Perfect Christmas: A Paper Dolls Novel

by Blythe Stone

  Skylar’s head swung around and there was an audible pop when their lips detached from one another.

  “Nice to see you enjoying yourself,” I snorted.

  “Avery!” Sky jumped up out of her chair and came close, opening her arms and hugging me. I didn’t even raise my arms. She backed up a little and gave me a look of worry. “You look mad,” she surmised.

  “Well, I just caught you kissing someone who isn’t Holland so I’d say mad doesn’t cover it,” I grunted.

  She put her hands up, palms toward me. The international sign for surrender.

  “Woah, apparently Holland didn’t tell you,” she said.

  “Tell me what?” I asked.

  “She broke up with me, said she needed time to figure stuff out,” she explained.

  “Oh, then why didn’t she tell me?”

  “No idea, but I hope it wasn’t so you would attack me,” she said, with a bitter laugh.

  “Yeah, no, that’s not her style,” I said.

  “Babe, I'm just gonna go order,” Olivia whispered, hanging off to my side.

  “Okay,” I said, turning my head a little so I could see her.

  We shared a moment before she walked back in the direction of the counter. I turned back to Sky and crossed my arms.

  “So, I guess I should call her and figure out what the hell is going on,” I said.

  “If you figure out let me know,” Sky sighed.

  I gave a shrug and motioned to the uncomfortable looking blonde girl.

  “You gonna introduce me?” I asked.

  “OH, duh,” Sky blurted. “This is Obie,” Sky said.

  “Obie,” I repeated.

  The girl nodded and held out her hand.

  “I’ve heard a lot about you, Avery,” Obie said.

  “Don’t listen to a word she says. She has nothing on me,” I teased.

  Lightening the mood was a skill I was proud of but right now it was just coming off odd.

  I squirmed, moving from one foot to the other.

  “You look really good,” Sky noticed. “They must be working you hard over at Stanford.” Her face was plastered in a smile that was obviously genuine. Her eyes missed me.

  “Thanks. You look pretty great yourself. I guess L.A. agrees with you.” I turned toward Obie. “Do you go to school with Sky?”

  “Yeah, that’s where we met,” Obie said.

  “Oh yeah, how did it happen?” I asked.

  “I was swimming laps at the pool and she slipped and fell into the pool. Right in front of me. We had a little collision and the rest is history,” Obie explained.

  “Wait, you’re a swimmer too?” I said, trying not to laugh. I could see how unhappy Sky was that I was learning all of this.

  “Yeah, I swim for the school,” Obie said.

  “That’s cool, I swim at Stanford but you already know that probably,” I said.

  “Yeah, I guess you don’t recognize me, which is cool. I wouldn’t either. We’ve raced,” Obie said.

  Skylar sunk back into her seat and took a drink of her coffee. She caught my eye and frowned. I was just being nice to her girl… Person, whatever she was. It’s not like this was flirting.

  “That’s cool. Yeah, sorry, when I swim I get in the zone. I don’t really notice much but the water and how my body feels,” I said.

  Olivia walked over with our drinks and I took mine. They were sitting at a small booth and I wasn’t about to stop them from their former activities if that’s what they wanted to do.

  “I guess we’ll see you later,” I said. “Oh, damn! Obie, this is my wife, Olivia.”

  I linked my arm with Olivia’s and pulled her forward a little.

  Olivia looked between me and Obie. “Nice to meet you,” Olivia said, holding her hand out to shake Obie's. They both smiled politely and Obie even tucked her hair behind her ear bashfully.

  “I always forget you come here,” Olivia said, annoyed as she turned her gaze over to Sky. Her body sort of hugged my side possessively. Olivia has been long since done with Skylar's b.s.

  “Oh right, I'm sure you forgot,” Skylar gloated dangerously.

  “Come on baby. Let's find a seat near the windows. I'd like to not be exactly here,” Olivia whispered, just loud enough for Skylar to hear.

  “Ooookay,” I said.

  I waved to Sky and Obie.

  “It was nice to see you and nice to meet you.” I tapped Sky’s shoulder. “I’ll text you later.”

  I walked away, Olivia pulled me along toward a small table near the windows. There was no one near us but we could still see the booth where Sky and Obie sat.

  “What a tangled web we weave,” I muttered.

  Chapter 14

  Olivia

  “Can you fucking believe that?” I asked, smiling through my burning annoyance. The booths were low and from where we sat we could clearly see Skylar aggressively making out with this random Avery doppelganger.

  I raised my Americano to my lips and tried to let the anger slip away.

  “Yeah, Holland hasn’t said a damn word. That’s so weird. I never expect Sky to tell me things but Holland always does. I’m calling her as soon as we’re back home,” Avery said.

  “Avery,” I scoffed, looking over at her and then motioning for her to look over at the two of them again.

