Just one week from Christmas, Sam Thornton and her twin brother are inconvenienced with the news of new neighbors who, unfortunately, have been befriended by their overly social parents.
So when they are forced to hang out with the Baker's son for...
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"You like what?" Dakota asks, looking between the two of us as we finish gathering the last of the yes piles of canned food.
I keep my mouth shut, my gaze locked on the task at hand as I try my hardest not to overthink Winter's cryptic statement and to also avoid eye contact with Dakota. I don't need him blurting out anything stupid.
"You have a crush on my sister?" He asks Winter nonchalantly.
Something stupid like that.
My eyes close slowly as embarrassment sinks deeper and deeper into my chest, my muscles stiff. I breathe in my nose, opening my eyes to peak at Winter's reaction. He gives my brother a look of confusion.
"What makes you say that?" He responds, standing up with his yes pile. Which consists of a can of yams (ew), his own can of crushed pineapple, refried beans, mixed fruit, and a can of sweetened condensed milk. I have no idea what he's planning to do with the last one but I'm not even going to ask.
My brother looks between the two of us. Me with fiery red cheeks and Winter looking calm and bewildered. This makes my cheeks burn an even darker shade of red.
"I heard you talking in here because I happened to be, you know, passing by. Something about a crush? I figured maybe this time crammed together in a life or death situation would spark some romance. Not to mention all these candles. I mean, come on." He chuckles as if he's chatting about the weather, a slight smirk on his lips.
"Dakota." I hiss under my breath. I feel Winter's confused smile glaring into the side of my head but I choose to ignore it to avoid further humiliation. "You need to shut up. Like now."
He shrugs in response, picking up his own collection of canned goods. "All I'm saying is the mood is right. The lighting is low, it's snowing outside, you two both like crushed pineapple...I'm getting serious Baby It's Cold Outside vibes. That's all I'm saying." He winks at us before walking into the living room with his stash.
I try to reach out and grab his ankle to either trip him or stop him from leaving me alone with Winter but, unfortunately, I miss and he escapes without looking back.
Remaining still, I sit there quietly. Pressing my lips together, I bite down on the inside of my cheek to distract from the awkward silence.
"I'm...so sorry." I breathe, looking down at my hands before releasing a nervous laugh in hopes to make myself feel less like I want to climb out or my own skin and army crawl away.
He shakes his head, his lips slightly parted as if he doesn't know what to say. "Uh...no. It's totally fine. You warned me about him earlier and I didn't fully understand what I was up against."
