Chapter 13
Soft sounds of a guitar playing from the record player followed Laura outside through the open window as she shuffled her feet across the deck, wrapping her arms around herself and rubbing warmth into her skin as the cool summer night air caressed her body. She was glad that she had pulled on a pair of light gray sweatpants but the tank top that she was wearing was not doing her much good. Her hand moved to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear when she set eyes on Carmilla who was lying on the deck, her legs bent over the edge of the pool, feet dangling languidly in the water. Her arms were folded above her head and she was staring, entranced, at the night sky. She was completely still but Laura knew that she was aware of her presence.
She took the remaining steps and then sat down and lowered herself so that she was lying next to Carmilla. When she placed her head on the girl’s chest, Carmilla moved her left arm so that Laura was cradled in it. Laura felt her hand rest gently against her lower back, brushing against her spine. Carmilla’s shirt had shifted to show the skin under her belly button and above her shorts and Laura found her hand there, drawing circles against the hipbone that jutted out from the skin.
“Thanks, cupcake.”
“For what?” Laura asked. There had been nothing she had done for the past couple of days to warrant a thank you. Carmilla turned her head to kiss Laura on the forehead, “For shutting off for a couple of days and coming up here with me.”
There was a thrilling yell from behind them and feet bounded across the boards before a figure flew over them. The splash from the pool covered them completely and Laura shuddered at how cold the water had gotten while Carmilla sat up, looking like a drowned cat, “Oh, fuck no.”
Carmilla threw herself in the water, trying to drown Will as he swam to evade her. Laura laughed at the sight.
“I won’t be that mean,” Zayne smiled as he sat down next to her, “I told Will not to do it. As you can see, he did not listen to me.”
“Zayne!” Will called, water entering his mouth as Carmilla shoved him back under the water. His head bobbed up, “Help me!”
“You did this to yourself, babe!” Zayne called back. He continued to talk with Laura, “I’m sorry if that interrupted anything.”
“I think we had finished,” Laura assured him though she had not been able to tell Carmilla that she was the one who should be thankful. Laura had not taken a day off since she started except when recovering from her accident and even then, she had worked through most of the days from home. “It’s been nice to get to know you. We haven’t really had much time together since Will and I got together. You seem to be here for the long run and I figured I should get to know my boyfriend’s sister’s girlfriend. I got that right, didn’t I?”
Laura giggled, “Yeah, you did. But hey, I think of Will as a brother so the feeling was mutual. Not that I hadn’t heard a lot about you before but hearing it from you is nice.”
“Oh, Will is not gonna like that you told me he talked about me,” Zayne told her. Laura was not too worried, “If he does anything to me, he has to deal with that,” she pointed at Carmilla who had finally decided Will had been punished enough and was swimming to the edge to climb out, “I feel very safe.”
“I blame you,” Carmilla directed at Zayne when she came over. She shook her hair and was ringing out her shirt when Zayne stood up. “I’ve already found that I can’t control him.”
He squeezed her shoulder and then jumped in the pool, making sure to make as small of a splash as he could. Carmilla reached out her hand to pull Laura up.
Laura nuzzled her nose, “Thanks for making me come out here. I needed to clear my head. Looking at things from a distance, I didn’t realize how bad I had gotten and you know what?”
“No. What, cutie?” Carmilla slung her arm around Laura’s shoulder. She could feel her shirt getting thoroughly soaked. Laura had actually been thinking about this for a while but the weekend away had really made it perfectly clear, “Aside from the green piece I did, I’m not really liking the work I’m doing. It doesn’t mean anything.”
Carmilla was silent at the revelation, “Then quit.”
“No, I don’t want to quit. I love The Journal. I love reporting. I just don’t like the stories I’m getting. I want to write something with impact. The green piece had that. It was about environmental protections and their importance but everything else is just, news.”
“That is reporting, cupcake,” Carmilla responded.
“But it doesn’t have to be.”
“That’s called bias.”
“I can write a meaningful piece without bias,” Laura explained.
“It wouldn’t be meaningful to everyone. Some people would have a different opinion on it.”