  “What? Yeah, it’s kind of gross to be making out in public like that,” she said, grimacing.

  “Okay, wait. Honey?” I asked, leaning over the table and taking her hand to get her to look at me. The reason I was bothered, it had little to do with the public display of affection. “Did you really not notice that that girl is like some knockoff version of you?”

  “What do you mean? I guess we’re both swimmers and we have blonde hair,” she said with a shrug.

  “Wow,” I said, bothered by her chosen ignorance surrounding Sky. “It doesn't strike you as odd that the second she and Holland go on a break Skylar just so happens to bump into a competitive swimmer who looks and acts a lot like you?”

  “Okay, it is a little odd and I guess she does kind of look like me.” Avery turned her head to the side and watched Sky and Obie as they took a little break from their make out session. “Oh… yeah, this is weird. Is she trying to replace Holland with-” She stopped and turned her head back upright. “Hmm,” She murmured.

  “I swear she just gets worse,” I laughed, shaking my head.

  “I really need to talk to Holland.” Avery groaned. “I know Sky has been an asshole but I still feel like I helped her get there. All of the back and forth we had in our friendship. I never let it get to be more but I could have put some distance there,” she finished.

  “Baby, no. Look, I know, at first, I had a lot of sympathy for Sky. I was dumb. When people-" I stopped and laughed at myself. I hated admitting this stuff. “I saw myself in her but she and I? We were not- not ever- the same.”

  “Ya know what, nevermind. Don't listen to me, I've barely slept. I don't even know what I'm saying,” I realized and sat back.

  “You’re right about you and Sky being nothing alike,” Avery said. “I could have never fallen for her. It would have been a total mess and I don’t think we would have been friends ever again.”

  Avery took a drink of her peppermint mocha and then rolled her eyes.

  “You don't think Sky brought that girl here to get to you, do you?” I wondered out loud. Sky knew this was my favorite place, that I would come here if I was home. And I do mean, come here, with Avery.

  “I have no clue but the only way she got to me was because I didn’t know about the break up. She should know by now that I have no interest in her other than as a friend,” Avery answered.

  “Babe, I know,” I laughed. I wasn't asking her if she was jealous. God. Avery just got these scripts she’d repeat to me like I needed to hear them over and over again. I already knew how she felt about Sky. “You shouldn't take blame for the way that she is,” I said, annoyed about Skylar. “She's not like you
either, is what I'm saying. And she would do something like that. Bring a girl to Christmas just to get you to be thinking about her. Or even just to piss me off,” I grumbled.

  “Well, she partially failed if that’s what she was after. I hope it wasn’t but you’re right. I guess I need to deal with the fact that she’s not someone I’ll ever be able to call a close friend anymore. I don’t like how she deals with things,” Avery bemoaned.

  “Come on,” I said. “Let's get out of here. I don't want to let my opinion of her taint yours and I can't exactly promise to control my actions this early after a night where I didn't sleep.”

  “Baby,” she crooned, reaching out to cup my face and pout. “You deserve a long nap later. I’ll rub your back and spoon you if you want,” Avery suggested.

  “We've got to visit your parents later,” I reminded. This was the part about the holidays that I couldn't stand; obligations.

  Don't get me wrong. I love Avery’s family. I love my family, in my own way. But, spending a holiday with people all around had nothing on spending a holiday alone with the one person I loved the most.

  “Not till after we get books though.” She kept her hand on my cheek, stroking it a few times before she found my hand with hers. “I need to take them some of the cookies we made and I wanted Nat to take some but I forgot, too many distractions.”

  “Your mind's distracted,” I said, feeling for her. At Stanford it was all busy too. But we were both busy. I just wanted my baby alone.

  “Isn’t it always,” she scoffed.

  She blinked a few times and focused in on my eyes.

  “I was serious about getting in bed later, you know,” she made sure to say.

  I stared back at her, thinking about how nice it would be to just lay with her in the middle of the day and fall asleep.

  “I love you,” I said, staring for a few long seconds.

  “I love you too, Olivia Eaton Holbrook. Now, come here so I can kiss you please.”

  I got up and walked over to her, sitting down on her lap and facing away from Sky toward the window. Unlike someone, I didn't kiss people just for show. Outside it was sunny, colder than usual but the sun streamed in and covered us here.

  Avery touched my face and held my body ontop of hers, leading me into her. Giving me more energy and health than sleep or food could possibly achieve.

  “You make me melt when you look at me like that,” she said.

  Then, she wrapped her hand around my neck and pulled my head toward hers. It was a simmering kiss, not deep but still hard enough to let me know she wanted and loved me.

  “You were so sad last night you didn't let me taste you,” I whispered, stroking her neck and taking a few more kisses than I should.

