Page 129 of Going Viral for Christmas
“It’s twenty-eight degrees.”
“Exactly. Good excuse to get close.”
She eyes me like I’ve grown antlers. “You are such a sap.”
“Guilty.”
Opening my door, I rush around to hers and hold out my hand. I’m standing there with breath fogging the air and a stupidly hopeful expression on my face, waiting.
Finally, she groans, then caves.
Ava steps into me as I wrap an arm around her back and pull her in, slow and careful.
The music is ridiculous, and she’s fighting a smirk even now, but when her cheek rests near my shoulder, one more crack in her armor splinters.
We move in lazy circles beside the car, headlights casting a soft halo around us. Snowflakes drift like feathers through the air, sticking to her hair. The chorus builds, and I lower my voice to speak in her ear.
“You know what I see when I look at you?”
Her head tilts slightly so her eyes can meet mine.
“I see the woman beyond the name stamped on your books. The one who builds worlds out of heartbreak and hope. Who thinks and works too damn hard and gives too little of herself because it’s safer. I see someone who’s been burned so badly, she’d rather freeze to deaththan risk it again. And that’s brave as hell, Ava. You are both fire and starlight.”
Her arms tense slightly. She’s pulling away, not physically, but emotionally, and the moment is threatening to crumble.
“I’m not trying to fix you,” I add. “Or push you into anything you’re not ready for. I promise I’ve only been honest with you. And for tonight—onenight—let yourself give in to the pull between us. Make thisonemoment beautiful. Something to hold onto when those demons creep back in.”
Tears well in Ava’s eyes. We gaze at each other for a long moment. Then, her head settles on my shoulder, and we sway, surrounded by snow, by music, by emotions.
And we stay there.
Dancing.
Quiet.
Together.
Twenty-One
AVA
I’m not cold.
I’m confused.
Which on some level is worse than freezing, because at least freezing is straightforward. Hypothermia. Shivers. Possible death.
Confusion is layered. Slippery.Dangerous territory.
And standing here on my porch, still swaddled in the blanket Soren wrapped around me like I was a burrito.
I’m utterly baffled.
Soren Pembry—Fantasy Heartthrob, Viral Flamebait, Human Sin Against Sweaters—gave me the most romanticone nightof my entire life.
A surprise art exhibit. A book buying spree. A botanical candlelit dinner. Power ballads. Dancing in the snow.
I’m toast.
