TRIS-

We waited three hours for a car to arrive. Fortunately, they were willing to give us a lift back into town. Unfortunately, it was Mrs. Mathews.

"You kids really should be more responsible," she kept harping on about. Her car was small, thankfully because Tobias was so much taller, he got stuck with the front seat; next to our oh-so-favourite maths teacher, whilst I was huddled in the back seat next to her dog - Foo Foo.

I'd have never though she'd have a dog. Or at least not a massive Great Dane. Foo Foo was probably the biggest dog I've seen... Ever.

"This is why young kids shouldn't have cars..." she said, shaking her head in disapproval as we slowed for a red light.

"I'm eighteen," I heard Tobias mutter as he turned around to face me in his seat. "Are you okay back there?" he asked, but I knew he was just trying his hardest to forget that we were in a car for the next two hours minimum with the woman who has issued us with countless detentions.

"Yeah," I said, keeping my voice at a hushed whisper, praying that she wasn't listening. "Just a few hours and it'll be fine."

"Swap?"

I giggled... I actually giggled. "No way, I'm happy here with Foo Foo."

The giant dog perked up at the mention of his name, letting out a whine before plopping his head back into my lap.

Both of us laughed silently at the dopey animal.

"Well... Foo Foo looks quite comfy there, what if I swap with him?" He said, reaching over to scratch between the dark floppy ears of the great beast itself. "I could sprawl out on the back seat, fall asleep in your lap, have you scratch behind my ears and have you coo whenever I do anything other than breath..."

"Or you could turn around and listen to Mathew's fascinating lecture on why you're too young to be burdened with the responsibilities of driving." I couldn't help but grin as I mimicked her irritating voice-

"Miss Prior."

"Oh. Um... Yes?" I answered hesitantly.

"I do not enjoy being mimicked. And Mr. Eaton, would you please turn around or I will pull this car over and you will find your own way home. There are to be no shenanigans going on in my back seat."

"Yes Mrs. Mathews," we answer simultaneously and returned to the awkward silence.

~

"Happy holidays, Mrs. Mathews," I called as she drove off, leaving us in the middle of town at one in the morning.

It wasn't as dark as you'd usually expect, the street lamps were accompanied by the hanging lights that caught in the snow that was falling lightly.

It felt magical - like something from a movie.

"Oh Tris..." Tobias said. His tone was playful, the words sung like a carol. "It's officially Christmas Eve... Do you remember our last Christmas?"

How could I forget, I though as he stepped in front of me, his hands resting on my hips. He's such a child when it comes to holidays, getting excited over everything.

"Yes, I remember."

He smirked, his eyebrows lifting up in approval. "Tell me about it, I love the way you tell stories."

I could see his breath. Bursting in clouds as he spoke in the cold night air.

I wasn't cold though. Even though I was only wearing leggings and a knitted jumper. He kept me warm, his arms holding me close.

"Well... You were a total sap, by the way. It was just yourself and Sophie at the house, and she had agreed to help you out with your little scheme.

"Somehow, you'd managed to cover every single ceiling in that massive house with mistletoe. And because Soph was little-miss-tradition, I was unable to take a step in that house without you following behind and reminding me of that dreadful plant.

"You're such a romantic at heart, Tobias... It's was the sweetest but cheesiest thing I think you've ever done.

"But then obviously when we sat down to eat and pulled Sophie's handmade crackers and that ring fell out of it, you scared the hell out of me," I said, smiling to myself with my head resting on his shoulder as we began to sway.

"Yeah," he winced, letting out a slight laugh that echoed through me. "She didn't quite realise that you can't just set up a proposal."

"She cried for an hour after you explained that to her. Remember that?" 

"Yeah. She adored you, Tris... She refused to talk to me for a week when I first told her you wouldn't be coming around anymore."

We continued to sway, just absorbing each other's warmth in the cold night air.  Or at least until my stomach let out the most unladylike growl I'd ever heard - causing us both to burst out into fits of laughter.

"Looks like someone's hungry," he said, jabbing me slightly in the stomach.

"Yeah... Are you? I've got some frozen pizza in the fridge at home if you want to go back there."

"Sounds tempting, but I think I can one up you on that offer, if you'd be willing to return to the glitter kingdom I call home."

"What could beat pizza though?"

"Brownies and ice cream," he smirked proudly as if he'd just discovered how to achieve world peace.

~

The fire alarm was blaring as smoke filled the kitchen. I watched in amusement as he helplessly swatted at the fire alarm trying to clear the smoke but to no avail.

