Page 48 of A DIY Christmas Miracle
“Soo… what’s it about?” Will scooted closer until his knees bumped against my feet, his whole face open and interested.
“Uhm… do you really care?”
“Yeah, I do.” Nothing hinted at him not being a hundred percent sincere, so I started talking.
“It’s a Christmas romance, and a funny one, at that. The protagonists head up to a cabin in the mountains where the family of MC1 — that’s Main Character One — always spends the holidays. He takes MC2 — the other main character — with him to spend Christmas with his family, but while they’re still on their way, they get surprised by a snowstorm and barely manage to take shelter in a hunting lodge.”
Another snowed-in story… I was obsessed with this trope even though it hadn’t done me any good so far.
“It doesn’t sound particularly funny to me.”
“It’s got great situational comedy.” I shrugged. “It’s hard to explain, but it really is funny and not a serious book at all. Even if it might sound different to you. The MCs are just so incredibly cute and adorable. I mean, it’s full of clichés, but that’s totally part of the charm. For example, the two of them have to cuddle to keep themselves warm because the electricity’s out. They have a fireplace, but that’s kinda cliché, too. Also, they’re both secretly in love with each other and reading about them constantly searching the other out issooocute. But, at the same time, it’s hilarious because they’re so oblivious and just don’t see that their feelings are mutual.”
I stopped talking because I’d already told him much more than the rough outline Will had probably been interested in. He was just too nice to interrupt me after I’d gone off on a tangent.
At least he wasn’t laughing at me. I mean, he would probably never do that because it wasWill,but he didn’t look bored in the slightest. Quite the contrary, he looked interested and curious.
“Will you read to me?”
“Excuse me?” I squeaked.
“I asked if you’d read to me. From your book.” He winked at me. “Maybe it’ll help me understand what’s funny about it.”
My heart was racing in my chest. He didn’t really want me to read to him, did he? Because I definitely couldn’t. There was a sex scene coming up and I would not be reading spicy scenes to my crush.
“Uhm… wouldn’t you rather read me a chapter of your book?”
Will shook his head, then adjusted his glasses. “Definitely not. My book is incredibly boring and… dry.”
“So, why are you reading it in the first place?”
“It’s one of the disadvantages of being a teacher: I actually have to read the books I’m torturing my students with.”
I nodded sympathetically even though that was a problem I didn’t often have.
“Can we just watch a movie?” I asked, trying to get out of having to read to Will. It seemed… too intimate. My heart would only get the wrong ideas again.
“Do you want to watch another Barbie movie?” Will teased.
“If you don’t mind,” I said, grinning deviously. He’d started it. I mean, he’d suggested that we watch a Barbie movie, right? “I think it’s really commendable that you want to close the gaps in your education. Don’t worry, I’ve got my favorite movies downloaded to my laptop.”
“Yeah… that one’s on me,” he said in defeat. I crossed the distance between us and patted his shoulder.
“You still have a lot to learn. Lesson one: If I get the chance to watch a Barbie movie, I’ll take it.” Blowing a kiss at him, I ran into the hallway to fetch my laptop and an HDMI cable to connect it to the TV, wondering how Will always managed to get me to let my guard down within minutes. It was dangerous. If I wasn’t careful, I might forget he’d turned me down once already.
I was dreaming. I had to be. I’d fallen asleep midway throughBarbie as the Princess and the Pauper, and now I was having one of those strange dreams in which you weren’t aware of the fact that you were dreaming.
There just was no other explanation for the fact that Will’s head was resting on my shoulder, his whole body leaning against me, his warmth seeping into me.
It felt so incredibly realistic. Like this might actually be the real world. Like Will was really cuddled up against me. It felt so fucking real that the butterflies in my stomach came to life, making my insides flutter and hope come back to life inside me even though they had no business doing so. Because Willwasn’t into me.
But there were all the details I couldn’t help noticing: his scent, his hair tickling my neck, the rise and fall of his chest, and his hand caressing my side, sending a tingling sensation through my whole body. It all felt so real and amazing I couldn’t possibly just be imagining it.
Maybe it wasn’t me who’d fallen asleep, maybe it’d been Will. Or maybe this was just like a couple of days ago when he’d cuddled me while we’d both been sleeping.
Carefully — and without moving my body at all — I tried peeking at him to find out if he was asleep. If I moved and hewasasleep, he’d wake up and this would be over. He’d move away from me, and we’d go back to just being friends. Again. I didn’t want this to be over. Never. I wanted to enjoy this moment, savor it, burn it into my memory so I’d never…
“Eli?”
