Hostile for the Holidays

8. Jasper

EIGHT

JASPER

When I turn around to tell Stella the lights are on, she’s staring at me with a far off look in her eyes.

“The lights are done. You ready for ornaments?” I ask.

“Um, yeah. Just a sec.”

My eyes land on the snowflake ornament in her hand. I recognize it immediately. I made it for Stella the first Christmas after we moved in across the street. The supplies had been offered at a holiday crafting hour my mom took me and Juniper to at the library. While most kids made one for their family, I’d made one for Stella, the girl across the street that I had become enamored with since the start of the school year.

I take the ornament from Stella’s hand and flip it over.

I’d thought the inscription was clever. Calling her cool because it was a snowflake and snow is cool. I was a nerdy eight-year-old with a crush.

Seeing it in her hand, knowing she kept it all these years, makes me happy, I can’t help but smile.

“I figured this was at the bottom of the landfill.”

“Unlike some people, I don’t destroy others’ art, even if it is mediocre and messy.”

She snatches it back.

I know what she’s referring to. An incident between us in seventh grade when I bought her drawing at the winter art fair, then told her something that wasn’t true. But I want to keep things light between us.

“Is that it, Stell? Or did you keep it because you like me?” I’m teasing her, but I want it to be true so fucking bad.

Her nose scrunches at my suggestion. She’s so beautiful it makes my chest ache.

“Because that’s why I made it for you.”

It’s a small truth I can offer her. Telling her I liked her when I was eight is less vulnerable than saying I’m in love with her, and have been, for a long time now.

At my words, her face goes slack. Gone is the pinched look of annoyance, and in its place is something else. Curiosity.

I don’t know how it happened, but our bodies have drifted closer to one another, only the smallest space between us. Staring down at her, our eyes are locked, our lips parted slightly in anticipation.

My head dips, closing the space between us, but I pause, refusing to take something I’m not being offered. But then, Stella’s hand finds its way up my chest, her fingers sliding in behind my neck, and everything hangs on this one moment.

Our lips are milliseconds from touching. I can feel the warm, minty pant of Stella’s breath against my mouth.

Somewhere, a door slams shut.

At the sound of voices in the hallway, Stella pulls back.

I’m still in a daze, having been seconds away from kissing Stella, when her parents appear in the doorway.

Stella’s mom’s eyes light up when they land on the tree, and then even more when she sees me and Stella.

“Jasper, what a surprise!” Suzanne St. James pulls me in for a hug. “We haven’t seen much of you at our house since you and some of your friends toilet papered it senior year.”

“That was a mess to clean up.” Stella’s dad gives me a stern look.

“Yeah,” I scratch the back of my neck, “sorry about that.”

“It’s no matter. The past is in the past.” She smiles. “It’s nice to see that you and Stella have put all that hostility behind you.”

“Yes, we have. Isn’t that right, Sparky?” I tease, trying to lighten the mood between us but Stella is completely zoned out.

Stella’s mom glances between us as if to say, okay, children , go ahead and show me . I wrap my arm around Stella’s waist, then press a soft kiss to her hair. She stiffens against me and I know she’s doing everything in her power not to elbow me in the ribs. Whatever had passed between us a moment ago was chased away by her family’s appearance.

Her mom clasps her hands together. “You two make such a beautiful couple. Maybe there’s another wedding in our future.”

“Over my dead body,” Stella murmurs.

“What was that?” her mom asks.

“Nothing,” she says.

“I’m going to fire up the grill,” her dad says, turning to head to the back patio.

“Jasper, would you like to join us for dinner?” her mom asks.

“He can’t,” Stella interjects, her eyes widening to relay the message that I’m not welcome at dinner.

I toss her a teasing smirk. “I’d love to join. Thank you.”

Behind her mom’s back, Stella narrows her gaze and bares her teeth in my direction. The softness from before is nowhere to be found.

I wonder if she’d really bite me. I’m so fucking crazy about her, I’m sure I’d like it.

“Oh, and the tree looks wonderful.” Her mom turns back to address us.

“I’ve still got to put the ornaments on,” Stella says.

“I’ll leave you to it.” Her mom walks off into the kitchen.

Stella turns to me. “You don’t need to stay for dinner. Your help with the tree is convincing enough.”

“I better stick around. Daniel will be freshly showered and might get some wild ideas.”

“Hmm, maybe. Do you think it’s weird he’s still flirting with me even though he thinks I have a boyfriend?”

I take the ornament from her hand and hang it high up on the tree.

It’s never stopped me.

“That’s why it’s important we show him our relationship is unshakable.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

A huge smile pulls at my lips, and Stella scowls at me. “Don’t let it go to your head.”

“I’ll try not to.”

Stella turns on her holiday playlist and we decorate to the tunes of Mariah Carey, Kelly Clarkson, and Britney Spears, our almost kiss gone, but not forgotten.