Reluctantly, yes...

‘All right, fine…’ You stare up at the ceiling. ‘It’s actually not that interesting. Mostly I just ended up squeezed in the bedroom closet, staying the fuck away from my stepdad. Sounds pathetic, I know, but I was a weedy little kid – and it was a tiny apartment, so every time he yelled, the walls shook.’

Daisy raises an eyebrow. ‘Nice. What was he yelling about?’

‘Oh… literally nothing.’ You shake your head. ‘That was the stupidest part. Most times he was fighting with my mom over whose turn it was to take the trash out. I mean, that wasn’t actually why they were fighting – they were fighting over how much they both wanted a divorce. But neither of them were prepared to admit it, so…’

Daisy’s face is full of sympathy. ‘That sucks, man. I take it they’re not still together?’

‘You would be correct in that assumption.’ You let your head thud down into your palms. ‘Except, of course, at Christmas, because for some fucking reason, we have to play happy families for three solid days until all four of us want to chew our own arms off. And then beat each other to **** with the resulting pile of limbs.’

Daisy prods you gently. ‘I’m glad you’ve managed to resist the temptation so far. Not sure you’d be quite so handsome with a couple of chewed-off stumps.’

You blink, surprised. ‘Oh. Um, cheers.’ Is it your imagination, or is Daisy flirting a little? ‘Your bitchy grandmas need their heads examined, by the way. You’re the furthest thing from fat I’ve ever seen.’

Daisy laughs, looking down at herself. ‘You’re very sweet. Trust me, I was a bit chubbier around the edges as a kid.’

‘Even more reason not to be a cunt about it,’ you reason. Daisy giggles.

‘Well, you can’t argue with that. One of them’s pushing up the daisies now, anyway. Although the other’s still going strong.’ Her face twists briefly. ‘Last Christmas – no, the year before last, she told my kid cousin he smiled too much, and then stepped on my dog’s tail. Oh, and then she took the coffee I made her and sniffed it, right in front of me, like she was afraid I’d poisoned the milk or something. Shit…’ Daisy stares off into the distance, dismayed. ‘I could have poisoned the milk! **** for all those times she told me dairy makes you fat.’

You feel confident enough to reach a hand out and rest it on Daisy’s arm; and happily, she doesn’t pull away. ‘Hey, you know what they say. Christmas always brings out the best in us.’

‘It does in some people!’ Daisy counters sadly. ‘One year – the only year, the only time I have ever enjoyed Christmas – my parents couldn’t be fucked, so I got to stay with my best friend. And they were… I don’t know, they were just…’ Her cheeks curve up at the memory of it. ‘Her parents actually liked each other, I think. That was the secret. They liked each other and they liked spending time together. Crazy, right?’

You don’t say anything, watching Daisy’s expression; she almost looks wistful. ‘Her dad did these funny little puppet shows, and her mom laughed harder than anyone. Just from that, you could tell – they actually still loved each other.’ Daisy stares dejectedly at the floor. ‘Sorry… shit, I’m being depressing. I could sing you more German Christmas carols if you want.’

You don’t say anything; just squeeze her arm tightly. And maybe that’s enough, because Daisy leans towards you and touches the tips of your fingers with hers, just slightly.