It's the Christmas break and you know what that means, food, gifts, and a hell of a lot of Christmas movies. However, this year it means something more than that. It means seeing my family after four months.

This is the longest time I've spent away from them. It's been hard. I've wanted more than anything to hug them and physically have them in front of me when I talk to them instead of across the world on the other end of the phone. I'm lucky to be able to spend the holidays with them still.

This year also means Archer and Penny meeting my family. I never had any people who I wanted to meet them before. Yes, there were a few people who I talked to in school, but we never hung out enough to go over to each other's houses. I'm hoping my dad doesn't embarrass me too much.

We all step out onto the icy path in front of my house with our luggage next to us. It's strange being back here after so long. I used to see the exterior of this house every day and think nothing of it. Now, it's different.

Everything still looks the same. The brick wall around the front is covered with frost and the metal gate is slightly more rusted than it was when I left. The plants in the garden and along the window ledges have seen better days but I expected that. My dad's never been one to water plants. They'd probably be dead if it weren't for the rain.

The black-painted door of the small, terraced house is beckoning me to open it and step inside, to see my dad and Sadie for the first time in what feels like forever.

"Before we go in, I have to warn you," I start, biting my lip anxiously. Why am I this nervous? They're just meeting the two most important people in my life. It isn't that big of a deal.

Archer grips the handle to his luggage tightly and jokes with a shiver, "is your dad a notorious serial killer who's going to kill us in our sleep?" Steam clouds around him from the cold winter air.

"He's definitely not a serial killer," I laugh, my eyes creasing with amusement. "He is incredibly sarcastic though. People tend to get offended by some of the things he says so just know he's not insulting you."

"Anything else we need to know?" Penny asks. She rubs her hands up and down her arms. I can tell that she's trying to hurry this up and get inside. I don't blame her, it's freezing.

"Nope, that's all."

We drag our luggage behind us and into the house without another word. Sadie's the first one to come running to us. A beaming smile's spread across her features and her blonde hair's sprawled across her shoulders. Her arms wrap around my waist, pulling me into a warm embrace.

"Sadie!" I chorus delighted to finally see her after so long.

She squeezes me tighter, and I let her, "I missed you." She breathes. Her voice is muffled by our embrace, but I still manage to understand her.

"I missed you too." I smile. Now that she's in front of me I feel like the air has finally been released back into the room.

She pulls away and I hold her at arm's length, my hands on her shoulders. "You're hairs shorter." I pick up a few strands of her hair before dropping them back onto her shoulders again. It was half-way down her back the last time I saw her.

"You like it?" She twirls to show me the back, almost stumbling forward when she stops. I catch her instinctively to stop her from falling. We both giggle to ourselves. I'm not the only clumsy person in this house. Sadie's almost as bad as I am.

"I love it."

I step out of the way so she can see Penny and Archer behind me. "These are my friends, Penny and Archer." I point to each of them as I say their names. She gives them a slight wave before running around the corner and out of view.

"Don't worry," I say when I notice Penny's eyebrows creased together. "You didn't do anything wrong. She's just shy around new people."

"Madison," I recognise my dad's voice instantly. Enthusiastically, I turn around, my smile growing once I see him standing in front of me with his usual jumper and jeans combo. His hands are coated in bubbles from washing the dishes as he pulls me into a hug.

I wriggle out of his grasp, cringing as the soap transfers onto me. "Dad, I think you forgot to dry your hands."

He looks at them with realisation, hurriedly wiping them on his jeans before hugging me once again. We're around the same height so my head rests comfortably on his shoulder. I breathe in the scent of pine and laundry detergent that I haven't smelt in so long. It instantly relaxes me. We don't let go right away, we can't. We have so many missed hugs to make up for.

"This is so much better than talking on the phone." He mutters with a content sigh. I hum in agreement; I couldn't agree with him more.

Knowing that we can't stand here all day, I pull away. He turns to Penny and Archer standing in the doorway. A warm smile tugs at his lips. They must feel out of place here. I know I did when I first came into their home.

"You must be Penny." He turns to her. She nods curtly. Her hands are playing with the hem of her jumper until he hugs her just as he did with me. He's never been one to favour one person over another. Her eyes widen slightly.

"Very friendly." Penny mouths to me over his shoulder and I bite down on my lip to stifle my laughter.

"And you must be Archer."

