Jake's Younger Sister

• christmas day •

Colby's watch ticked every minute quietly and softly, the birds chirped and sung outside the window as the sun strongly rose.

My eyes fluttered open the moment I realized the significance of the day, despite my overwhelming fatigue. The room was cloaked in darkness and an air of despondency, yet Colby's strong, muscular arm that was wrapped around my waist provided a comforting warmth that filled me with affection.

I slowly sat up in bed, glancing over to Colby who was deeply sleeping. His brown, messy hair covered his closed oceanic eyes and small snores echoed around the room.

He looked perfectly happy to stay in bed for eternity and catch up on sleep, however, it was Christmas day! There was no time for that.

I carefully and slowly moved his hair out of his face before placing a kiss on his cheek. I nudged his muscular shoulder before asking him to get up. He groaned out in annoyance and stretched his arms out.

I lightly laughed at his exhausted response, Colbys tired eyes explored my face and a smile erupted on his own.

"Merry Christmas!" I whispered happily, leaning in closer to kiss him lightly. Colby wrapped his toned arms around my waist once again and kissed me back passionately.

"Merry Christmas to you to my love." Colby whispered, pulling back from our embrace.

Colbys back hit the mattress with a tired groan, pulling me down with him. "Now, five more minutes." He yawned, his eyes fluttering shut with a tight hold on me.

-

After a brief moment of rest, Colby and I finally rose to our feet. As we descended the stairs, the soft murmur of whispers and quiet laughter from the boys and girls below reached our ears, all of them eagerly waiting for us to appear.

The moment we stepped off the last stair, a chorus of "Merry Christmas!" rang through the air, filling the room with joy and making me burst into a bright, cheerful laugh.

My first real Christmas.

With the people I adore.

Chatter filled the room as Colby settled on the couch and pulled me onto his lap, his hands gently resting on my hips as he leaned his head against my shoulder.

The soft glow of the twinkling lights from the Christmas tree filled the living room, casting a warm, golden hue over my friends gathered on the floor, surrounded by piles of wrapped presents. Outside, snow fell steadily, muffling the sounds of the world, leaving only the crackling of the fireplace and the quiet buzz of excitement in the room.

I was ecstatic, the boys and girls had already opened their presents from me and adored them. I loved watching their face expressions as they realised i had bought them something they've been wanting or liked.

Gift giving was my new love language.

I cuddled into Colby as I watched the others open their presents from their partners. There was a bright smile on my face the whole time I just couldn't shake.

Kat was perched on the edge of the couch, grinning as she passed a large box wrapped in silver paper to Sam. "This one's from me. You've got to open it first!" Kat insisted, smiling almost as much as me.

Sam raised an eyebrow but took the gift graciously, tugging at the ribbon. "You're too excited about this. Should I be worried?" Sam joked.

Kat rolled her eyes at his joking, ushering him to open the gift.

We all leaned in, watching intently. As Sam peeled away the paper, his eyes widened at the sight of new ghost equipment. "No way! Kat seriously?" He exclaimed, turning the new and improved EMF reader, Rem-pod and Ghost box over in his hands.

"I know your equipment recently just broke." Kat replied exhilarated. "So I figured I'd save you the trouble." She smiled, playing with sleeves of her pyjama top.

Sam glanced at her with love in his eyes and placed the items down. "Did I do good?" She questioned.

Without a second thought, Sam leaned down and kissed Kat. "You did perfect, thank you." He declared, pulling her into a quick hug.

Across the room, Tara was already tearing into a box from Jake, ribbons flying in every direction. "What is it?" She asked quickly, her fingers fumbling with the layers of tape. When she finally broke through, her face lit up with pure joy. "New shoes! Oh my god, Jake, you remembered I wanted these!" She squealed.

Jake, who was casually sipping on his daily morning coffee, smiled. "What can I say? I'm just superior." He replied cooly, shrugging his shoulders.

For once, Tara ignored Jakes cocky words and jumped up, throwing her arms around him. "These are perfect! I'm wearing them tonight!" She replied, happier than ever.

"Even though they won't match your outfit tonight?" Stas revealed with a light laugh, reminiscing last night when Tara went through every piece of clothing she owned, making the perfect outfit.

That's when Tara froze, her hands pushing off Jakes chest and turning rapidly to Stas with realisation. "Oh my god. You're right! They won't!" She panicked, picking up her brand new shoes and dashing to the stairs.

Everyone turned to her in confusion before she shouted. "I need to go find a new outfit!".

We all bursted out in laughter, classic move from Tara and her first world problems, we adore her for it though.

Our laughter dried up as we turned to Devyn handing Corey his neatly wrapped present, intrigued to see what he was gifted.

Corey carefully unwrapped the package, revealing a sleek new camera he had been saving up for. His eyes lit up, and for a moment, he was speechless. "Dev...you're incredible!" He replied, rapidly unboxing the camera for a closer look.

"You've been talking about this camera for months, I honestly couldn't take it anymore." She joked, though her smile gave away her true satisfaction and happiness.

Corey grinned, grabbing her waist and pulling her down to him. Devyn's laughter could be heard for miles. "What did i do to deserve you?" He questioned, ruffling her perfect overnight curls.

Their true love for each other was the cutest thing ever.

While this was happening, Stas - who had been quietly observing - reached behind her for a gift she had hidden. "Alright, now it's my turn! But first, this one's for all of us."

She set the small, rectangular box on the floor, and everyone gathered around, curiousity piqued. She tugged at the wrapping, revealing an black box with colourful text.

A equal groan echoed around the room.

"A drinking game! Let's get fucking drunk tonight!" Stas screamed excitedly.

As we laughed at Stas' excitement, the room buzzed with warmth and joy. The unspoken feeling between us was clear - this was more than just Christmas, more than just gifts. It was our shared laughter, the content of being together, and the memories we were making.

The snow continued to fall outside, but inside, surrounded by each other, everything felt perfect.

I glanced over all my friends, my true friends.

Tears brimmed at my eyes but for once, happy tears. I am forever grateful to have found my people.

Colby realised my tears and gently wiped them away and kissed the top of my head. Tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. "Wanna go for a walk? I want to talk to you." Colby whispered in my ear, to avoid attention from the others.

I squeezed his large hand affectionately and nodded.