Perfect Christmas: A Paper Dolls Novel Read online

  She leaned into me, melting and forming to my needs.

  “Baby, I love you so much,” she whispered. Setting my chest on fire with all that love.

  I leaned into her and swayed a little, addicted to her softness. “Come on,” I smiled, overwhelmed by it all. “All I wanna do is kiss you. And if we stay up here I'll keep you forever.”

  I fell gently off the bed, landing onto my feet. Then I moved down to my knees in front of the fire to open the latch so the logs would burn quicker and the fire would eventually go out after we left.

  The treehouse always felt like this other dimension. Like if I stayed long enough I'd power up or regenerate somehow. Like in Zelda when Link finds the hidden caves.

  I stood back up and found the little book I’d left that Avery had bought me on a random summer trip with her parents. It was a journal, small, with a fancy gold pen attached, a small little pen. I'd written a few poems inside. All that summer reading had done so much internally to me. Maybe if I kept the little book with me I'd concentrate on it and write a few things instead of freaking out. I took it up in my hands, clutching onto it needily.

  “You better keep me forever. There are no returns accepted,” Avery mentioned.

  I felt her hand close over my wrist. She pulled me close again. We looked into one another for a long enough time that everything went away and it was just us.

  “I'm never going to leave. You can put me in your pocket if you want and I'll go everywhere with you,” she promised.

  “You’re a little drunk,” I smiled anxiously, nuzzling in close to her and smelling the beer on her tongue. “I’m kind of glad you can’t fit in my pocket. I like you human-sized.”

  I tucked my hands into her college sweat pockets and pulled her lower body in closer to mine.

  “I'm not that drunk. Human-sized is better but still,” she said.

  “Still what,” I teased, tugging her lower body into mine and staring at her lips. Her hands on my skin were home, the one thing I constantly craved. I loved that her arms could fit around me and keep me, that her palms were always soft on my skin, that her thumbs knew how to apply the perfect amount of pressure, that she was careful with me until I asked her to be rough.

  “I have no idea. Nat got me drunk,” she leaned in. “I think she did it on purpose,” she whispered.

  “Mmhmm, I think you're right,” I smiled. “Come on sexy.” I tugged her to follow me down.

  I was starving and getting drunk sure did sound like some much needed fun.

  I led her down and was careful to watch her. Avery had so much energy sometimes. Her excitement would manifest in jumping off ladders and rolling into hedges or trees. Not that she intended that at all. Things happened when one was excited and inebriated.

  When we got down to the patio I fished my black dress up off the ground and tugged it back on. Why I’d worn it today I couldn’t say. I was just lazy and it was an easy piece. I took my wet bra off and left it under a chair. I didn’t need it anyway, no need being uncomfortable or getting itchy because of a stupid mistake.

  “Oh wow, you fetched the sad one, color me shocked,” Natalie teased. Her hair was up in a messy bun. Different shades of beautiful brown twisted around and peeked out here and there. Of course a mess on Natalie just looked a thousand times sexier than it should and I wanted to protest it but hey.

  “Oh come on, we both know I can’t trust you alone with my sweetly drunk wife,” I explained. “You’d take advantage.”

  “Mmm mmm mmm, Livia darling…” Nat came over and hugged me to her, making sure to take a little extra away. “I am terribly sorry I dropped a bomb on your Christmas.” She swayed me against her and nearly made me uncomfortable with how hard she actually squeezed.

  “It’s fine,” I grumbled, pushing her off. Truth was, I should’ve seen it coming. Of course Nat would out me to Avery. Nat was all about setting the record straight. “Would it have killed you to let me at least try to be normal?”

  “Not really,” Nat laughed. “Seeing you uncomfortable is kinda hot anyway.”

  She winked at me and smiled at Avery as she let me be free.

  “Wow, it’s like a bakery in here,” I noticed. They’d gotten a lot done. Originally Avery had something like five recipes she wanted to try. Looking at it now though at least four were laid out done or cooling to be decorated. I wondered what my mom would say if she were home.

  If I’d done this, she would call me excessive. Since it was Avery though it was charming and sweet.

  “Well, um, yeah,” Nat teased. “See, this is what normal people do Livia. They make gifts for each other, sweet ones.”

  “I got you a gift,” I said lazily, defending myself.

  “Lemme guess, is it whiskey?”

  “It's not. No,” I said, correcting her and her assumptions about me.

  I'd gotten her whiskey before. But that was because she liked whiskey and I knew we could drink it together. Was that not actually sweet?

  “Hmm,” Nat thought, leaning back on the counter and taking a sip of her beer. “Probably something sharp then. Or something leather.”

  Nat wiggled her eyebrows at Avery and smiled.

  “Um, hey,” Avery protested.

  “I actually got you something that reminded me of you,” I said sadly. “It was over a month ago but I felt stupid about randomly sending you something sentimental. So I waited until now.”

  “Well, that's a beautiful story,” Nat teased like it wasn’t true.