Archer holds his hand out for him to shake but, of course, my dad pulls him into a bone-crushing hug, ignoring his outstretched hand completely. Archer purses his lips as he taps his back awkwardly. I get the feeling he doesn't hug people very often. The same can't be said for my dad.

"Not very good at giving hugs, I see."

He turns around, his grin spread from ear to ear as if he hasn't just insulted him. A groan of embarrassment rumbles through me. "Dad!" He walks back over to me and kisses my cheek lightly. His innocent-looking eyes pour into mine. I'm glad I warned them about him beforehand.

"What?" He chuckles. His hands stretch out to tickle me but I back away before he gets the chance.

Shaking my head in dismay, he rounds the corner to check on Sadie. Penny follows behind him, leaving me and Archer standing alone with our luggage. Our eyes meet as if for the first time. It still feels like that day at the airport. The butterflies still flutter, and my heart still races.

"I'm sorry," I apologise.

He stuffs his hands into the pockets of his jeans. I have to refrain from letting my gaze drag down his body. "You don't need to apologise. I get it, he's sarcastic." He tilts his head with a shrug.

"Yeah." I agree despite not knowing if there was truth lying behind my dad's words or not. Archer didn't look like a good hug-giver from where I was standing either. Trust my dad to be the one to tell him though. Sometimes his honesty does more harm than good.

We join them in the living room. The first thing I notice is the Christmas tree in the corner of the room with its flashing lights. It's decorated the same as it is every year. We like tradition. There's tinsel hanging from some of the photographs on the walls too. I notice Archer looking at them, instantly wanting to cover his eyes to stop him from witnessing my awkward stage but don't.

"We don't have a guest bedroom, so I set up some make-shift beds down here." My dad announces, shifting our attention to the floor.

There's a few spare duvets and pillows spread out across the rug in front of the TV. We never needed or could afford a house with another bedroom. There were only four of us at the time my parents bought the house. They were planning on me and Sadie sharing a room so we could use the other room as an office, but Sadie wanted her own space. I would never have said anything, but I prefer her having her own room too.

Sadie's already sat on the makeshift beds, running the tips of her fingers up and down the velvet pillows. Penny takes a seat next to her and does the same. "These are the most comfortable things I've ever felt."

"Thank you, my wife picked them out." He smiles with pride.

At first, when he would take about her, there would always be sadness in his eyes. It was like that for a while. We were all at a standstill, not really knowing how to live without her. We figured things out as we went along. Let me tell you, it took a long time. We started to cherish the time we had with her rather than mourning the ones that were lost.

Now, when he thinks of her, a beaming smile appears on his face. He knows that she would want that. She would want us to be happy. We still have photographs of her dotted around the house, not wanting to change much. It's nice to know we're still living in the house that she helped decorate. It wouldn't feel like home if we weren't.

"Why don't you give them a tour of the house while I order some food. I bet you're all hungry." He suggests to me. He reaches over to grab his phone, flipping it into the air once he does. Luckily, it lands in his palm.

Penny, instead of coming with me, asks if she can stay downstairs with Sadie. I think she wants to show her she isn't someone to be shy around. So, it's just me and Archer. It doesn't take long to get around the house seen as it's not that big. We're standing outside of the door to my bedroom before long.

I push it open, a lopsided smile tugs at my lips when the usual vanilla-scent envelopes me and walk inside. Everything's how I left it. The jacket I decided not to take with me and threw out of my luggage last minute is still draping lazily on my bed. There's a fluffy rose-coloured throw across the end along with a few white, pink, and beige pillows at the top.

The light from outside is seeping in across the white duvet from the slanted window to the side. There's a couple of drawers next to the bed filled with random junk. You can probably find a ton of half-filled notepads in them from years ago. That was when I was going through my need to write everything down stage.

I throw myself onto the bed face first and sigh deeply. It's still as comfortable as I remember. I sit up, remembering that I'm not the only one in this room and turn to Archer who's standing across from me staring up at the fairy lights on my wall.

"This is my room," I announce as if he couldn't already tell.

He picks up the fluffy pillow from my bed before dropping it again. Comfortably, he takes a seat next to me and I cross my legs, waiting to hear his verdict.

Your room shows a lot about you. It's like a doorway to your mind. It shows someone what colours you like, which bands you listen to, sometimes who's important to you. Having someone in your room makes you vulnerable. His judgement of where I sleep feels like a judgement of me.

"Why would I need to know where your room is?"

I suck my lip between my teeth. "Well- I..."