Rolling to my side, I fist his shirt and move closer. He might have been hesitant about following me in here, but there is absolutely nothing tentative about the way he kisses me.
It’s a high so far beyond alcohol or the one-time Stella convinced me to try an edible. Kissing Teddy is like being on the spinning teacups while drunk and laughing hysterically.
We kiss until my lips hurt. My cheeks hurt too, from smiling. I’m giddy.
Lying on our sides, we stare at each other. Teddy’s hand rests on my hip, and he traces little circles with his thumb. I’m playing with the strings on his hoodie, wrapping them around my fingers and occasionally using them as leverage to pull him closer for more kisses.
“You have a devious glint in your eye. What are you thinking about?” he asks.
“You. Me. How we spent the past hour sucking face. I still can’t believe it’s really happening.” I lean forward and kiss him again. “I’ve wanted to do that for so long.”
“Me too.”
“You have not.”
“I swear it. Ever since last year. You came downstairs on Christmas Eve wearing your little reindeer onesie. I was feeling sorry for myself, missing my family, thinking about my mom, and you just sat and talked with me. I don’t even remember what about.”
“Reindeer names.”
“What?”
“You called me Rudolph and I said I didn’t have a red nose, so we went through Santa’s other reindeer’s names, but you said none of those fit, so we tried to come up with others.” I’m certain my face is red with embarrassment. I’d forgotten about that conversation. “You make me nervous and I say the dumbest things.”
“It wasn’t dumb. You were cute. I love listening to you talk.”
I shake my head in disbelief.
“I thought you were cute before then, but Felix is your brother, so I did my best not to think of you as anything but a friend. But that night, you were there for me in a way no one had been in a long time.”
“What do you mean? I see girls hitting on you all the time.”
“Yeah, sure, but they don’t know me. Or even want to. Their intentions are shallow and I’m not into that.” One shoulder lifts in a small shrug. “After my mom died, I don’t know, I have a lower tolerance for superficial relationships, I guess.”
“I’m sorry you lost her so young.”
He nods. “Me too. I hate it more for my brother. He hardly remembers her.”
“Will you tell me about her?”
“What do you want to know?”
I move closer. “Everything.”
His lips slant over mine in a quick kiss and then he does.
Teddy and I stay up talking most of the night. About his mom, his dad and brother, about football. He asks me stuff too, about being a twin, about my first semester at Valley. I don’t think I’ve stayed up all night talking to anyone else this way, except Stella.
We leave the bedroom door open so that some of the warmth from the fire seeps in. Even so, we really do need to snuggle for warmth.
When I wake up, Teddy is on his back, and I’m curled up on my side with my head on his shoulder. I glance up and see his eyes open.
“Morning.” His voice is deep and rough with sleep.
“Hi.”
“Power came back on.”
I sit up and look out the window. The sun is shining, and the house is warm. “Have you heard from Felix?”