  “Right. Fine,” I said, turning to the fridge to pull a beer out for myself.

  I twisted the top off angrily and drank some down while the fridge door was still open.

  “Do you know about this supposed gift, Avery?”

  I looked down at my phone and saw I had a missed call from Vivi. I tilted my head back and swallowed a few continuous gulps of beer while I thought about how that potential callback was going to go. We'd actually talked about holidays before. Vivi said, given how I was raised, it seemed perfectly normal to her that I wasn't the biggest fan of anything having to do with forced social celebrations and my overly nitpicky family.

  “No, but I got you something too so feel lucky,” Avery teased.

  “Oh honey, I already feel lucky,” Nat smiled with all her beautiful teeth.

  “Well, too bad you're not getting lucky.”

  Avery walked toward the oven and then detoured to the bottle of vodka on the counter.

  “Hey, you promised to make me a screwdriver,” she said.

  “Oh shit, that’s right,” Nat remembered. I stood back against the closed fridge door and just watched them be close to each other. They were sweet and I fully intended on observing them. When Nat hungout with us I always got to see how different they were together. It sometimes made me wonder why Avery loved me so so much since they always seemed so very happy. And sometimes, I was like a prominent kink in a lovely and perfect gold chain. “Here, stop,” Nat laughed softly, taking the bottle from Avery somewhat effortlessly. “I said I’d do it, let me do it. Please,” Nat insisted in a whisper. She leaned in near Avery’s face to get her to smile, relent, and back off.

  They both noticed me watching them, I don’t know why. I dropped my eyes a little embarrassed and smiled to myself, shaking my head.

  “Make Olivia one too. I want to drink with my wife,” Avery said and then giggled.

  I drank some more of my beer and smiled over at her softly. I didn’t need to be involved. Not in Christmas, not in whatever it was they were happy about. Just being near though, I liked it. Their specific brand of holiday madness wasn’t a bad brand I just craved a little more ash.

  “Is it okay if I cook something?” I asked Avery. “I haven’t eaten all day.”

  She got so caught up in things she probably forgot. The beer was going to my brain though, no slow detour just straight up to my head. At this pace I’d be blackout soon. I didn’t enjoy that particular stage.

  “I could just order somet
hing,” I said. “Tiptoe around the kitchen while you do what you do.”

  I thought of my record player in the study. The couches there, all my fond memories of first entertaining my love. I was too scared to talk then and too anxious to do nothing, I remember it well.

  “Uh-oh, Olivia’s got that nostalgic look,” Natalie teased. “She’s either drunk or dreaming up a Christmas Faberry AU.”

  “We’re pretty much done. The kitchen is all yours, baby. Oh, and I want food too I didn't eat either.” Avery looked confused for a moment. “That explains why I got drunk so fast,” she said like it was the epiphany of the century.

  “Oh boy,” I swallowed, realizing she was THAT kind of drunk. “You’re not leaving all these cookies like this,” I laughed. They were sprawled out on every surface, all ready to be decorated and then…

  Wait… What was she doing with the cookies? I never even thought to ask.

  “Here you go sunshine,” Nat said, handing Avery her drink.

  Fuck…

  I grabbed my phone off the counter and called the pizza place we liked that was usually pretty reasonable on time.

  “What, yea hi, I just need to order two pizzas please.” I covered my ear and tried to remember the weird stupid pizza names. It was one of those places that thought they were super cute. Hipster interiors and a rotating gambit of fully-loaded thick pies. Names like Fire On The Mountains and The Great Veggie Escape.

  “Pick up or delivery?” The man asked.

  “Delivery,” I said.

  We went through the details and I knew it was smarter than maybe trying to clean or trying to decorate Avery’s cookies or trying anything, to be honest.

  “Tequila sunrise,” Nat smiled, walking over to me and handing me my new drink all sexy-like. I always preferred Tequila to Vodka, she was obsessed with details and it almost made me choke on a laugh at this particular time.

  I put my beer down on the counter and looked at her partway amused and part way bothered. She liked to play with us each in different ways and I always noticed it and she always knew I was noticing. Natalia was positively electric when she wanted to be. More than anything though, Nat knew more than anyone that Avery and I were pretty much incapable of holding our liquor. Natalie giving us drinks was like her saying: okay, you signed up for this, don’t complain to me later, this is all your fault now.

  And that smile of hers, it was so cocky I had to shake my head and just laugh.

  Chapter 9

  Avery

  Three screwdrivers and two pieces of pizza later I was running around the kitchen trying to catch Natalie. She had the vodka bottle and she wouldn't give it up.

  I had her trapped between the counter and the fridge.

  “Give it up, Reyes, I've got you this time,” I taunted her.

  “Your therapist taught me things, ya know. I can easily- SAFELY- knock you out,” Nat explained. “I know how to do that.” She grounded herself and tried to appear intimidating, lowering her upper-body to center herself and put more power to her core. “I must admit though, I do admire your confidence,” Nat laughed.

