Page 64 of Severance

“Where’s your hat, silly?” Dakota asks, placing his hands over my ears. “You’ll get sick.”

“No, I won’t,” I counter, trying to catch my breath. The cold air stings the bare skin on my face and my neck.

“Yeah, you will.” He grabs the plate from me and sets it on the step of the fire escape.

“Are you insane? My parents are going to kill me if they see you like this. They’ll believe I’m dating a homeless guy. Where did you get all these clothes?” I fist the thick fabric of his sweatshirt, thinking how he can rock almost any look without much effort.

“They’re mine.” Dakota chuckles. “Didn’t I tell you I used to weight three hundred pounds? It’s the keto diet.”

“Liar.” I slap his chest.

“You should have seen me last year.” He snorts out a laugh.

“Nonsense.”

“Nah, I just needed to make sure I had on a good disguise. Come here.” He leans forward and presses his lips to mine, his hair brushing against my cheeks.

The flutter inside my stomach starts spreading throughout my body, filling me with blissful warmth. Kissing Dakota is like breathing. It’s become an essential part of my life. I need him just as much as I need air, and I can’t stand when we’re not together.

“I don’t have your present with me,” I say against his mouth, wrapping my arms around his torso. “I didn’t know you were going to ambush me here. I’ll give it to you next time I see you.”

“You didn’t have to get me anything,” Dakota husks in my ear, drawing a little black box with a tiny red ribbon from the pocket of his oversized sweatshirt.

“I wanted to.” My heart beats a bit faster when I take the present in my hands. The velvet finish feels smooth and warm against my freezing fingers.

“Come on. Are you going to look at it until we both turn into popsicles?” Dakota laughs, and the sound of his voice, deep, dark, and beautiful—like all of his songs—makes me shiver all over.

I twist the box in my hands and when I pop it open, my heart jumps. Inside, there’s a silver necklace with a tiny pendant in the shape of a hummingbird.

“Do you like it?” Dakota asks, his tone tentative.

“Oh my gosh! I love it!” I exclaim, running my fingers over it. “It’s so tiny.” My gaze jumps between his face and the necklace.

“It’s handmade.”

“It’s beautiful! Thank you so much.” I’m out of breath as my excitement skyrockets.

No one has ever given me anything this exquisite and intimate, and I’m not sure how to react. “My present sucks compared to yours.” I look at his gift again before closing the box.

“I can guarantee you it doesn’t.” Dakota wraps his arms around me and pulls me into a hug, and I rest my head against his chest.

“Yes, it does,” I squeal into his oversized sweatshirt.

“You know why I’m positive it doesn’t?” he asks. “Because you’re my present.”

My heartbeat accelerates.

“Are you doing anything next Thursday?”

“No. Why?”

“I have the day off. I want to take you somewhere.”

“Thursday’s good,” I respond.

“When are you starting the new job?”

“Next Friday. I’m still helping at the bakery. Just a couple more days until the Christmas craze is over.”

---