Lizzy bursts in through the door, a bundle of energy. "Sterling, if you are teasing me, I will throw you off this balcony." She drops her suitcase on the floor and throws her coat on top of it.

Blake slides both out of the way. He closes and locks the door. "I don't tease anyone but Kat."

Lizzy sticks her tongue out in disgust. "Jesus, please keep that to yourself. I don't need the mental images." She scans the penthouse, her eyes wide. "Is there any place here you two haven't— Ugh. Don't tell me."

"At the very least, he'd take you on as an intern. You're better than anyone out of a hack school."

She glares at Blake. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"

He smiles.

"I'm better than most junior programmers. Not in Silicon Valley, but in New York, fuck yes. Have you seen what passes for code some places?" She folds her arms over her chest.

I cut in. "How many cans of Diet Coke did you drink on the plane?"

"It's free. It's a bad value if you don't drink until your bladder explodes." She turns to me. Her face softens as she bounces over and hugs me. "I missed you." She steps back. "Your hair looks cute. When did you get lowlights?"

"I felt weird all blonde."

"I dig." She tosses her hair back as if to compare styles. Her expression shifts back to Blake. "You're less greedy than I always figured."

He doesn't blink. "How so?"

"Well, you stay in New York even though you should be in Silicon Valley. Because Silicon Valley blows and New York is the greatest city in the entire world." She goes to the fridge, scans it and frowns. "No soda? Don't tell me you buy into that Bloomberg soda ban bullshit? Only sixteen ounces at a time. What a—"

"It's bad for you." My voice is stern, like a lecturing mother.

Blake rubs my shoulder. "We can order soda with the pizza."

"Oh, he's the permissive parent." Lizzy takes a seat at the kitchen island. "Wouldn't have guessed that."

"You were explaining my lack of greed," Blake says.

"Yeah. You're sacrificing a lot of potential profits to stay in New York." She makes eye contact with me. "That's the only reason why I trust him at all."

Blake is unfazed by her talking about him as if he's not in the room. It's no secret that Lizzy only trusts Blake as far as she can throw him. But she must be willing to put it aside. She's helped him arrange a number of surprises, including his marriage proposal.

Lizzy runs her hand over the counter, scraping off a fine layer of sugar. "You made cookies without me?"

"Let's make more now." I nod to Blake. "You order the pizza. We'll make a mess."

His eyes connect with mine. "I'll punish you for that later."

Lizzy screws her face in disgust. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that."

I go to help Lizzy bake. She has a massive sweet tooth and knows every ratio without consulting a recipe. This time, I'm extra careful with the cookie cutters.

Blake orders dinner then excuses himself to fit in a half hour of work.

We catch up on silly things—her recent hairstyles, the terrible weather in San Francisco (it's cold in August), the news about the most recent Star Wars film. There's a sadness underlying her caffeine-induced energy high. I get the sense she's not happy on the other side of the country.

Before I have a chance to probe, the pizza arrives. We eat together, on paper plates, while watching the first Matrix movie. Then the second. Despite drinking an entire two liter bottle of diet soda, Lizzy falls asleep on the couch.

"Would you like me to put her in the spare room?" Blake asks.

I shake my head. "She'll wake up here and finish the trilogy. Then we don't have to watch Revolutions."

"I love all the Matrix movies."

"A third thing you have in common. You're almost best friends."

Blake pulls me off the couch. "Are you ready for bed?"

For bed, yes. But I'm not ready for my sister to wake up to the sounds of us having sex. He didn't offer, but I still don't want him to get the wrong idea.

I squeeze his shoulder. "I don't want to do anything while she's here."

"She's here for three weeks."

"I'll meet you at the office sometime." I bite my lip. "And she'll be out a lot. She gets stir crazy easily."

I brush my teeth, wash my face, and change into pajamas. Blake is already in bed in a very cozy gray pajama set. It's the kind of thing that makes him look casual and effortlessly put together at the same time.

It has a monogram.

A monogram.

After a few minutes with a sci-fi novel, he turns off the light and pulls my body close to his.

I fill with warmth. "Is it okay, all this Christmas stuff?"

"For now. The twenty-fifth was always the worst."

"Oh." I take a deep breath. "You might still bail."

He says nothing.

"When will you let me know?"

"Tomorrow. After dinner." He rests his hand on my stomach. His voice is even. "Fiona will join us. We can order Chinese food and watch Lethal Weapon."

Another action movie that technically takes place on Christmas. That part is fine. I'm willing to watch anything if it means I get my holiday with Blake.

I pull my blanket tighter. "Which way are you leaning?"

"I want to be there."

"But you're not sure if you can handle it?"

He presses his lips against my neck. "I'm going to take care of some things tomorrow. I'll be home for dinner."

"But—"

"I've had you for three-and-a-half months. She can have you for half a day."

I nod. Lizzy will want to go shopping. She's always been last minute about buying gifts.

I press my eyes closed, willing my worry to melt away. But it sticks with me. I need Blake here on Christmas. I need him here, with me.