Her eyes lingered. “Goofy.” She tilted her head. “But perfect.”
A softness in her voice made me pause.
Weeks ago, I’d almost planned to reheat leftovers and call it a day. No tinsel, no tree. Just one long, quiet reminder of what I didn’t have. And now there was laughter, twin paper crowns – and her, close enough to touch, yet somehow already under my skin.
thirteen
KIT
Snow on the Beach - Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey
When Jonah had asked if I’d brought swimwear with me on my trip, I immediately delighted at the thought of a spa, a roasting steam room, a bubble jacuzzi.
Not for a measly second did a frozen-over loch in the dead of winter enter my mind.
“You cannot be serious?” I looked back at Jonah, who was wrapped up in his big puffy jacket, the crowd of locals around us chattering with excitement.
He only smiled down at me, every inch gleeful. “What did you think I meant when I said we were going for a Boxing Day dip?”
“I don’t know.” I looked around, scanning the frozen ground around us. “Like, a heated pool. Not a half-frozen-over loch.”
He’d gotten the call after dinner the night before – apparently, Archie was checking in to make sure he’d survived his Christmas in solitude – and I’d never forget that adorablelook on Jonah’s face, the handset of the phone pressed into the crook of his neck as he’d grinned and asked, “Can I bring a friend?”
“It’s a tradition,” he added. “A way to wash off the last year and bring in the next with a sense of adventure.”
It wasn’t a tradition back when I visited Gran.“And frozen nips,” I joked, my arms wrapping around his waist, fingers interlacing to trap him. I felt his laugh vibrate through his body, a delightful, warm rumble that chased away the cold.
The rest of Christmas had come and gone like a dream. Jonah’s cooking was stellar – succulent turkey with all the trimmings – and the rest of my cheese platter came in a treat for dessert. We retreated to the sofas, the fire roaring as the TV played in the background. We didn’t watch any of it though, instead talking all the way into the night.
Everything about him was so easy. He was easy to like, to get on with, to talk to. In only these few days we’d spent together, I felt like he knew me better than my closest friend. Even clothed, around him, I felt stripped bare. He saw me, right through, and so far, he hadn’t looked away.
“Come on, it won’t be that bad.” He waved my concern away, twisting his head to look at me, his cheeks pink. At the sight of my raised eyebrows, he relented, “Okay, okay, it might be terrible. It will be fun.”
“We have different definitions of fun.”
“You came here looking to escape, right?” Jonah said. “What better way to kick off the new year than by being a little brave?”
Playfully, I pressed my lips into a straight line, pointing a finger threateningly. “If I freeze to death, or lose a toe to frostbite, I’ll sue your cute little arse.”
“I’ll warm you up when we get home.” The heat in his eyes was almost enough to defrost me there and then.
Closing the small gap between us, my lips met his. Jonah’s reaction was immediate, his hand rising to my jaw, fingers caressing. It was gentle but filled with the fire that had us tumbling back into bed last night, desperate to cling to each other’s naked bodies.
I wasn’t sure how I’d feel returning to London tomorrow, to real life. I could only hope that this would feel like a time capsule, the winter fling I’d once had, never to be repeated, special because of its brevity.
Maybe it was better that way. Short and sweet, not enough time for it to sour.
Jonah pulled away, his gaze soft, almost hesitating as his mouth opened to speak, before he was cut off.
“Merry Christmas, pal!” a Scottish accent rang, a man appearing by Jonah’s side. His grip didn’t loosen on my waist, his hands keeping me close.
The stranger’s eyes found me, a mischievous grin appearing across his lips before returning to Jonah. “I see you had a good one.”
Heat rose to my cheeks at the implication. Jonah didn’t bother to deny, chuckling slightly as he introduced us. “Archie, meet Kit.”
Jonah’s arms released me, giving me space to shake Archie’s extended hand.
“Nice to meet you.” I smiled politely. He returned the greeting, his grin faltering a little, as if the cogs in his brain were trying to place me. I’d gotten lucky with Jonah not instantly recognizing me. Now, with his friend, I could see those familiar cogs of hesitation turning.
