Page 51 of Yule Know It When You See It
I expect her face to soften, for her to sigh and let it all out, but she does none of it. Instead, her jaw clenches, and her brow furrows to the point they nearly touch one another.
“Why doIhave to be the one to tellyouwhat you’ve done, Axel? I want to hear yousayit.” Theo rises to the balls of her silver high heels, points at me, and flops back down.
Frustration burrows in me like a frantic mole escaping a predator.
Last Christmasby Wham echoes in the space, and I don’t hesitate to hold my hand out to her. “Dance with me, Theo.”
Her arms are still crossed and pressed firmly to her chest, but her foot bounces, and she glances from my hand to my face and back again. “No.”
“Please don’t be stubborn. Not now. Ipromisethere’s an explanation for whatever is going on. But I need you to enlighten me just a tad more.” I re-emphasize my hand and wiggle my fingers like enticing worms luring a prized bass.
She sighs a harsh breath through her nostrils and takes my hand. “Fine. But we’re keeping this middle school rated. Got it?”
I arch a brow, remembering middle school quite clearly. My first dance I’d made it to second base with a girl. She circles a space between us with her arms when I stay silent.
“Ah. Gotch ya. So, no dry humping then?” I half grin, wishing nothing more than to make her smile again, to make her face brighten with laughter.
“Axel,” she warns, trying to turn away from me.
I hold her hand tighter, not letting her go for anything now that she’s cracked, and I lead her to the floor. Ten others surround us, but she’s the only one who exists. I take her hands and place them on my shoulders before resting mine on her hips. It feels silly and really like Iamback in middle school, but ironically, it’s so us I can’t help but cherish it.
Theo’s fingers pluck at each other behind my head. “I’m going to ask you something, and I need you to be honest with me because I’ll know you’re lying. Understand?”
“Forstått. Hit me with it.”
She bites her lip when I speak Norsk but closes her eyes to refocus. “Are you trying to take the story, our holiday hockey story, for yourself?”
A boulder lands in my gut.
“What?” I breathe out, risking a step closer, but she stiff-arms me into staying at a distance. “I would never do that, Theo.Whywould I do that?”
Theo snarls and lightly swats my shoulder before dropping her arms to her sides. “Axel, I told younotto lie to me.”
“I’m not,” I say a tad more haughtily than intended but blame it on my entire being going on the defense. “Where is this coming from, Romance? Hm?”
Mary clears her throat beside us, and I have half a mind to wonder if she’s rented a teleporting machine because she popped in out of nowhere. “Hey, you two. Theo, I noticed you don’t happen to be wearing any red?”
Theo glares at me and makes no motion to look at Mary. “My hair. That’s red. Happy?” She sweeps some in my direction, but we’re too far apart, and it misses me. Ha.
Mary forces a smile and turns her attention to me. “And Axel?”
Not caring Theo wants distance, I slide forward and lower my face to hers. “My.Boxers.”
“Oh. Oh, uh, my,” Mary says through a shaky voice.
Theo is still staring daggers into my inner soul, but there’s no hiding the glance she makes below my navel, no doubt wondering if this, too, I was lying about.
“Okay. I fear my sweater catching on fire from the flaming tension between you two, and it is mostly made of polyester, so—” Mary snaps her fingers. “I’m going to let you two be.”
“Is this your red flag, Axel?” Theo doesn’t try to step away, allowing me to get so close we share the same breath. “Lying?”
“About—” I start, snaking my hand around her waist, ready to snap it away if she gives one hint she doesn’t want it there, but she doesn’t budge. “—what?” It comes out like a subdued growl from my very marrow. Slowly pulling her closer, my insides melt when her hands rest on my arms. I sway us again, bringing this dance to a high school level, the song flipping toBaby, It’s Cold Outside.
She licks her lips, a desperate want for my truth playing in her gaze. “So, you’renottrying to steal the story from me?”
“No, Theo. I would never do that.” Without thinking and without my body giving me any sense of warning, I press a kiss to her forehead and rest my chin atop her head. “You’re so passionate about your writing and this story in particular you’ve run away with, so why would I take that from you?”
Her hands grip my shirt, light sniffle sounds muffling against my chest. “But I—”
