Page 30 of Snowed In on Valentine's Day

“Oh, but don’t you need to turn it off to save power?”

“It’s in energy-saving mode right now, but I can enable text messaging.”

“OK. Well, thank you so much … I really owe you.”

His perfect brows furrowed for a moment. “No, you don’t.”

Amused, I glanced in his direction. “I beg to differ. But thank you nonetheless.”

His eyes closed for a second, as though he was annoyed. “You can stop thanking me constantly. It’s unnecessary.”

I opened my mouth to disagree but then paused when I saw his determined expression. “All right. Maybe I’d better just stop talking altogether and stop annoying you.”Since you seem to dislike any type of conversation.

He was silent and didn’t look over at me.

“Well … maybe we can find something to do tonight before sleep. I’m not tired yet. Any ideas?” I bit my lip, surprised at my own words. I was essentially asking him to hang out with me—and why? We didn’t like each other.

Because I was bored.

“I mean, you don’t have to entertain me. I only thought that maybe you’d be a bit bored too and looking for a way to pass the time.” But he didn’t seem like the kind of guy who got bored easily; he seemed like the ultra-efficient and productive type. Maybe that was something he was trying to change though.

Ugh, why was I thinking about this? It didn’t matter. He wasn’t my friend or—anything else. We were just two neighbors stuck together in a crisis.

“I’ll go get my tablet. Maybe we can watch a movie.” He stood and left the room, and my jaw was nearly on the floor.

He wanted to watch a movie with me? I mean, it was perfect, a great way to pass the time. But also shocking, coming from him.

In a few minutes, he returned and sat on the couch. I rose from my chair and joined him on the couch, ensuring plenty of space between us.

As the device powered on, he turned to me. “Any ideas?”

“Well, I love rom-coms. Comedies too. The occasional drama. I hate horror. What do you like to watch?”

“Documentaries. Occasionally a mystery.”

“Sorry, not a fan.”

He scrolled on the tablet. “You can choose. What should I look for?”

My smile was wide as I leaned over to take the tablet out of his hands. “I’ll find something. There was this new release I wanted to see around Christmas but never got a chance … it’s a rom-com about a couple that gets snowed in just before the holiday.”

As soon as I said it, I realized the extreme awkwardness and ran my hand through my hair. “Oh, you know, maybe that would hit too close to home. I mean, we’re not a couple, but the snowed-in part. I can try to think of something else if you—”

“It’s fine, Hazel.”

I bit my lip, peering at him. “Are you sure?”

“Load the movie,” he said, sitting back against the cushions and crossing his arms over his chest.

As the movie started, I found myself leaning forward and sideways to see the screen on the coffee table. After a half hour or so, my neck started to ache, and my eyes were starting to hurt from squinting. I rubbed my neck and told Peter I needed to use the restroom.

Once there, I splashed water on my face and studied my face in the mirror. I looked tired. I suppose I was physically tired, but my mind felt very awake. My hair was thankfully still looking good, albeit a bit tousled. I was wearing a hoodie and leggings, the epitome of fashion.

Not that it mattered. I didn’t care what Peter thought.

When I returned to the couch, he had grabbed two blankets, and I smiled gratefully as I settled into my corner of the couch and took the blanket he was holding out to me.

He shook his head though and waved his hand between us. “It’s probably easier if we sit closer. I can hold the tablet so you don’t have to crane your neck.”

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