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Chloé never really liked Christmas. It usually meant three days of disappointment. Her mom was never there and she always remembered how little her dad knew about her. Sure, he always got her the most expensive presents he could find and he gave her one on each day of December, but what did that matter? He was never really there either. It just made her feel even more alone in her huge apartment, now full of gifts she didn’t care about.
It was always hard to get out of bed in December. Even if it wasn’t for all the unnecessary Christmas festivities, it was still cold. Chloé didn’t like winter as a whole – all the snow and the cold and her hair never looked good after she took her hat off. And she tended to slip on the ice.
She was about to turn to the other side and fall asleep again when her phone buzzed.
“Are you up yet?” Chloé groaned and quickly grabbed her phone so she can reply to Sabrina under the blankets.
“Yeah. Just woke up.”
“Do you have any plans for today?”
“Not really?”
“Great. I’ll come to pick you up in an hour!”
“Wait. What are we doing?”
“You’ll see ;>”
Chloé didn’t know how to feel about that. Sabrina really loved Christmas, so she was probably going to try and get Chloé to find her Christmas spirit or whatever. She did it every year and though it never worked, Chloé appreciated the fact that she’s trying. They usually went to the Christmas market and tried to get someone to buy gluhwein for them. People agreed surprisingly often and when they did, Chloé and Sabrina would always have intense snowball fights and end up all drenched and cold. Since they wouldn’t want to catch a cold, they’d run to Chloé’s place to change, but they’d get too sleepy and distracted to go out again (or do anything in general), so Sabrina would always spend the night there.
Chloé sighed and stared at the ceiling for a few seconds before finally getting up. Despite disliking Christmas, she loved spending time with Sabrina, so she was sure it wouldn’t be that bad.
“So, are we going to the Christmas market again?” Chloé was pleasantly surprised when she went out and didn’t feel like her eyelashes are about to fall from the cold.
“Nope. Not today, at least. We can always go if you want to.” Sabrina gave her a wide grin. “But today!! We’re going shopping.”
“Didn’t you already buy your Secret Santa gift?” The whole class loved Christmas and they did a Secret Santa each year. Chloé didn’t really care for that tradition either, though she had to admit, some of her classmates had given her some really nice gifts throughout the years. This year she had pulled Nathaniel’s name out of the hat, so naturally, she got him the best oil paint she could find. Might as well at least try to make someone happy. Chloé wasn’t the Grinch himself after all.
“Of course I bought it! Didn’t you? The gift exchange is in two days.”
“I did!” Chloé bit her lip to stop a smile from escaping. She didn’t only buy a present for Nathaniel. “So, what are we buying then?”
Sabrina was actually beaming. “Christmas decorations.”
Chloé turned to ask “What would we need Christmas decorations for?” but she slipped on the icy sidewalk midsentence and waved around her arms for a few seconds in a desperate attempt to keep her balance. She somehow did and took a moment to calm down before trying to speak again.
“So, why are we buying Christmas decorations? Your home is already decorated.”
Sabrina gave her the smuggest look imaginable. “Yours isn’t.” Chloé almost slipped again.
“Yes, and it’s staying that way.”
“Come on, Chloé!” Sabrina hooked arms with Chloé so she’d be more stable in case she slips again. They did that a lot in the winter. “You always tell me about how big and empty your apartment feels. Maybe bringing in some Christmas spirit would help you feel less…lonely.” She smiled apologetically.
Chloé sighed. “Fine,” Sabrina let out a happy squeak, “but you’re helping me put it up.”
Five hours later Chloé was carrying a little Christmas tree and Sabrina had two huge bags full of tiny reindeer, bigger reindeer, scented candles, ornaments, and whatever else she had deemed necessary for Chloé to have in her apartment. Now all that was left was for them to get to Le Grand Paris without flopping on the ice.
They were almost at the entrance of the Le Grand Paris when Chloé slipped again. She witnessed the five stages of grief pass through Sabrina’s eyes as Chloé sunk in the snow pile nearby.
“Is the tree okay??” Sabrina carefully placed the bags on the ground and took the Christmas tree from Chloé’s hands.
“Yes, I’m okay, don’t worry.” Chloé tried to get up, but it was harder than she thought. She slipped again and fell back into the pile.
“Here,” Sabrina left the tree next to the bags just as carefully, “let me help you.”
Chloé took Sabrina’s hand and tried to get up again, but this time Sabrina slipped as well and she ended up on top of her best friend. Chloé felt her cheeks turn pink as her breath fogged Sabrina’s glasses, but it wasn’t just the cold’s fault this time.
