Page 119 of Holiday Friend Zones
He strolls into the kitchen and sets his mug in the sink before opening the fridge and taking out a chocolate pudding cup.
I shake my head.“You and your pudding.”
The couch depresses as he sits down.“It’s so good.”He digs the spoon in and shoves a big bite into his mouth.
“Share?”I ask sweetly.
“Nope.Get your own.”
“But the fridge is so far away,” I whine.
“It’s worth it though,” he says smugly, digging in.
“Fine.I’ll just have to do this.”I lean across him, dip my finger right into his pudding, and scoop up a dollop.
His brows lift.“Oh, no, that’s not how this works.”He catches my wrist, steady and unhurried, and guides my hand to his mouth.
His lips wrap around my finger—sweet lord—and sucks the chocolate off with deliberate slowness.With his eyes locked on mine, my breath trips over itself.When his tongue swirls around the tip before releasing me, I nearly combust.
“It’s my pudding,” he murmurs.
“Right.”My voice is a whispery mess.“Guess I’ll… go get my own.”
I stand on wobbly legs, march to the fridge, and fling it open just to let the cool air slap me in the face.Holy.Actual.Shit.
“Bottom shelf, right side,” he calls, far too casual.
“Yeah, yeah,” I mutter before grabbing the freezer drawer instead.Ice cream feels safer-ish.I scoop myself a half bowl of chocolate brownie fudge.
He eyes me when I sit back down.“No pudding?”
“I needed something cooler.”
“Good.More for me.”He smirks.I swear, if I survive living with him for another few weeks, it’ll be a miracle.
SIX
More Flirty
Lauren
I’m at Sip and Sleigh with Brie, buried beneath a blizzard of contracts for the Holly Jolly Festival.Outside, snow drifts lazily from the gray sky, while inside, the air smells like cinnamon and espresso.Eight contracts later, my brain has given up.The words blur into meaningless squiggles.I’ve reread the same paragraph ten times, and the only thing I’ve comprehended is I cannot stop thinking about Eli.First the almost-kiss and then… the pudding.Our once-effortless friendship has taken a sharp detour into uncharted flirting territory, and my head is now a jigsaw puzzle with entire pieces missing—like the crucial ones labeledcommon senseandself-control.
“Can I ask you a question?”I blurt.
Brie sighs.“If it’s about legalities, no, because I’m officially done.”
“I promise it’s not about that.”I stare at the table, embarrassed to even voice this.“Friends lick each other’s fingers, right?”
Her head snaps up.“Um.Generally… no?”
“Damn,” I mutter.“That’s what I was afraid of.”
Brie pushes the stack of papers to the side, abandoning the contracts.“Whose fingers are you licking?”
I bite down on a grin.“Technically, it was the other way around.Eli… may have sucked chocolate pudding off my finger.”
“Oh!”She fans herself dramatically.“That’sdefinitelynot friendly behavior.”She leans in, eyes bright.“Is something going on between you two?”
