Page 106 of Grace & Henry's Holiday Movie Marathon
“Thanks,” he says. “Is that what you came over here to tell me?”
“No,” I say. “I came over here to kiss you.”
“You did?”
“Yeah. I was just gonna march right up and do it. But then we didn’t know which house was yours. And then I realized that my whole family is here. Your family, too. And…and there’s a baby over there.”
“That’s my niece, Kelsey,” Henry says. “Say hi, Kelsey.”
Henry’s hot brother uses Kelsey’s hand to wave at me.
“So, yeah,” I say. “I was gonna kiss you, but I chickened out, and now I’m afraid the moment’s pa—”
Henry’s hands on my face are warmer than they have any right to be in December, and his lips on mine are even warmer still as I close my eyes. I should’ve kissed him a month ago by my parents’ firepit before I even knew that I wanted to kiss him. I should’ve kissed him by our cars when I absolutely knew I wanted to kiss him. I should’ve kissed him when he asked me out even though I thought I never wanted to see him again. I’m glad I didn’t, though, because this is better: Henry kissing me in the snow.
“Oh, jeez, Mom,” says Ian.
“Ew,” says Bella.
But then Ruth shouts, “Woohoo!” and now our families are cheering, and Harry Styles is barking because he doesn’t understand why everyone is cheering. My brother-in-law says, “Yo, maybe get a room, you guys.”
When we stop kissing, Henry’s arms move around my waist and we look into each other’s eyes. “It’s almost over, but do you wanna come in and watchLove Actually?” he asks.
“Yeah, okay,” I say. “The end always kinda bugs me, though.”
“What are you talking about? The ending is perfect.”
I roll my eyes. “Henry, the cops would’ve tasered the hell out of that kid running through Heathrow like that. Also, theveryend, at the airport? Come on. The prime minister of England doesn’t just fly into a commercial gate and stroll out to baggage claim. That’s ridiculous.”
Henry looks up into the snowstorm and sighs. “Crap. You’re right.”
“Um, can we go inside?” says Bella.
“Yeah,” says Ian. “It’s freezing out here.”
“Of course!” shouts Henry’s mom. “I’m so sorry. I’m terribly rude. Everyone—all of you—inside this instant. You’re all welcome.”
“Oh dammit!” my mom says. “Jack, I should’ve brought those crab cakes.”
Henry takes my hand, and we lag behind, watching our families slowly file into the house. For Harry Styles it’s a dream come true—the chance to finally herd a whole group.
“Why are there so many of them?” Henry asks.
“I don’t know,” I say. “It’s too many, right? I should send half of them back.”
Then, finally, we’re alone.
He takes my other hand, too, and now we’re face-to-face with the snow falling all around us. “Can I kiss you again?” he asks. “That last one wasn’t my best. The crowd kinda got in my head.”
“Okay, yeah.”
And this time it’s even better. I want to keep kissing him and kissing him, but I can’t because everyone we know is inside waiting forus.
“This is gonna be complicated, isn’t it?” I say.
He brushes some snow out of my hair. “Probably,” he says. “But I’m ready.”
“Yeah,” I say. “Me, too.”
