Melody

Carson and I ended up creating a blanket fort in the den. Well, mostly Carson did, while I helped by holding clips and cushions to make it into perfection. There were six chairs that were set up in a large rectangle, with blankets draping across them giving us enough room to stretch out under them. We used the ottoman to rest my laptop on and spread blankets and pillows on the ground to sit. I even added a few little lamps and twinkly lights that let us see in the blanket cave.

We were watching Project Runway on my laptop, leaning on the couch, cuddled under the blankets. Carson's arm was wrapped around my body and my head was on his shoulder. I was relaxed; a stark comparison to my earlier encounter with Mia.

"Oh! This is cute!" I heard Leslie exclaim from outside the blanket fort.

I moved from Carson's arms and paused the show. I crawled out from the blankets, with Carson right behind me. "Leslie!" I called. "This is Carson!"

"Hello dear," Leslie said as Carson appeared. He stood up quickly, but I took a much longer time to do so, hoping not to repeat my earlier spell.

"Hi. Nice to meet you," Carson said shaking her hand.

"You too," Leslie replied smiling. "You kids want a snack?"

"Sure," Carson said with a grin. "Thank you."

Leslie left the room and Carson looked at me, as I leaned slightly on the arm of the couch. He'd had a similar expression on his face when I opened the door, and when I stopped moving every so often, when we were making the fort.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah," I replied, looking away. I crawled back inside the fort and sat down, the childish part of me hoping that I had evaded the conversation by leaving abruptly. He couldn't question me if he couldn't see me, right?

Wrong.

"Did you just run away?" Carson asked, his voice coloured with amusement.

"Maybe," I sang. Carson's head poked through the opening of the fort. "Oh man, you found me." I said. He smirked and sat down next to me.

"Mellie," Carson said softly.

"I've just been dizzy today, that's all," I replied. I couldn't bring myself to look at him and see the concern that I didn't deserve written across his face.

"Did you faint or anything?" Carson asked and I nodded.

"Mia helped me though." I played with my fingers, hoping it would distract me from the shaky feeling I was getting in my chest.

"Here are some snacks!" Leslie called from next to the fort. She set a tray down by the opening, and Carson pulled it inside. On it was a bowl of popcorn, some cubed fruit, some vegetable sticks, and some candy.

"Thank you," Carson and I said in unison.

"You're welcome. Enjoy!" she said, her footsteps indicating that she left the room.

"When was the last time you ate?" Carson asked. I stared at my fidgeting hands rather than answering him. Carson put his hand on top of mine, making me freeze.

"It doesn't matter," I mumbled after what felt like an eternity. It was the only thing I could say. I didn't think he would like to know that the last time was yesterday at his house. He'd probably think I was ridiculous or stupid. I moved to start the show up once again, but Carson grabbed my wrist, softly, so that I'd look at him.

"It does matter. To me it matters," Carson said. The intensity of his gaze threatened to set the blankets on fire. I swallowed hard and broke eye contact. "Just have some fruit please."

"Okay," I said. I hit play on my laptop and sat back beside Carson. I picked up a piece of watermelon and took a bite of it. I could see Carson relax slightly beside me and was glad that at least he took comfort in the fact that I was eating.

***

After a few episodes of Project Runway, my computer battery was too low to continue without a charger, so we turned it off. I had managed to eat quite a few veggies and fruit, though I stayed clear of the candy and popcorn.

"Did you say Mia helped you earlier?" Carson asked. I nodded, looking up at him.

Sometime after eating, I ended up grabbing a pillow and putting it on Carson's lap so I could put my head there and still see the screen. Carson stroked my hair every so often, which was such a soothing feeling.

"She got me a glass of water and helped me to the couch," I said. "She usually hates me, so it throws me off whenever she's nice."

"I don't think Mia hates you," Carson said. "I think she sees her mother acting horribly towards you and she thinks that if she distances herself from you, she might get closer to her mother."

"You might be right... she's most rude in front of Margot," I said, considering his theory. "But, then again, she did say she'd just step over my body the next time I fainted."

"That sounds like her," Carson laughed. We were quiet for a moment before I spoke again.

"Will I see you tomorrow or on Christmas?" I asked quietly.

"Tomorrow morning, I'll come by for an hour if you like. But I'm going to Hartford tomorrow night to stay with my grandparents, so unfortunately, I won't see you on Christmas day," Carson said, running his fingers through my brown waves.

"Oh. Okay," I said trying not to sound disappointed. Carson gave me a small smile and leaned down to kiss my lips softly.

"I'll be back on the night of the 28th, then I'm all yours," Carson said, before kissing me once again. I rested a hand on his cheek.

"I'm going to miss you," I said quietly. I felt my cheeks heat with embarrassment as soon as the words left my mouth. Carson chuckled and poked my nose in response.

"Trust me, I'll miss you more Mellie," he replied.

"Impossible," I said, with a smile. It was. He'd be over in Hartford heaven, with the nicest family I'd ever met, while my evil stepfamily would be joining us once again for Christmas. Carson was like sunshine after the torrential downpour that was my family. I was used to the cold rain, but once I felt the warmth of the sun, I'd miss it when it wasn't here.

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Author's Note: Yay! An update a day earlier than I expected! Crazy that Paper Thin is at 122K reads!! Thank you all so much! This is wild! 

What did you think of this chapter? Cute but confrontational:

LOL Tyra Banks kills me (hoe, but make it fashion). Anyways, did you like Carson and Mellie's little moments? Carson's worried... And what about Leslie? Isn't she a cutie? Are we going to miss Carson for a couple days?

For special shout outs, I'm going to double this week, because why the heck not! Shout outs go to: beautifulscarss, WrestlingManager, needlegirl, and rayne_aura for voting! And to jjong_lemoncandy, Andrea-323, Madreeced, and MoniqueDimaiwat for voting and commenting! You're all rockstars! Thanks so much! 

Thank you to each and everyone of you for reading, commenting and voting! Keep doing it! I see you and I'm so grateful! :)

Ps. Who wants to build a blanket fort now? 

This is something similar to Melody and Carson's: