Page 49 of Nice Guys Don't Kiss Like That At Christmas
Adam’s still asleep, one hand curled near where I used to be.Blanche and Dorothy haven’t moved.They’ve shifted around the blanket on the floor, claiming it completely.
And I could crawl back into bed.Could press against him again and pretend the silence between us is safe.
But I don’t.
I lower myself onto the floor beside the dogs, curl around the space we made last night, and pull the corner of the blanket over my legs.
LoverBoy snuggles into my side, warm and small and steady.
I lie there, staring up at the ceiling.
Feeling everything: the warmth, the ache, the confusion.
Then I close my eyes.
And wait for morning.
The bathroom mirror is still fogged from the shower, my hair damp around my face, the towel wrapped tight around me like armor.I press my palm against the glass, clearing a small circle.My reflection stares back: flushed cheeks, a bite mark purpling at my collarbone, eyes too bright.
Evidence of a night I wasn’t supposed to have.
I pause at the door long enough to breathe.
Long enough to put my face back on.To rearrange my features into something neat.Professional.Not wrecked by a kiss, or a man, or a feeling I thought I buried seven years ago.
I ease the door open, expecting the room to be empty.Or maybe find a goodbye note and another shirt I could hold onto for decades to come.
Instead, I’m met with quiet.Soft morning light seeps through the curtains.The dogs are a tangle of fur across the couch.The bed is made with my flannel pajama on top of my pillow.
And Adam is sitting on the edge of the bed, fully dressed, phone in hand.
His voice is calm.Steady.
“Yeah, through the 26th.That’s fine.Happy to stay in Pine Creek for a bit longer.I’ll cover night shifts, holidays.Whatever you need.”
The words land in my stomach like cold metal.
December 26th.
It’s December 2nd.
That’s almost a month.
Before I can react, he makes another call.“Mike?Hey.You still have the guest room?”
He listens, nodding slowly.“Right.Wes’s staying with his daughter until the 16th...yeah, I figured.Probably not great for me to be getting in at 2 a.m.with a half-housebroken chihuahua.Didn’t think your kid would appreciate that.”
A pause.
“Yeah, no, it’s okay.Thanks anyway.”
He ends the call and turns around.He sees me now, sees the way I haven’t moved.The way I’m still holding the towel like a shield.
He opens his mouth.“I… the timeline has changed.”
I nod.Without a word.LoverBoy lets out a soft whine near the door.
Adam glances toward him, already moving to grab the leash off the side table.“He needs to go out.I can bring him to the shelter later if—”
