Cosy Christmas ✓

1 / winter's here

The shop didn't sell gloves, and with a bulging bag in each hand, Connor had no choice but to freeze his fingers off on the mile walk home. Bracing himself against the cold once he had paid, he scrunched up his face and buried his chin in his scarf, ducking against the wind that whipped through the village. As the shops shut, turning off their lights and locking up for the night, it felt like midnight along the high street. Aside from the corner shop, everything finished for the day by five thirty, and most people were already tucked up in their houses. Sitting room lights glowed through cracks in curtains, and Connor couldn't wait for that to be him.

Except it wouldn't be for a while, and the reason why greeted him when he shoved open the tricky front door. Duke, his huge white husky, bounded over to him with a bark and Connor greeted him with a grin, frozen lips widening as he dropped one bag of shopping and scratched the dog's head. Duke was arguably the friendliest dog around, but people saw his size and assumed fear.

"Hey, Duke. Missed me, huh? We'll go for a walkie, just let me unpack first," he said, grabbing the bag and kicking the door shut before heading into the kitchen and hauling both bags onto the counter. The place was a mess, with flour speckled on the floor and half an eggshell leaking onto the countertop and Connor groaned. His sister was a whizz in the kitchen, but she seemed completely incapable of tidying up. Something smelled good though, and the oven was whirring as it cooked whatever she had made.

"Cass?" he called, and a thud above him followed by the sound of footsteps told him that she was on her way down. She thumped down the stairs and appeared in the doorway, her braids wound around in a thick bun on top of her head. Duke padded in past her, sniffing around the carnage before he licked up the egg white that had begun to drip off the counter.

"Yup?"

He glanced at the mess and she pulled a face.

"Sorry," she said, before he could say anything. "I know, I know, it's a mess. But I made brownies, and I'll clean up while you're walking Duke. Ok?"

"Ok," Connor said, and as he unpacked the bags, he threw Cass her pads. "Got these on recommendation."

She laughed, catching the packet with one hand. "Thanks."

She disappeared off upstairs and Connor finished unpacking the shopping, rolling the two bags into a ball and tucking them in the space between the fridge and the wall. He always saved the bags he used, but he rarely remembered to take them with him when he went out, and the collection was only growing with every time that he neglected to recycle.

Duke wanted to go out. It was pretty obvious from the way he stood by the door with his strong tail wagging, thumping against the wall, and Connor scratched his head as he passed him on his way upstairs.

"Hold on a sec, ok?" he said, convinced that the dog understood him. "I need some gloves. And a hat."

Taking the stairs two at a time, he grunted from the exertion when he reached the top and knocked on Cass's door. It was always shut, but only because the house was cold and the doors were heavy, swinging closed on their own and when she heard him knock, she told him to come in. She sat cross-legged on her bed, tapping away on her laptop, and Connor glanced around the room. Two months ago, it had been plain and virtually empty, a guest room that rarely had any guests, but Cass was beginning to make it her own. She had pinned tinsel to her corkboard, and a small but very real pine tree stood in the corner dripping with decorations.

Connor raised his eyebrows at her. "You got a Christmas tree?"

Cass looked up at him and pulled out her earphones. "Yeah," she said. "I know you don't want one. Figured you wouldn't have to see this."