Red Hair, Black Soul (Red & Black #1)

41.1 | Killing me

"This tinsel hangs askew." I say, staring over Jed's shoulder.

Jed turns in his seat and follows my gaze. I observe his profile when he assessed the decoration. When he turns back to me, his brows are furrowed. "Hey. I hung this. And it's pretty damn hard when you do it all by yourself."

I laugh, swirling my teaspoon in my cup of hot chocolate. It's some special winter edition, with gingerbread spices. I'm not really a fan of fanciness, but Jed insisted that I take it, so I listened. 

"Advanced Math class and you can't even hang a tinsel so that it won't look like a broken snake?" I tease. "I thought they taught you how to use a ruler."

"I refuse to hang anything with the help of a ruler." Jed protests. "Next thing I know, I'll be arranging flowers in vases and straightening pictures. I'm not a pansy. I have a pair of balls to protect."

"Speaking of balls..." My eyes travel to the chain made of colorful bulbs decorating the counter.

"Do not even start on the balls." Jed says without even checking what I'm looking at. "I told them a hundred times it would be better to put Christmas lights there. No one listened. And we've already lost three bulbs."

"They shattered?" I arch a brow. 

"Someone stole them." He corrects me and I chuckle. "The security in this place sucks. I mean, where are the workers?"

"You are the worker." I remind him. 

"Well, not right now." Jed reaches out and laces his fingers with mine. His thumb grazes my index finger, where a new ring is resting. It's delicate, with a thin golden band and a tiny red stone in the middle. He gave it to me a moment ago as a Christmas present and I put it on right away, loving the way he smiled when I did. He said red was my color and he couldn't have possibly gotten me anything else. 

I gave him a worn-out copy of A Tale of Two Cities. In the dedication part, I wrote: 'so that we never run out of books to argue upon'. A strange expression appeared on Jed's face when he wrote the title but he quickly replaced it with a smile before I got the chance to analyze it. He only hugged the book to his chest and told me he was going to read it over Christmas. 

"Right now, I'm on a date with a beautiful redhead." Jed says with a mischevious smile. "And I'm planning on making a good use of that time."

I smile. It's the last time we're seeing each other before Christmas. Tomorrow we'll be needed home to help prepare everything and Jed needs to assist his Mom to a rehabilitation session. The fact that it's Christmas doesn't matter, he said. His Mom needs regular therapy and missing a session wouldn't be good.

"So what are your plans for the Christmas break?" I ask, tracing odd shapes on Jed's forearm with my finger. "Family visits?"

Here comes the expression again, a brief clenching of his jaw, a sudden shadow crossing his face. I stop my movements, watching him wearily. 

"No family visits." He shakes his head. "Just Mom, Dad, and me. Maybe my brother will honor us with his presence for a moment."

So maybe that's what it's about. Jed told me some time ago that his brother was planning on joining the Army. He's angry with him for making that decision because he doesn't want Daylen leaving their Mom. The things have been fragile between the two brothers and the older one's decision seemed to be a snapping point in their relation. 

"And the New Year's Eve? Some wild party at the Halls'?" I try. I do my best to lighten the mood, but it seems like it gets darker and darker with my every question.