Page 44 of A Roommate for Christmas
“So, you said you’ve made some changes.Anything new in your dating life?”Paige asked boldly, admittedly a bit nervous to hear his answer.
Carter took a sip of his wine.
“My last relationship never went below surface level.She’s an aspiring model and I’m a little ashamed to admit that I started dating her because she fit with what I thought my life should look like.”Carter had the decency to look uncomfortable with this admission, but didn’t hold back as he continued.“We went to fancy parties and traveled to exotic places, which helped numb the grief of losing my dad.But we never talked about anything important.I was okay with it for so long because our lifestyles were a good fit and the physical part of our relationship was never an issue.”He shrugged as if he were sharing the most casual detail.“But eventually, I couldn’t deny any longer that I felt hollow.”Carter’s gaze lifted to meet Paige’s briefly before he grabbed a cracker and a slice of cheese.
Paige was trying not to spiral.Carter’s life had looked exactly as she’d imagined it when she first met him.“How recent was this?”She couldn’t help but ask the question.She saw a brief look of panic on his face, and she feared her suspicions about a recent breakup were true.
“We started dating about three years ago,” Carter said, not fully answering the question.“And then, uh, we bro—”
Paige’s phone went off.It was Nadia trying to FaceTime.
“Oh my god,” Paige exclaimed.“I think Nadia just got engaged!Do you mind if I answer?”
“Not at all, let’s see the bling,” he said, looking relieved.
As soon as Paige answered the call, she saw Nadia’s left hand directly in front of the camera with a diamond ring on her finger.
“Guess who’s gonna be Mrs.Eriksson!”She exclaimed.
Paige let out a shriek of excitement for her friend.
Nadia filled her in on the events of their day.She and Linus drove out to the lake to take a walk.They came across a bench and sat down to take in the view of the icy water.When Nadia turned to look at Linus, he was sitting there, ring in his cold, purple hand, and then he asked her to marry him.
Nadia said that Linus had all these other elaborate ideas in mind, and the blizzard had thwarted all of them.But to her, this was the most romantic proposal she could have asked for—just the two of them taking in the view of the lake and the city they both now called home.
They talked for a few more minutes until Nadia had to go to start making calls to her family.Paige was honored to have been the first FaceTime.
“They look so happy,” Paige said to Carter after hanging up.She reached over and filled their wine glasses up with what was left in the bottle, completely forgetting where she and Carter had left off in their conversation.
“Yeah, they really do,” Carter agreed, but kept his eyes down on his glass.“So, what about you?Ever gotten close to getting married?”
“I thought I was close with my ex from work,” Paige confided.“But turns out I was the only one who thought that.We dated for just over three years, and the way we talked, I thought we had a future together.But looking back on it now, I realize he never really gave me anything aside from empty promises.”She took a gulp of wine.“You know, he even had the nerve to come begging for forgiveness after he cheated on me.And in less than two weeks, his head was already turned back to the other girl.”
“Real class act.”Carter rolled his eyes.
“For the past year I’ve avoided dating.I think part of me just didn’t want to open myself up to getting hurt again, but if I’m being really introspective, I think a big part of me feels like I just won’t be enough for anyone.I wasn’t enough for Chance to propose.Hell, I was barely enough to meet his family more than a few times.And do you know how humiliating it is for someone to cheat on you?Like, as if I needed a bigger reason to feel unwanted.”
Paige surprised even herself with this revelation.There was something about Carter that made her feel more in tune with her emotions.She felt safe putting her thoughts out in the open.
“Chance is an absolute idiot,” Carter said, reaching over and grabbing her wine-free hand.“I’ve only known you a few weeks, and I only really started getting to know you a couple of days ago, but you’re special, Paige.You have passions, you have personality, you have depth.You have this way of making me feel one hundred percent comfortable with you, which is something I haven’t experienced in a long, long time.I need you to understand that you are most definitely wanted.”
Carter had scooted himself closer to her while he was talking, and Paige’s body was tingling more with each centimeter of the gap he closed between them.
He was like a magnet, because Paige realized she was already leaning into him, practically begging for him to kiss her.But as soon as he finished his sentence he was there, meeting her lips again with the same softness from earlier.
The kiss lasted longer than before, but they eventually parted and Carter rested his forehead against hers.
Paige’s heart was pounding so hard she was sure Carter could hear it.She never believed it when people said they experienced fireworks during a kiss, but now she had firsthand proof.
“I know we’re snowed in here,” he breathed, “but I still feel like I can’t get enough of you.”
And with that, they were kissing again, this time with more passion.Carter’s right hand moved to her thigh, his left hand lightly resting on her neck with his thumb stroking her jawline.
Paige grabbed at his T-shirt and used it to pull herself even closer to him.The next thing she knew she was tugging his shirt up, and he obliged by pulling it up and over his head, breaking their kiss just enough for her to give his chiseled torso a once-over.
He wrapped his arms around her, effectively pulling her into his lap.If he couldn’t hear her heart before, there was no way he couldn’t hear it now.He traced his fingers down her back, and Paige felt electricity surge through her body.This was the hottest thing that had happened to her in a long time—maybe ever—and her pulse was racing.
It was clear Carter knew what he was doing.The movement of his tongue was skillful and subtle, and his hands touched all the right places.Paige started to worry her hookup drought would become obvious to him.Did she still remember the right techniques?Was he enjoying this as much as she was?
