Page 14 of A Love Like Christmas Time
When I turn around, she’s right in front of me. Close. Her face only a breath away.
“I should-”
“Maybe I-” we start at the same time.
For a moment, I freeze. All I can do is stare at her. The subtle freckles I’ve never seen before since I’ve never been this close, the way her cheeks slowly turn pink, and her eyes dart over my face. The way she pulls her lower lip between her teeth, that makes me want to capture it with mine. Her soft hair that I want to bury my hand in, feeling it run through my fingers.
The sudden urge to kiss her runs over me with the force of a fucking tsunami.
“I should go,” I whisper and quickly take a step back, before something happens that I can’t take back.
Because people leave.
“Okay,” she whispers, then clears her throat and steps aside to let me through. “Get home safe.”
I nod and quickly walk past her, the scent of her vanilla perfume burning into my mind.
Fuck.
Chapter 5
Lauren
“I’m telling you, there was amoment,” I tell Nic, putting my hands on my burning cheeks. Giddiness bubbles in my stomach as if I downed a bottle of champagne, though I’m sure that scenario would have a wildly worse outcome.
We’re walking from Henry’s clinic to Caleb’s. Leaves are blowing around our legs; the last few are clinging on to the otherwise bare branches in the town square on the other side of the road. Winter is near. I can almost taste it.
It’s the Monday after Thanksgiving, and I brought the kittens to Henry for a proper check-up with all his fancy equipment. Ultimately, he found nothing wrong with them. Just to make sure, he drew some blood to check for deficiencies or diseases, but he didn’t seem too worried.
“And you’re sure that wasn’t him being traumatized by the beacon you call your home?” Her lips twitch with amusement, and I shift the weight of the pet carrier in my arms.
“Positive.” I nod. “The moment he laid eyes on it, there was pure horror in his face. But thatmoment-” I tilt my head, grinning as I conjure up the memory. He’d been so close. His eyes darted over my face before resting on my lips, inner turmoil raging in his eyes before he suddenly left. “Was definitely not that.”
“Good. That’s good.” She reaches for my arm and stops me right outside Caleb’s. “Now, do you want to tell me what killed your mood during Friendsgiving?”
Ah, fuck. Of course she’d notice. I almost forgot how much attention she pays when she doesn’t need to worry about her ex or her family.
“Let’s go. I’ll tell you inside.” I nod towards Caleb’s. She narrows her eyes at me, then marches ahead and holds the door open, pointing for me to go inside.
God, my cheeks could compete with damned lava as I enter. I nudge my face deeper into my scarf trying to hide.
“Hi Caleb!” Nic greets him cheerily. A lot more cheerfully than usual. That… meanie. She’s having a grand old time seeing me flustered.
All I can manage is to squeak a “Hi.”
His eyes dart to me. For a moment, I think I see something flicker in his eyes before. Then he nods at me and turns around to make our coffee with his usual poker face.
“Okay, now I’m buying that there was amoment,” Nic whispers, and now it’s my turn to shoot her a glare. “Not that I didn’t believe you.”
“Sure.” I roll my eyes, gently setting the pet carrier down at our usual table. "Now that Thanksgiving is over, I think he needs some Christmas decorations in here. The year-round coziness isn't helping me get into the festive spirit.”
“Not a chance,” Caleb shouts from the counter, and I narrow my eyes at him, even though he’s looking the other way.
“I’ll wear him down,” I whisper to Nic, who is shaking her head amusedly.
“So?” she asks, raising her eyebrows. Propping her head on one hand, she drums her fingers against the wooden tabletop. “What’s going on?”
“I’ll just show you.” I unlock my phone, pull up my screenshot gallery, then put it screen-up on the table and slide it her way. “Please. Go ahead and scroll through.”