“Yeah, well, some people have differing opinions on actual facts,” Laura muttered. Carmilla squeezed her as they walked up the stairs, it was awkward as they held onto each other, “I can’t help you with that, buttercup. You have to make the decision on what you want to be doing. Have you talked to your boss?”
“I’m afraid that he won’t go for it. Especially because I haven’t been there for that long.”
“He took what I always thought was a creepy interest in you from the start. He’d probably do anything for you,” Carmilla grimaced. Laura nudged her in the side, “That’s so mean. He’s like a grandpa.”
Carmilla raised her eyebrows, “You and I have very different definitions of the word.”
“Ugh,” Laura grumbled. When she swiveled around to face Carmilla, her back against the door of their room, she was pouting. “I don’t want to talk about my boss. He’s ruining the mood.”
“There was a mood?” Carmilla arched an eyebrow. Laura took Carmilla’s hands to pull her through the door but Carmilla twisted them, leading Laura toward the bathroom, “I need a shower.”
“You’re already all wet,” Laura said as she saw the water trail from the staircase that had no doubt tracked through the entire house. Carmilla turned her head, “You’re not.”
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The silence and darkness of the room did not suffocate but instead added to the calm of the too early morning. The curtains against the window were pulled to the side, allowing an unobstructed view of the night outside. The window was opened, crickets chirping nearby and the only sound that disturbed the quaintness on the opposite side of the window.
A soft groan came from the direction of the bed; the ruffling of sheets accompanied the cute noise, “Carm?”
“I’m right here, cupcake.”
“No. You’re over there.” Carmilla smiled even though the other girl could not see her face. “What are you doing?"
“Nothing.”
“Looking at the stars?” Carmilla chuckled. No matter what she said, Laura would always have the intuition to know exactly what she meant. That level of knowing each other was something that had happened quite quickly over the span of their relationship and Carmilla never grew tired of it. She had never experienced this level of understanding and trust that Laura and her had. At first it had scared her; she had tried to run away from it, her fear of commitment almost ruining the greatest thing she had in her life. Yet, Laura had stayed and helped her through it and here they were now, Carmilla laughing and smiling easily, “Yeah.”
There was a creaking as Laura stood from the bed. Carmilla saw her out of the corner of her eye and followed the brunette’s progress across the room. She unwrapped her arms from their tight hold on her knees that were pulled into her chest and spread them across the length of the seat. She held her arms out, now looking at Laura, beckoning the girl to sit down. Laura, without hesitation, climbed up on the seat and settled between Carmilla’s legs, her head alighting on the swell of Carmilla’s breasts.
Carmilla wrapped her arms around Laura and kissed the top of her head. She instantly felt Laura’s warmth radiate against her skin and enter her body, combining with her own and creating an aura of heat and love. Setting her nose against Laura’s hair, she asked, “Why are you up, creampuff?”
“Because I was alone in bed.”
“You never woke up. How did you know I had gotten out of bed?”
“I always know. I can feel it.”
Carmilla turned her head to look out the window again, her cheek now lying on Laura’s head. She felt a hand entwine with hers and squeezed in response. Laura let out a huge yawn which made Carmilla laugh, “Go back to bed, buttercup.”
“No, I’m fine.”
“You’re tired.”
“I’m still fine.” Carmilla shook her head at Laura’s stubbornness but did not fight against it. Not too long later, Carmilla felt Laura’s breaths deepen and the weight on her chest become heavier. This was never something she could have imagined for herself. The ability to look at the stars with the girl she loved asleep in her arms.
Laura was not heavy but the complete dead weight that her sleeping resulted in, caused Carmilla’s legs to fall asleep and after a few minutes of trying to put up with it so as not to wake Laura, Carmilla realized she had to move around. She shifted Laura softly so that she could swing her legs off the edge of the seat. Then, she lifted Laura into her arms, only a small grumble escaping the small girl’s lips, and tucked her back into bed.
Carmilla walked back to the window for one more look, decided to leave the curtains open to let the moonlight shine in the room, and then returned to the bed. She slid under the covers and snuggled into Laura’s back, wrapping her arms protectively around the girl and placing her forehead on the top of the girl’s back, settling in for at least a couple more hours of sleep.
