His mustacheis on fire.
He blows the cheese one last time, and my initial freeze reflex thaws, and I leap into motion.
Stop, drop, and roll.
I can’t stop, drop, and roll him.
But I can smother.
With—with—I grab the salsa at my spot and fling it onto his upper lip with one hand—I don’t know, it looks wet—and then grab a towel with my other hand and smother his face with it.
“What the bloody fuckingfuck?” he chokes behind my hand.
He’s fighting me, anddammit, he’s strong, but I have adrenaline on my side, and I’m gripping him by the back of the neck and smothering his mustache with all of my might.
“You’re on fire! Hold still!”
“Oh my god, the ’stache,” Crew says reverently behind me.
“Do you think it survived?” Tatum whispers.
Fletcher’s eyes flare wide. He rips my hand off his mouth and stares at me in absolute horror while the rest of the room falls silent.
It’s not a comfortable silence either.
This is the kind of silence that I’d assume comes with stumbling upon a cave full of moldy cheddar cheese. Or the kind of silence that comes when you get the phone call that your childhood home was eaten by a sharknado.
I can hear my own heart beating.
I might even hear Fletcher’s heart beating.
I haven’t had the courage to drop my gaze from his deep,youdid not set this up to light my mustache on fire, outraged glare to the carnage that may or may not be waiting beneath.
Salsa.
I threwmango salsaon him to try to put out the little smoky flames eating the ends of his mustache.
Legit, I don’t think anyone in the room is breathing right now.
Except possibly Silas.
Who will be getting the very, very worst Thanksgiving present I can dream up to give him this year.
It’s a Collins thing.
Don’t ask.
Fletcher lifts his hand to his face.
I don’t so much see it as I feel him moving, and I know that’s what he has to be doing.
And that’s when I let myself look.
My gaze drops from his flashing green eyes to his nose, and then lower.
Andohhhhhhh fffuuuuuuuccccckkkkkk.
The right side of his mustache is singed halfway off. The hairs that are left are extra curly, and they crumble into ash under his fingers as he gingerly touches the area between his upper lip and his nose with two fingers.
