Page 43 of Shut Up and Jingle Me
He groans. “That’s never good.”
“No, hear me out,” I say, pushing up on an elbow to grin down at him. “You, me, and the best Christmas movie of all time.Elf.”
His expression is priceless—flat, unimpressed, already regretting every life choice that led him here. “You’re kidding.”
“Do I look like I’m kidding?”
“Yes. Or insane.”
I tap his chest. “Lucky for you, I came prepared. My dad’s a tech nut—he makes sure I’ve got battery packs that could survive an apocalypse. Which means,” I draw out the words, enjoying his look of dread, “I can plug my laptop in and introduce you to Buddy the Elf, savior of Christmas.”
“Eli—”
“Nope. No arguing. You’ve already been indoctrinated into hot peppermint lattes and snowball fights. Next step is Will Ferrell in tights.”
I beam at him, triumphant, because he can glower all he wants—I’m going to make him love Christmas if it kills me.
Max looks down at me as though I just suggested he drink eggnog straight from the carton, which, let’s be honest, is pretty damn tasty. “You cannot be serious.”
“Oh, I’m absolutely serious.” I snuggle closer beneath the blanket, chin tipped up so I can grin at him properly. “Elfis a holiday masterpiece. A required seasonal experience.”
He exhales hard through his nose, tilting his head back against the wall. “You’re unbelievable.”
“Compliment accepted.” I jab him lightly in the ribs with my elbow. “Onemoremovie, Calder. We didn’t exactly finish the last one, did we?”
That earns me a glare sharp enough to cut, but I catch the flicker of pink at his ears. Progress.
“You really think you can make me like Christmas by forcing me to watch movies and listen to you sing songs?”
“Completely.” I beam up at him, shameless. “By the end of winter, you’ll be whistling Christmas carols in your sleep. And I don’t see you fighting me on this.”
Max groans, dragging a hand down his face, but his arm never leaves my shoulders. “You’re relentless, you know that? How many of these Christmas movies do you have saved on your laptop?”
“Mmhm.” I wiggle even closer, enjoying the warmth of him. “A few, but like I said before, it’s an external hard drive my dad loaded for me. And you secretly love it.”
“Debatable.”
Still, when I reach over to snag my laptop off the nightstand and plug it into the battery pack, he doesn’t stop me. Just shakes his head as if he can’t believe he’s letting me rope him into this.
I flip the screen open and queue upElf, practically glowing as the opening credits roll. “Trust me. You’ll thank me later.”
He mutters something low, but his arm pulls me tighter against his chest. And maybe I’m imagining it, but when Buddy the Elf pops onto the screen, I swear Max’s scowl softens, barely a fraction, but enough to make my chest ache in the best way.
I settle in under the blanket with my shoulder tucked snug under his arm and against his chest, and within seconds, I’m grinning like an idiot. I’ve seenElfa hundred times, but it never stops being hilarious. The ridiculousness, the sheer joy, it just gets me every single time.
I laugh out loud when Buddy pours syrup on his spaghetti, elbowing Max lightly like,See, this is peak cinema.He huffs, but it’s not annoyed—more akin to humoring me, which honestly makes it better.
The movie barrels on, all neon cheer and chaotic joy, and I’m so wrapped up in quoting my favorite lines under my breath that I almost miss it. That prickly awareness crawling over my skin.
When I glance back at him, Max isn’t watching the screen at all. He’s watching me.
Eyes dark, steady, locked on me like I’m the movie. Like I’m the thing he can’t look away from.
My laugh falters, sticking in my throat, and for a second, the whole room feels suspended in the quiet hum of battery-powered Christmas lights and Buddy the Elf yelling in the background.
I swallow. “You’re…not even watching,” I whisper the accusation, lips tugging into a crooked smile.
He doesn’t flinch, doesn’t deny it. Just tilts his head the tiniest bit, as if he’s memorizing the way I’m looking back at him.His gaze doesn’t waver, but his mouth twists like I just accused him of something he’ll never admit to.