Carmilla threw the duffle bag into the trunk of the car and shut it as another car rumbled up the driveway and Kirsch and Danny jumped out. Kirsch hugged her before she could stop him so she shoved at him with all of her strength. Even when he let go, she was not entirely sure it had anything to do with her. “Kirsch, get off her!”
He scampered back to Danny. Actually scampered. Like a dog. Carmilla wanted to barf.
“Yo, dude!” Will came running from the house and they did whatever combination of shaking hands, hugging, and patting on the back that they always did. Laura came out, talking to Zayne who stayed in the doorway and waved.
“You really have to leave, Millie?” She held an arm out for Laura who hugged her, “This cupcake has to get back to work tomorrow.”
“You guys have a good vacation!” Laura called as she went around the car to the driver’s seat. Carmilla hopped in the passenger side.
“Are you sure you’re okay with us driving? Not nervous?” Laura asked, starting the ignition. Carmilla took her hand, “You don’t make me nervous.”
And it was true. Carmilla’s fear of cars had been getting better and better but whenever Laura was driving, she felt like she never had a fear. It was getting a lot easier; she was not sure if she would ever want to drive again, but it was definitely more convenient that she could be in a car now.
Laura went back to work and did not stop. After their short conversation about how Laura was unhappy, it was never brought up again and she threw herself into the articles she was given as if she could change how she felt. Carmilla spent most of the days in the apartment, trying to figure out what to do with her days. She had previously entertained the idea of writing a book about philosophy or language or life; she had never made up her mind and it seemed to far-fetched a plan for her to ever finish. Instead, she found herself applying to tutor in foreign languages online. She got the job without a hitch; she expected to.
And that was what brought them to the holidays yet again. They had completely forgotten about Halloween. Carmilla was not bothered by it’s he did not enjoy the costumes or the obligation to give out candy or even worse, attend a party. But Laura was distraught. She had had so many ideas for what they could go as. Carmilla assured her it would come around again the next year and they could dress up in whatever horrible costume Laura came up with. Laura immediately wrote it in big letters on the fridge calendar.
That was another change. Never in her life had Carmilla ever thought she would have a fridge calendar but here they were. Moving in permanently with Laura was more different that she had expected. When she stayed at Laura’s, she always respected Laura’s routine but now since this was their house, both of their routines collided. They were able to work through it. But the little things like fridge calendars always threw Carmilla off. It was as if she had gone through the past few years not really believing everything happening to her was true and a calendar on the fridge is what clarified it all.
Laura would go to work. Carmilla would drag herself out of bed a couple hours later. She had a couple of tutoring sessions in the afternoon; she had made sure to never schedule before noon. That was all she did; the job was only to entertain her and take up time. Bagheera hung around her all day, following her around the house. She read a lot. For the most part though, she was bored.
Laura always became a whirlwind around the holidays and so for once, she was actually looking forward to all of it. Something to drag her out of the monotony that she would never disclose to Laura. So the call from Kirsch saying they would host Thanksgiving at the house this year was a welcomed distraction.
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The after dinner laughter filled the room and though it took up space that was when Laura noticed the absence. Lafontaine and Perry were curled up in the corner of the couch; Perry was smiling with her arm around Lafontaine’s shoulder and Lafontaine was holding on to Perry’s other hand as they struggled to talk through their laughter with Kirsch who was bent over, his body racking with the force of his amusement. Will was sprawled out on the floor, his usual smirk, in place of laughter, lighting up his face to show he found the humor. Zayne was playing with his hair absentmindedly. Danny was in the kitchen, popping open two bottles of wine. During the loudest part of the day was when Laura recognized the strange silence. And it was not necessarily the lack of her voice; the silence was more so in the lack of her presence.
Laura pushed herself off the couch, everyone too busy trying to catch their breaths to notice her departure. She looked through the kitchen and dining room to no avail, but when she saw a wagging tail sticking out from behind the hallway wall, she smiled and changed course. “Are you trying to smuggle Cooper out?”
