Page 96 of Merry Christmas, You Filthy Animal
The uncertainty.
The . . . longing.
Unmistakable. I can see herwantmirror mywant.
It’s right there.
Clear as day.
“Yeah,” I answer, trying not to get too excited. “Did you have a good time last night?”
She nods and then softly says, “I really did.”
“I did too.” I wet my lips and lean ever so slightly forward, just enough that our conversation feels more intimate. “What are you up to?”
“Um, well, you know.” She clears her throat, seeming far too nervous, so I try to help her.
“Are you hanging out with Storee tonight?”
“Yeah, we, uh, we’re going to get lost in Baubles and Wrappings and then grab a bite to eat. But I thought that I would, uh... bring this over first. It feels kind of silly now but—” She lifts up the ornaments, and I smile as I take mine from her.
“It stayed overnight?”
She smiles. “It did.”
“Yours too?”
She holds hers up as well. “Mine too.”
“Well, if that’s not a good sign, I don’t know what is.”
“You think our wishes will come true?”
“I’m really hoping mine does,” I say, looking her dead in the eyes.
The corners of her lips tilt up as she smiles back at me. “Yeah, me too.” She clears her throat. “Well, uh, I’ll let you getback to your party. I don’t want to keep you long. Or Storee for that matter.” She takes a few steps back. “I hope you raise a lot of money and have a fun time.” Another step back, growing too close to the steps.
“Hey, be careful,” I say.
She takes another step back. “Yup, be careful. Always have to be careful. Funny thing about being careful.”
She takes one more step, and I see where this is going, so I rush out the door and snag her by the waist, right before she tips backward down the stairs.
“Oh!” The surprise in her voice is cute, but then her eyes fall to my mouth. “Uh, sorry, did I... did I forget?” She nervously laughs, making no sense at all.
“Forget?” I ask.
“Yeah, you know, the tugging at my waist and all. I get it, no big deal. We did it before.”
What on earth is she talking about? Before I can ask, she lifts up on her toes and presses a kiss to my lips.
Christ.
Her fucking lips.
Unsure why this is happening, my grip on her grows tighter, my mouth wanting to explore, but she doesn’t even give me a second before she pulls away and starts looking around. “Where’s the mistletoe? That’s number four, right?”
“Huh?” I ask, feeling dazed.
