Starlight

XVI: Take a Chance on Me

Author's Note:

This chapter was originally super long (I'm talking like over 4000 words) so I've split it into two 2000-word long chapters for the sake of your reading experience.

I'm aware that this one therefore ends on a bit of a cliffhanger... But, as an apology for going off-schedule last week and for this story being such a slow burn, I'm going to post the next chapter TOMORROW with the next chapter after that still scheduled for Sunday as planned, so you'll have three installments this week!

The next two chapters are my absolute favorites so far, so I hope you enjoy...

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We could live a million dreams
But only if we dare
We could go to such extremes
There's so much we could share

- 'Take a Chance on Me', Little Women

xx.xx

As Christmas Eve drew closer to an end, lights strung up around the windows flickered on, sending warm white light blinking through the glass. Inside, the gaggle of mismatched family members lounged in the front room of the Lewis' family home.

It was a scene straight from a postcard, but Robbie felt far from Christmassy.

"What do you mean, he said no?" Finn's cousin Amelia stood by the table, impeccably dressed in a smart blouse and skirt, hands on her hips.

Robbie laughed, shrugging, as if the motion of it would shed her disappointment from her shoulders. "It's fine. Really, I'm fine. I rang him and asked him to spend the holiday with us, and said that he would really love to see me..." She faded out for a moment, remembering how tremulous his voice had been as he'd told her this. "But he's too anxious about leaving the house. It gets really bad this time of year."

"So what was that text about? Did you ask him?"

Robbie shuffled her feet, cheeks aflame yet again.

"He felt alone and wanted to hear my voice," she murmured.

Amelia sighed as a yapping sounded from somewhere near her feet. She bent down to scoop up her little dog, Tilly, an adorable white Pomeranian. "That's so sad. Nobody should be alone on Christmas."

"Well I think," Finn's mom interjected, coming into the lounge with a tray full of sandwiches and pastries, stroking the back of Robbie's head in a motherly act of comfort, "That he's absolute trash for saying no."

Despite being an actual mom, Janet was not the most responsible of the group.

"It's not Henry's fault, mom." Finn rolled his eyes. "Didn't you hear us? He's way too anxious to leave his house. Well, I say 'house'... it's basically a stronghold; he's a doomsday prepper."

"Why don't we just go to him?"

Everyone turned to look at Poppy, who sat cross-legged on the plush carpeted floor with Tilly; she had since wriggled out of Amelia's arms and was now happily bouncing and wiggling, tail wagging at 80mph.

Robbie considered it for a moment. No. His place was too small, and she didn't want to impose.

Going to Professor Hidgens' house for Christmas the next day? It was a terrible idea.

~~~

"We are only staying for dinner."

Robbie shivered with cold (and more than her fair share of nervous excitement) as she tugged on her thick woolen scarf, hoping the friction would give her some further relief from the chill air. "We'll show up, eat some turkey, I'll give him his present, then we go."