Page 42 of Holiday Romance
“Deal.”
I gaze up at him, eyes narrowing. “Six out of ten?”
He smiles. “Seven. Anything more and I need to see some tongue.”
“That’s gross. You’re gross. Don’t kiss me again.”
“I will try and control myself,” he says seriously, and I huff, but it’s halfhearted. I’m mostly relieved. Relieved that I’m no longer keeping things from him. That he truly doesn’t seem to think it’s a big deal that we’ve kissed each other twice in twenty-four hours after ten years of, you know,not doing that at all.
I stay silent as we shuffle toward the plane, trying not to overthink it. Andrew gets another text and is quickly distracted though his hand remains tight around me.
I’m not teasing about that.
It’s not a big deal. He just said it wasn’t and now he’s acting like it too. But my lips are still tingling. My lips are still tingling and even when I press them together, they don’t stop.
CHAPTER NINE
FIVE YEARS AGO
Flight Five, Chicago
“Try it on.”
“No.”
“Just try it!”
“No, it would make you too happy.”
“Try it on or I’m taking it back.”
“That’s not how gifts work, you weirdo.” But Andrew shrugs off his sweater (all the jingle ladies) and unwraps the one I just gave to him.
“It’s cashmere,” I say as he holds it up. “And I know it’s not exactlyfun, but it’s wintergreen, which is definitely a Christmas color, and it’s light enough that you could wear it all year round if you wanted to.”
He doesn’t answer, too busy pulling it on over his head. I don’t know why I’m so nervous. I’ve never been someone who worries about gifts, and yet I spent a whole weekend running around the city trying to find the perfect one for him. And I’m pretty sure I failed. I should have just got him a gift card. Everyone loves gift cards.
“I’ve kept the receipt,” I say. “So, if you don’t like it or it doesn’t fit, we can—”
“It’ll fit,” he interrupts, his voice muffled by the fabric. His head pops through, his hair ruffled as he pulls it down over his chest.
I lean forward, brushing some lint from his sleeve before realizing I’m fussing. “Well? What do you think?”
“Ithink,” he says, pulling the label free, “that this is now the nicest thing I own.”
“Really?”
He smirks. “Is this moment about me getting a present or about you giving me a present?”
“Me,” I say, and he laughs. “You’re really hard to buy for.”
“I’m easy to buy for. Get me anything.”
“Anythingis code word for hard to buy for.”
“Okay, we’re definitely not doing this again,” he says. “This is supposed to be fun, not stressful. Don’t you exchange presents with your family?”
“Of course, I do. But it’s usually money, the greatest gift of all.”
