Page 6 of SnowBound

Gosh, why couldn’t she let it go? Deciding to prove her wrong, I straightened my features.

“Well tried. Not working, though. I can still see those wrinkles around your eyes.

“No, you’re not.”

She watched me, waiting for my explanation. I debated telling her the truth, but the intensity in her gaze broke my reservations.

“My mother. If I don’t make it home in time, she’ll spend Christmas all alone. I’d promised I’d be there.”

“But it’s not your fault. It’s the weather. It’s not like you’re doing this on purpose.”

I shrugged. “I had a flight home, booked two days ago, then got a gig, so halted here. That pushed my flight to tonight. Totally my fault. I changed the plans.”

The girl leaned over and pressed her hand over mine. Electricity traveled from her fingers to my spine.

“Don’t blame yourself, okay? I’m sure your mother will understand. And Christmas Eve is just a number on the calendar. You can celebrate it in two days or a week from now. Who will care?”

I relaxed my jaw. “I guess you’re right but still, I hate doing that to her. I’m all she’s got.”

The girl squeezed my hand. “It will be all right.”

She removed her hand, and I missed the warmth of her touch.

Remaining silent, she gulped her food as if she hadn’t eaten the whole day.

I watched her throat work with every bite of her sandwich, and it turned me on.

Oh, fuck, what’s happening to me?

* * *

The girl’s phone rang, and she picked it up with a frown, oblivious to the effect watching her awoke in me. She took a deep breath in and straightened her back as she swiped the screen to answer. Right now, the curious side of me was dying to know who was on the other end of the line. From the way she twirled the string of her sweater around her finger and chewed on her bottom lip, I could tell she was nervous about answering.

An array of emotions passed on her face when she said, “Hello?” Something resembling fear and discomfort or maybe annoyance. She blinked fast, sunk her teeth into her bottom lip, then her shoulders sagged.

I tried to concentrate on my coffee but couldn’t help watching her because she looked to be part in pain, part hesitant.

“No… It’s not my fault there’s a snowstorm on the East Coast.” A long pause. “I’m not being arrogant, but I have no control over the weather.”

She bit on her thumbnail, nodding as she listened. Was she being faulted for the weather?

“No, I couldn’t leave yesterday. I had stuff to deal with before winter break.”

She sighed, casting a glance down. Whatever the other person was telling her, he or she was trying to guilt-trip her for something she had no power over. What a jerk.

Some of the tension that had knotted my back since I learned my flight had been rescheduled melted away. And so did my annoyance. My reasons for being upset sounded silly right now. At least I didn’t have someone calling to make me feel bad about circumstances I couldn’t control.

Her voice quivered, snapping me out of my thoughts. “I understand my life here is not meaningful to you and doesn’t fit in with your plans, but it is to me.” A pause. “I’ll be there in time for the banquet. The flights are delayed until the morning.” Another pause. “Yes, I know how important it is to you.”

The girl who asked me twenty questions earlier closed in on herself right before my eyes. She lost her spark. Gone were her animated features and extrovert persona. I saw a husk of her sitting before me. Looking down, she bobbed her head over and over, as if she had done something wrong. It angered me to witness how someone could fuck with her mind.

“Yes, my hair has been trimmed last month.”

She shook her head.

Seriously, what was with the questions?

“No, I have no dark circles under my eyes.”