“Umph.”
“Fuck,” Jeremiah groans.
Pulling himself up slightly, he hovers above me, our bodies pressed together. We might be lying in a pile of snow, but I for one am starting to feel very warm. His eyes search mine as I take in his gorgeous face, his cheeks pink, nose red, eyes bright. Out here in the snow, they look super green, the brown and gold flecks taking a back seat for now.
“Are you okay?” he whispers.
I nod. “I think so.”
“What happened?”
“Ice.”
“Right,” he says, like he just made the connection of why he’s also on the ground. “Maybe I should call for help in case you hurt something.”
“I feel all right.” My hands move down his back. “Pretty good actually.”
He swallows hard, his Adam’s apple visibly bobbing in his throat. “Thanks for breaking my fall.” He smiles. “Although the snow is probably softer than you.”
Particularly one very hard part of me right now.
“My pleasure?”
Jeremiah chuckles, struggling to get up, but slipping against me once more. I try sitting up and both of us roll to our sides until I somehow manage to be on top of him. Now that I have him pinned, I grin.
“I didn’t get to do this much growing up.”
“Do what?” Jeremiah asks.
“Play.”
“Is that what we’re doing? I thought we were working.”
“We could? For like five minutes.”
Jeremiah scoffs, but his lips are still upturned in amusement. “We should deal with the ice.”
“What’s five more minutes? It’s not a main walkway.”
“What do you want to do? Build a snowman?”
I nod. “You’re right. It’s silly.” I manage to get on my feet and help Jeremiah up. I smile, bending over to lug the salt bag where I need it, but when I stand, I’m hit with a snowball. I twist around to look at Jeremiah who is actually fucking grinning at me. At me!
“Five minutes,” he says, packing another snowball.
“You’re on.”
I run deeper into the snow, grabbing my own handful. For a few fun-filled minutes we throw snowballs at each other, laughing and horsing around like little kids again. It feels amazing.
“What the hell are you guys doing?”
We both stop and twist in the direction of the stern voice. Richard is standing by the curb, looking at us like we’ve gone crazy. Jeremiah drops his snowball and clears his throat, but I jump in, ready to save this.
“My fault, Richard. I distracted Jeremiah from our task. You know how it was for me. Never got to just play, so I talked him into a little snowball fight.”
Richard smiles, immediately relaxing. “Ah, kid, you break my heart with shit like that. I just don’t want guests to see.”
“I know. We were careful, and it was only a couple of minutes. We’ll finish shoveling and salting now.”
“Great. See you inside.”
He waves at Jeremiah before making his way inside. I grab the salt bag again, ready to get back to it, but Jeremiah is next to me, touching my arm.
“Nice save.”
I smile. “It’s true though. I really appreciate this. I know it was probably way out of character for you, but it was really fun for me. Thanks, Jeremiah.”
He nods. “I didn’t play much either.”
As we return to our tasks, eyes lingering a little longer than they should, a feeling of warmth spreads through me. Maybe turning on the charm doesn’t work on Jeremiah and being my authentic self is the way to get him to like me. And not just like me, but like me, like me.
If I can manage that, I’ll figure out what to do with the rest of the shit show that is my life.
Later that afternoon, I’m standing under the planet display again while the artist checks it over. She’s standing on a ladder, tinkering around like it’s no big deal. Jeremiah, Marlowe, and Julien are nearby.
I feel a tap on my shoulder and twist around to see Nate.
“Hey.” I grin, hugging him. “What are you doing here?”
“Was driving past. Figured I’d swing in and see this place.” His gaze shifts up. “What’s going on?”
“Uranus keeps trying to make a break for it.”
His brow pinches. “Come again?”
I chuckle. “The planet keeps falling slightly. The artist is trying to fix it.”
“Ah. It’s cool.”
“It really is. Especially at night when it’s all lit up. You want a tour?”
“Yeah, but I really want to meet the kryptonite.”
“Shh. He’s right behind me,” I whisper.
“Which one?” He glances over my shoulder.
“The one in the gray sweater.”
A smile pulls at Nate’s lips. “Oh, fuck, dude. You are so screwed. He’s so your type.”
“Tell me about it.”
“I should be properly introduced.”
“Yeah. Come on.” I walk us over to Jeremiah, who shifts his attention from the display to me. He offers a slight smile and a curious expression. “Uh, Jeremiah, this is my friend and roommate, Nate. This is Jeremiah.”
The two men shake hands. “Pleased to meet you,” Nate says.
“You as well.”
“Nate came to see where I work.”
Jeremiah nods, oddly pleasant. Just five minutes ago, he was in control-freak mode, trying to keep guests away from the display. Now he’s acting like he’s chill. Wait. Does he think Nate is hot? My eyes narrow. Fuck. Everyone thinks Nate is hot.
“Anyway, can you excuse us for a few minutes?” I ask.
Jeremiah leans close. “I’m not your boss, Gabriel.” He says it softly.
Yes, he is. “Thanks.”
We walk off together while I point at various things around the planetarium before we grab coffee from Easton and sit in the café.
“So,” Nate begins. “Jeremiah is cute.”
“Yep.” I sip my coffee.
“I get it.”
“Please don’t hit on him. It would kill me.”
Nate pulls his head back. “Bro. I would never do that to you.”
I exhale. “Sorry. Maybe I should’ve said just don’t give him The Smolder and make him like you.”
“The Smolder?”
I nod. “Trademark pending.”
Nate snorts. “Whatever. You don’t have to worry about me, man. He’s super cute and all, but not my particular brand of nerd.”
“And that is?”
“You know I love gamers. Bonus if they cosplay.”
I laugh. “That’s right.”
“Besides, have you seen yourself? I don’t think you need to worry about me.”
“Thanks.” I gaze down the hall, barely catching a glimpse of him. “He's so cute.”
“He is. What are you gonna do?”
I shrug. “Don’t know. We had another moment today.”
“Another one? Did I miss the first one?”
“Oh.” I proceed to fill him in on the Almost Kiss and then today’s snowball fight.
“Wow. So it’s not one-sided.”