“We really need to get you ice grippers.” Sabrina’s tone was serious, but she said it with a smile on her face. Chloé sighed and smiled in return. She found ice grippers way too ugly to ever get a pair and Sabrina knew that.
After a couple more tries the girls finally managed to get up and enter the hotel safely. Chloé immediately handed the tree over to her butler, who accompanied them to her apartment. Sabrina was so excited to start decorating she just kicked the boots off her feet and ran inside. Chloé, on the other hand, told the butler to leave the Christmas tree near the TV, then made sure to change before doing anything else.
“So, where should we-“ Chloé almost didn’t recognize her own living room, “…woah.” Not only had Sabrina found the time to at least take off her coat, but she had also unpacked the bags and repositioned the Christmas tree, but since apparently Chloé had taken too long changing there were reindeer figures and scented candles placed here and there.
“Oh, is it too much? I don’t want it to get overwhelming. We don’t have to put everything up if you don’t want to.” Sabrina was standing on a chair trying to put up Christmas lights on the curtains.
“No…I think I actually like it. Well, maybe we should tone down the reindeer figures,“ she paused to shoot Sabrina a teasing look, “but I like the lights and the scented candles.”
Sabrina was beaming. “Really? I’m so glad, Chloé! Come and help me then. Please?”
“Are you sure? It looks to me like you’ve been doing a pretty great job yourself.” Since Chloé was taller than Sabrina, it was obvious that she’d be able to reach high enough to put the lights at the top of the curtains and let them fall freely, but she wanted to tease for a bit longer. “Do you want some tea?”
“Yes, I would like some. The lights please?” Sabrina was still tenaciously trying to reach the top of the curtain.
Chloé turned her back on her to get the kettle from the cupboard over the sink in the little kitchen beside her living room. “Green or herbal?” She grinned while Sabrina couldn’t see her face.
“Chloé!” Her grin only grew wider, but she didn’t reply. A few seconds later she heard a sigh behind her back. “Herbal, please.”
“Alright then.” She got the tea and left the water to boil, then finally went back to Sabrina and the Christmas lights.
Sabrina got off the chair with a grunt. “You’re such a tease.” Chloé took the lights from her hands and got on the chair.
“Well, it’s part of my charm, isn’t it?” She saw Sabrina’s cheeks tinting pink before she focused on the lights. “There. What do you think?”
“Beautiful.” Sabrina wasn’t looking at the lights or the curtain. “I mean, yes, I think that’s a good place to put them. Now we need to do the same with the remaining six packs of lights.”
Chloé sighed. “This is going to take a while.”
An hour later all the lights were put up on the curtains, the Christmas tree was covered in beautiful ornaments, the reindeer in sight had decreased, but the scented candles had increased and the kettle was heating up water once again.
“Are we done yet?” Chloé was slumped on the couch next to Sabrina, who was playing with a stuffed reindeer. The sun was setting over Paris and the view from Chloé’s windows was amazing; the sky went from dark blue to purple and pink with a tint of orange at the bottom where the sun had disappeared only minutes ago.
“I think so.” She looked around the room to see if there was anything they’d missed. “Oh! We forgot something. The mistletoe.”
Chloé tore her eyes from the sky to give Sabrina a confused look. “I didn’t even know we got a mistletoe. Do we need it?”
“We did. And yes, I think it would be nice to have one.” There was a mischievous look in Sabrina’s eyes as she was getting up. “Come and help me put it up.”
Chloé was too tired to tease again, so she just sighed and took the chair they used earlier. “Where?”
Sabrina was waiting for her at the bedroom doorway. “I think here would be a good spot.” Chloé put down the chair and watched Sabrina put up the mistletoe. “There,” she jumped off the chair when she was done, “what do you think?”
“It’s alright?” Sabrina moved the chair out of the way and stood next to Chloé, who opened her mouth to speak again when she was cut off by the sound of boiling water.
“Let me get that.” She turned around to head to the kitchen, but Sabrina nervously grabbed her hand before she could leave.
“It’s going to turn itself off, right?” Chloé gave her a slow nod while trying not to think about how close Sabrina’s face was and the fact that they were suddenly holding hands. “You wanna know what I think?” Another nod. “I think,” Sabrina took another step closer and Chloé couldn’t help but notice that she wasn’t the only one blushing, though that wasn’t what she was paying attention to at that moment, “that we just happen to be standing under a mistletoe.”