Carmilla was kneeling on the floor a wide smile on her face as she aggressively ran her fingers through Cooper’s long fur and when Laura appeared, she jumped, startled at the sudden voice. Her eyes were wide and Laura could not help but let out a small giggle. Carmilla got her bearings back very quickly and shrugged.
Kirsch and Danny getting a house was a very sudden upgrade that had caught everyone off guard but the had all gotten used to it by now. It was a small, two-story house that Kirsch and instantly swept it up. They both paid rent and were mostly pretending it was more convenient, though the group knew better than to believe them. The dog had run up to Carmilla as soon as Laura had ushered her through the door and since then, Cooper had sat next to Carmilla no matter where they were. She saw this connection reflected in Carmilla’s eyes and the easy way her hand had stroked absently across Cooper’s head when they had been sitting in the living room before diner. It was visible that the dog calmed Carmilla and vice versa. Kirsch had pulled Laura aside to tell her that he had never seen Cooper this relaxed around new people and Laura had laughed because she felt the same way about Carmilla.
“I’m going to take him for a walk if you want to come with us.” Carmilla was pulling his leash down from the wall. “So, you are trying to steal him?”
She just rolled her eyes, “I’m going to bring him back, cupcake.”
“I know,” Laura responded, swiftly pecking Carmilla on the cheek, “I’ll go grab our jackets.”
No one questioned her as she almost sprinted to grab their coasts out of the closet and back. Carmilla was standing there with Cooper already on the leash, ready to go. They both shrugged on their coats and then Carmilla opened the door ever so slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible so they could have a clean escape.
Laura intertwined her arm with the one that Carmilla held out for her. Cooper was walking calmly at Carmilla’s side, staying close. It was warmer than usual for late November and the wind was a nice, slow breeze that blew Laura’s hair out of her face. Carmilla pulled her in closer by her arm and Laura nestled her head into Carmilla’s shoulder, feeling a content sigh leave Carmilla’s entire body.
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“Where’s Cooper?” Danny came out of the kitchen, confusion written all over her face with the disappearance of the dog. Kirsch straightened up and looked around, “I haven’t seen him in a while.”
“He couldn’t have gotten out could he?” Danny questioned. Cooper was a good dog but he could be easily excitable and have been pulled out the door if his attention was misplaced. Kirsch moved closer and put his hand on her arm, “I’m sure, he’s fine. We’ll find him.”
“Guys,” Lafontaine was looking out the sliding glass door that led out into the side yard where the sidewalk followed alongside the street. They had an amused and adoring smile on their face, “I don’t think you need to worry about the dog.”
Danny rushed into the living room and looked out the window, Kirsch following slowly behind and chuckling softly. Passing by the window was Carmilla and Laura walking arm in arm, Cooper trotting alongside them. Danny could not help but smile because they looked perfect together. It had taken a lot for her and Laura to reach a place where they could be friends without past feelings bumping into one another and making the situation uncomfortable. But here they were, on Thanksgiving, enjoying the presence of their friends. Danny and Carmilla were by no means best friends, but they were civil enough to each other that Laura stopped glaring between them whenever tensions heightened; that had stopped becoming a problem when Danny realized Carmilla was here to stay. Once that realization dawned, Carmilla seemed to notice and let Danny off the hook for being a protective friend.
She was not the only one who could see how happy they were together. They seemed to move as one entity and though sometimes when they were near each other for a long time, it became creepy in its own way. They knew exactly how to adjust to one another and spoke without words. Danny knew from experience how dangerous something like that could become and was happy to see that though they were together most of the time, they had the ability to be apart and when they were, nothing was wrong. They both knew how to be their own people without the other. That had been a great relief because when they used to be adamant that they were strictly friends, they had been even more absorbed with one another. Getting the actual feelings out had created a middle ground for the two.
Danny laughed to herself. Sometimes she should take her own advice. It had taken her forever to accept the inevitable conclusion that her and Kirsch would be together. They had moved in together and bought a dog and yet she still refused to tell their friends she was in a relationship with the goofball that was in all practicality, her best friend.
