Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 65683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 328(@200wpm)___ 263(@250wpm)___ 219(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 328(@200wpm)___ 263(@250wpm)___ 219(@300wpm)
“What sucks?” he asked, more gently this time.
He didn’t deserve to know, but I said it anyway without looking at him. “What sucks is I believed you. I used to believe every single word, not realizing that in one damning instant, you’d burn them to the ground.”
“Tru, I don’t think you know—”
“Go to bed, Vaughan.”
I slammed the door behind me and stomped into my room, face-planted onto the duvet, and took several deep breaths. I always heard that if you sniffed really hard, your eyes wouldn’t water. That’s all this was, right? My eyes were watering. That was it.
But it did suck, it sucked so badly that my chest ached.
Then
“I like the name. I always have.” Vaughan pulled me into his lap while we watched Die Hard since, according to every guy alive, it was a Christmas movie, and he put the all-stop on A Charlie Brown Christmas.
“Die Hard?” I crawled from his lap and sat beside him, resting my legs in his lap. As a joke, I’d gotten him Christmas Eve pajama pants. They had reindeer on them and looked ridiculous, but he immediately put them on with the matching long-sleeved shirt. He looked like Christmas exploded all over his body, yet so sexy that I questioned the universe. His hair was tousled back, and even the red and green reindeer looked thrilled to be plastered against his muscular body.
My pajamas consisted of a long red shirt that said Ho in all black and plaid Christmas shorts with tall green socks. The added bells to the top were a special touch, so I sounded like a Christmas song every time I moved.
Vaughan picked up one of my legs and dropped it. The bells went off. “I like that I can find you anywhere in the house.”
I smacked him on the arm. “Remember, I hate subject changes.”
“Right.” His expression changed instantly from a smile to serious. He ran a hand through his hair. “Sorry I just blurted it out, but your name, I really like it.”
“You’ve said that before, but why now?”
He started flicking the tiny bell on my right thigh. “Because whenever I say it out loud, I know every other word that follows will be Tru, because how could I ever lie to you? To someone so pure to me? It reminds me that in this really shitty world of fake smiles and fake friendships—” He stopped flicking the bell and faced me. “I have something that’s true.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I can’t decide if you’re just trying to get laid or if that’s another one of the things I’m going to file away in my brain as yet another reason my boyfriend’s perfect. Because he says things like this, even while Bruce Willis is getting shot.”
“He’ll make it, always does, always will.” He flashes me his toothy white smile. “And you can trust what I say is always true, Tru.”
“Ah, good one.”
He flicked the bell again. “Now that I’m done being all serious, can we see how many times we can make these ring?”
“Ah, he’s back.” I giggled as he managed to stretch his body over mine.
“Can’t say I ever thought I’d be at this moment.”
“What moment?”
“About to get laid with Rudolph on my thigh and bells on my girlfriend's socks—actually, small request.”
I cupped his face. “What?”
He licked his lips and leaned down, pressing a quick kiss to my mouth before whispering in my ear, “Just call me Santa one time. One time!”
I shoved him away, laughing. “And you were doing so good!”
“I know, but I got nervous!”
“You’re disgusting.” I pulled him back and kissed him anyway, then muttered, “Santa.”
He pulled me to a sitting position, then lifted me onto his lap. “See, was that so hard?”
“Never again say hard after I call you Santa.”
“I have so many one-liners in my head I might explode,” he admitted. “So maybe I just take off your shirt and use that holiday aggression?”
“Make it good, and I’ll give you a cookie later,” I joked.
His eyes darkened. “Tru, thank you for being you.”
“You sure you don’t want to finish Die Hard?” I was already reaching for his shirt.
He smashed his mouth against mine and mumbled, “He wins. Oh look, the movie’s over. Now, take off your shirt.”
Now
It was all a lie.
Every word that dripped with hope was followed by poison.
I flopped onto my side, stared at our shared wall, and flipped him off. Pee that was water? Who even was this guy anymore? If he pranked me one more time, it would be all-out war. I’d be a great tutor during the day… but at night, if he so much as crossed the line.
It would be war.
It was the only thing that put a smile on my face as I drifted off to sleep, and it was the only comfort I had as a single tear slid down my cheek onto my pillow. I ignored the sadness like I always did and attempted to fall asleep.