Page 169 of Going Viral for Christmas
Could this be the time I finally get to stay in the sun? Even if it’s only for a little while.
Fisher lets the silence breathe for exactly three seconds while casually stirring his cortado. He’s about to decimate me with a smile.
“I mean, Ifilmedyou two kissing at the axe-throwing place,” he says lightly. “Sure, I played it off like it was all fake dating sparkle for the fans, but let’s not pretend I missed the tongue.”
My jaw drops.
“And I know,” he continues, swirling his spoon, “your ice started melting the second we walked into your parents’ house. You were nearly thawed during the one bed situation—don’t argue–I saw your face every morning when you came out of that room resembling a woman emotionally rearranged.” He lifts his cup again, sips. “Which brings me to now.”
I brace.
“When did you actually start...fucking?”
“Jesus, Fisher.”
“Don’t ‘Jesus’ me, either, Ava. I’m asking a very valid, very best-guy-approved question. When did the vibes turn into vertical cardio?”
I stab a piece of cantaloupe. “It wasn’t some grand moment. It just… happened.” Well, actually, there was kind of a grand moment.
Fisher cocks his head, skeptical. “Things don’tjust happen.This wasn’t a spontaneous fucking. There’s been enough tension between you two to power a small city. I want a date. A timestamp. Alocation.Preferably one I don’t need to spiritually cleanse.”
“Okay,” I sigh. “Soren convinced me to go on a date with him.”
Fisher freezes mid-sip, lowers his cup. “Arealdate?”
Nodding, my eyes stay on my plate. “Yeah. No cameras. No Renata. No Camille.Or you.Only… us.”
“Okay. And?”
“There was a bookish art exhibit. Possibly a bookstore challenge that might’ve maxed out his credit card. And a picnic. He brought fancy little finger foods. And one of those cozy blankets that somehow smelled like cedar and plot development.”
Fisher’s mouth falls open. “You slept with him afterthat?!Love,neversleep with anyone after an emotionally well-paced outing.”
I glare.
“Did he feed you himself? Read you a poem? Quote Austen with a smirk and devastating eye contact?”
“There was… dancing…in the snow.”
He chokes on air. “In the snow?Ava Bell, you’re already married in seven states.”
I press my lips together, trying not to smile.
“Oh my God,” he whispers, hand to his chest as if I told him I eloped. “HeNicholas-Sparksedyou.”
Shaking my head, I laugh. “Yeah, I guess he did.”
“And after that?”
My smile spreads. “We binged theTwilightsaga.”
Fisher goes completely still. “You what?”
I shrug, sheepish. “Started withTwilight, thenNew Moon, and… may have made it halfway throughEclipsebefore—well, things took a turn.”
He throws both hands in the air. “Oh my God, you’re in love. That man sat throughBella Swan’sentire decision tree and still wanted to sleep with you? That’s a soulmate, Ava. Oh my God, you’ve imprinted.”
“Stop romanticizing it!”
