I caught Harper’s eye, and she raised her brows. I nodded and pulled Dean aside into the kitchen.
“Hey, man. I just wanted to say…” I rubbed the back of my neck. “I’m realizing I’m not very good at this.”
“Are you proposing to me, Alexander?” Dean grinned. “After kissing another girl right in front of me?”
I rolled my eyes. “Look, I…I haven’t had a friend until this year. Not a real one. Not until you. And, well…I love you.”
Dean’s angular face softened. “Oh, Dr. Xander Ford has found theLword, ladies and gentlemen.” He laughed and engulfed me in a hug. “I love you too, man.”
“I mean it, Dean. I’m really damn grateful for you.”
He made a face. “You think that’s a one-way street? Most years, I move around from group to group. The jocks like me because I keep their shit in order. The girls like me because I’m harmless and they know it.” He shrugged. “But I’m a little on the smart side—”
“A loton the smart side.”
“So, it’s nice to have someone to talk shop with. Even if talking to you is sort of like talking to Einstein.”
I smirked. “Not even close.”
“You know what I mean.”
“But Dean, if you need anything or…ever want to talk. I’m here, okay?”
He smiled. “Duly noted, my friend. Thank you.”
“So…you’re good?”
“Never better. I mean it,” he added to my dubious look. “It’s been a little tough lately at home, but I’m good. I promise.”
“You’d tell me if you weren’t?”
“Of course.” He hugged me again. “Merry Christmas.”
Dean rejoined the group, and I caught Harper’s meaningful glance. I nodded and she sighed with relief and mouthedThank you.
But there was nothing to thank me for. Being there for a friend, I realized, wasn’t a gift that was given but something you just did, and I made a vow to be better at it.
I relaxed then, into the party and the atmosphere that Emery had created. We ate snacks and cookies and drank eggnog and cider while Dean filled my dad in on my exploits at school.
“We do movie nights once a month,” he said. “Mostly for Xander’s education…and against his will. Your son is a certifiable genius, Dr. Ford, but completely clueless when it comes to pop culture.”
“Here we go,” I muttered with a laugh. I sat in the chair by the fire, Emery in my lap, her fingers lazily running through my hair.
Dad chuckled. “Don’t I know it. He’s had his head in a book since he was two!”
“Even math- or science-related movies don’t get a pass,” Dean said cackling. “Last week, we watchedA Beautiful Mind. Or as Xander calls it,A Terrible Movie.”
“It cheated,” I said with a shrug. “You can’t just have the guy staring at a wall of light-up numbers and somehow we’re supposed to believe he’s good at math.”
Kevin grinned. “But if theyshowedthe math, no one would understand it.”
“I would,” I said, and they all burst out laughing.
“If you really want to make Xander mad,” Emery said, “tell him he’s being such a Scorpio.”
Elena snickered. “And that there are people who believe the Earth is flat.”
I scowled. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. The Greeks knew it was spherical two thousand years ago. And how do they explain gravity, or do they not ‘believe’ in that either?”