She looked over at his dopey smile and he looked back at her with bright eyes. He was a total goofball and there was nothing stopping her but her own fear. Absolutely nothing stood in their way when they had been committed to one another. He had not looked away, but his brow furrowed when she continued to stare at him. This is it.
Danny leaned over and kissed his lips softly and quickly and his eyes widened as she pulled away. “Whoop, whoop!”
Danny turned around and glared at Will who just let out a laugh, “About time.”
Lafontaine was staring at her with their mouth hanging open and Perry was smiling as if she had known all along. They had to have; she moved in with the guy. She looked back to Kirsch who was still working through the surprise, “So…so, does this mean? This means…”
“Yes, Kirsch.” She kissed him once more and grabbed ahold of his hand, “Sorry for making you wait so long.”
“The wait was the best part.”
“Oh, really?”
“Okay, well the kissing was good, too.”
“That’s what I thought.” Kirsch pulled her with him toward the couch when Perry spoke up, “They didn’t ask you to take Cooper out?”
“I’m not sure they needed to. That dog would follow Carmilla anywhere. I trust them both anyways. It’s not a huge deal.” Kirsch had pretty much spoken for the both of them so Danny just nodded along.
There was a thump as Will fell backwards, laying spread out on the floor. “Dude, its not just you left anymore?”
“What?”
“Everyone here was always kinda paired up and you were the last one.”
Danny smacked Kirsch on the arm, “Leave him alone.”
“Well,” Zayne spoke up, “You’re welcome for fixing that problem.”
“I was perfectly fine on my own, thank you all very much,” Will said confidently.
“Yeah but we all like Zayne so it worked out for us,” Lafontaine joked, nudging Will with their foot.
Danny made eye contact with Perry and then saw that Lafontaine was still staring out the window. “Are you okay, Laf?”
“Oh, yeah, I was just thinking about how I totally called it for those two out there,” they focused on Danny then and gestured between her and Kirsch, “and you two now. I mean that’s a pretty good track record.”
“Sweetie, what does that have to do with anything?”
“Oh, I told Will when I first heard about Zayne that he was in love with him.”
Will groaned loudly at that. “Don’t deny the truth!”
“Shut up, Laf,” Will growled.
“I’m just the unofficial truth speaker here but…” a look from Perry made them stop talking and Danny also stopped Kirsch from egging them on. Will finally sat up, exasperated. “At least it’s not weird?”
“Why would it be weird?”
“Oh well, I don’t know. Because the last time I kinda thought about dating someone my sister had hooked up with her.”
Danny blanched, “Who!?”
“Nicole. You probably don’t know her. It was a while ago, but it’s still weird.”
“Does Carmilla know?” Kirsch asked.
Will waved his comment off, “It never happened so its not important but she would have no recollection like usual. Nicole remembered her though.”
“Dude, does the chick…” Danny punched him in the side, “Oof, sorry, Zayne.
Danny agreed, “Yeah, this isn’t a conversation Zayne needs to hear.”
“Oh don’t act like you’re all-knowing just because you decided to stop being difficult and tell us you’ve been in love with Kirsch for like two years.”
Danny felt her face get red, “That long?”
“Just about,” Kirsch reminded her.
“Yeah, well I didn’t have feelings for you that entire time.”
“Ouch. Stubborn.”
“Zayne has already heard about it. In hindsight I think it’s hilarious so I told him.”
Zayne shrugged, “It is actually really funny.
Lafontaine stood up from the couch, “I agree though. Let’s do something else. We could play a game!”
No one knew how long Laura and Carmilla would be out so they agreed. Danny dug out some games from underneath the television though their options were limited. They had all come a very long way in the past year and the holidays were known for evoking some sort of nostalgia and Danny was not an exception to the rule. She was proud of the steps they had all taken, not only in their friendships and other relationships, but in their lives. All of them were on the way to becoming successful in their own ways and it was nice to be surrounded by these people. She knew they cared about her and cared about each and every person in the room. Did she ever think she would be spending Thanksgiving with her nemesis from Zeta? Or her ex-girlfriend and her new girlfriend? She had always liked Perry and Lafontaine but they were more of Laura’s friends than hers and it was nice to have them back in her life. Will and, by extension, Zayne were collateral and no matter how many similarities Will shared with Carmilla, he was different enough that his personality surprisingly had never clashed with Danny’s.
