Page 5 of Screwing With The Scrooge

He could have left to meet Townes, but I doubt it. I head inside, almost tripping over the strings of Christmas lights that I still need to hang up.

A thought hits me and I grin as I peek across the street at Xavier’s dark house.

Should I? Maybe it’s time that I stop bothering him. Maybe I should let this crush go. It’s clearly not helping things.

Still… an image of Xavier’s stoic face shifting, his eyes getting that light in them, like he’s secretly happy about my attention floats behind my eyes, and I grin as I grab the first string of lights and tiptoe back outside.

Just one more time,I promise myself.

CHAPTER3

Xavier

“No reindeer orgy today?”Townes asks as he climbs out of his Jeep in front of my house.

I scowl at him as I continue to tug the strings of Christmas lights off of my front yard.

“Nope.”

“What’d she do today?” He asks, coming to a stop next to me.

“She wrote XOXO all over my yard.”

“Aw,” he coos, and I glare at him.

“It’s just another joke.”

“Obviously. That’s how everyone would take it. Definitely not her flirting with you and basically writing you a love note out of Christmas lights,” he says sarcastically.

I ignore him and the clenching of my gut as I wrap the lights in another tight loop.

I want to believe him. I want Townes to be right, but I know that he’s not.

You’re not worth my time or attention, my father’s angry voice rings out in my head, and I wince, forcing the memories back. My own father couldn’t love me. How could anyone else?

Townes sighs, pulling me from my thoughts, and I look over to see him wrapping up another strand.

“She really commits to things, huh?” He asks as he looks at the two other stings that I had already wrapped up.

I glance over, too, and something close to pride squeezes my heart. I try to ignore the feeling as I continue to wrap up the next string of lights.

“That she does.”

“Hmm,” he says, and I grit my teeth.

I know that he’s baiting me, that I shouldn’t ask, but my curiosity gets the better of me.

“What?” I snap, and he grins.

“Well, maybe you should mess with her back,” he suggests, and I snort.

“Encourage her, you mean?”

“You’d rather she stopped?” He asks quietly, and my stomach drops.

The truth is, no, I don’t want her to stop. I love Olive’s pranks. I love knowing that she was thinking of me, probably because I’m always thinking of her, and it’s nice to know that I’m not alone in my infatuation.

“Just admit that you like her, man. At least to yourself,” Townes says, and I frown.

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