As Nigel dropped me off in front of my house, a soft glow shone from deeper inside, barely reaching the front windows. I didn’t have any lights like that. I gave Nigel a quickthank you, for both ride and the fact he didn’t feel the need to make random small talk, and I headed inside.
I’d sent Link back to his place because as much as I wanted his company tonight, he needed sleep too.
Inside, it was clear the pale yellow glow of light was coming from the living room, so I went to investigate.
When I reached the doorway, the sight stalled me in my tracks and I swore my heart stopped as well. It hurt to see the tree in the corner. Ached so much a fist squeezed theair from my lungs. Especially since, amid the elegant, clean matching decorations, were a handful I’d made when I was a kid. Ornaments Dad sure as fuck wasn’t going to hang, but Grandpa was happy to.
It hurt like hell, but it also made me smile. Seeing Fallyn asleep on the couch, her costume wrinkled and in disarray, and King curled up on her feet, made both the grief and the joy that much more potent.
Except she wasn’t asleep anymore. She was watching me with sleepy eyes. “I ‘ope it’s okay.” Her voice was soft, and her accent thicker than normal.
“It is.” I didn’t trust myself to say more.
She sat up, and patted the couch next to her. “What time is it?”
“Three thirty-ish?”
“In the morning?”
It seemed like a silly question, but it was also kind of cute. I settled next to her, trying not to disturb King. “Yes. In the morning.”
“No Link?” Fallyn asked.
My jealousy spiked, and I didn’t like the way it disturbed my bittersweet nostalgia. “No Link. It’s just you and me and King.”
“I can think of worse fates.” She wasn’t leaning into me, but she sat close enough her thigh brushed mine.
Her response calmed me. “Same.” Maybe… Could I let her in? Not as close as Link, but I could see enjoying her friendship long-term.
We were quiet for a few minutes, and I wondered if she’d drifted off to sleep again when she said, “If I ask you something, give me an honest answer.”
“Depends on the question.”
“Are you really a Christmas Grinch?”
A short laugh escaped me. “I don’t think the qualifier is necessary. I’m just a Grinch.”
“Fair point.”
I hadn’t expected an argument and I was glad I didn’t get one. It would’ve felt forced on her part. “You like Christmas?”
“I loved it back home.”
“Not anymore?”
She shrugged and pulled her knees to her chest, making her look even smaller. More vulnerable. “It’s not the same here. I call my sister at the start of December and we decorate together. Christmas Day we do something similar—open presents long distance on voice chat. But having her in the room with me was a different experience.”
“You never go visit?” I was surprised.
“Sometimes. But it’s hard to take time off when you do what I do. I only managed this trip because I knew I could stream while I was here. Flying halfway around the world and vanishing from the internet for a week or more? The world would forget I existed.”
I understood, and doubted myI wouldn’t forgetwas the kind of reassurance she wanted. “If you’re in-game on Christmas, and you want company, come find Link and me.”
Fallyn leaned some of her weight into me, and the pressure was both delicious and reassuring. “As Kittie or as Fallyn,” she asked.
“Up to you.” It didn’t matter, as long as she showed up. I wanted to make a different offer—a more encompassing one—but that was an impulse I couldn’t indulge even enough to let the details form in my mind.
“Do you remember the Christmas event last year?”