Cosy Christmas ✓

2 / christmas cheer

The traffic had worsened by the time they left the hospital, immediately caught in a traffic jam that had slowly inched forwards, a twenty minute drive turning into forty-five by the time they passed the sign to welcome them to Coalden Valley, proudly announcing that it was twinned with an obscure village in Germany. Connor glanced over at Posy, her head lolled against the window and her mouth hanging open a little as she snoozed, and he made sure to drive carefully down the bumpy road that was desperately in need of being resurfaced.

It was only when his car came to a stop outside number 105 that Posy stirred, rubbing her eyes and letting out a yawn.

"God, did I fall asleep?" she asked, her voice scratchy before she coughed to clear her throat, peering out of the window at her own house.

"Yeah," Connor said with a chuckle. "About half an hour ago, actually." When he had first noticed that she had slipped out of consciousness, he had turned the radio down and it had remained at little more than a low murmur ever since. He tended to prefer it that way anyway, quiet enough that he could just about hear it over the rumble of the engine and the tyres on the road.

"Sorry," Posy said, unclipping her seatbelt. "It's so hard to sleep these days, I take anything I can get." She yawned again, and Connor got out to help her. It had been quite nice having her asleep next to him, with no pressure to make awkward conversation and no chance of him putting his foot in his mouth.

"No, it's fine. You're a very quiet sleeper though. A little bit disconcerting."

Posy laughed, giving him her hand to help her out of the car, and she trod carefully on her damaged ankle. "That's only because I'm upright," she said, heaving a sigh as she steadied herself on her feet, one arm locked with Connor's. "Ever since about four months ago, I've been snoring like a freight train."

He guided her towards the door, at which point she looked through her pockets and came up empty.

"Shit," she said. "I don't have my key."

"Oh." Connor frowned. "Any way in?"

"Um, yeah. The back door's open," Posy said. She let go of him and leant against the front door with a sigh. "Do you mind?"

"Of course." He trudged around the side of the house until he came to the back door, pushing it open with his elbow and frowning at the ease with which he could get into Posy's house. The village was quiet, rarely anything worse than a missing cat, but that wasn't reason enough to take such a risk. He was a paranoid locker himself, and he would never dream or storing a spare key outside. When Cass had moved in, one of the first things he had drilled into her was the importance of keeping her key on her at all times, and making sure the doors were locked even when she was inside. She had laughed and told him he had trust issues, but she had complied.

Flipping on the first light switch he came to, he saw that he was in Posy's kitchen, a few boxes still on the table that she had yet to unpack and a few plates in the sink. The place didn't have a fraction of her personality, none of her bubbles translating onto the bare walls or the plain china, and Connor was surprised to find himself mildly disappointed. Once he found the hallway, yet again without a single painting or photograph on the wall, he opened the front door and she toppled into the house, falling against him with a heavy shoulder jabbing into his chest.

"Shit, sorry," he said, catching her by the elbow. "You really should lock your back door. I know the village is pretty safe, but, I mean, I don't think it's worth the risk."

"I know, I know," Posy said. She pushed the front door shut, the Yale lock automatically shutting them in. "I just keep forgetting, and I'm always losing my keys so it's convenient. But yeah, I know I'm a bit of a target." She laughed at herself as she gripped Connor, using him as a support to walk, showing him through to the sitting room where she dropped down onto the sofa. "It takes me forty minutes to walk a mile at the moment, and a full minute to stand once I've sat down."