Page 61 of Say It Isn't Snow
Maybe next year we’ll get to spend New Year’s Eve together and I’ll get to kiss my boyfriend when the clock strikes twelve. At the very least, I’ll call him to hear his voice while I’m at the cabin.
After our time there, the thought of going back without him strikes a sharp chord in me.
The cabin might be his family’s, but in my heart it will forever be branded as our space from now on.
By the time we return downstairs, I’m bursting with the need to tell my best friend about falling for her brother.
Except I don’t have to worry about finding the right words to tell her. Instead, Caleb waits for us at the foot of the staircase.
The story Layla’s telling trails off as he catches me by the waist and pulls me in for a kiss when I reach the last step, easy as that.
Wide-eyed and flushed, I press my fingers to my lips. I can’t believe he did that. My attention flies to his smiling sister behind me. She nudges me to get me moving again.
“You don’t seem surprised about your brother randomly coming up and kissing me,” I say.
Layla gestures between us with her brow quirked. “Well, yeah. There’s been an obvious vibe going on between you two since you got here. I can see how he’s looking at you, and the glances you’ve been sneaking at him. You both have no idea what subtlety is.”
“Oh. I didn’t mean to hide it from you, but I wasn’t sure when to tell you about us,” I say.
“I’m happy you two finally got your heads out of your asses,” she replies with a laugh. “Seriously, me and Eli had bets going for years on who would crack first.”
Caleb snorts and hugs me against his side, right where I belong. We fit perfectly together. I lean my head on his shoulder, not fighting the soft smile that breaks free.
“Who had money on seven years ago?” he asks.
Layla gasps, pointing at us. “I knew it! For the record, you two suck at sneaking around.”
My mouth pops open. “There’s no way you suspected us. We were careful.”
She shakes her head. “Yeah, sweetie, no. You weren’t as discreet as you thought.” She tallies on her fingers. “June, his car smelled like your perfume. My family’s July 4thbarbecue, you both disappeared around the same time and I found one of your bows from your braids that day in a bush. Two weeks after that, I heard you laughing in his room—I’ve known you since we were kids, so, duh, I’d recognize it. Should I keep going?”
“Oh my god. You have more?” I turn my mortified face into Caleb’s chest.
“Your brain is something to be feared if you’re pissed off,” he says to his sister. “How do you remember shit like that?”
Layla taps her temple. “I am an iron vault. I see all. I archive all. This is why you and Eli could never beat me at games like hide and seek, because I memorized all your best spots.”
He chuckles wryly. “This is why you never mess with the middle child.”
“Damn right,” Layla crows.
“You never said anything. I’m sorry for keeping it from you back then.” I pull away from Caleb to hug my best friend.
She squeezes me back fiercely. “Don’t sweat it, girl. I wasn’t mad at all. I was hyped, because our childhood bestie dream of becoming sisters might come true. Then I was pissed at him for whatever he did to make you so sad at the end of the summer.”
“Oh, is that why you were suddenly giving me so much attitude and ignored me when I was home on break from school?” Caleb scoffs.
Layla flips him off. “Oh, you hush.”
“Give me my girlfriend back.” His hands snake around my waist and tug me into his chest.
Layla holds on. “She was my friend first.”
“Play nice, children. Hey—wait, don’t tickle me!” I yelp.
The three of us wrestle, stifling uncontrollable laughter. Layla plays dirty jabbing her brother in the side, but he wins out in the end by scooping me into his arms. I cling to him and throw my head back with joyful amusement.
If this is my future, I look forward to every minute of it.
