"Are you going to work?" I ask Peyton when I see her laying across the couch cushions.

"No, I don't work again until after New Years," she says as she flips through a Seventeen magazine

"...Oh, so...no one is working?"

"The mall is still open, Zach," she looked up at me in annoyance.

"And Spencer Gifts?"

"Does mom know you go in there?" Peyton says in a threatening tone.

"Forget it," I huff and turn away to head back to my room.

I've decided to become friends with Aaron before the break is over. I think we hit it off— even if he was only being nice to me so that I would buy something.

I just don't want to go back to school with a fake Aaron who is fake gay for my dumb agenda against Evan. If I really know him, then at least part of it is real. Besides, I'm sure we have more in common than just hot sources of light.

As soon as I get half-way into my room, the phone in the hall starts to ring.

I groan because I know Peyton won't answer it, and it's probably not a call for me.

"Hello?"

"Hey— uh, this is Zach, right?"

"Who wants to know?" I say skeptically.

"It's Josh."

I roll my eyes, "oh, the boyfriend."

"Is Peyton around?"

I snicker to myself..."No, can I take a message?"

"Yeah...just tell her to call me. It's important."

"Will do, uh— Josh, you say?" I question teasingly as I write it down on the notepad by the phone.

"Peyton's boyfriend...yes," He says in confusion.

"I've got it down right here, 'Call Josh,' okay, bye," I put the phone back on its post.

"Who was that?" Peyton asks when I rush past her and into the kitchen.

"Where does mom keep the phone books?" I ignore her question and start opening cabinets.

"Why do you need them?"

"For numbers, obviously," I mutter under my breath.

"Who called, Zach?" She asks again.

"Found one!" I say victoriously.

I can see Peyton staring at me from the corner of my eye, but I pay her no mind as I scour the pages for the number to Spencer Gifts.

I'll call...and maybe Aaron will pick up. I can start with a joke or something...and then ask about the store...after, I can see if he wants to hang out sometime. If that sounds too weird, I'll suggest making it a group thing because— he probably doesn't like guys.

I sloppily jot down the number on my hand before casually walking back to the phone. Peyton is suspicious enough...and she'll be pissed when she finds out Josh called and I hung up on him.

It rings exactly four times on the other line before someone picks up. A girl...

"Spencer Gifts, how may I help you? This is Jackie," She says, and I freeze up. I could actually feel how silent it was, and still, my mouth wouldn't move. "...Hello?

"Aaron-" I spat out...and then cringed at the fact that I must sound crazy. "I was calling for Aaron, but if he's not there-"

"I'll go get him, wait one moment, please."

Hang up, hang up, hang up— you're in over your head. Is it too late to just hang up?

"Uh— hi, it's Aaron." I can hear the confusion in his voice.

"So...this is gonna sound weird, but...I bought a candle from you last week..."

"Yeah, um— Zach?"

"Oh, you remember," I sigh in relief.

He laughs, "you're the only one who bought a candle last week."

"How could I not? What do you normally convince people to buy?"

"Well, a lot of the customers are couples buying gag gifts or teenagers looking for containers to store their weed in," he explains. "I have to figure out what type of person I'm dealing with before I convince them to buy anything else."

"And, I'm the loser who buys candles," I nod and mentally curse myself.

"You're not a loser."

"I should've known, no one really likes candles," and we never had anything in common...you just needed commission.

"Hey— they're under-appreciated," Aaron says to be nice.

"Yeah, okay," I sigh. "You're working, so you can go back now..."

"Wait, what'd you call for?"

Well, I can't tell you now.

"No reason...other than to-" I try to pull together an excuse, "what kind of storage jars do you have for weed?"

Aaron chuckles in amusement, "do you actually smoke, Zach?"

"Sure, I do," I reply, slightly offended. I mean, really, what impression do I give off? He continues to laugh...I must really seem like a geek to him. "I haven't recently," I add, "it's hard to find around the holidays. Everyone's at church...repenting for selling in the first place."

"Well, I know a guy who sells year-round, and I've got some if you want it."

"Want some from you?" I raise my eyebrows.

"Yeah, you could meet me when my shift is over. We can smoke in my car."

This has taken a turn.

"That sounds good," I smile in contentment.

"I'll see you at seven then?"

"Seven," I agreed. "Later, Aaron."

"For someone who wasn't given much of a choice to come here, you don't seem too happy to be leaving," I comment on how she's grudgingly repacking her suitcase. Elizabeth glances up at me and glares before returning to folding up her clothes. "Don't you have friends you're missing? Or a cat to feed."

"No, the only animal I have a responsibility to is you," she replies.

"I love our banter, Elizabeth," I roll my eyes.

"Thanks, boss," she says facetiously.

No family. No pets.

"Are you too embarrassed to spend Christmas with a friend and their family? Is that it?"

"No, I just don't need to feel included in things, Ethan. Unlike you who would bring an assistant on vacation so you don't seem alone."

