“Hey. It’s gonna be fine, we just gotta stick it out for a few hours. Watch what we say, and no touching!”

You chuckle a bit at that. You’d both much rather be cuddling at home watching Die Hard, but you can’t keep ditching every family gathering. At least you should get some money.

“Alright lets get this over with.”

“There’s that Christmas cheer!”

You give her one last kiss before grabbing the stack of cards and climbing out of the car. It’s a chilly night so the two of you jog up to the front door. You knock.

“I’ll get it.” Your mom opens the door. “Lauren, Emma! Come in, come in! How was the drive?”

“Not bad, the roads were a bit wet from the rain but it was fine,” your sister says as you enter. Looking around, it seems you were the last ones to arrive.

“Alright, now that we’re all here, let’s all get some food.”

You fill your plate up with the classics. Ham, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, dinner rolls. That's one of the good things about Christmas dinner; the dinner part. Checking out the drink cooler, you grab a White Claw. It won’t taste very good but it’ll make the night pass quicker. Hopefully.

Dinner passes by fairly uneventfully. You sit quietly at the end of the table, fielding a few short questions with equally short answers. Your family is much more interested in hearing from your sister. It’s her first year of college after all.

“So how’s the living situation? You two aren’t driving each other mad are you?”

Oh I drive her mad alright, you think. Luckily you’ve retained enough self control that you didn’t say that out loud. But it does make you realize you’re almost done with the second White Claw of the night, and you’re feeling pretty tipsy. Better leave the talking to Lauren, then.

“No, we’re doing great! It’s gotten really homely. It’s only been a few months but it just feels right. It’s actually a bit weird being back here.”

You lose focus on the conversation. She’s so pretty, you haven’t been able to take your eyes off her. Her smile, the way she chuckles when she talks. You love her so much. You’re staring. You should... probably stop. No one noticed. Hopefully.

After that you space out again. The rooms has a gentle spin to it and you have trouble catching any conversations. Eventually you and your sister get passed a few cards which you promptly let her handle. You feel someone pulling on your shirt. It’s Lauren of course.

She mouths, You wanna head out?

You nod.

“Alright, I should probably get this one home. It was good to see everyone!”

She helps you up, and you try your best not to stumble on your way to the door.

“Goodnight!” you manage to shout. And you’re out the door. Your arm over your sister’s shoulder as you walk back to your car.

“Jesus how many did you drink?”

“Just twooo.”

“Christ you’re a lightweight!”

“Means you can get me drunk easier, sis.”

She laughs at that. She opens the passenger door and places you inside. You lean against the window and you drift off.

When you wake, it’s in the bed you share with your sister. She must’ve dragged you up here while you were asleep or too tired to form memories. You roll over, but the bed’s empty; your sister must be making breakfast. You’re still in your clothes from last night, so you change into some nice warm pajamas and head out into the kitchen.

The smell of cinnamon rolls baking hits you first. In the living room, the 4 foot artificial tree you two thrifted is set up with some hideous LED lighting. The TV has a video of a log fireplace going. You turn your attention to the kitchen. Your sister’s standing there beaming at you, almost naked. Her smooth skin glows in the sunlight, the only thing covering her is a thin ribbon across her breasts, with a big bow in the center.

“After last night I thought we could celebrate Christmas another way.”

She skips over to where you’re standing, gives you a peck on the lips with a cute little hop.

“Merry Christmas, sis.”

---

Thank you for reading! I know it's a few days late for Christmas but I didn't have much time to write. Also it's my first time doing creative writing in like 3 years so hopefully it's alright.