Chapter 20
“Let’s go for a walk.” I look out the window in awe as snow flurries fall to the earth. It’s so serene that it almost looks fake.
“Are you crazy?” Mallory steps up beside me, wrapping her arms around her middle. “It’s freezing out.”
She came over to my rental for a quick video call with my agent.
According to Karina, everything is going smoothly.
People believe our relationship is real, and she’s confident that she’ll hear back with confirmation of an audition for the fantasy movie I’ve been dreaming about in the next week or so.
I run a hand through my hair, trying to come up with a reason we should go outside. “It’s barely below freezing. Don’t you think a walk through a winter wonderland sounds romantic? You could stay, and we can have our first official date.”
“I’m not dressed for a date.”
“You’re gorgeous.” I drag my eyes over her sweatpants and sweatshirt. With how cozy she looks, I’m considering throwing my snowy walk idea out the window and asking her to cuddle on the couch.
She stares at the winter landscape for a few long moments before sighing. “Fine, but only because I brought my heavy winter coat.”
I head to the coat closet and grab her dark-pink puffer jacket, holding it open as she slips her arms in.
Grabbing my own coat from the closet, I pull it on over my navy long-sleeved tee.
When I turn back to her, she has a bubblegum-pink beanie on with a hot-pink pom-pom on top.
Her wavy brown hair is wild underneath it, shooting out like it has no desire to be contained.
I step forward, running my finger along a rogue curl. “I’m never going to get over your hair.”
“You still love my curls?” She laughs, sounding amused.
I reluctantly let go of the strand and reach into my pocket, grabbing the light-gray hat that matches my coat and pulling it on. “They’re incredible.”
“They drive me nuts, so I’m glad you like them.”
“It’s part of the Mallory starter pack.”
We both slip on our boots and walk out the front door.
I lock it behind us and offer her my arm as we walk down the driveway.
She takes it and, with the weight of her hand on my arm, I feel like I can conquer anything.
Like I can be anyone. But right now, all I want to be is her boyfriend.
A real one. One that gets to hold her anytime I want. Kiss her anytime I want.
The scene from Sweet Home Alabama with that quote plays on a loop in my head, forcing me to shove all my feelings down. I promised myself that I’d let Mallory make the first move. I’m in this for the long haul, not a short minute of satisfaction.
I focus on our surroundings, trying to calm my racing mind.
There’s something about walking beside Mallory in the snowy landscape that settles my soul and makes me feel like all is right in the world.
It takes me back to the night we met and our hot chocolate date.
The sense of déjà vu that hits feels like sweet serendipity or a fortunate stroke of luck that we’re here together now on this cold winter day.
The snowy ground is slushy, but luckily, it doesn’t seem to have left a layer of ice behind yet. Knowing that she’s holding onto my arm because she wants to and not because she needs to in order to avoid slipping brings a smile to my lips.
“Let’s see how well you know me.” Mallory squeezes my arm, and I totally flex. No shame here. “What else do you think is in the Mallory starter pack?”
“Clothes in all shades of pink.” I smile at the obvious answer.
“Seasonally flavored coffee. Your mom’s chicken and dumplings.
Pink ice skates. All of Taylor Swift’s music.
Friday nights with your friends. McDonald’s Dr. Pepper because you think it tastes better from their machine than from anywhere else. ”
“You’ve got me pegged,” Mallory says when we reach a stop sign. She looks both ways before crossing the road.
“Oh, I’m not done yet.” I dive a little deeper.
“The way you light up whenever you’re around your friends and family.
The beautiful laugh you get when something someone says or does really gets you.
” I place my hand over hers, which rests on my arm.
“The best part of the Mallory starter pack is that you’re always undeniably you.
You never hide how you feel. There’s an honesty in your words and actions that’s admirable.
” I let my hand fall back to my side as we continue walking. “Am I missing anything?”
She glances up at me, her eyes bright. “That’s really how you see me?”
My lips pull up in a tilted grin. “That’s only me scratching the surface, beautiful.”
“I wasn’t sure any man would ever love my bluntness.”
“That might make some people push you away, but not me. I love that I never know what you’re going to say next. That you challenge me in a way no one else ever has.”
Mallory dabs her gloved hands under her eyes. “You have no idea how much I needed to hear that. Thank you.”
