Love & Loss by C. J. Fallowfield

and fries for lunch and decided to go to the cinema to see the latest Hobbit movie before heading home for a light dinner and getting ready to go out.
    ‘Mia, can I come in?’ called Lex as I sat at my dressing table finishing my makeup.
    ‘Yes I’m almost done.’
    ‘Holy crap, that’s not your usual Christmas outfit,’ she exclaimed as she looked me up and down.
    ‘I wanted to look sexy for Gabe, it’s been two weeks of no sex and I don’t know how much more I can take, so I hoping he won’t be able to resist me in this. You like?’ I asked as I stood up and gave a twirl. I’d purchased a new corset style mini Santa dress with white fluff around the base, white over the knee socks and had on a pair of black Mary Jane ankle strap shoes. I’d freshly washed my hair, styling it into loose waves and had put on my Santa hat and some sparkly makeup.
    ‘You could have said you were going for the sexy look,’ she pouted. ‘I look stupid next to you.’
    ‘You don’t,’ I replied, trying to stifle a giggle. Lexi had gotten her green felt elf outfit out of retirement, along with her green and red face paint. As if she weren’t tall enough already, a mini dress with stripy red and white tights really wasn’t helping. ‘You just look like The Hulk in a Christmas outfit.’
    ‘Do I have time to change?’
    ‘No,’ I exclaimed, ‘we’re late already.’
    ‘Why don’t the boys have to dress up? It’s not fair,’ she sulked.
    ‘It’s our tradition Lex, none of us had boyfriends when we started this.’ I grabbed my red velvet pouch bag and we headed down to the lounge. I was pleased to see Gabe’s reaction as he looked me up and down, hot carnal lust, but I noticed Mum raise an eyebrow as she caught him eyeing me up. Gerry gave Lexi and I both a look and shook his head, but knew better than to say anything. We’d had many an argument as teenagers over what he considered to be inappropriate going out attire.
    ‘Come on then, I’d better drive you in, are you getting a taxi back or ringing me?’ he asked.
    ‘I think we’ll get a taxi thanks, not sure how late we’ll be,’ I replied, drinking in Gabe in his sexy grey jeans, fitted black shirt and bomber jacket.
    ‘Don’t forget your sister is over for lunch tomorrow, don’t be too hung over,’ Mum warned.
    ‘What? Georgie’s coming?’ Shit, when was that arranged? I still hadn’t told Mum about my op, what if Georgie dropped me in it?
    ‘You think you’d be a bit happier about seeing your sister after three months Mia, really.’ Mum shook her head and I sighed, I was going to have to talk to her about it all tomorrow now for sure.
    ‘Ok baby?’ Gabe asked as he grabbed my hand.
    ‘Yes,’ I smiled up at him.
    ‘You look very sexy,’ he murmured in my ear making me smile even more.
    ‘This brings back a few memories,’ Gerry smiled as he pulled up in the town square to drop us all off. ‘If you want a lift home ring before midnight, otherwise lose my number and I’ll see you at breakfast.’
    ‘Thanks’ we all called in unison making him laugh as he waved and headed off.
    ‘Sexy outfit Mia,’ grinned Doug, earning himself a punch in the arm from Lexi who scowled at him. ‘What? It is sexy. I already told you yours looked nice when you knocked on the B&B door.’
    ‘So I get a “ nice ” and Mia gets a “sexy”? Thanks a lot,’ she snapped and marched off ahead of us with Doug running to catch her up leaving Gabe and I laughing.
    ‘So sexy Mia, where are you taking me tonight?’ he asked, giving me a kiss on the temple as he tucked his arm around me.
    ‘To our favourite pub where we’ll have a few with some of our old boarding school friends and their boyfriends, then we’re going onto Onyx for some dancing later.’
    ‘Hmmm,’ he frowned.
    ‘Hmmm what? Did you not want to come out?’
    ‘No it’s not that, I’m happy to be out with you, I’m just finding this no sex thing harder than I thought I would. It