I dressed in jeans and long sleeved t-shirt, knowing that the breezeway could get warm with all the bodies and the space heater fired up. I made my way down and found most of the kids there with an uncle and cousin playing goalkeeper to keep them away from the gifts. The room was already warm except for the floor.
I got a glass of juice from the Old House kitchen, after which my mom asked me if I could go check on the girls. It seemed nearly everyone else was ready and they could only hold back the kiddos for just so long before someone got hurt or tears were shed. I went back and knocked first on my sister’s closed door.
“Av? You awake?” Nothing.
I tried Kaia’s door next. “K? You up? Everyone’s ready.”
I heard some shuffling and squeak of the bed, followed by some giggles. “Yeah, Alex. We’ll be down in a couple minutes.”
We? They were sleeping together? Again, that got my mind spinning as to just what was going on in there.
“Okay,” I said, not prying further.
Back in the breezeway, I told the others the girls would be down soon. That was good enough for them and they let the little ones start opening gifts. From there, it pretty much descended into chaos as gifts were handed out faster than they could be opened. I watched in amusement, though my mind was mostly back on the girls.
Kaia and Avery arrived closer to ten minutes later, both wrapped up in bathrobes with only their leggings and fuzzy socks protruding. It looked like they’d taken a few minutes to brush their hair and at least appeared somewhat awake. Half the other adults and all of the kids were in jammies, so they hardly looked out of place.
“Morning sleepyheads,” I said, sidling up to them. “Late night slumber party?”
Avery shot me an alarmed look, but Kaia just giggled. “Something like that.”
“The mattress in my room sucks,” Avery said. “So…”
I nodded in understanding, though I was becoming increasingly suspicious of something else. The very idea was titillating, but also made me a little jealous. I’d have certainly enjoyed sharing my cousin’s mattress.
“Either of you want some coffee?” I wasn’t a drinker of it, but I knew Avery was an addict. Both girls nodded enthusiastically yes, so I retreated to the Old House kitchen to pour them cups. When I returned, they’d claimed a glider chair built for two and gratefully accepted their drinks. I stood beside them as we watched the festivities.
When the kids finally had enough toys opened to be distracted, the adults started exchanging gifts. My parents got me a nice new pair of earbuds and a sweatshirt. Avery thanked me for the beginner’s wood carving set I got her. Don’t ask me what her attraction to that was, but she’d mentioned it more than a few times over the last couple years. From my sister, I got an antique drafting tool kit. Honestly, I wasn’t entirely sure what it was — it came in a cracked leather case, looked like a compass but had extra attachments. The quality was obvious, despite its age.
“I know you aspiring architects do everything on computer these days,” she said as I looked it over. “Still thought you might like it.”