent reason.

"You were raised better than this, Georgios. You can do better than this. Your head is fucked up, but you know you can do the right thing. You need to just apologise to Stephanie for how shit you've been. And then soon you need to tell her the truth about everything. You've already told two people the truth about it all, and you can do it again. You know people are supportive. What's stopping you?"

He pauses a moment, as he tries to think what is stopping him from confessing the truth to her. Then, he realises.

"It's that fucking baby," he continues on to himself. "My fucking baby. Fuck ... it's my baby. My son or daughter. Baby Panayiotou. What the fuck is happening?"

His monologue carries on, until the sight of blue flashing lights in his rear-view mirror causes his voice to trail off slowly. He pulls over to one side of the road, coming to a halt to see what the commotion is all about. The police car parks directly behind him; an officer leaves the vehicle and starts making his way towards George's driver window.

"Everything alright, officer?" George asks matter-of-factly.

"Sorry to disturb you on Christmas night, sir. But my colleague and I are doing some spot checks — you know, with it being the festive period and all that. We know that some people can get a bit carried away with the fun." He looks behind him, to see his colleague carrying a device in his hand. "So if you don't mind complying, we'd just like to perform a precautionary breathalyser test to check your alcohol consumption levels. Chances are you'll be alright — it's just something we have to do, to ensure everyone is safe at this time of year."

"O-Of course." George swallows nervously, knowing that he may fail the test; he didn't drink enough to become tipsy, but he fears that he may be over the legal limit. He hadn't expected something like this to happen.

"If you could just provide your sample into this device here, we can send you on your way."

George is presented with the device, so he inhales in preparation, before blowing harshly into it. His anxiousness builds up as he waits for the officer to check the results; by the look on his face, it's not good news.

"You appear to be over the limit by a little bit," the officer announces firmly. "It isn't enough for me to have the power to arrest you; but I do, by law, have to fine you and ensure you get to your destination safely. Can I see your driving documents please?"

"Of course." George curses to himself, as he opens the door to the passenger side of the car; he sifts through his glove box to find his documentation and his license in his wallet. "Here."

"Okay." The officer glances over the various sheets of paper and the license. "Mr Panayiotou, I see that your documents are legitimate and your license is valid, so that's not an issue. However, as you're over the legal limit, like I said, I will have to fine you."

"I understand," George huffs in defeat. "But how am I going to get home?"

"Do you have anybody you can contact who will be able to drive you home?"

"My ... friend," George answers lowly.

"Come to the station so that you can call them. We'll sort out everything else once we're there."

George nods, ashamed at himself for being foolish enough to attempt to drive under the influence of alcohol. The officer opens the back passenger door to the police car, allowing George to duck down into the seat, embarrassed and humiliated at himself.

• • •

Oh dear — George has gotten himself into a bit of a calamity! Did we see that coming? Hope you enjoyed. xx