“Anytime.” I slide my free hand into my jacket pocket. “I can keep going if you want.”
She squeezes my arm. “I think if you keep going, my head might start getting as inflated as yours.”
“Okay, Ms. Confident, let’s see if you know me well enough to say what’s in my starter pack.” I narrow my eyes while smiling at her, a challenge.
Mallory raises an eyebrow as if to say game on. “Chicken wings, for sure. Aviator sunglasses. Speaking in movie quotes. And I can’t forget your million-watt smile, according to Granny.”
“I prefer my Mallory-induced smile,” I say before I can think any better of it.
She reaches up and touches the tilted corner of my mouth. “This one?” I nod. “I always wondered why your smile around me looked different than the one I see you use everywhere else.”
“Do you like that it’s only for you?” I tease.
She blushes, but mirth twinkles in her gaze. “I didn’t say that.”
“But your flushed cheeks did.”
They flame a deeper shade of pink. “It’s from the cold.”
“If that’s what you have to tell yourself to sleep at night.” This back and forth with her is what I live for. It makes me feel alive in a way no one else can.
“I’m probably just getting frostbite since you dragged me out here in the freezing tundra.”
“I think you’d have to be outside for hours to get frostbite with this temperature. It’s barely cold enough for it to even be snowing.” I watch as a flurry lands on the road and immediately melts.
“Can’t you let a girl blush in peace? Or is confidence your main setting?”
I can’t hold back the grin now that we’ve finally reached the truth. “I want to hear you say it. Out loud.”
“I’m a vampire,” she whispers. Her face remains neutral for a moment before she breaks into laughter. I can’t help but chuckle with her at the Twilight reference.
Once we’ve both calmed down, I swipe at the tears under my eyes before they have a chance to freeze to my face. “That was hilarious.”
“You set it up; I just knocked it out of the park.”
“Are you a professional baseball player now?”
“No, but I could get you tickets to a Mustangs game. Make you finally cheer for the right team for once.”
I don’t say that I think I could easily get my own tickets. I don’t want to sound conceited, and I try not to use my level of fame for things like that anyway. “Do you have a connection to the team? You know, other than the old posters over your bedroom wall?”
She knocks her hip into my leg. “Alyssa is friends with Austin Bradford.”
“The shortstop?”
Mallory looks up at me, impressed. “I’m surprised you know anything about your team’s rival.”
“I like following baseball. Tennessee fans go hard for their teams in all sports, and I like knowing what I’m talking about.”
“Wasn’t it at a Fireflies game last year where all the fans threw so much food on the field after they thought the ump made a bad call that they had to postpone the game?”
Yes, yes, it was. There’s no way I’m telling her I was at that game, even if I didn’t participate in littering on the field. “I said we go hard, not that we’re perfect.”
She laughs. “Why are they even called the Fireflies, anyway? Because they’re easy to squash?”
“Now you’re just trying to pick a fight.
” I reach over and squeeze her side. “They named them the Knoxville Fireflies because of a synchronous firefly event that happens in Great Smoky Mountains National Park every year. It’s legit.
There’s even a lottery to get a ticket to see it.
I’ve only been once, but it was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. I’ll have to take you sometime.”
“I’d like that.” She leans her head on my arm. “How did we even get on this topic?”
I don’t care what we’re talking about. We could be talking about why the sky is blue, or she could be telling me all her Taylor Swift Easter egg theories, and I’d be happy just to be talking to her.
I hear the sound of an approaching car and turn my head to the left, spotting one coming quickly and driving too close to the curb for comfort. Out of pure instinct, I gently push Mallory to the side, closer to the snow-covered grass of people’s front yards.
I was more concerned about how close the car was to the curb—that if they hit any ice, they might jump the curb and hit us. But it seems I should’ve been more worried about the slush lining the road. Because while Mallory is out of the way, I’m directly in the splash zone.
The car drives past, spraying the muddy snow along the side of the road directly at me. I don’t have enough time to react and jump out of the way myself, so I spread my arms wide, welcoming the gross spray of slush and doing my best to block any of it from hitting Mallory.
My coat and shirt are instantly soaked. A full-body shiver wracks through my body. The temperature didn’t feel that cold before, but it’s freezing now.