"I told you the oven was too hot for brownies, stupid," I snickered from where I sat atop the breakfast counter, laughing in hysterics.

"I told you the oven was too hot for brownies," he muttered in a high pitched voice of what I could only assume to be how he believes I sound.

After a few more minutes of swatting and I, geniusly opening the window, the fire alarm ceased. "So I guess it's just ice cream for dinner then," I scoffed, fetching the tub of Cherry Garcia from the freezer along with two spoons. "Although technically it's breakfast now."

"Oh hush your whining and give me ice cream, Beatrice."

~

It was nearing the afternoon by the time we woke up from our passed out positions on the couch. We were wrapped in a blanket, slowly creeping closer to the carpeted floor as we rolled off the small couch.

We were definitely rolling... It's like the countdown started before my face fell into the soft, sparkly floor. And then it happened, I fell with an ungraceful thump and strangled cry as the boy fell on top of me.

"Shit!" he shouted, leaping up from the floor, accidentally pressing his elbow into my shoulder blades. "I'm sorry are you okay?!"

"Tobias, calm down I'm fine. Can you just... Help me up please?" I rolled over to sitting before awkwardly trying to massage out the pain in my back.

He obliged, offering out a hand to me before pulling me up to standing, spinning me around and lifting my shirt up -revealing my skin to the brisk air - to check for bruising.

It was only once his fingers fell upon the tender skin that I realised one crucial thing: I wasn't wearing a bra.

It took less than a second for me to yank the sweater back down and spin around to face him with my arms crossed firmly across my chest. I prayed he didn't notice, but his expression said otherwise.

The heart melting smirk that adorned his face sent goosebumps up my arms and he stared down at me, mimicking my defensive posture.

"You're not wearing a bra."

"Well congratulations Sherlock for pointing out the obvious!" I rolled my eyes and clamped my arms tighter across my chest.

"You know that just doing that makes them look bigger, Tris," he said, his face dipping in close to my own so that I could almost feel the warmth of his breath on my lips and all I wanted to do was- His gaze dropped and he was staring at my boobs!

"You perve." My arms immediately dropped as I took a step back and flicked his chin upwards with my left index finger.

"Only for you though, dear Tris. Only you." He was trying so desperately to hide the laughter as I glared daggers at him.

"Well gee thanks, that's the most romantic thing I've ever heard." The sarcasm was so thick I could almost taste it.

"Meh," he shrugged, "that's as close as a compliment I'm gonna get from you at the moment so I'll take it."

~

I was sat atop his shoulders, balanced precariously as we tried to fix the star on top of the tree.

It was a fake one that we'd dug out of the garage because apparently most of the real ones are already sold by Christmas Eve.

It was a simple tree, just a silver star, a few whit lights but instead of baubles, we rained glitter down on it.

"Got it!" I cheered and he dropped me down. Well... I say he dropped me, what I mean is he yanked me down from off his shoulders and grabbed onto me just before I fell flat on the floor.

"You ass!" I protested as he pulled me close in a fit of laughter.

"You should have seen your face," he cackled, stumbling back clumsily into the couch with his iron grip still surrounding me.

"You scared the hell out of me! How the hell would you like to suddenly fall from five feet up in the air?!"

"Tris," he said, as if I was a young child being scolded, "I am taller than five foot. You're the only short-ass in this house."

"That just makes it even worse!"

"Oh calm down you big baby."

"Make me," I said expecting for him to finally put me down.

"Okay, I will." His lips found mine and I just melted. I never just melt. I felt like such a juvenile; a young girl finally having her first kiss and acting like its the most perfect thing in the world. But this is perfect.

It's so perfect.

All too soon, it stopped. My little moment of bliss.

"Sorry," he muttered, "I shouldn't have done that."

"It's fine," I said, hushing the irrational child inside me. "I should probably be going... Caleb will wonder where I am otherwise."

"Yeah, you probably should," he said, but didn't make any move to let go.

The little voice was back, don't let me go, it whined, don't let me go again.

"I don't want to go," I muttered, barely above a whisper. But he heard me. I know he heard me. Because his lips found mine once more and my bundle of bliss that formed in my chest returned.

~

We spent the day in blankets, telling stories, watching old home movies from our past.

I didn't completely abandoned my brother... I managed to convince both him and Tobias that Christmas should be spent together, since, we were one big dysfunctional family in the end, and tradition is important. We always spent Christmas together when we were young. And I hope we always will when we're old.

"Merry Christmas, Tobias."

"Merry Christmas, Tris."

And we fell asleep, under the mistletoe that hung in my room, snared in each other's grip; just like the way we woke up earlier this day.