She looked up at the guy running his hand through his coifed brown hair and who was smiling wide and freely and laughing at something Will had just said. She knew she had made the right decision because nothing seemed like a crazy idea anymore. No matter how quick and easy and un-impactful her quiet declaration to him may have been, no matter how insignificant it seemed, all Kirsch needed was for her to give him the go. That did not take much and it fit perfectly with who they were as individuals and together. No hassle. Looking at him she realized how stupid she had been.
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Laura’s face was tinted red from the chill of the wind and she looked so cute bundled up next to Carmilla’s side. Cooper was trotting along faithfully next to Carmilla who had been half-heartedly reprimanded by Laura for not bringing along a plastic bag just in case Cooper had to stop and go. Fortunately, that had not occurred and they were coming back toward the house after making a second trip around the small square where Kirsch and Danny’s house sat. “Thanks for walking with me, cupcake.”
“Mmmhmm,” Laura mumbled into her shoulder before reaching up on her tiptoes and kissing Carmilla lightly on the cheek. Carmilla smiled and turned her head towards Laura. She pulled the girl closer and wrapped her arms around her waist as Laura folded her hands behind Carmilla’s neck. Carmilla lips met the ones that she loved and tasted apple and cinnamon. Cooper barked in excitement, causing both of the girls to laugh. “Had to ruin the moment, boy, didn’t you?”
Cooper let out another soft bark in return and Carmilla bent down and ruffled up his fur as he closed his eyes with contentedness. She would be lying if she said Laura’s earlier comment about stealing Cooper had never crossed her mind but the dog would not be welcome in her and Laura’s apartment; the cat would have a fit. And of course, stealing a dog was inappropriate, though she rolled her eyes at that logic.
A burst of warm air hit them when they re-entered the home and as soon as Cooper was let off from his leash, he took off into the living room where Carmilla heard a loud groan from Danny as the dog must have jumped right on her. Carmilla hung up the leash and shrugged of her jacket as quickly as possible, the heat getting to her faster than was comfortable. Laura held out her hand, “I’ll take them back.”
Carmilla made her way through the kitchen and stopped in the entrance of the living room where Will was blocking half the entrance. Lafontaine and Perry were holding hands on the couch and Kirsch and Danny were lounging on the other sofa, the dog lying across their laps. Carmilla raised an eyebrow at the sight; the change in their demeanors was obvious. Danny was leaning into Kirsch who was smiling like the happiest guy on earth and Carmilla snorted, “It’s about time.”
“What?” Danny snapped as Laura appeared next to Carmilla’s side.
“You two giants finally stopped being stupid.”
“What’s up?” Laura said, appearing next to Carmilla’s side. Her eyes must have seen the same thing as Carmilla’s had because she continued, “Finally.”
Danny’s eyes widened. “How’d you know?”
“You guys could not have been more obvious.”
Danny just glared but Carmilla shrugged, “I’m happy for you.”
Everyone in the room did a double take and Carmilla shrugged again. Maybe she was not the biggest on sharing feelings or caring about what happened in their lives but she was not entirely ruthless and it had been getting on her nerves that Kirsch and Danny were adamant on pretending they were not practically married already. They got a house together and still refused to say they were totally in love with each other; it was ridiculous and Carmilla was just tired of waiting for the inevitable. “Whatever. You guys were starting to get annoying about it.”
The knowing smile on Laura’s face irritated her more than anything else but the way that her eyes sparkled with adoration at the fact that Carmilla might show one ounce of care towards the people that Laura considered both of their friends, caused a warmth to sprout in her chest and she hummed with a smirk in Laura’s direction.
“Laura? You knew?”
“No matter what you think, I’m not entirely oblivious. And we all knew,” she gestured around the room. Carmilla watched Danny swallow hard as if she was worried about Laura’s reaction though so far, she had nothing to worry about and Carmilla knew that Laura had no hard feelings.
