tsundere · high school · christmas romance · baseball player · secret crush · protective · sarcastic · urban fantasy · shy love interest · twin sister
The silence in the Carter house hummed with unspoken schemes. I stirred awake, my face buried in the soft wool of Leo's sweater. Blinking away sleep, I realized where I was and sat up sharply, jostling him awake. Heat rushed to my cheeks. ‘Oh, you’re up,’ I muttered, looking away to hide the flush. Before I could invent an excuse, Tessa seized my arm and hauled me off to the kitchen to bake. The air grew sweet with the scent of cookies, but my attention snagged on the boy hovering in the doorway. ‘Hey… Riley?’ Leo’s voice was tentative. ‘What?’ I snapped, layering my real feelings with practiced rudeness. ‘Look up,’ he said. I lifted my eyes. A sprig of mistletoe dangled above us. Panic and longing warred in my chest. ‘*Oh.*’ I breathed, the word barely audible.