Page 21 of Falling Like Snow

“One very short conversation with flirting,” she emphasizes, dipping her head into her scarf like a turtle. “And, girl, if it was nothing, you wouldn’t have brought it up. You were into him.” She waggles her eyebrows at me.

“I’d need to exchange more than ten words to know if I were into someone,” I tell her, heat creeping up my neck despite the cold as I remember my love-at-first-sight conversation with Asher. Was he right, or could Micah be my Empire State Building guy, right here in Bramble Falls?

We enter the school through the gymnasium doors at the side of the building. After we give our donations to a young, darkskinned woman sitting with the money box, a middle-aged blond man takes our coats and hands us each a ticket.

Hannah smooths her red sweater, which is when I notice her skirt. “Did Ellis make that for you?” I ask, noting my cousin’s signature plaid color-block design.

“She did! I’m slightly obsessed,” Hannah says, turning to model the half red-and-green-plaid, half white-and-red-plaid miniskirt.

“Same, though,” I tell her, glancing at my faded black jeans. I’m perfectly content in pants, but that is a skirt I’d live in.

People file in behind us, forcing us farther into the gym, where red, green, and white spotlights glide across the floor and roam the dark walls, occasionally highlighting the tables set up selling various snacks and drinks. A band of mostly twentysomethings is already doing a cover of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” on a small stage. The crowd is full of people wearing light-up reindeer headbands and blinking Christmas-light necklaces Mom ordered in bulk this week and is now selling in the hallway. I spot Asher with some of the guys from choir, and as if he can sense me, he looks up, says something to them, and heads over to us, wearing black jeans and a black T-shirt with a gingerbread man looking at his broken leg, crying, “Oh, snap!”

“I love your shirt,” I tell him as he approaches.

“I knew you would, which is why I bought you one too.”

I beam. “Shut up. Really?”

“Well, my mom bought it, but I get the credit for picking it out and insisting you needed one too,” he says with the most adorable boyish grin. “Speaking of buying stuff, how was shopping?”

Hannah and I spent hours searching for the perfect Christmas gifts for our families, and although we were both able to finish, I still have no idea what to do for Asher. I have almost three weeks left to figure it out, but I’m already starting to panic.

“Very successful,” Hannah chirps. Then her smile vanishes. “Minus Sloane buying Gammy a thong.”

Asher’s eyes swing to me. “Uh, why would you do that?”

“Because she’ll get a kick out of it!” I say, laughing. “I’m not a very good gift giver, but the thong is a great present.”

“Unfortunately, you’re right,” Hannah grumbles, shaking her head.

“It’s why I’m her favorite fake grandchild,” I say proudly.

She sighs. “Also correct.”

“Anyway, I know there are snacks here, but we brought cookies,” I announce to Asher, presenting him with the Caffeinated Cat bag.

“And questions,” Hannah says, perking up.

Asher takes the bag from me. “Oh?”

“Sloane said Micah Cook was flirting with her.”

Asher glances at me before focusing his attention on the contents of the bag. “Is that the question?”

“Yes,” Hannah says.

“Well, I mean, I don’t have much experience with flirting—or any experience, really—but it seemed like it, right?” I ask, suddenly doubting myself.

Asher shrugs a shoulder as he digs through the assortment of cookies. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Hannah says, throwing her arms in the air. “Come on, give me something I can work with here. Was he smirking? Any winking or teasing? Any compliments? You’re a guy—you must be able to recognize when one of your kind is flirting with a girl.”

Asher sighs as he pulls a purple cookie from the bag. “Yeah, sure. I guess I’d say he was flirting.”

“He said my eyes are pretty,” I remind him.

“Hot damn. In a one-minute conversation?” Hannah says. “I don’t know if I’m impressed or disgusted by his hockey-boy arrogance.”