“And that’s okay?”
Laura slipped an arm around Carmilla’s waist and Carmilla returned the favor, “It’s never bothered me. You both deserve to be happy.”
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No one had been expecting Mr. Hollis to invite everyone over for Christmas, but there they were, crammed into his house on Christmas Eve. This was a different Mr. Hollis than Danny had known before. He talked to everyone; made sure their lives were going according to plan and most of them were. He seemed happy. Danny could only guess it was because Laura was back in his life. She had only ever seen the estranged relationship between father and daughter; that was the only way she knew the two of them. When dating his daughter, she had a rough relationship with him as she always tried to make Laura comfortable. She did not need another father, hers was great. But, it made her feel uncomfortable when they did come in contact. Now though, he seemed open and stress-free.
Kirsch’s family lived very close the Hollis’ as he had gone to the same school as Laura; that was how they became friends. They had left Styria the day before and went over to spend time with Kirsch’s family. Danny got to meet his younger sister, Allie. Allie was a senior in high school now and Kirsch had made a big deal about how crazy it was that she would be in college soon. Danny smiled and let him talk about it. Allie was quiet, unlike her brother.
Since it was Christmas Eve, Kirsch’s parents cooked them dinner and they opened a couple presents. Kirsch and Danny saved each other’s for Christmas with their friends but his parents had surprised Danny with a gift. It was a first edition Brother’s Grimm. They refused to inform her where they purchased it or how much it cost but Kirsch was ecstatic. He had apparently told them she worked in fiction publishing and though she was not a huge collector of books, she might just have a new hobby for the upcoming year.
Kirsch had opened a box with a jersey in it that read ‘coach’ on the back. Even though he smiled and thanked his parents with a hug, she knew that meant a lot more to him than just those small acts of gratitude. He loved every second of being a coach. Those kids were so important to him and he took his job very seriously, not only to win games but to be there for the kids. The way his dad looked at his mom means they knew exactly that.
Kirsch had given his sister a celestial globe. She was really into space and thinking about going into astronomy in college. In that way, she reminded Danny of Carmilla which was a strange thought for her to have. Aside from the obvious difference of Allie being a nice person, they were very similar. Danny thought that might be why Kirsch got along with her so well. They had a strange dynamic but it worked.
Kirsch did not get a gift from Allie but no one questioned it and so Danny did not either. She figured she would ask later if she didn’t forget. After seeing how close he was with his family, though he did not talk about them much, she thought she might have a difficult time getting Kirsch to leave and go to the Hollis’ but he was actually the one who stood up and announced they had to get going.
In the car on the way to Laura’s she brought it up. “Well, I don’t know. I’ve been out of the house for a few years and yeah I love them but I do have my own life now. You guys are all my family too. I think that’s just how it happens. I know they’ll always be there for me but I have to live my life and the life I have is all of you.”
Danny was stunned into silence. Kirsch was not the most book smart person she had ever met and sometimes his common sense was lacking but he tended to come out of nowhere with mind-opening pieces of wisdom. He was always so sure about them as if they were actual facts he had picked up and memorized but Danny had never once thought about family that way. She had always thought about it as an obligation everyone kept up. Kirsch thought of them as people he could always fall back on if need be. Danny could not help but wonder if her relationship with her family would be different if she had that philosophy from the start. Instead she had always thought of moving out and never going back and so far, except from a few visits, she had been successful.
The Hollis’ house was not made for the amount of people that were staying. Mr. Hollis had a room and Laura had a room. There were two and half bathrooms and that was it. Laura and Carmilla would get one room. Mr. Hollis offered his room up and only after much arguing did Perry finally give up the fight and take it. Danny and Kirsch would get the couch, which was fortunately a pull-out bed and Mr. Hollis blew up an air mattress to sleep on the floor. Was it a little awkward going to bed in the same room as your ex’s father? Of course it was. It was equally as weird with someone new as it would have been with that man’s daughter.
