Frost Bite

Chapter 22

Jack

Josie's asleep on my chest and I'm in disbelief.

I'm in disbelief because this is not the Jack that I've been for the last thousand years.

This is a Jack I was eons ago. When I was warm and human and I had a shelf life of a handful of decades. I was fragile and everything that I wish I were again.

Her head fits on my chest in a way that I never realized two human beings could ever fit together. Not that I'm strictly human anymore, but I'm still human-shaped for all of the colder parts of me.

And she's wrapped herself around me like I'm a virile 98.6.

I can hear Ryan in his room, knock knock knocking away that the punching bag he stole from my gym.

Life is a strange creature to reacquaint yourself with after a thousand years of existing.

Ryan pounds away at the punching bag and Josie buries her face into my chest and I wonder how exactly this is going to work. Humans are so incredibly complicated with their fragile emotions and tenuous connections to reality.

And because of this girl lying beside me, I am no longer distant and cold in the way that I once was.

What am I going to do?

I would never tell this to Ryan, but I am afraid that I can't be the person that Josie thinks I am. I'm afraid that person was frozen away long ago.

And I don't know what to do about it. I don't know how to be who she needs me to be. I'm not sure I'm even capable of being that person. I'm closer to him than I was a year ago, but I'm not close.

I wonder how I'd go about getting to be him. I run my fingers through Josie's hair and I hope that I'm with her long enough to find out.

Josie

Jack is awake. I can feel him running his fingers through my hair and I can't believe I'm waking up like this. This is something out of a movie, a snapshot of someone else's life. This isn't my life.

Except it is, and it's funny how of all the things to happen in the last several months, this is the strangest: that Jack likes me back.

"Good morning," he says in my ear, his breath cool enough to send a shiver down my spine.

"How did you know I was awake?" I ask and I prop myself up on an elbow so I can look at him properly.

"You moved closer to me. And I could hear your heartbeat quicken," he teases with a sly smile that's cocky to no end.

"You think you're so irresistible don't you?" I ask, but I can feel my heart pounding against my ribcage, like it's trying to fight its way out.

He grins and pulls me close and I worry about my morning breath. I give his chest a little push and he raises his eyebrows.

"I have to brush my teeth," I explain, pleased at the confusion and just the barest hint of hurt in his face when I stop the teasing. Jack Frost loves me. Of all people.

Walking into that storm was the best thing that ever happened to me.

Jack lets me go and I hurry into the bathroom. I let out a yelp when I see my hair. Good God, how does he find me attractive? I speed through my morning routine and when I come back out Jack has his nose in one of the books on my nightstand — the books I took from his room.

"You have impeccable taste in books," he tells me with a wry smile.

"Self-aggrandizing bastard," I tease.

"Hey, out of the two of us, I'm the famous one. It doesn't count as self-aggrandizing if you're actually famous."

I plop down on the bed next to him, putting my head on his chest. "You're in kid's cartoons."

He frowns, giving my arm a light pinch that makes me smile. "I'm a classic literary figure."

I roll my eyes. "Kid's cartoon."

Jack pinches me again and I smack his arm and climb on top of him. "Jackass," I tease.

He rolls his eyes at me. "So clever."

"And accurate." I poke his chest and he grins.

There's a knock at the door but I don't particularly care. Today I will not be bothered by real life.

I lean down and kiss Jack, loving the coolness of his breath in mouth, like mint. His hands are in my hair and on my back and cupping my face and I want to spend every day of my life like this.

Ryan knocks again. Once. Twice. Three times.

I sigh and pull away from Jack, who looks significantly more annoyed.

Not that I blame him.

"Do you have to answer it?" he asks, just the barest hint of hope in his voice.

I don't want to. I don't want to see the look on Ryan's face as Jack lies on my bed, clearly having spent the night with me. I don't want to see the pain in his eyes that I caused without knowing and can't stop. I wish Ryan weren't in love with me. I wish that he didn't want what he wants.

Everything was so much easier before I knew the truth about him.

"Yes," I say because he's still my best friend. "I'm not going to be rude. And you better not be either," I warn.

"I am always charming," Jack assures me. I roll my eyes as I throw on clothes. I pause as I watch Jack get up out of bed to do the same.

He grins at me. "You really don't want to answer the door."

I grab a pillow off the floor and throw it at him. "Jackass," I repeat and yank a shirt over my head.

I hear Jack laughing as I open the door. And there's Ryan standing there, just like I knew he would be.

But he says something that surprises me, "I need to talk to Jack."