You're extra snarky today...

How frustrating.

I take a deep breath and turn away from her.

"Yet, here you are dreading leaving. You know, you'd get a lot further with a better attitude."

"And where do you think I'm trying to get?" Liz crosses her arms.

"You'll work on Christmas. Be at my door at 8:30 A.M. and not a second later, got it?"

"Working on Christmas?"

"You're welcome."

"I'm not thanking you," She scoffs as if this is upsetting news...but continues packing, this time without a frown.

Looks like you do want to feel included.

"I was going to make you breakfast, but I've changed my mind," I say aloud as I pull the t-shirt I slept in over my head.

"Really?" She narrows her eyes at me.

I nod, "punishment for being a brat."

Elizabeth sighs, "Lesson learned then."

"Oh...is that so?" I ask skeptically.

"No," she zips up her luggage, "I'll eat on the plane, asshole."

"What will it take for you to listen to me." It almost amazes me how frivolous she is. Uncontrollable to an extent.

She walks past me with a sly smile, "I don't know, I'm off the clock, sir."

The door opens, and he gives me a look I've never seen before.

One that doesn't say "hi" or "hello," but rather "I can tell I've been on your mind," and, "I'm only surprised that it took you so long to show up here."

I walk past him and into the apartment, waiting for him to shut the door behind us before I turn to face him.

"What you did was completely inappropriate," I say as sternly as I can.

Leo leans against the door and chuckles arrogantly. His lips fall into a smirk, and I roll my eyes and look away to avoid smiling at him.

"It took you what— two days to determine that?" He says with complacency. "You can't stop thinking about it, can you?"

"Ugh, you think you can just grab me by my waist and-"

Leo quickly moves toward me and puts his hand over my mouth before I could say anything more.

His lips part slightly as if to speak...but after our eyes fix on each other, we get stuck in a daze.

He stares down at me, and I am distracted by how close we are...the warmth from his body makes me forget how it feels to be cold.

Come on, Leo. When are you going to kiss me?

"Jellybean, who's at the door?"

Leo sighs and pulls away from me, motioning for me to follow him into the living room.

"Hello, Isabel," I say kindly when I walk in and see her decorating a Christmas tree.

"Heather," she smiles brightly, "what a wonderful surprise."

"I had no idea I'd be interrupting," I start to apologize.

"Oh, don't even," Isabel waves me off, "we should have put this up weeks ago. You're welcome to join us, unless you and Leo have a lot of work to do."

"She would love to help," Leo says smugly and brings over a box of decorations for me to pick out of.

"I would actually," I narrow my eyes at him and grab candy canes from the box. "I never get to do this. I just come home one day and there's a tree up and stockings above the fireplace."

"Sounds like a dream," Isabel replies.

"No," I admit, "it really takes the fun out of the holidays. I imagine you even bake cookies on Christmas Eve."

"Always," Leo chuckles, "it's the best part...you know, other than opening gifts."

"All I do is open gifts."

"Then I'll come over, and we'll bake cookies," Leo says without a second thought.

"Do you promise?"

The question catches his attention, and he turns to me.

"Yeah, I promise, butterfly."

I smile at his response, and he smiles back. I can only assume the look he's giving me is only outmatched by the one I'm giving him. Neither of us dares to break eye contact...until we realize Isabel is still in the room, and there is no way she doesn't notice.

"This looks great, Isabel," I step back to get a full view of the tree.

"It does," she agrees, "we just need to put the star on and then we can light it up."

"I've got it," Leo says, "I'm the only one who can reach the top, anyway," he teases.

"Very funny," his mom says sarcastically.

"I thought so," he laughs and reaches up to place the star on the crown of the tree.

Seconds later, Isabel connects the plugs, and the tree starts to sparkle in illuminated rainbow colors.

"Now, isn't that nice," she smiles. "You little elves were a great help," Isabel says referring to me and Leo, "I even still have time to wrap gifts."

"And we have things to work on," Leo says as he walks backward toward his room.

How vague of you.

Isabel understands this as working on something school-related...studying maybe.

But, I know "stuff" means us and everything that has happened so far.

Things like me saying we have to be friends...and then completely ignoring that when I kissed him again.

Or, better yet, him agreeing to only be friends...and then completely contradicting that with...

"So, where were we?" Leo asks once we're hidden off in his room. "You were saying something about how inappropriate I was, and how I can't just grab you by your waist," he urges me to continue.

"Yes...exactly..."

"And, you didn't say this while it was happening," he walked closer to me.

"That's because..."

"Because...you liked it," he challenges.

"Well-" I give up with an exasperated sigh, "how am I supposed to focus around you now? Did you think of that?"

"Yeah, I thought about it," he laughs lightly, "and, I don't want you to be able to focus around me. I can't focus around you, so it's only fair."

"This is fair?"

"What do you want me to say?"

"Nothing, I guess," I breathe out. "I'll just keep picturing it...the way you had me."

