The glint in his eye did not reassure her in the least.
After that, they continued their wandering around, a cup of hot cocoa in hand. Maddy pointed out all the different kinds of decorative lights and ornaments to Nate, as if he were not blessed with excellent vision himself, oohing and aahing every time she saw something extravagant or particularly cute. Nate thankfully seemed to have accepted his fate as the recipient of all that oohing and aahing, throwing her bemused glances here and there, an ever-present faint smile tilting the corners of his lips.
Their steps carried them through the better part of the neighborhood, before they made their way to the car so that they could head back. They never parted throughout the entire meandering, a part of their body always in contact, always touching.
She thought that she could easily get addicted to that.
The drive back carried with it a sense of calm surrender to something inevitable. The music of Snow Patrol’s ‘Chasing Cars’ flooded the vehicle as Nate drove them home and Maddy felt herself settling in the comfort of those familiar lyrics.
***
The next few days flew by with lots of decorating happening in the Pierce household, which meant plenty of family time; some back-and-forth roasting with her mom, some festive dad jokes from her dad that made everyone groan, and some third-degree interrogation from her grandma.
“What’s that expression?” her nonna asked when they were playing cards one afternoon.
“What expression?” Maddy knew very well what expression she was talking about. She’d had a goofy face on all the damn time for the past few days, before she remembered to school her features into something more normal and less deranged.
Her nonna lifted a finger and pointed it straight at her face.
“That expression.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. That’s my face.”
“It is your face, but it’s happy.”
“Are you saying that my face is usually a sad face? Because I’m hurt.”
“Don’t try to distract me. It won’t work.” Her grandma could become very intimidating for an old lady.
Maddy sighed.
“It’s nothing, I was just thinking about the other day at the music store. It was fun,” she said nonchalantly.
Her grandma simply stared at her.
“So, it was fun, hm?”
“Yes.” Maddy tried to avoid that stare.
“At the music store.”
“Yes.”
“With Nate.”
“Yes.” Maddy was starting to sweat.
“Your friend, Nate.”
Maddy’s brief hesitation was all her nonna needed to pounce.
“Ha! I knew it.” She shook a triumphant, wrinkled fist at her.
“You know nothing, old woman,” Maddy told her, narrowing her eyes.
Her grandma’s face softened.
“I know you look happy, tesoro mio.”