  “Hey- hey- you guys, maybe you shouldn’t fight around all the cookies, huh?” Olivia’s voice made a half-hearted suggestion from the kitchen nook near the window where she sat. She was nowhere near entrenched in our battle. She’d been eating pizza slowly and looking at random things on her phone.

  “Yeah, I do have a better idea,” I said.

  I took off for the study where I knew there was more liquor. I didn't like whiskey like Olivia did but I could drink rum.

  “Avery?” Natalie called, her voice rising as she came closer to try and investigate what I was up to.

  I looked back to try and gage my time frame.

  “Oh- hell no,” Natalie said, lunging toward me and managing to get her hands around my wrists. “Drop it,” she said, shaking me, real close to my ear as her entire body pushed into mine and tried to gain the advantage.

  We were just so equal in strength. And, of course, she smelled good. Dizzy, I tripped forward a little and she followed with me, trying to win.

  “Come on,” she whispered, kinda sexy and then she chuckled afterward.

  “I'll never give up,” I said.

  I twisted around and my legs hit the leather couch and we fell. The bottle hit one of the cushions and bounced, hitting the floor. It didn't break but I didn't care if it did. We had more.

  Nat landed on top of me, our bodies pressed close, her face in my boobs.

  “Oops,” I said, laughing.

  She burst out laughing too, taking a strong breath in before deciding to actually comment. “Yeah you’re real smooth,” she teased, moving against me a little but then deciding to just keep me comfortably trapped. “God, you smell good. Probably all that Martha Stewart shit,” she laughed, one of her hands still holding my wrist.

  “No, that's just me. I always smell good. You smell better though, like mangos and cedar,” I explained.

  “No see, I smell like I spend a lot of money trying to smell good. You’re- It’s different,” she said, laying her head down and breathing me in. “It’s not store bought, it’s natural.” She rubbed her palm against mine and nuzzled into my chest lazily.

  “Oh, in that case, thanks and also are you nuzzling my boobs?”

  “What? No. I’m just… In the vicinity,” she defended, trying to be dignified and make some distinction. “I’m keeping you from your demons. Obviously. You’re plagued. You need me. This has nothing to do with how good you smell or how nice your...” Her hands trailed sexily down my arm and the side of my breast and I knew she was fucking with me.

  “Are you literally trying to turn me on with Olivia in the next room?”

  It was working and through my blurry, drunk, thought processes, that conflicted me.

  “Mm, no, I would never,” Natalie lied, stroking me more. Even her leg was slipping in between mine, just naturally but still. “I never have to try,” she said honestly. “I’m just trying to stop you from drinking. We can do what you want to do. Really, I don’t care.” The way her breath huffed, and she swallowed, alerted me to the fact that she was most definitely turned on too. I’d seen her in her many states before, even this one. But right now we were too close.

  “Um, what?” I sputtered. I couldn't look away from her lips but I had to try. “Do you know what you're doing?”

  “Do I ever seem confused?” Natalie asked, slipping upwards a bit on my body. Her hand found it’s way under my shirt. It wasn’t super sexual or anything but it was on my skin and she used her fingers to guide herself up on me a little bit more, her nails touched down on my skin but they didn’t dig.

  “No.” I said, watching her. I didn't know what was going to happen but we were at some kind of precipice.

  Nat leaned in a little, opening her mouth as she drew in near my lips. I could practically feel the air between us. But then she stopped herself midway. Whatever hesitation I had she had, it was instilled.

  “Uh. Huh,” she laughed, pushing her thigh and her breasts into me on accident and leaning her head back just to get herself to think sense and possibly breathe. “I - I’m sorry, you’re just…”

  She laughed. Her eyes drifted down my face and my body and she bit the side of her bottom lip. It wasn’t a play thing, it wasn’t something she was conscious of, I could see that, I knew her. She was openly checking me out, removed of all filters, possibly too drunk to even know.

  “I'm what?” I asked.

  I swallowed hard, wondered how far she would go.

  “Oh Avery,” she sighed, almost exacerbated like Olivia got sometimes. She propped her head up with her hand, elbow sinking into the cushion at my side, leading me further into her as she stared down on me. “You know what you are,” she said, staring openly and lovingly not caring at all if I saw or if I knew. I watched her perfect neck as she swallowed. That smooth smooth skin.

  At the very last second she shook her head back and forth and lic
ked her lips. Her eyes dropped and she sort of moved to try and begin to give me the space I so often asked for and required of her.

  “No, I really don't. I get how Olivia sees me but I just figure it's love talking. I've never gotten why,” I said looking down.

  I wasn't looking for compliments. I was just trying to see what she did.

  “You’re…” Natalie started to talk but then stopped herself trying to think better of it. She settled back down on top of me in search of the right words. “You’re addicting,” she said almost sadly, like Olivia would say. Her eyes were glossy, the tenderness did that.