He raises an eyebrow, "do you want me to do it again?"

Oh, my god.

"Um," I try to speak past the air disappearing from my lungs and the blood rushing to my face. "Leo," I whine and walk over to sit on his bed.

"Heather," He says in response and comes to sit next to me. "What's the matter?"

"I don't want you to think that I only want you because...you can do things like that."

Leo laughs at me, "are you kidding?" I shake my head and furrow my eyebrows in confusion. "I hardly did anything, butterfly. That was nothing compared to what I can do to you." ...and, suddenly I can't breathe again. "But, don't get too excited," he teases, "you're not my girlfriend."

"You're right...I'm not," I say seductively and smirk as I start crawling toward him on the bed.

He leans back with his palms holding him up so that I could straddle his waist when I reach him. "Heather..." he says breathily when I climb on top of him, and I grab his face in my hands instead of responding. "I'm not yours to kiss."

"Stop talking," I say lowly, and he smirks when I begin to lean in.

My lips brush over his gently...teasingly...before finally sealing the space between them.

My heart races every time we do this...the way he moves with me, and the amount of pressure he uses...the feeling of being sated, and yet, still not having enough of him.

My thumb rubs over his cheek, and I'm moments away from pushing him down onto the bed...anything that will prompt him to take hold of me the way he does. But he pulls back...not too far, just enough to chuckle and smile up at me.

"You really like me, don't you?"

"Hey," Aaron nods his head up in greeting. "Hang back one minute, yeah?"

"Yeah, no problem," I shrug in an attempt to look calm and collected.

I'm nervous for every reason I can think of. But, mainly because I have no idea why this is happening.

I see him talking to the girl behind the register. I can't make out too much of what they're saying, but I still recognize her voice as the one I heard on the phone earlier. That is Jackie.

They're smiling and laughing and playful.

I wonder if you like her...

I mean, that'll be fine because it'd be crazy to think you like me. Especially if you're straight.

Man...am I only attracted to guys who like girls?

"Alright, we can head out," Aaron comes strolling up to me. "I'm parked pretty close, benefits of being a mall worker rather than a mall rat," he jokes. "Oh...no offense."

"I'm only offended that you think I'm a mall rat. I'm almost never here," I say in defense.

"Only for hide and seek, right?" He chuckles.

I playfully roll my eyes, "my sister works in one of the stores here."

"Your sister?"

"Her name is Peyton."

"Oh, DEB girl," Aaron says in familiarity, "she's popular with the middle school boys, and some of my friends in the food court."

"Yeah, everyone likes Peyton," I sigh, "but only until they get to know her."

"You're funny," he shakes his head and smiles.

We walk out of the glass doors and into the parking lot. There are only a few cars still here, and I've never seen it so empty.

I suddenly become very aware of our footsteps, we're walking in sync. I've always liked when that happened with people...but it's only made me think I'm letting too much silence pass.

"Uh," I speak up, "I can put in a good word with her if you want."

"Nah," Aaron responds as he takes out his keys, "I can get my own dates."

And though that doesn't narrow it down for me...

I at least know you're single.

How embarrassing would it be if I got caught in a lie with someone who is in a relationship?

Aaron stops to unlock a car that looks to be dark green, but it's a little hard to tell at night.

He opens the passenger side door and then steps away to walk around to the driver's side.

I felt weird saying thank you, so I sat quietly letting different words roll over in my head once the doors shut.

"So, this is your car?" I ask stupidly...and then immediately sigh at how ridiculous I sound. "Well, obviously this is your car."

Aaron laughs and glances over at me in the passenger seat. "To be fair, it's my dad's car...but he has a truck too, so I get to drive this around."

"It's nice," I nod.

"No, it's not," he smirks. "It's a '76 Ford LTD, literally two decades old, but at least one of us likes it. I'll fix it up one day and give it a new coat of paint."

"More green?"

"Eh, probably not...what's your favorite color?"

"Blu— no, red."

Blue can be someone else's favorite color now.

"Red," Aaron nods approvingly, "mine too."

"It is?" I say in surprise, a small smile appearing on my face.

"I thought about dying my hair red, but I don't know. How do you think I'd look?"

"Like you either listen to Bowie or the Sex Pistols," I say through light laughter.

"Mission accomplished then," he replies, and I wonder which one I got right. "So...should we drive around or do you want to just sit here in the parking lot and smoke?"

"Drive where?" I question curiously.

"Nowhere...anywhere?" Aaron suggests.

"Okay," I agree happily, "let's go anywhere."

"As you wish," I watch as he puts his seat belt on. "It's in my bag," he nods toward the backseat, "You can roll it, and there's a lighter up here somewhere."

"Ah-" I speak hesitantly, "that's a— that's a good idea."

"Yeah?" He asks reassuringly and seems to be amused by my reaction. "You don't smoke, do you, Zach?"

"Not really...but, I can."

"Leave it back there," Aaron chuckles, "we'll go eat instead."