Page 266 of Falling Backwards
Yep, I was right: the Christmas music that I was rolling my eyes about at the start of December has gotten worse.It feels like the only way to escape it is to be at my or Maggie’s place or in one of our cars; even Lucent has started playing it, albeit at a very unobtrusive volume.
And yet it’s fun to go places.Sure, there are too many people everywhere, but it’s hard not to be excited about picking out gifts for each other, and appreciative that it’s appropriately cold outside between getting out of the car and going into a store, and awed by the lights and decorations around town, and interested in the various events there are to attend.
Maggie and I, Paxton, and Emma and Joy have already made plans to go to Merritt’s next week, on the Wednesday before Christmas.The usual margarita specials will be on, as well as a menu of holiday-themed drinks, and we’ve heard from Huck and Harleigh about a gift giveaway they’re going to do.It’ll be such a good night—especially since the days truly keep on coming without a single bit more drama from Kyle.
It’s been days, indeed, since Maggie saw him at the mall and I still can’t say enough how thankful I am for his withdrawal.He really did listen to what I said at the park.Thinking back, we’re lucky it didn’t piss him off and spur him on; there’s a good reason people are warned not to interact with someone like him, and if I had put Maggie in a worse situation, I would’ve hated myself.But instead, I helped.He apparently needed someone other than her to snap him out of what he was doing.A fucking annoying truth since he should’ve listened to her long before that…but at least it got taken care of in the end.
“These should be good,” Maggie’s mild voice cuts through my thoughts.She turns to our cart and sets in a few packages of underwear, adding to the bras, hygiene essentials, and baby items we’ve already gotten.“All cotton, three different sizes.”
“Cool,” I say.“That’s the last of it, right?The lady said the women’s shelter doesn’t need much else right now?”
“Yeah, ’cause lots of people donate during the holiday season.”She looks at me with a glum tilt of her mouth.“Is it dumb to be two of those people?Should we wait until a less busy time of year?Not that we wouldn’t donate then anyway, but—”
“No, it’s not dumb,” I calmly interrupt, leaning on the handlebar of the cart.“I bet thereisan influx of donations at certain times of the year, but that doesn’t make all the stuff useless.”I shrug and smile.“The lady said they need these things.She wouldn’t have told you that if it wasn’t true.And we’re able to give, so let’s do it.Then we’ll keep on doing it in the slower months like you said, ’cause it’ll be important to us then just like it is now.”
I can see how much that settles her bit of worry.It’s in her shoulders, her eyes, the smile she gives back to me.
“Okay,” she says.She comes to stand next to me and places one hand on my back; I can hear the light skip in her breathing.“Then yes, this is the last of it.Let’s go.”
I straighten out of my slouch, glad when she keeps her hand on me.“Meeting everyone for the Christmas parade at 6:30?”
“Mmhmm.”Her smile brightens as her eyes slip along me.“Hope you’ll be ready to snuggle me where we stand again, ’cause it’s gonna be cold out there.”
I return her flirty look.“Hm.Torn between admitting I’ve been ready for that since the first time I did it and making a Bossy Moss joke.”
She giggles.
Ah, I love it.
Love that I can tell she’s fondly thinking back on our closeness outside that restaurant like I am.
I want her close now; I want her close always.As close as she can be.Closer than anyone else is allowed to have her.In the most innocent ways.In the hottest of ways.
And I know she wants it all like I do…especially that last one.It’s in the shift in the look she’s giving me here, and in whispers she has shared with me, and in just about all our kisses, and in how her breath changes a little bit whenever she touches me, and in her responses anytime my fingers find their way over her eyebrow or down her neck or just under her shirt or over her thigh.
I sigh.
So does she.
“We really should go,” I murmur.“Don’t wanna be late.”
Those green, green eyes drift over me again—did they ever really stop?—and she nods.“Yeah.I can’t stand here and drool over you forever.”
All my layers of desire for her aside, I have to snort into laughing.I drop my arm around her shoulders.“Do it while we walk.That’s what I do.Gotta learn to multitask.”
Her giggle comes again, and her hand on my back becomes her arm around my waist.We push the cart with our free hands.“Now, that’s smart.”
We know the truth, though: both of us have been juggling thinking about each other and going about our daily lives for a long time.We’re skilled at it.
—
“Oh my gosh!Luke!”I look up from the order sheet I’m filling out for my bar needs and see Maggie at the nearby glass patio doors, pointing and aglow with a grin.“It’s snowing!”
I smack my pen and clipboard down.“No way!”
“Yes!The forecast didn’t lie!”
“But it doesn’t snow here!”I only halfway joke.
