Heart Stealer

Chapter 12 Christmas in New York

Winter had set in and the frigid temperatures meant more sweaters and coats, and—for those who reveled in it, snowball battles. But Matteo and I were holed up in the toasty warm school library, pouring over a physics textbook. It was the last week of school before Christmas, and I was tutoring Matteo for our upcoming tests. I was trying to help him understand nuclear fission and so far, after explaining it to him three times, he still looked blank. I sighed.

"Again, and this is as easy as I can make it sound—nuclear fission is a process by which the nucleus of an atom is split into two or more smaller nuclei; these are called fission products," I explained again. Matteo looked intent in thought.

"So... Kind of like an amoeba?" He asked, looking unsure. I smiled wearily.

"Yes, Matteo, if that helps you remember it, it's just like an amoeba," I said. At least he was doing better in biology. I yawned, shut the book, and lay my head on the table.

"I think that's enough for today. We've crammed enough to get you a B in physics," I said in a muffled voice through my arms.

"Thanks, Thea. I never could have done this without you." Matteo hugged me and I lifted my head slightly and smiled back tiredly.

"I can't wait for the holidays. What are you doing for Christmas? Is your dad in town?"

"No and actually I had planned to spend Christmas with my mom in New York," he said, looking hesitant.

"Oh." I felt slightly disappointed. I had been looking forward to seeing Matteo during the holidays... maybe go on a few dates with him... I haven't been able to see him unless it was at school or our tutoring sessions and I'd been longing to spend time with him just relaxing... now it looked like that wasn't going to happen.

"About that... Thea?" His halting tone made me sit up straight. He took my hand and met my eyes with an earnest gaze.

"Would you like to spend Christmas with me?" He asked. My mouth fell open. Whoa, was he serious?

"My mom really wants to meet you and we could drive to her apartment on Christmas Eve. She'd love to have you over," he went on quickly. A slow smile spread on my face. Christmas with Matteo in New York? That would be amazing!

"Matteo, I'd love to spend Christmas with you!" I exclaimed excitedly. "But I'll need to ask my parents..."

"That's fine, I'll come with you to talk to them. You'll be perfectly safe with me and I'll explain that they have nothing to worry about. And I'll have you home by Christmas night." I stood up and hugged him tight.

"I can't wait!" I said enthusiastically. He grinned and hugged me back.

"I should ask you out more often if this is what I'll get," he said coyly, making me laugh. His phone buzzed on the table and I saw it was a call from Shane. He picked it up.

"Shane, hey." I watched him silently while he spoke.

"Tell the coach I'll be right over," he said after a minute and hung up. He turned to me.

"Busy?" I asked. He nodded.

"I gotta go, but I'll drop by your place tonight to talk to your parents. Love you, my Belle Amour." He kissed my cheek before leaving. A warm glow smothered my cheeks as I slowly collected our books to put away.

"Someone looks happy." A voice spoke from a corner and I jumped, startled. I turned around and saw Pierce slouching in the corner against a bookcase, his arms folded and his expression dour.

"Pierce! Seriously, you have to stop skulking in dark corners!" I said clutching my pounding chest. He gave a humorless smile.

"So you're spending Christmas with Matteo?" He asked, stepping closer to me. I frowned.