I'm Not Fine At All 》Michael Clifford

Chapter Twenty-three

Riley's POV:

I was awoken by a weight jumping onto my bed next to me, and a little voice calling my name in a loud whisper.

"Riley! Psst! Riley! Wake up! It's Christmas! Santa Claus came!" Leila jumped up and down as I yawned and sat up.

"Santa came?" I asked excitedly. She nodded and smiled.

"There's presents under the tree! Come look!" She said, and I smiled and lifted the blankets off of me. I stood up and she took my hand and pulled me toward the door and down the stairs, where we saw the tree with multiple wrapped presents underneath it. There was no one in the living room other than us, and she giggled and ran over to the tree. "I wanna open this one!" She pointed to a giant one that was poorly wrapped - how was I supposed to wrap it? I couldn't find a box big enough - and I shook my head.

"We can't open any until everyone else gets up." I said. "And anyway, that one's for Michael." She pouted for a moment, but it was quickly replaced with a smile when Karen walked in.

"Merry Christmas!" She said happily, and opened her arms wide. "Cass is on her way down... Michael will be a bit of a challenge though. Someone will have to risk their life and go up there to wake him." She said.

"Oh come on, he can't be that bad." I said as Cass walked in with a cup of tea.

"On Christmas morning, he's as bad as a hibernating grizzly bear. He gets grumpy when he's woken up this early." Cass sighed as she sat down on the sofa. "But... somebody's gotta do it."

"I volunteer as tribute," I replied with an 'I guess' kind of tone, and shrugging my shoulders. Karen laughed lightly and Cass smiled. Leila was too young to get the reference.

"May the odds be ever in your favor." Karen said as I left the room and ascended the stairs.

I laughed as well and walked down the hall to Michael's room, and opened the door. His room was dark, and he was burried underneath a mountain of blankets and pillows on his bed. His hair could just barely be seen sticking out of the piles, and I shook my head as I walked over to him. I pulled the blankets back a little, and revealed his sleeping head, and soft face. My heart just melted at the sight of him asleep and so peaceful.

But it quickly solidified when I tried to wake him. He got a grumpy look, scrunched eyebrows and everything as I shook his shoulder and patted his back. He groaned when I said his name, and gave me a loud 'humf!"

I pulled the blankets completely off of him, leaving him in nothing more than a pair of gym shorts. He drew his knees up to his chest and his hand shot up, as he flipped me off. I gasped and smacked his shoulder lightly, and he moaned again before rolling over to face me, and opening one eye. When he saw it was me, he jumped up into a sitting position and looked at me wide eyed.

"Riley! I didn't know it was you, I'm sorry." He apologised, and stood up.

"It's fine, really. Your mother tried to warn me..." I said and he scratched the back of his neck. "Leila is ready to open presents." I said, and he nodded.

"Can I hug you first?" He asked like a child as he opened his arms. I laughed and nodded, walking into his chest and wrapping my own arms around his waist. He rested his cheek on the top of my head and stroked my hair, the way he knew I liked.

After our little moment, he threw on a shirt and we made our way back downstairs, where Leila sat cross-legged in front of the tree, staring at the packages. I laughed lightly and took Michael's hand, intertwining our fingers as we walked over and sat on the floor in front of the sofa.

"Merry Christmas everyone!" Michael said as he plopped down next to me.

"Okay Leila! You get the first one!" Karen said standing up and sorting through the presents. She handed one to the little girl who was waiting eagerly, and then started handing out gifts to everyone.