“No balls,” I urge. “Now give me my present.”
“Oh. Right.” He looks shy all of a sudden, plucking something small out of the drawer he’d been rummaging in and holding it in his palm so I can’t see it. “Remember, it’s nothing special.”
“Just give it to me,” I insist.
He smirks. “That’s what she said.”
“Do you want me to stab you with a spoon?”
“I’m not sure that’s entirely possible.”
“We could find out.”
“But I’m injured,” he says with a pout. “Surely you wouldn’t risk—”
“Jack,” I huff. “Give me my damned present.”
“Fine.”
He holds out his palm, eyes darting away from me as he uncurls his fingers to reveal the ugliest thing I have ever seen in my entire life.
I can’t help it; I bark out a laugh.
“What the fuck is this?”
“I don’t know,” he says, rubbing his neck as I take it from him. “It just reminded me of you.”
I stare at the key chain of some wrinkly little animal in my hand, eyeing its grumpy-looking face. “Thisreminded you of me?”
“Well, yeah,” he laughs, looking a little less awkward. “You both look so grumpy.”
“I do not look like this,” I snort. I snatch his tub of ice cream from the counter. “I demand the rest of the ice cream as compensation for this egregious claim.”
“Oh, come on,” he says, making a swipe for the ice cream. “I think it’s kind of cute.”
“Cute? It’s notcute.” I pull the tub closer to my chest. “It’s wrinkly.”
“It’s just because you both look so—”
I make a sound of surprise when my feet slip from underneath me, still clutching the tub of ice cream as strong arms encircle me. Jack pulls me up against his chest before I can fall to the kitchen tile, his brown eyes wide with alarm and his brow furrowed with concern.
“Are you all right?”
“Fine,” I say. “Just slipped.”
His mouth quirks. “That’s what you get for dissing my present and trying to steal my ice cream.”
“You got me a key chain of a naked mole rat and said it reminded you of me.”
“It’s an armadillo!”
I roll my eyes. “Because that makes it so much better.”
“Well, give it back then,” he huffs. “I’ll give him to someone who appreciates him.”
“Oh, no,” I say, gripping the ugly little key chain tighter in my hand. “This is mine now. I will be telling everyone we know that you said this thing looks like me.”
“I said itremindedme of you,” he laughs.
