Page 36 of Ho Ho Oh No

“At least you didn’t get double black eyes this time,” he teases, barely holding in his chuckle at my klutzy expense.

I join him in a quick laugh because I’m an expert in finding humor in my follies. It makes my existence so much more enjoyable.

He leaves me briefly, returning with a small bandage. While watching him dote on me with a task I could easily do by myself, I get lost in his turquoise sparkling eyes. He catches me staring and puckers his lips, inviting me to kiss him.

Cheery as the season, I take him up on his offer.The scent of his new citrusy shower gel fills my nostrils, bringing a wave of warm fuzzies into my chest. About a week ago, we realized his sport-scented shower gel was making me nauseous.

Related ADHD wondering... what doessportsmell like? Why are there so many products in that scent?To be honest, when I think of something sporty, it isn’t a pleasant odor. We’ve all gotten too close to an old gym bag, haven’t we? Icky.

But I digress.

Tomer’s barely audible moan vibrates through our lips as our tongues touch. With my free hand, I palm his cheek and sink lustfully into the kiss. All I want to do is tumble around on the bed with him for the last free half hour we have until it’s time to finish party prep.

Yeah. I like that plan.

Unbidden, my squirrel digs its little feet into my frontal cortex, waving a big red flag to catch my attention.

And then it hits me.

My eyes spring open, and I shirk away from Tomer, indignation fueling my rising temper tantrum.“You!”

He freezes, except for his eyes, which dart aimlessly around the room. “Me what?”

“It was you,” I snarl, my eyes bulging. “It. Was. You.”

All this damn time.

Un-flipping-believable.

Heavens to Betsy.My brain is so soft it could pass for cotton candy in the rain. I can’t believe it took me this long to figure it out. I’m daft as the day is long.

“Sugar, what was me?”

I give my finger a quick check, finding the bandage secure, so I fold my arms angrily at my chest and stare him down. In lieu of a full answer, I give him only three words. The same words he threw at me a minute ago.

“Two black eyes.”

My lips pop shut, and I let him steep in that little clue. It shouldn’t take him long to catch on. My view of him narrows when my eyes gradually close to slits.

There I sit, wordlessly fuming. On the edge of the bed with wrapping paper, tape, and ribbons surrounding me, patiently waiting to hear his confession.

He doesn’t get it right away, simply remaining cast in stone. Only now, his tongue teams up with his darting eyeballs, and it swirls around his sexy mouth while he attempts to connect the dots I’ve placed before him in an intricate pattern.

I’m tempted to give him a marker to draw the line, but I won’t do it.

After all, I’m a master at controlling my impulsiveness.

For however long it takes, I just let him chew it over. Gradually, I begin enjoying the show. He’s smart as a whip when it comes to code writing, hacking, or whatever else he does in the lair. And he’s magic at heaps of other things. But he struggles to figure me out at times like these. In a way, it’s one of the rare times I can best him.

Although I could, I’m not leading this horse to water. Not today. He can find it himself.

A solid twenty seconds pass until his frame sags and his shoulders curve forward. His eyes cast toward the floor as the puzzle pieces slowly snap into place.

“Oh. That.”

“Oh. That,” I parrot in the same flat tone he used.

He nibbles at the inside of his cheek, awaiting his sentence from me.

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