“Cute.” Robin squeals.
The hinges of the door squeak slightly, the bell chiming, making us both turn around. “What’s cute?” Soren asks, peeking into the shop.
“Move aside,” Aspen groans. “It’s freezing outside. We brought food in case you two…“ He steps inside, his voice trailing off while his eyes seem to bulge out of his head.
“Wow,” Soren mutters, equally as stunned.
“It’s not finished yet,” Robin exclaims, twirling around with the mistletoe in his hands.
I carefully glance at my brother. “Do you like it? If you don’t… that’s okay. I can always change whatever you hate. It doesn’t have to remain this way. I know it’s”—Aspen walks over to me and squeezes me into a hug—“a bit much.”
“Not too much at all,” he exclaims. “Look at the place, Soren!”
“I am seeing it,” Soren says. His glasses are fogged up, and he takes them off to clean them. “And it looks amazing.”
“It’s all thanks to Leo!”
“We know that,” Soren chuckles. “Neither you nor Aspen is talented enough to pull this off.”
“Yep,” Robin grins. “And now that you are here, you can help.”
“Food first,” Aspen says, immediately switching into his big brother mode. “Then we can continue the work.” Robin is on board, immediately helping him grab some plates, while Soren walks over to me.
“Hey,” I say.
He smiles. “Hey.” For a while, he gazes around. Robin and I didn’t finish the project yet, but we built two little Christmas trees out of the books, both decorated cutely. We hung LED lights everywhere and worked on the windows. Now it’s time for the counter and the tables.
“I might have gone overboard,” I say quietly. Why am I feeling so fucking awkward again? Everything was easier when Robin was around, and I was chatting with him. “It’s all so glittery and probably a bit too much, too cheesy—“
“Don’t,” Soren says softly.
“Hm?”
“Don’t talk down on your own work.” He takes my arm, squeezing it gently. “It looks amazing. And I know for a fact that Aspen and Robin always wanted to join the competition for the best Christmas decoration in town. It means a lot of good marketing and advertising for them. This is going to be so good for their business.”
“I actually got some silicone forms for coffee art too,” I say. “And some edible decoration for cake art in case Aspen wants to use it, plus some wintery accessories for the staff.” Scrunching my nose, I realize I might have gone a little overboard, no matter what Soren just told me.
“Do you know what to call Santa if he stops moving?”
I blink at him. “Huh? What?”
“Santa Paused.”
I stare at him, needing a couple of seconds to process it, then I cover my mouth and nose with one hand, snorting into it, while smacking him with my other. Soren grabs my hand before I can move it away from his arm. “Everything looks fantastic," he tells me. “And I mean it sincerely. You did not go overboard at all. This is Christmas! It’s the perfect time to go wild with decorations and have fun.”
Somehow, his words make me blush, even more so when I realize he is still holding my hand. Fuck my stupid brain for not asking Robin earlier if Soren is gay. I totally should have. Then I would know if this is ayou are my best friend’s little brothermoment, orI find you cute as a friend,orI want to ravish you.
The last thought makes me wince. I shouldn’t go there… It brings me back to when Dad said all those horrible things to me.
It’s just not right.
But somehow itfeelsright when I meet Soren’s eyes.
eight
*SOREN*
For the umpteenth time this week, I am wondering what the fuck I am doing. Robin always tells me I have some huge helper syndrome going on for me, but I am not sure if that’s true. I want to help Aspen and his brother, but dear Santa, this guy with his soft brown eyes and his shy smile is getting more to me than he probably should… after just a couple of days.
