(this is the first time i write something for christmas, actually during christmas. most of my literary christmases happen in, like, july. so how can i not take advantage of my bubbling christmas spirit and come back with a little bit of holiday adventures for you all [really, for me though]. one day i'll celebrate another holiday in a book, but for now, pop the cider and put up a tree and blow all your money and stand under the nearest mistletoe w/overpriced starbucks holiday lattes. tis christmas time :D )
(Note: this is within the context of my "what happens after the book ends" answer in the What If's and Fun Facts chapter, so if ur curious as to some of these details, check that out, it'll give u context)
heliophilia (n.)
hel · io · phil · ia
The love of sunlight.
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One:
Twenty one at Target, fake as the sugar of a Twinkie; a joke.
I leaned on Haru's shoulder and gestured at the rack of ON SALE rings swinging on the hooks. Haru pretended he couldn't see me and instead clutched the baking powder and single banana to his chest.
"Stop that," he said, not looking at me.
"Engagement rings," I read, squinting at the sign. "How'd you like to be pronounced right here in Aisle Four?"
"I regret taking you with me," he sighed. "Those rings will turn your whole hand green."
"Ah, the fun of it!" I called. "I thought you'd have regretted taking me back in the underwear aisle."
Haru glared behind at me. "You're twenty one years old. Why you still snicker in the underwear aisle is beyond me."
"I wasn't snickering, I was admiring," I said. "Some of those boxer brief ads are just too good to—"
"Stop. Stop that. No." Haru let out a long breath. "It's too late for this."
"It's two AM."
"Then, too early."
"It's not me who forgot the holiday cookies."
"Considering you once forgot me at the mall, I'd say forgetting cookies is pretty tame in comparison."
I paused. "Touché."
It was a chilly day before Christmas Eve, dense with frigid air, merciless wind, ongoing holiday sales wrapped up in red bows, snowflakes, and a thousand and four cartoon interpretations of St. Nick. Peppermint fell into every flavor of cookie or cake or coffee. Jingle bells wormed their way into radio and video ads. Knitwear made their brief comeback in mall windows and magazines. The holidays danced along Los Angeles, corny and predictable and much too cold for the sunny West Coast to bear.
Haru and I were in a strange borderland between "hugs and kisses and Hallmark movie-worthy" and "friends that stare uncomfortably long at each other for extended periods" at the time. It left us enjoying (quite a lot) of our time together, and me wondering if it would be informal of me to ask to kiss his hand every now and then. It probably would be, but sometimes, if Haru laughed too nicely or stared at me before I stared at him, I would have been willing to take the chance.
Still, it was a ferociously awkward place to be at certain times.
But you couldn't say I didn't try.
Haru said, "I forgot chocolate chips. Hold my banana."
YOU ARE READING
Suicide Buddies
Novela Juvenil"My mother once told me there are three, and only three, truly defining moments in your life. One: When you don't know. Two: When you realize you don't know. Three: When you know. This is about the third one." --- Angel Young is going to die. Or at...
