Chapter Two
“Who’s that?” I ask, poking my head out of my bedroom door as Baz passes by it. He shrugs, then grabs my hand and heads to the stairs. Okay, I guess I’m going with him to see who’s come for a visit.
“I hope it’s your mom!” I exclaim as he guides me down to the ground floor. “I wanted to see if she’d be up for a Christmas movie marathon with me today. I know it’s technically a workday, but it’s slow season for Stryker – as you know – and I don’t think he’d mind if I did emails while drinking hot chocolate and watching Santa Claus fall off a roof.” We reach the bottom of the stairs, and Baz lets go of my hand to open the door. “It’s, like, my right as an American citizen or something, actually, to take a little holiday liberty. Righ– oh.”
It’s Archie standing on our floral-painted porch, bundled up in a large, bright red puffer coat and snow pants. I eye him warily.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, my voice laced with Scrooge-levels of disdain. He grins at me.
“Why, Heidi, that’s no way to greet a guest!” He tsks, and my eyes narrow. “I’ve come to take you sledding!”
He lifts a purple sled and thrusts it in my direction. Despite all common sense telling me it’s a bad idea, I brighten. I love sledding – even if it is with a manipulative lunatic.
“Really?” I ask, movie marathon forgotten. I can do that this weekend! Or tomorrow. What Stryker doesn’t know won’t kill him.
Archie nods his head, beaming, and I decide to call a truce for the day. I can be suspicious of him any day, but sledding? Sledding is an infrequent occurrence around here. Everybody is always all, “It’s too cold!” or “I’m a stupid, stinky loser who doesn’t like fun!”
As if it has ever been too cold for sledding – and that’s coming from a girl who hates to be outside. Outside Christmas activities are different, though. Outside Christmas activities are magical , and anyone who disagrees is, in fact, a stupid, stinky loser.
Usually, Archie is in the latter category, but it seems today he’s found a fun bone in his body and is willing to use it with me. Yay!
“I only need five– no, ten minutes to get ready! Then we can go! Do you have the ATV with you? We can go up the trail to the big hill! If you don’t have it, go grab it real quick while I get ready! Twenty minutes, then meet back here!” I’m absolutely buzzing.
I whip around and nearly smack face-first into Bazzy’s chest. Whoops.
He grabs my elbows to steady me, his eyes crinkling when I shoot him a wide grin.
You’re a menace to society, Dee.
I bat my eyelashes at him, and he gives my elbows three quick squeezes.
I love you.
My smile softens, and I blow him a kiss. I love you, too.
His lips twitch, barely a movement at all, and my heart takes flight.
Archie clears his throat.
Forgetting I’ve decided not to be cross with him today, I turn around and scowl in his direction. He ruined a moment – and I get so precious few of them!
He gives me a grin of pure evil, then points it at Baz as well. Uh oh.
I feel the brush of Bazzy’s arm on my back, and I glance behind me to see that he’s crossed his arms and adopted his you’re a pest face. I turn back toward Archie and cross my own arms, screwing my face up to mimic Baz’s, going for intimidation. Judging by the way Archie’s grin turns from manic to amused, I have missed the mark.
“Basil has to come too,” he says, and my brows furrow.
“Baz doesn’t like sledding,” I inform him of something he should already know. Baz has never liked sledding or anything even remotely resembling holiday fun.
“You both go, or no one goes. That’s my deal.”
My eyes narrow. Aha. I see what he’s doing, the little twerp.
“Then I guess it’s no deal. Goodbye.” I slam the door – scratch that, I try to slam the door, but Baz shoots his hand out lightning-quick to stop it before it shuts. My whole body twists to face him, swinging the knife in my back toward Archie, who stands in the once again open doorway.
“ Basil ,” I hiss. He ignores me, and the knife digs deeper.
His dark eyebrows rise in Archie’s direction.
“I’m not Heidi,” Archie tells him, a touch of disdain in his voice. I hiss at him. “I don’t know what that,” he gestures to Baz’s face, “means.”
I huff. What an idiot. Baz is clearly asking why Archie wants him to go. Even a monkey could see that!
Baz addresses me instead.
Help him out.
I scoff.
“No way! I’m going back upstairs and calling your mom for a movie marathon. Let Archie go be weird somewhere else.”
I turn, making to scoot around Baz to do just that. His hand lands on my arm, holding me in place. I stop, rolling my eyes to meet his, which gaze down at me under furrowed brows.
But you love sledding.
“So what? I love Christmas movies too.”
This is the only chance you’ll get this year.
“I can go by myself some other time.” What am I, a child? I don’t need a buddy system to slide down a hill.
No one is calling you a child. His eyes narrow at me. Go get ready. We’re going sledding.
My jaw drops.
“We are not! You can’t let this– this– this absolute donkey manipulate you like this!”
His left eyebrow rises high on his forehead, while his other stays in its place.
“Because he’s Archie , for Christmas’ sake! Of course he’s manipulating us! It’s what he does!”
An eye roll, then he looks at Archie.
“So you’ll go?” the donkey asks, all cheer. I bare my teeth at him.
“No!” I yell, but he pays me no mind, looking to Baz instead, who leans over me, hitting the top of my head with his chin as he nods.
“Delightful! I’ll meet you back here in twenty!” Archie proclaims, then quickly turns on his heels and marches off the porch, leaving the purple sled behind. I frown at it.
When I don’t move, Bazzy tugs the back of my shirt. When I still don’t move, he tugs harder, pulling me back from the door and closing it. I whirl on him.
“ What are you doing?” I ask. “You know this is going to be holiday festivities mixed with whatever nonsense Archie’s cooked up, right?”
He merely shrugs, then ushers me up the stairs.
