𝐁𝐔𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐒 [ 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐞 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 ]

merry christmas

You were working in the kitchen, helping your mom prepare Christmas dinner. So far, the break had been good. Your dad kept checking in on you, which was a little annoying since you were starting to feel better, but the breakup with Connie had been rough. And now, no one was going to meet him.

"Hey, sweetie, can you go grab the cookie dough from the fridge in the garage?" You mom asked, opening up the oven and removing a pie.

"Yeah," you set the salad bowl down and went over to the door in the kitchen that lead to the garage. It was crazy how much of a temperature difference there was when you stepped into it, shutting the door so the heat from the house wouldn't escape.

This fridge was super old and you didn't know why you kept it in the garage, but it was a great place to store other foods. The fridge in the house was just for general groceries and things you went through fast. In a way the fridge outside was like the freezer...just a fridge. This was getting dumb.

You grabbed the cookie dough and went back to the kitchen, setting it on the small table by one of the walls to start rolling it out. This was your favorite part. You loved making the Christmas cookies.

The smile on your lips disappeared though when you thought about Connie. He would've loved doing this with you. You shook your head, erasing him from your thoughts as you started to get back to work.

There were tons of things you had wanted to do with Connie, but maybe you could do them as friends. That thought seemed impossible though, especially after what you did. You weren't sure if Connie ever wanted to see you again. You thought about texting him, but the likelihood of him answering was little to none. Besides, you didn't want to bother him.

"Hey, smiley," your dad reached for some cookie dough but you smacked his hand away, giving him a stern look.

"You can wait until their baked and frosted. And don't call me that," you continued rolling out the dough and grabbed a tree-shaped cookie cutter, pressing it into the dough.

"Honey, I thought you were going to fix those lights outside?" You looked up at your mom as she raised a brow, wiping her hand on a Christmas styled tea towel.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he waved it off and got up, swiping some cookie dough anyway. You glared at him as he walked away.

"Falco can you come finish the cookies? Your sister and I are going to search for the new lights," your brother let out a groan from the living room, but sure enough, he appeared in the kitchen.

"Why do you need my help finding lights?" I questioned my mom but she just shrugged, gesturing for me to follow her down to the basement.

The basement was always freezing. The heat had never worked down here, but you didn't mind it. You loved layering blankets on top of you and it was a nice change when the kitchen became too hot. You stepped into the laundry room which also sported as a storage area as well, large shelves lining the back wall.

"Dad told me about Connie," your mom spit out, pushing things around on the shelves as she asked, "Is there a reason?"

"A reason for what?"

"For ending things," your mom pulled out a bin labeled "Christmas" and opened it, pulling things out as she looked for some of the new lights.

"I just don't think I was ready," is what you replied, sitting down on the step-stool next to the shelves.

Your mom stopped looking and met your gaze, hesitating before asking her question. You were surprised by it.

"Or was it because of Floch?"