Page 74 of A Love Like Christmas Time
“But I—”
“Shut up, Caleb, please.” I narrow my eyes at him. Silence hangs heavily between us. Finally, his shoulders sag and he shakes his head, letting out a sigh.
“Sorry.” A weight tumbles off my heart. “You’re right.”
“Now that’s the spirit.” I point to a corner. “You have the choice between bunny slippers that are probably going to be too small for you or fuzzy socks that are also probably going to be too small for you.”
“I’ll take the socks.”
“Good.” I pick them up to throw them at his chest, then stomp to my living room. Jenna and Taytay are curled up in bed, utterly unimpressed with me as I pull out the sofa bed.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m preparing your bed,” I grit out, pulling out the extending part. From the corner of my eye, I watch him stare at me, eyes burning with annoyance. Oh, he’s not happy about his bed. Sadly, I can’t find it in me to give a fuck. “There are blankets and pillows in the hallway cupboard.”
I push my coffee table an inch further away from his makeshift bed. While he’s out of the room getting his blanket, I decide to sneak off. I’m done. So fucking done for the day.
"Good night!" I shout, only to hear a muffled reply in return.
My head keeps running at a thousand miles per hour once I’m finally in bed.
Funny. When I first got home, I could barely keep my eyes open. And now, whenever I close them, all I can see is Caleb’s hurt face, as I told him that I didn’t know him well enough yet to spill out my emotions and thoughts unfiltered.
Why is it harder to trust someone with your body than with your emotions? It was an unfair thing to say, no matter how true. Aside from Bobby, I probably understand him better than anyone else in Wayward Hollow.
When the blue numbers on my alarm clock jump to 2:00 am, I’ve had enough.
I get up, pulling the blanket around my shoulders like a cape, trudging down the hallway with my bare feet. Snow is still falling outside. Under different circumstances, I’d curl up bya window with hot chocolate, watching it fall and muffle the whole world under a blanket. The occasional snap of a branch under the weight breaks the eerie silence.
My feet don’t make a sound on the stairs as I sneak downstairs.
The lights are still on. Maybe he’s still awake.
When I peek around the corner into the living room, I can see Caleb trying to find a more comfortable position, folding the pillows and trying to fit under a blanket that’s slightly too short for him. But when his eyes land on me, he stills, his hand halfway to fluffing his pillow. I freeze in my spot.
I can’t read him, and it bugs me.
I’m not sure if that twitch in the corner of his mouth is supposed to be a smile because he’s happy I’m here, or hiding a grimace because he doesn’t want to see me. Or if his grinding his jaw is because he’s swallowing emotions down or holding himself back from lashing out.
“Come here,” he whispers, breaking the silence, and lifts the corner of his blanket.
Unshed tears sting in my eyes as a weight falls off my shoulders. With five wide steps and I’m next to the couch.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, biting the inside of my cheek.
“I know,” he mumbles, and pats the couch next to him. “I’m sorry too.”
I lay down next to him, burying my face in his shirt, sliding my arm around him. His chin rests right on top of my head, and one of his arms snakes around me. With his free hand, he tucks the blankets firmly around the two of us.
Fuck. I missed him. So much.
“Are we okay?” I ask, indescribable relief washing over me when he nods.
“We’re okay.”
“Good.” I lift my face to press a kiss to the side of his chin before I snuggle back against his shoulder.
Finally, within minutes of listening to his even breaths, I’m asleep.
