Page 66 of Ghost Ribbon

Alexei was leaning against the driver’s side door, arms crossed, watching me.

Then he pushed off the car and started toward me.

My brain short-circuited. The memory of how intense he had been that morning - glaring at Rei like he wanted to rip his head off - flashed through my mind. Was he mad? Oh god, he must be mad. Maybe because I spent the whole day with Rei. Maybe because I stepped in front of him earlier. Maybe because -

I flinched back on instinct, taking a half-step away as he closed the distance.

But instead of anger or harsh words, Alexei’s hands shot out, and before I could even squeak he lifted me clean off the ground.

I blinked, completely baffled.

He spun me around in a circle, exactly the same motion Rei had done that morning, only bigger, stronger, and somehow more overwhelming because of how tall he was. My feet left the ground completely. The world tilted for a second, my curls whipping across my face, and all I could do was grab onto his shoulders out of pure surprise.

When he finally stopped the spin and held me there, suspended in his arms, I was still blinking up at him like an idiot.

“Am I doing it better?” he asked, like this was an actual important question.

“W-what?” I managed.

Alexei’s green eyes narrowed just slightly. Not quite a glare, but close. “Who is better at picking you up,” he said, tone flat. “Me or Rei.”

Oh.

Oh.

A startled little laugh almost escaped me, but I swallowed it down fast. The situation was ridiculous - Alexei Morozov, the terrifying Void King who had literally had me on my knees swallowing him yesterday, was now competing over who could spin me around better. It was so absurdly jealous and petty and weirdly cute that I didn’t know whether to laugh or hide my face.

“You,” I answered softly. “You’re better.”

He studied me for a second longer, like he was checking whether I was lying. Then a satisfied hum rumbled in his chest.

“Hm. Good.”

He lowered me back down, setting my feet on the ground.

I was still a little dizzy from the spin - or from him, I wasn’t sure.

As we reached the passenger side, he opened the door for me without a word. I climbed in, still feeling the ghost of his arms around me and the ridiculous, fluttery warmth in my chest that I really didn’t want to examine too closely.

Alexei slid into the driver’s seat a second later. Before he pulled out of the lot, he glanced over at me.

“Buckle up, Malyshka.”

The drive to my house felt shorter than usual, or maybe I was just too lost in my own head to notice the time passing.

By the time he pulled up in front of the house, my palms were sweaty.

I reached for the door handle, then stopped. My fingers fidgeted with the seatbelt instead, twisting the strap between them.

“Um…” I started.

Alexei turned his head slowly, one dark eyebrow arching.

My hands twisted tighter in the seatbelt. “Um, so my mom—she, uh—” I swallowed hard, voice getting smaller with every word. “She said if you could maybe join us for dinner? Tonight? I mean, only if you want to. You don’t have to! I can totally tell her you’re busy with family stuff or whatever. It isn’t a big deal. Really. I can just say you had plans or—”

I kept going, unable to stop. “You really don’t have to come! I know it’s probably weird because….because you’re not…. I mean, we’re not actually boyfriends or anything—”

I was about to ramble again when his hand came up, fingers curling under my jaw. He tilted my face toward him until I had no choice but to meet his eyes.