‘Was the fight soft?’Please say no, please say no, please say no.Oh, but not in a violent way.
He didn’t say anything and just wiggled his shoulders like he wasn’t sure. ‘It was stupid but also …’ He let his voice fade out and took a bite of ice cream. I mirrored his movements, then swapped back with him.
‘Have some Florence Mint-engale or whatever that’s called. It’ll cheer you up.’
He smirked, and I felt like I was going to explode when I saw his dimples. ‘Frances McDor-Mint!’
‘That’s the one.’ Jodie was growing on me, anyway. The fresh banana, probably.
‘He’s not going to be around for Christmas, so I called him tonight and told him to come over so we could hang out and exchange gifts.’
I took another bite of ice cream, not even tasting it anymore.
‘He was all …’ Gabe stuck his spoon in the ice cream and made a confused face. When he spoke, he did an impression of Vic that chilled me more than the ice cream did. ‘“Wha … wha … what do you mean? We didn’t agree to exchange gifts.”’
‘He didn’t get you a Christmas gift? How long have you been together?’
‘Six months, but it’s not even that. He could have just said he didn’t get me a gift. I don’tneeda gift from him, but when I said I could still give him his, he went off on me. Saying it wasn’t fair that I’d bought him a gift –’
What?
‘– and that I wasn’t respecting his boundaries –’
Whaaaaaat?
‘– and that I was just trying to manipulate him and make him feel bad because he was going away for the holiday without me.’
If I didn’t have a mouthful of ice cream, my mouth would be hanging open. I swallowed, feeling the cold glob freeze my insides on the way down. ‘Don’t take this the wrong way – but there’s something not right with his brain.’
He laughed, but this time the dimples were nowhere to be seen. ‘I think he was just embarrassed. And … ugh, this sounds awful.’ He leaned back in the booth, no longer interested in his ice cream. I gave him a face that said,Go on. He finally did. ‘Ididwant him to get me a gift. It’s not that I’m materialistic—’
‘You’re seventeen and you drive anAudi, sir.’
‘I said I wasn’t materialistic, not that I didn’t like nice cars.’ I scoffed but let him continue. ‘It didn’t have to be expensive, just, like … remember the old holiday episode ofSesame Street, when Bert and Ernie did the wholeGift of the Magithing?’
‘Was that when Ernie traded his rubber ducky for a cigar box for Bert’s paper clip collection?’
‘Yeah! And Bert traded his paper clip collection for a soap dish that Ernie could put his rubber ducky in. Anyway, Vic didn’t even need to give away something to get me something thoughtful. It could have cost a dollar, and as long as there was thought behind it, I would have loved it. All he had to give me was a soap dish.’
My face burned hot. Not even the ice cream could cool me down. ‘Finish your ice cream,’ I said. ‘It will make you feel better.’
And I knew something else that would, too.
He came to a stop in front of my house, and I told him to pull over and park for a second. I asked him to wait and hopped out of the car, running up the front steps as fast as I could. Once in the house I said hi to my mom, told her there was leftover Jodie Bananas Foster in the freezer if she wanted, and grabbed a little box from my room.
I was back in the passenger seat in under three minutes, out of breath. Gabe’s eyes dropped to the box in my hands, then up to me again.
He closed his eyes, biting his lower lip. Did he not know how much that made me want to kiss him?
‘I was going to give it to you on Christmas Eve after work, but …’ I held it out to him. ‘Merry Christmas, Gabe De La Hoya.’
He looked like he wasn’t going to take it. And for a second I thought he wasn’t going to. He shook his head, his smile growing. And then he got out of the car. I clutched the box against me, embarrassment blooming in my chest. He stood at the back of the car for a moment, then opened the trunk.
I laughed when he got back in holding a giant gift bag.
‘I got you a gift, too.’
We passed them over the center console and stared at each other.
