Both Sides | ✓

Chapter 25

Olivia's POV:

Allison slept like a log. She fell into her bed at 9 PM and immediately went to sleep. For once, I was glad to be the only insomniac in my family.

"Hey, " I whispered to Cleo, both of us half under the covers.

"She's asleep?" Cleo asked quietly. I nodded and moved in a little closer to her.

"Christmas Eve is in three hours," Cleo said, pointing to the alarm clock across from us.

I smiled at her. "Don't get too excited. We don't do much."

"What about for Christmas, then?"

"Well, we usually order in some fancy food and open mini-gifts," I replied.

"Mini-gifts?"

"Yeah. Small things from mom. We open actual presents at home."

Cleo stifled a yawn. "And, what're we doing tomorrow?"

"Mmm... It'll be like any other day. We go ski and come back to the lodge."

Cleo nodded before smiling at me.

"I like it here," she whispered. "I like being around you."

I met her eyes, watching the way they wrinkled as she smiled. I reached out and rested my hand against her neck, just to feel closer to her for a second. "Me too."

Cleo leaned forward and kissed me. It felt different than the first time we'd kissed, or the thousands of times afterward. It wasn't heated or desperate. It felt comfortable, the kind of thing I could do for years and never get tired of.

"Goodnight, Cleo," I whispered.

Cleo didn't respond, only blinking back at me as she pulled my hand against her lips and kissed my palm. I fell asleep instantly.

*  *  *

"WAKE UP, BITCHES! IT'S CHRISTMAS EVE!!!"

I opened my eyes as Allison screamed at us. Cleo curled against my chest, falling back asleep in rebellion against my sister's calling. I groaned before pulling the sheets off of both of us.

Cleo let out a frustrated breath and turned away from me, tugging the blankets back onto herself.

"Cleo," I whispered to her.

I felt her tense up before finally sitting up.

"Yay!" Allison cheered in triumph.

"It's 7 AM, " Cleo grumbled as she pointed at the alarm clock.

"Sure is," Allison said while grabbing her skiing clothes. "We need a head start. You're gonna master the bunny hills today, Cleo!"

Cleo groaned and fell onto her back, clutching a pillow over her face.

"I don't want to master anything. I want to go back to sleep," she said, the pillow smothering each word.

"How late did you guys stay up?" Allison questioned.

"Not too late, " I replied, pulling the pillow off of Cleo and into my lap.

"Only like an hour after you fell asleep."

Allison clicked her tongue in disapproval as she went into the restroom to change. Cleo crawled next to me and rested her head on my shoulder.

"Tired this morning?" I asked. She rubbed her eyes and nodded in response. We sat in silence, Cleo's head against my shoulder and mine above her's. The world outside has begun waking up. I could hear cars driving through snow, birds singing. It felt like the day came alive for just us. We only separated once Allison stepped out of the bathroom.

*  *  *

We returned to the resort after Cleo had fallen a record amount of times. She was the worst skier I had ever seen. We were sitting in front of the fire at the resort lobby in silence. Cleo looked exhausted.

"Today was fun, " she said, looking over at me.

I laughed softly. "You hated it."

"I didn't hate it. Allison is just..."

"An asshole?" I offered. She glanced back at me and clicked her tongue.

"I was going to say pushy."

I shook my head and looked back at the fire.

"She's like you in that way. Stubborn."

"Allison and I are nothing alike," I said, shooting her look.

"I don't know, Via."

I paused before looking over at her. "We don't have to ski tomorrow. My mom and Allison will probably want to but... We can stay here. If you wanna," I proposed.

"That sounds nice, " Cleo smiled. "Maybe then I can actually get some sleep."

"Are you gonna call Will?" I asked. "It is Christmas Eve."

She let out a long sigh as glanced at the phone beside her. "I'm not sure if he wants to talk."

"Well, " I murmured. "If Allison and I were to get into a fight, I'd want her to call me for the holidays. Even if I was angry."

"I know but..." she mumbled. "We haven't ever fought before. It seemed intense."

I nodded, seeing as though there wasn't much I could do. Ally and I got into fights all the time. It was petty stuff, like stealing each other's clothes or taking the car out for too long.

But, Cleo still seemed upset. Whatever happened must've phased her in a way I couldn't understand.

"I'm sorry, " I offered , hoping it was enough.

"We're going to be fine, " she said, glancing at me. "I'll try to call him."