Cheeks heating, I avert my gaze. What was I thinking, letting him into my apartment? Alone? During my child-bearing years?
“What a great idea for a work offiction,” I stammer, shoveling a load of lo-mein noodles onto my fork. I shove them into my mouth, uncaring that I’m at serious risk of choking, because the alternative is to stare at him like an absolute idiot.
“I’m full of great ideas.” He licks a drop of sauce from his lips, and suddenly the room feels about twenty degrees too hot. “And I think you should take the writing course. Make it your New Year’s resolution or something.”
I lift a brow. “And what’s your New Year’s resolution?”
“To read more,” he says simply.
It’s impossible to keep the smile off my face. “You’re likingAlien Lovers of Planet Dexxarthat much?”
“I likeyouthat much,” he corrects, “but the alien lovers aren’t too bad.”
I’m too dumbstruck by his boldness to do more than gape.
“I know you like me, too,” he says, his smile a little arrogant. “If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be hanging out with me when you could be reading. But I’m more than happy to take things at your pace.”
I’ve never been flustered by a man before. Don’t get me wrong, I’m nowhere near cool, calm, or collected, but I rarely care enough to let a guy’s reaction or opinion affect me. Cole? He’s a different story. At a loss for how to respond, I awkwardly blurt out, “I got you a Christmas gift.”
A little too abruptly, I stand, banging my knee on the table in the process. Then I scurry to my coat closet, where I stuffed the box wrapped in snowflake paper.
I’m a decent gift giver, but I usually know how my audience will react. Cole’s a wildcard, so I can’t help but squirm a little as I hand it to him. “I went shopping with my brother and Logan and saw these. Thought you’d like them.”
Cole chuckles. “Shopping with Logan’s an experience.”
“One I’d be happy to never suffer through again,” I agree.
Logan’s the most indecisive person when it comes to clothing. He tried on the same pair of pants no less than thirty times before he decided he hated them and left the store with nothing.
Cole unwraps the gift and pulls out the two rocks glasses. They each have a hockey puck embedded into the side, making the glass look warped and broken.
A grin of genuine appreciation causes tiny lines to crinkle next to his eyes. “These are amazing, bean. Thank you.”
Hit with a wave of relief, I sink back into the chair and take a large gulp of wine. “Merry Christmas.”
“And happy Hanukkah to you,” he says. “I got you something as well.”
My insides light up with delight. “Really?”
“Really.” He shuffles to the front door and picks up a nondescript bag from next to his jacket. One I hadn’t noticed among all the to-go bags, I guess.
Wiggling in my chair, I tamp down on the temptation to squeal with excitement. I usually only exchange gifts with my siblings and Kennedy, so this is a surprise. Although maybe it shouldn’t be.
I gracefully take out the tissue paper so I don’t seem like a complete animal and pull out a forest green fabric-bound journal withone day these thoughts will be worth millionsembossed on the cover.
“It’s a creative writing journal,” Cole explains as he sits back down. “There are a bunch of prompts and stuff.”
Emotion bubbles up inside me, warming me from the inside out. “This is the most thoughtful gift I’ve ever gotten.” Granted, my mom once got me a gift card for the bookstore whereI work, so the bar’s pretty low, but still. I hold it against my chest like it’s a signed first-edition copy ofThe Great Gatsby. “Thank you. It’s amazing.”
“There’s no need to thank me.” He grins. “The smile on your face is more than thanks enough.”
And the smile he gives me in return makes me wonder if my New Year’s resolutions should include more than just giving writing a chance.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
cole
The team endsthe year in the best way: by beating one of our biggest rivals. It’s why Logan’s throwing back tequila shots like he’s at an all-inclusive bar in Mexico. It’s why Cam’s shirt is completely unbuttoned, showing off his tattooed torso. And it’s why Erickson ripped the back of his pants while dropping it low.
