Christmas with the Leclerc's

12

~Sleepless night~
December 12

The floorboards creak under my feet, the sound loud and obnoxious in the sleeping cottage. I walk into the kitchen as quietly as possible, my skin freezing under my thin silk pyjamas. With very careful and gentle moves, I take a glass of water, my eyes struggling to see in the dark kitchen.

The clock on the wall clicks to 2 AM, making my already throbbing headache even worse. I've been laying bright awake ever since we all went to bed, a new and weird feeling of homesickness sitting deep in my stomach.

Every time I close my eyes to try and sleep, my mind wanders off, and before I know it, tears are rolling down my cheeks and memories of my father are playing in my head. It's been a while since he's been on my mind this much... Julius's comment must have started some chain reaction in my head.

"Hello?" A voice asks, the deep voice beaming through hollow kitchen. It completely startles me, making me jump in surprise. The bright lights suddenly get turned on, my eyes immediately burning from the sudden brightness.

"Oh it's just you..." The voice says, with a sigh of relief. Once my vision adjusts to the bright light, the corners of my mouth slightly lift over the sight in front of me. Charles is standing on the other side of the kitchen, dressed in grey joggers and a wrinkled white t-shirt, his arm thrown in the cast.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you" I reply, as Charles approaches me, his tired eyes and messy hair becoming visible. He gives me a slight smile, the dimples I might love a bit too much shining at me.

"Oh don't worry, I just had a minor heart attack" Charles jokes, filling a glass of water as he leans against the countertop besides me. I laugh, studying his incredibly messy hair. How is it even possible for it to end up that bad?

"What are you doing up at this time?" Charles asks me, taking a sip from the glass of water. He rubs his eyes in exhaustion, the sleep deprivation clearly hitting him as hard as it is with me. "I could ask you the same thing" I reply with a little smile, my body tensing from the very cold kitchen.

"I have a 5 year old" Charles answers, giving me a tired smile. I can't help but smile. He could've asked anyone else to take care of Julius, he'll it's actually my job to do so.

But he chooses to do it himself, despite how exhausted he must be after a year long season of bad luck and horrible strategies.

"I just couldn't sleep" I answer his question, shrugging it off like it's nothing. I'm trying my absolute best to avoid him getting worried. But it clearly doesn't work on Charles.

"Is there anything wrong?" Charles asks me, slowly edging closer to me. I hate how he genuinely looks worried, his eyes studying my face for answers.

"No don't worry, just a bit of homesickness I think" I answer, looking down the living room to avoid his gaze.

"Carolina.." The way Charles says my name, makes my whole body tense up with a feeling I don't understand. Or I don't want to understand. I turn my gaze to his eyes, my stomach fluttering as his green eyes meet mine.

"I used to- Actually, I do still get that same kind of feeling sometimes" Charles starts, giving me a look that could make me start sobbing into his arms at any second.