𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙾𝙽𝙴 | 𝑡. ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑

XV | 𝐿𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝐵𝑎𝑚𝑏𝑖

⊱ ────── ๑♡๑ ────── ⊰

Ice skating at the Natural History Museum was an iconic winter tradition for almost every Londoner. Circling the enormous Christmas tree displayed in the middle of the open-air rink, you felt free, like a dove soaring through the sky.

The dazzling fairy lights above further elevated the magical atmosphere, and offered you a much needed reprieve after the dumpster fire that was your family's outing the day before.

Ginnie appeared beside you, out of breath. "Thanks for ditching us back there!" She gestured behind, where Harry was clinging onto the railing for dear life.

"Sorry, I needed to clear my head a bit."

"Rough day yesterday, huh?"

"Today wasn't any better."

The two of you skated alongside each other as you recounted the headache-inducing afternoon you had with your brother.

On the car ride home from the farm yesterday, you had apologized to him for the awful things that were said. To show your support for his relationship, today you volunteered to help him with the difficult task of finding his girlfriend a Christmas present.

Unfortunately, during those four hours on Oxford Street, you learned that Zach was a lot more like your mother than you previously thought.

He criticized everything you picked out, deeming it "not worthy" of his precious Mia, who you thought dressed like a typical seventeen year old girl who raided the end-of-season clearance rack at Zara's. By the time he settled on a pretty Louis Vuitton wristlet, you had contemplated making an escape through the window in the loo.

"That'll teach you not to be such a bitch." Ginnie snickered.

Rather than responding to the brunette with a sassy comment of your own, you playfully shoved her. She landed on her bottom after losing her balance on the slippery ice, thought not before latching onto your arm, taking you down with her. The two of you erupted with laughter as you struggled to get up.

Once you got back on your feet, you noticed your reindeer headband had fallen off. "My antlers!" You exclaimed, picking them up.

"Fuck your antlers, my arse is all bloody wet!" Ginnie huffed, making the entire thing funnier.

After composing yourselves, you skated over to Harry, who had grabbed one of the plastic penguin skating aids that were meant for little kids. Taking in your disheveled appearance, he simply shook his head in mock disappointment.

"Never a dull moment with you two" He chuckled.

"This is us sober. Imagine how we're gonna be at the party" Ginnie said.

Harry then turned to you. "Did you let Tom know you are coming on Saturday?"

"I called on my way here, but it went straight to voicemail."

Butterflies filled your stomach at the thought of seeing your ex-boyfriend for the first time in months. Although you really liked lover boy, you asked for a raincheck on the trip to the Cotswolds because you couldn't move on with him, or anyone else, until you exhausted every possibility with Tom.

You also couldn't imagine turning down an invite from the Hollands, given how strong of a bond you had with them, independent of your relationship with their son.

Nikki had even reached out over the summer to let you know how she understood why you did what you did and didn't judge you for it. They all still cared for you as a surrogate member of their family, and that was a bridge you weren't ever going to burn.