Danny and Kirsch were the first up. Whether it was because Danny could hear Mr. Hollis making breakfast or because the pull-out was not very easy on the back, Danny could not say for sure. Kirsch was stretching on the edge of the mattress when she went into the kitchen. Mr. Hollis poured her a cup of coffee, “So, how are you Danny?”
She paused for a moment because she was surprised by her own answer. It had been a long time since she could say it truthfully. “I am actually doing really, really great, right now.”
“I’m glad for you,” he responded as a yawning Kirsch came in the kitchen, “And I’m guessing this guy has something to do with that.”
Kirsch had the dopey grin on his face that she loved, even though he had no idea what had been said. He waved off the coffee and grabbed orange juice instead. “Kirsch, bud, its great to have you back in the house.”
“It’s good to be here. I haven’t been since high school.”
“That long?” Mr. Hollis asked. The question was only for show; they both knew it had been that long.
“Was it prom?” Kirsch questioned. That peaked Danny’s attention. Mr. Hollis shook his head, “I think you were here after graduation.”
Danny looked at Kirsch, “You went to prom with Laura?”
He actually laughed, “No, I went to prom with SJ. Laura and Annie were just collateral. We were all friends at that point so we just went in a group. We all just crashed here after.”
“Mr. Hollis?” Danny said as if scandalized, “You let a boy sleep over with your daughter.”
Mr. Hollis was busy flipping the pancakes but he took the time to chuckle, “I was never once worried about Kirsch. And if you didn’t know,” he whispered, “Laura’s gay. I should’ve been more worried about the girls. But if I never let her have her girlfriends over, I’m not sure Laura would have had even the two friends she did have.
“I think I’ve grown a little bit. I didn’t make Carmilla sleep on the couch yet again I met her last year and I’m not sure I have much authority over that seeing that Laura had her freedom to make her own choices.” The undertone of the sentence was that he had been absent but everyone in the room was conscious of it enough to let it slide by without comment. “Breakfast is almost ready, would you guys be willing to go wake up the others?”
“Of course,” Danny scooted off the chair. Kirsch followed up the stairs but paused. “D-Bear? Could you possibly wake up Laura and Carmilla? I walked in on them once and I never want that to happen again.”
“So you think I want to see that?” Kirsch looked helpless and Danny rolled her eyes, “Fine. But you’re being a baby.”
“You don’t understand. I then had to take her father to the airport. That situation can never happen again in any sort of context. Ever.”
“Kirsch I already said I’d do it. Go get Laf and Perry.” Danny had barely knocked on the door when Laura opened it, her hair all mussed from sleep and a huge smile on her face, “It’s Christmas.”
“That it is, creampuff,” said a voice from behind and Carmilla appeared, wrapping her arms around Laura’s waist. Danny pointed down the hallway, “Just so you two know, that one time when Kirsch walked in on you has scarred him beyond repair. He wouldn’t even come near the door.”
Laura frowned but Carmilla smirked, “Then good thing he hadn’t come woken us up about fifteen minutes ago. Wouldn’t want a repeat of that.”
Laura blushed and pushed Carmilla off her. Danny grumbled, “Keep it to yourself next time.”
When she walked away she could hear Laura arguing with a smug Carmilla about whether or not to share about their sex life. Danny called back, “Laura, your dad said breakfast was ready.”
Danny almost tumbled down the stairs as how fast Laura sped past her. Carmilla was more languid than that. “We’ve been working on the whole eat more thing but I’m sure this is more about the faster everyone eats, the faster presents come. She’s like a five year old when it comes to Christmas.”
Carmilla passed her without explaining anymore and Danny had no idea what the “eat more thing” was. Perry and Lafontaine came out of the room together, holding hands and wearing matching Christmas sweaters. Perry smiled and said good morning.
Kirsch took her hand, “Happy Christmas, D-Bear. I’m glad I get to spend it with you again.”
Danny kissed him, “I’m excited for the year we finally spend it alone, at home, and have our traditions. We’ve only been talking about that for two years.”
Kirsch shrugged, “I know but maybe,” he looked around when they reached the bottom of the stairs, “maybe this is our tradition.”