Page 101 of Seeds of Christmas
“He’s really gone,” I say into his chest.
“He’s really gone.”
“What if he comes back?”
“Then you can handle it again.”
“He’s going to tell my mother terrible things about me.”
“Maybe.” Carter brushes tears from my cheeks. “You’ll talk to your mom when you’re ready. On your terms. Not his.”
I nod.
“You okay?” he asks softly.
“Yeah.” And, surprisingly, I am. Shaky and emotional, but okay. “Actually, I’m better than okay.”
There’s a creak on the floorboard, and Meg appears, holding two glasses of wine. “I thought you might need these. And also”—she looks at Carter—“you are very hot and I need to know everything immediately.”
I laugh.
She thrusts the wine glasses at us. “Drink these while I order pizza, and then you’re telling me everything. Starting with”—she points at Carter—“where did you come from, and are you really dating my best friend?”
“Yes,” Carter says, pulling me closer. “I really am.”
Meg grins. “Good. Because Matthew was a dick, and you seem much better. Also, you have good arms. Rhi is very into arms.”
“Meg!” My face burns.
“What? You are!”
“We’re going to my room!” I announce, grabbing Carter’s hand and pulling him toward the stairs.
Behind us, Meg’s laughter follows. “I’m ordering extra cheese! And Carter—you’re staying for dinner! Non-negotiable!”
In my room—finally, blissfully in my room—I close the door and lean against it. My space. My things. My life. And Matthew is not in it anymore.
Carter looks around, taking in my books, my string lights, my desk.
“It’s weird. I feel like I know you so well, but we’ve still got so much to find out about each other,” he says.
“Is that good or bad?”
“It’s brilliant.” He sits on my bed, and the sight of him there—in my actual room, in my actual life—makes everything feel real in a way it hasn’t before.
“So,” I say, sitting beside him. “That was awful.”
“I’m sure it was.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Yes, you could have. But I’m glad I was there.” He kisses my knuckles. “For the record, I was about five seconds from walking in and punching him.”
“Very good restraint of you not to.”
“Your roommate was distracting me with tales of her tinder dates.” He grins. “Also, pretty sure she’d throw a better punch than me. She has intense energy.”
I laugh, leaning into him. “She’s great. You’ll like her. She’s very protective of me.”