“Baz, seriously. This is ridiculous. You don’t have to do something you hate just because Archie is on some stupid power trip. I can go sledding some other time.” We hit the top of the stairs and keep moving, heading down the hallway. “It is not a big deal. I’ll text him right now and tell him we changed our minds, that we aren’t going. Then I’ll call your mom and have a very enjoyable movie day. You don’t nee–”
I stop talking, mostly because Baz’s face is suddenly right in front of mine. And I mean right in front. The tip of his nose bumps mine, and his exhale warms my lips. I freeze, eyes wide and locked on his. The hot chocolate swirls of his irises challenge me. To what, I’m not sure.
I’m terrified to move.
Baz and I have never been shy about being close to each other, but we’ve never gotten this close. An inch, and we’d be kissing. I am one measly little inch away from my most secret – my most shameful – fantasy.
I am a terrible person.
My cheeks catch fire, and I flick my eyes away from his. In response, he decides to torture me.
“Baby,” he rumbles, barely louder than a whisper. My eyes shoot back to his as an embarrassing whimper wriggles its way out of my throat.
I want him to take it back.
I want him to say it again.
His inhale leaves my lips cold, and I quickly open my mouth to interrupt whatever torment he’s preparing to lavish on me. One Basil word a day is my usual limit – one normal Basil word. What he just said is probably my limit for… the next three years? Yeah, that sounds right.
“Okay,” I blurt, loud and piercing. He flinches, and I wince, but I don’t lower my voice. I cannot be held responsible for my motor functions right now. My volume will be what it will be. I have bigger fish to fry.
“If you want to go sledding, who am I to stop you?” Nervous laughter threatens to overcome me, and I just barely manage to squash it down. “I’m going to change. Meet you downstairs!”
I slide away from him and hurry to my room, slamming the door behind me once I am safely inside.
My heart is racing. I think my stomach is somewhere around my feet.
That was… I don’t know what that was. That was a man losing his mind, possibly. Probably. Surely?
Baby.
Definitely a man losing his mind.
Do I have time to write this down in my diary?
Maybe I can find a tape recorder and have him say it again…
No. No.
He didn’t mean it in any type of way. Not for me. He meant it as a friendly sort of baby. A platonic sort of baby . A “hey baby, my very good pal” sort of baby .
I order my heart to calm down and my stomach to settle. They are not helping me stay respectful. Baz isn’t helping me stay respectful either, for that matter.
I eye the drawer of my nightstand where my diary lives, then my eyes catch on the clock on top of it. I screech and run to my closet.
I do not have time to journal about whatever weirdness is going on with Baz. Archie is going to be back here in ten minutes, and I’m still in my flannel Christmas pajamas. Not exactly sledding attire.
I throw open my closet door, sliding things aside until I find my favorite purple snowsuit. It’s covered in a riot of yellow, orange, blue, and green flowers. I grab a pair of purple fleece-lined leggings and a purple long-sleeve shirt as well, then dress quickly.
Once I am decked out like a cute monochrome floral marshmallow, I grab my favorite Santa hat, then waddle my way out of my room and down the stairs.
Bazzy is already waiting at the bottom, dressed in his classic outdoor winter gear sans coat and holding my purple snow boots in one hand and a black beanie in the other. I frown.
“You’re not going to wear your Santa hat?”
The look he gives me is a four letter word followed by no.
I laugh and shake my head, grabbing my boots from him. He doesn’t release them, though, holding them up out of my reach and nudging me toward the stairs. Grinning, I sit. It’s princess time!
He kneels before me, grabbing one of my sock-clad feet. My sock, pale pink with little green Christmas trees scattered about, disappears into a boot, and I watch, content, as he carefully laces it up. His hair is pulled back in a ponytail today, but a few wayward strands have already made a break for it and dangle by his face. I’m entranced by the sway of them as he turns his attention to my other foot, getting that one snug in a boot and laced up as well. They brush his cheekbone, sliding softly against his skin, and my breath catches.
Who knew a couple of strands of hair could be so hot?
Respectful, Heidi! Respectful !
I tear my eyes away from the tempting hairs and scream when they land on Archie in the entryway window. Baz twirls, half standing so that all I can see is his shirt, stretched taut across his back.
Wow. He has a lot of back muscles, and that shirt does not hide a single one. They bunch, then relax as he recognizes Archie.
My seductively haired friend looks over his shoulder at me.
Seriously?
I huff.
“Yes, seriously! He’s just standing there like a total creep!”
The maniacal laughter of a madman sounds from outside.
“See!” I exclaim. Baz grunts, then rises fully and lets Archie inside.
“I see you two are almost ready!” he bellows as he enters the house. I glare at him.
“If you try a single thing, I’m egging your yard again,” I inform him. He grins, a man unconcerned.
“You’re so ferocious today!”
He comes closer, and I have to swat him away when he tries to steal my hat.
“Get your own!”
He laughs and flits away to dig in our coat closet. He emerges several moments later with a hand-knit pink cap that’s topped with a giant yellow puff. I protest when he puts it on his head.
“That’s mine you di–”
All the air exits my body when Baz’s arm hits my midsection, stopping me from lunging after Archie. His other arm reaches up and pulls my own hat down over my eyes. Sufficiently blinded, I’m let go. There are no words that could accurately describe the noise of frustration that escapes my body.
By the time I’m steady on my feet with my hat out of my face and a frown pulling my mouth down, Archie is out the door, and Baz is gesturing for me to follow after the menace into the crisp winter snow.
I go, but not graciously.
“You’re an ogre sometimes, you know that?” I snip at him as I pass through the doorway.
Baz’s gorgeous, gruff laughter follows me out.