Page 86 of Falling Like Snow

Micah laughs. “What were you guys’ ideas? All holiday movies are pretty good. Unless you picked, like, Die Hard or something.”

“Die Hard was one of them,” I say, suddenly feeling defensive of Asher’s movie pick. “And it’s a great movie.”

“I’m not arguing with that,” Micah says. “Just not exactly family-friendly.”

Do I disagree with him? Of course not—I had this same argument with Asher. Yet I say, “Kids can handle a few swear words.”

“And a lot of dead bodies?” Micah asks, like I’m being ridiculous. Because I am.

“Psh, builds character,” I say. “It’s like eating dirt when you’re a kid, you know, to build immunities.”

“Yeah…,” he says, his lips turned up into the faintest amused smile. “I didn’t do that.”

“Well, you missed out.”

“You are a very strange girl. I can barely figure out how we got from talk of Christmas movies to eating dirt.”

I pat his leg. “You’ll learn to keep up.”

“No you won’t,” Asher says, leaning over. “You just learn to smile and nod and pretend to know what’s happening.”

Micah laughs as I shout, “Hey!” But I can’t help but smile at Asher being normal. Maybe things are fine between us. Maybe he doesn’t think I’m obsessed with him or something.

Maybe I’m overthinking things, as usual.

Someone shushes us, and the four of us focus our attention on Kevin McCallister waking up to discover he made his family disappear. Micah puts his arm around my shoulder, and I lay my head on him, wondering what it’d be like to be his girlfriend—to always have someone to freely and openly snuggle with and not feel weird about it, to not feel like the people around me are judging me or speculating. To just be a couple.

But for some reason, I can’t envision it. His arm around me, my head resting on him, the flirting… it all just feels like role-playing. Like improv.

Is this how everyone feels when they’re getting to know someone? Like it isn’t real?

I need to call Hannah. Or Preeti. Or Ellis. I am wildly out of my depth here.

Sometime later the movie ends, and I realize if I hadn’t already seen Home Alone ten billion times, I wouldn’t have a clue what happened because my mind has been wandering for the last hour. The credits roll and I sit up… and find Daphne lying on Asher’s shoulder—her hand holding his in her lap. My breath catches at the unexpected ache in my chest.

The rows of chairs clear as people head for the Caffeinated Cat or the bonfire for warmth. The four of us stand and march through the snow, back toward the overcrowded fire. I’m rubbing my cold hands together, considering getting another tea, when Micah turns to me.

“So…,” he says once we’re as close as we can get to the fire, “I was thinking about going to the Snow Ball.”

“Two festival events in two weeks?” I ask, narrowing my eyes at him. “Micah, if you’re in there, don’t panic, but I think you might be possessed. I’ve never done an exorcism before, but I’m sure I can figure it out.”

“Ha-ha,” Micah says with a playful eye roll. “I’m saying… would you want to go with me?”

“To the Snow Ball?”

“Yeah. I know it’s sort of last-minute, so if you already have plans…”

I glance at Asher because I do already have plans. We always go to dances together. But he’s not objecting. He’s not insisting I already have a date. He’s just watching us with a blank expression, waiting for me to answer. What am I supposed to say if he isn’t going to confirm we’re going together?

I meet Micah’s eager gaze. “Um, sure. Why not?”

“Perfect,” he says, his voice dancing with excitement. And even though I’m flattered—and flabbergasted—that someone as hot and as popular as Micah wants to go to the Snow Ball with me, I have to use some of my best acting skills to manage to smile back at him when I find Asher has already turned around, grinning at something Daphne said.

Maybe it’s the jealousy talking, but I’m more than a little crushed that Asher doesn’t seem to care that we’re not going together for the first time ever.

“I think I’m going to head home,” I say.

“Really?” Micah asks. “It’s still pretty early. We could go to the diner. Or you could come over.”