Page 79 of A Winter in Wonderland
‘Yes, they’re so lovely.’
‘They’re the best. I just want to take them all home.’
‘Me too!’ I cried. ‘Especially the puppies. I sound like Cruella de Vil but I honestly would just love them all. Not make coats out of them or anything. Hahahaaaaaa.’
Josh chuckled and cleared his throat.
‘I fell off the sled!’ I yelped suddenly, babbling to fill the silence.
‘What? Are you OK?’
‘Yeah, totally fine. Well, no, my arm is sprained but it’s nothing.’
‘Your arm?’ He reached over and touched it gently, lifting it. It was a sweet gesture, almost reflexive, but his touch, even through my jumper, tingled.
‘Yeah. That one.’
‘Oh, no.’
‘What?’
‘I think it needs surgery.’
I laughed. ‘It does not.’
‘I think I would know.’ He shrugged. He smiled, and lowered my arm, breaking our connection. ‘Can you still work?’
‘Daan has me on reindeer duty tomorrow, just at the farm. I’ll be on low-impact work for a few days, I guess, but then I’m sure it’ll be back to normal.’
‘That’s good.’ We hesitated in front of each other for a moment.
Standing beside us, watching, blowing on her drink, was Esteri. ‘Hello, Josh,’ she said all of a sudden, alerting him to her presence.
He snapped to attention and smiled at her. ‘Esteri, hi, how are you?’
‘I am just fine, thank you, Josh, and you?’
‘Yes, good, great. I mean, not great, is that rubbing it in considering you just told me you’re hurt?’ he asked me.
I shook my head, grinning, and Esteri raised her eyebrows at me.
‘All right, well, see you later,’ I said to Josh, and followed my room-mate up to our room.
Inside, we climbed into our bunks, and I put my hot chocolate on the small shelf above my bed and propped myself on my good elbow, staring out of the open curtains to the darkness beyond. A lining of snow coated the window frame, and I could see flakes still fluttering down in front of the lights at the bottom of the pine trees below.
I took a sip of my drink, holding the sweet, warm liquid in my mouth for a moment, right as Esteri said, ‘Are you and Josh having sex?’
Spluttering and dribbling a little hot chocolate onto my chin and pillow, I exclaimed, ‘No! What? Why would you … ?’
From the bunk below, cool as a cucumber she continued, ‘I knew there had always been something between you two, it was so obvious, but something’s altered.’
‘What do you even mean, there’s not been anything between us, he’s like, the most annoying guy I’ve ever met.’ All right, that might be overkill.
‘No he’s not, he’s cute, if you like that kind of thing.’
Not sure whatthatmeant.
She continued, ‘Did something happen at the Christmas party? Or New Year’s?’
