Healing Sophie

31

A light flurry of snow gently fell outside, casting the world in its own snow globe. All throughout the house, the sounds of a fire crackled and the faint smell of bacon brushed against Sophie's nose. She slowly opened her eyes. Something about the new house felt different, more warm and homey.

As she slowly awoke and stretched her limbs, Sophie could feel the deep excitement growing in her chest. She smiled to herself. It was Christmas Eve. Her and the guys would be celebrating together that day and Connor would be coming over the day after. The world felt peaceful for once. Sophie breathed in deep and released it. She felt lighter. There was certain magic to the air.

She climbed out of bed, slipping on her Christmas slippers and finding her way downstairs to the kitchen where Victor and Chase were cooking and Finn and Theo sat at the table, drinking coffee. She smiled at the sight of them and pulled out her phone, snapping a picture of all of them and making it her lock screen. A moment forever frozen in time for her to cherish.

Victor looked up at her and smiled. "Good morning, princesa."

She grinned back. "Good morning!" She ran over to the kitchen table and crawled into Theo's lap.

He smiled and squeezed her tight in his arms, burying his face in the crook of her neck. "Hey, Bambi."

He kissed her neck and nipped at it and she squealed. "Theo!" He chuckled evilly.

Before she could protest, a big plate of food was placed in front of her, filled with fresh fruit, bacon, and eggs. Her stomach grumbled and she immediately dug in.

"Slow down, princess. You're going to be sick." She stuck her tongue out and continued on until there was nothing left. Her stomach hurt almost immediately. She held it in pain and looked at Finn who was smirking at her. "Told you."

She hopped out of Theo's lap and bounced excitedly. "Is it present time?"

"Let us finish eating, princesa." She frowned at Victor and impatiently sat on a stool, staring at them. He smirked and looked her in the eye while eating a bite of food as slow as humanly possible. She sighed and left the kitchen, going upstairs to grab her presents. She was so excited to see their reactions, she hoped they loved them.

With an arm full of bags and boxes, she skipped downstairs and arranged the gifts around the tree. As she set down the last one, her eye caught something. She turned, seeing her name on a gift and her curiosity got the better of her. She held it and went to shake it.

"Sophie." She jumped and dropped the present, turning to Theo with an innocent smile. He returned it with an evil smile and walked towards her.

He grabbed the gift from the floor and held it up. "You're doing it wrong. If you're going to snoop, you have to gently peel the wrapping paper in a place no one will notice."

She giggled and watched as he pulled back the wrapping paper. Before he could reveal what was inside, they were interrupted. "What are you two doing?"

They both jumped and immediately stood side by side, hiding the present behind them. They looked at Chase and blinked. "What do you mean?", Sophie asked, playing dumb.

Chase's eyes narrowed playfully. "You're lucky it's Christmas Eve and I'm in a cheery mood." He flopped on the couch and crossed his arms behind his head. Finn and Victor finally emerged from the kitchen. "Go ahead, Bunny. Open it."

She grinned and ripped open the present. She blinked down at it and blushed. "C-Chase."

He smirked. "You like it?" She nodded. "Put it on."