Red_Roses_and_Black_Dahlias_-_Macy_T

She gripped my shirt, looking up at me with tired hooded eyes. I grabbed
her hand softly and bent down to kiss it, “Get some sleep, baby. I’m not going
anywhere.”
Having me whisper those words seemed to reassure her and her grip on
me loosened as she closed her eyes, turning around in bed and engulfing her
sister in a hug.
I watched them sleep for a while, a sense of peace falling upon me, as
always when I was in their presence.
We still had a long way to go, a lot of stuff to go through, but I truly
believe that as long as we were together, we’d be able to encompass them.
***
It was nearly eight at night when they woke up. I was finishing setting up
the living room when I heard the light pitter-patter of their bare feet on the
floor. Sure enough, I turned around and there they stood, both rubbing the
sleep off their eyes. Both in their pajamas, their long, straight black hair a
similar mess.
“What are you doing?” Sofia asked me, just like she did this morning
when she caught me and Valentina baking her cake.
I straightened up from the floor where I was just about done fluffing out
the pillows so they could rest against the sofa. The whole thing wasn’t as
perfect as I had imagined it, but my attempt at a fort was still pretty
successful.
Cozy fleece blankets and pillows were strewn all over the rug beneath the
sofa, creating a little nook. I had some Christmas lights left from last year in
a closet, which I lit and hung around the living room so that I could dim the
overall light and create a warm decor. The coffee table was covered in
snacks and the girls’ favorite sodas. With everything that happened, I didn’t
have time to get any birthday decor, so I made do with what I had at home.