Filed to story: Kissed by Claw and Fang
“That’s what I’m doing!” I tell her as I tear at the seal. It’s one of those plastic Bubble Wrap ones, so it’s harder than it should be, but eventually I get it open.
And out falls a large black library book.
“What is it?” Macy climbs on the bed next to me in an effort to get a better look.
“I don’t know,” I answer. But then I turn it over and…it’s totally the last book I ever would have expected him to send.
“Twilight? He sent me a copy of
Twilight?” I turn to Macy in confusion.
Macy gasps as she stares from the book to me. And then she starts to laugh. And laugh. And laugh.
And I guess it’s kind of funny…the idea that a guy like Zane would send a girl a paranormal romance, but I don’t think it’s nearly as amusing as Macy is making it out to be. Plus, I’ve always kind of wanted to read it, to see what all the fuss was about all those years ago.
“I like it,” I tell her a little defiantly. Because I do-almost as much as I like the fact that Zane took the time to pick it out for me.
“I do, too,” Macy says around another fit of giggles. “I swear. It’s super…charming, actually.”
“I agree.” I open the front cover, and my heart stutters as I see the small Post-it note stuck to the cover page. In the scrawl I’m rapidly coming to recognize as Zane’s is this quote from the novel: “I said it would be better if we weren’t friends, not that I didn’t want to be.”
“Oooooooh!” Macy clutches her hands to her chest and pretends to swoon. “If you don’t kiss that boy soon, I’m going to disown you. Or I’m going to kiss him myself.”
“I’m sure Cam would appreciate that.” I trace my finger over the individual letters of every word he wrote, one after the other, even knowing it makes me look as starry-eyed as I feel.
“Hey, Cam’s always talking about doing things for the greater good. Here’s his chance to put his money where his mouth is.”
“You kissing Zane is for the greater good?” I open the book to the first page.
“Me kissing Zane as your proxy is definitely for the greater good. Put you both out of your misery.” She bats her eyelashes. “Though it definitely wouldn’t be a sacrifice.”
“How about we make a pact? You keep your lips off Zane and I’ll keep mine off Cam?”
“Wooo!” Macy shouts so loud, it makes me jump. “I knew last night you were into him, with your babbling and your I-we-he stuff.”
“I didn’t say I was into him.” But it’s kind of hard not to fall for him at least a little after a morning like this one.
“You didn’t say you weren’t, either.”
I roll my eyes. “Don’t you have a class to go to?”
“Trying to get rid of me?” But she climbs off my bed, starts straightening her hair in the mirror over the dresser.
“I am, yes.” I hold up the book. “I want to start reading.”
“I bet you do.” She makes kissy faces at me. “Oh, Edward, I love you so much! Whoops, I mean Zane.”
I throw a pillow at her, but she just laughs and grabs her backpack. Then she gives me a quick wave before heading out the door.
The second Macy’s gone, I sink back onto the bed and hold
Twilight to my chest. Zane sent me a love story. I mean, yeah, it’s about a vampire, but it’s still a love story. And that quote… I didn’t want to show it in front of my cousin, but swooooooooon.
I grab my phone and fire off a text to Zane.
Me: Swoon emoji
Zane: Don’t get too starry-eyed
Zane: It’s supposed to be a warning
Zane: Winky kiss emoji
Me: Of what?
Zane: Things that go bump in the night
Zane: You never can be too careful
Me: I like scary stories
Zane: But do you like the monsters in them?
Me: I guess it depends on the monster
Zane: I guess we’ll see, then, won’t we?
Me: I don’t know what that means
I start to text more-his mood is so different than it was earlier, and I want to get to the bottom of the change-but there’s yet another knock on my door.
Me: Hey, did you send me something else????????
