I plopped into an ungraceful heap on the couch and grabbed a throw pillow to bury my face in as I chased for sleep.
The Christmas portion of NewChristmasYear began at the break of dusk, and just like a real Christmas, presents decorated the base of the mountainous tree dressed in ornaments and twinkle lights in the corner of the living room. Flames crackled and embers leaped in the fireplace, setting the mood as everyone took a seat in the main area.
I stirred again when Edrian shifted me into a sitting position to lean into his side and I nestled myself even further into the coaxing arms of sleep with his arm around me.
Even the sun hadn't awoken yet. The faint orange hues crept over the horizon and the trickle of light oozed like caterpillars into the twilight darkness beyond the window.
"Why do we do this to ourselves every year?" Cara groaned and dived face first into the adjacent couch. "Isn't one ungodly morning enough?"
I laughed, my voice raspy with traces of sleep. My eyes opened into slits. The lights from the lamps and chandelier burned my irises from the contrast to Edrian's dark room and I had to squint to see everything happening around me.
Arina and Mila were the only ones with a pep to their step, arranging the presents accordingly as the rest of us drew out as much sleep as possible. Luke came to sit beside me, resting his head back against the cushion and closing his eyes at the same time Nico smacked the back of Cara's thigh to force her to make room.
She lifted her head from the couch, twisted over her shoulder and scowled, but then she reluctantly sat up to let Nico sit down. Since, Tyler was still on a lot of pain medications, Arina didn't want him joining in on our early morning.
"Where's Lily?" I asked.
Cara jutted her finger towards the kitchen.
"She's getting the snacks."
"Didn't you say you wouldn't be able to eat for the next week last night?" I mused.
"That was last night," she quipped, tossing her hair into a bun. "It's a new day."
"It's been nine hours," Luke retorted.
"So? A lot can happen in nine hours."
"Like what?" Nico asked sarcastically.
"Digestion."
Luke and Nico rolled their eyes and I laughed. Lily came bounding out then, with a tray of steaming mugs and a magnitude of snacks in hand. We each took a mug and when I peered down, there was a snowman marshmallow swimming in a brown liquid. I grinned and took a sip.
"Okay, present time!" Mila sang, clapping her hands and jumping on the edges of her feet near the tree. "Me first!"
I watched her tear into all the presents with Mila written on it with a slight cringe. For a tiny human, she sure knew how to tear through those boxes with little to no effort.
YOU ARE READING
His DayLily
RomanceWhen vengeance strikes in the form of a bullet out for the princess's blood, Princess Aleia VonAuclair must flee the heart of her country in order to protect the people she loves and take back the pieces of her soul she'd lost to the girl she once l...