  “One more reason for us to escape back up to the treehouse after we leave mom and dad's.” Avery nipped my lip with her teeth. Secretly, my sex tightened.

  My eyes rolled to a close. If she didn't have me supported with her extra arm I probably would've fallen off of her. Her hand held my neck as she pulled me in and kissed me all calculated and precise.

  My body fought the urge to exist in a lull. Her hand trailed down my body, stroking my thigh and tugging on me.

  There wasn’t a way for me to tell her that this was my favorite. Moments like this.

  We stayed a few more minutes, snuggling into each other and kissing back and forth, trading off. Avery cracked a few jokes about Sky and I stroked my hand under the collar of her shirt, taking particular interest in all those fabulous spots on her neck that lit her up.

  Later, at the bookstore, I got a call from my mom.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi,” my mom said.

  “Uh-oh. What did I do?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I lived with you for 18 years, you really think I’m unaware when you have your disciplinarian voice?”

  “Hm.”

  “Oh- oh shoot!” I realized. “I am so sorry, I completely forgot.”

  “It’s just really inconsiderate Olivia. Your father and I were planning on coming home to a clean house.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said, watching Avery browse the New Fiction stacks. She looked back at me and I couldn’t help but feel excitement inside. More than feeling guilty about the cookie mess. This was certainly new.

  “Will we be seeing you later?”

  “I think so,” I said.

  “Oh heaven’s. If you’ve got more important things to do don’t bother.”

  “Mom?!” I scoffed. “You literally just arrived back. What was I supposed to do? Was I supposed to just be waiting inside for you like a stupid animal?”

  There was hesitation on her side of the line. I looked around, my voice had gotten a little loud in the store. Avery’s face scrunched up concerned as she looked back at me and touched my wrist.

  “I’m sorry,” I grumbled. She was the wrong one though. Yes, I left a mess. But I really was going to clean it up and it wasn’t a big deal. She knew I only had a certain number of days and it was her choice to disappear for about half of them.

  “It’s fine. Just let me know if you want to plan something.”

  “Okay,” I said, frustrated but hiding it in my voice. Avery was rubbing my back and guiding me in front of the bookshelves while I tried not to stress.

  “I saw your presents under the tree. That was very nice of you.”

  I didn’t know what to say. This conversation was awkward and I wasn’t a fan.

  “Your father and I have a reservation at Darnell’s tonight if you and Avery would like to join us for dinner.”

  “Oh, mom…” My voice softened. “I’d really love to but- Avery’s had this dinner planned with her family, we haven’t seen them yet either.”

  “Oh,” my mom said.

  It was Christmas Eve and I couldn’t remember a Christmas Eve that I didn’t spend with my mom. I obviously didn’t think fondly of the holidays but it was, however, a tradition.

  “We will be back at the house before and after we go,” I explained.

  “Right,” my mom said.

  “The mess is Natalie’s fault,” I lied and gossiped. I’d learned, due to Avery, that sharing small facts about my life was a tried and true way to get my mom in my favor.

  “Natalie Reyes?” She asked.

  “The only Natalie,” I teased.

  “Natalie’s a good girl, I highly doubt that what you’re saying is true,” my mom defended.

  “We were baking cookies last night and all of a sudden she gets in this dark mood and asks if she can borrow a dress.”

  “Hm…”

  “She’s dating a pop star.”

  “You’re kidding,” My mother laughed.

  “I’m really not. This girl came to the house and everything, picked her up in some highly expensive rental straight from the airport.”

  “Well, that’s a life,” my mom chuckled.

  Avery was holding me around the waist and resting her chin on my shoulder listening in.

  “So yeah, I haven’t really seen much of anyone if it makes you feel better.”

  “I’m fine,” my mother teased. From the tone of her voice, I knew, she really was fine.

  “Okay,” I said. “I gotta go. But I will see you today.”

  “Okay,” she said. “No more messes in the kitchen.”

  “I’ll warn Natalie,” I teased darkly.

  “Ha-ha. Your friends / your mess, little girl.”

  “Yeesh,” I said, rushing to hang-up the phone and stop the mom voice from coming. “Ick. That was obnoxious.”

  Avery swayed my body and I held onto her hands to try and keep myself from tripping.

  “I'm sorry I got you in trouble,” Avery pouted.

  I laughed a little, nervously, and looked back at her. “It’s nothing,” I said, shaking my head and rubbing her arms with my hands to keep them around me. “Infact, I think this is progress. A year ago that conversation would’ve had me in a rage for possibly wee
ks.”

  Trying to explain the ways in which I’d changed since Avery was nearly impossible.

  “I promise I'll have it cleaned up so fast when we get back,” she said.

  “Oh no,” I laughed. “My mother will clean it up. She hates messes. Why do you think I blamed Nat?”