Before Chloé could process what she had just heard, Sabrina’s hands had let go of hers to cup her face and pull her into a kiss. It took half a second for Chloé to realize that she wasn’t, in fact, dreaming and to return the kiss. Her hands found their way to Sabrina’s waist and back, their lips parted and-
Clack. The kettle turned itself off and startled Sabrina, who bumped into the chair, lost her balance and fell on the floor. Chloé couldn’t stop laughing for a full minute, even though Sabrina tried he best so shush her and change the subject by dragging her to the kitchen for more tea.
“So,” Chloé said after they got their tea and sat back on the couch, a bit closer to each other than before, “that’s what we needed the mistletoe for.” She couldn’t hide her smirk any longer. “Did you plan this whole thing just so you can be cheesy and kiss me under a mistletoe?”
“You’re really charming tonight, aren’t you?” Sabrina was trying to be serious, but between her red cheeks and the smile that kept escaping her lips, it was obvious she was just teasing Chloé back. Chloé just raised her eyebrows in return, still waiting for an answer. Sabrina sighed and somehow her cheeks turned an even brighter shade or red. “Okay, yeah, I had it all planned out…we didn’t even buy the mistletoe, I brought it from home.” Chloé almost choked on her tea from laughing. “If it wasn’t for that dumb chair there…”
Chloé finally managed to take a breath again. “Sabrina, you’re truly adorable.” She realized what she had just said and paused for a second to think of a tease to compensate. “Does that mean you like me, Raincomprix?” Sabrina hit her with the stuffed reindeer she was playing with earlier.
“Yes, Chloé, I think I have a crush on you.”
“Oh? Really?” Chloé was trying to appear surprised without laughing. She gave up when Sabrina hit her with the reindeer for a second time. “Okay, okay, I like you too.” They just sat there facing each other for a few seconds, until they gradually leaned in for another kiss, which Chloé suddenly broke up. “I almost forgot! I got you something.”
“But we never get each other Christmas presents?”
“Well yeah, but I know how much you love Christmas and I saw the thing and I thought that you’d like it and you’re already a great friend and I have a giant crush on you after all…” Chloé realized she was trailing off. “…so I wanted to make you happy! Anywho, come with me.” She got up and took Sabrina’s hand to pull her after herself.
They went to Chloé’s bedroom (with only briefly stopping under the mistletoe for another quick kiss), where Chloé pulled out a bag from her closet.
“I hope you like it.” Chloé gave the bag to Sabrina as they both sat on the king sized bed. Sabrina looked a bit skeptical, probably because she knew Chloé wasn’t great and choosing gifts, but her face lit up when she peeked in the bag.
“Chloé, you shouldn’t have…” Sabrina pulled out a sweater. It wasn’t just a sweater though; it was the least ugly Christmas sweater Chloé had ever seen and she knew she had to get it for Sabrina the second she saw it. The sweater was the exact sea green color as Sabrina’s eyes and it had little reindeer embroidered around the wrist-bands. “It’s gorgeous! Thank you so much, Chloé, I love it.”
Sabrina pressed a soft kiss to Chloé’s cheek, which quickly turned pink. “I’m really glad then.” They sat in comfortable silence for a few seconds as Chloé flopped on her back on the bed. “Would you like to stay over and watch a silly Christmas movie or something?”
Sabrina’s jaw dropped. “But you hate Christmas movies?”
“I’m not the biggest fan, but I like making fun of them with you…and cuddling on the couch…and then falling asleep on my bed together.” Chloé was growing more and more flustered with each confession. “I also don’t want to suffer through dinner with my dad again.” She sighed at the end.
Sabrina was obviously having fun with how flustered Chloé was, but the final sentence made her snort. “Alright then, you can use me as an excuse.”
“It’s not an excuse! It’s a date.” She was suddenly back to her usual smug self. “A dinner date that consists of instant noodles and more tea, because I’m too tired to leave my apartment.” Sabrina laughed again and lay next to Chloé. “What do you say?”
“Fancy dinner and a movie night? How could I say no to that?” Now Chloé was laughing as well. They both turned on their sides so they could face each other, but they didn’t touch or say anything for a while.
Sabrina was the first one who spoke again. “We should get up and make those instant noodles, shouldn’t we?” Chloé’s eyes were closed, but she let out a quiet hum. “You’re not getting up soon, are you?” Another hum. “Well, then…” Chloé felt Sabrina scoot closer before dozing off.