Page 13 of A Beastly Christmas Cheerful
“Are you cooking?” I take a seat and raise an eyebrow in surprise.
“Of course.”
“I can help,” I offer. “But be warned, I don’t have a lot of experience. Unless ramen counts, which I make in a small rice cooker.”
“I’ve got it. I made soup earlier, so I was planning on heating that up and making some grilled cheese to go with it.”
“That sounds amazing,” I tell him as I put my elbows on the counter, and he goes to the stove and starts cooking.
“You really think you could live out in a cabin all alone? You wouldn’t miss life in the city?” He turns back around to look at me, and I freeze, my finger outstretched and reaching for a frosted cookie.
“Busted,” I whisper as I pull my fingers back.
“It’s all yours, beauty,” he chuckles as he picks up the cookie and hands it to me.
“You try it first.” I hold up the cookie and offer him a bite.
He hesitates, but I put it closer to his mouth, and his eyes lock with mine. Marley goes in for the kill, taking the bite, and then I do the same. The sugary sweetness fills my mouth, and he watches me with something like hunger in his eyes.
“It’s good,” I say, and he nods in agreement.
Marley reaches out and swipes his thumb across the corner of my mouth. I see a dash of icing on it before he brings it to his mouth and licks it off. It's a simple act, but it makes heat settle deep in my stomach in a way it never has before.
“I don’t think I’d miss the city,” I tell him when he steps over to the fridge. Did my voice come out all breathy? What is wrong with me? I clear my throat and try again. “It’s the only place I really know, but the city hasn’t been good to me.”
People think if you’re in a big city with people everywhere, it’s not lonely. That’s far from the truth. I mean, I was spoken to more in the small town of Cheerful in the one hour I was there than the whole time I’ve lived in the city. Like, ever!
“It can be rough there,” Marley says. “I enjoy it out here more than I thought. I feel more creative.”
For the short time I’ve been here, I can totally see that. It’s peaceful in a way I’ve never experienced.
“The only thing I create is chaos. Oh, and little creatures.” I hold my fingers up about five or six inches apart to show him how small they are.
“Creatures?”
“I’ll show you.”
I hop down from my seat and go in search of my bag. Marley brought it in earlier with everything else, and I find it next to the front door. I carry it back to the kitchen and start digging through the mess.
“I got some in here somewhere, and I hope they’re okay.” I scowl into the chaos of my bag and keep digging. “Where the heck are you?”
Giving up, I turn my bag over and dump it out. I squeak when a million and one things spill out over the counter and a few items hit the floor. I glance at Marley, who chuckles, making me relax. Maybe he really does like my quirks.
“If this is chaos, I’m good with it.” He bends down and picks up the items that fell, one of them being my phone.
“Here,” I say, when I find the orange squirrel with a white belly. “I crochet.”
“It’s cute.” He takes it from me and smiles down at it.
“You can have it,” I tell him, and his eyes light up.
“Really?”
“Merry Christmas,” I sing-song.
“Thank you, beauty. I’ll treasure it.” That’s the second time he’s called me that. Yes, I’m counting.
Marley goes back to cooking, and we fall into easy conversation. He asks me more questions about crocheting, and I ask him about writing.
