Falling in the Dark | ✓

38 | Mistletoe

Liam and I step into the room tentatively, my eyes roaming past a set of beds, desks, and closets that are identical to my dorm. One of the beds is occupied by four people sitting cross-legged in front of a laptop, their faces glowing blue from the screen as they frantically punch the game controllers in their hands. Every few seconds, one of them erupts with a string of instructions interspersed with swears.

Perched on the other bed is Rick, his head ducked as he stares intently at his own laptop. He's wearing a pair of big black headphones, his unkempt hair sticking up wildly around it.

I turn around to a sudden burst of laughter and find a boy and girl walking in through the open door with their arms around each other. They stop suddenly at the threshold and tip their heads to the ceiling before the guy pulls her in for a kiss. I raise my eyes to find a small sprig of mistletoe taped inexpertly to the wall.

I look away quickly, but not before Liam notices the direction of my gaze. He looks at me with his frustratingly unreadable expression for a long moment, not saying a word.

"You made it!" A familiar voice says suddenly, making me jump. Liam and I look away from each other as Rick waves at us. When we walk over to his bed, Rick gives me a tentative nod, "Hi, Carmen. Nice to see you here."

"Hey," I smile gratefully.

"How'd it go?" Rick turns to Liam. "Did you get the-"

"Yeah-uh, yeah," Liam interrupts him, uncharacteristically edgy and loud as he avoids my quizzical gaze.

A silent exchange passes between the two boys and a look of understanding crosses Rick's face. He nods and clears his throat before asking me, "Have you been to one of these before?"

"No, actually," I say, wringing my hands in equal parts nervousness and anticipation.

"Well, as long as you're not on this guy's team," he grins and jerks his thumb towards Liam, "you'll be fine."

Laughing, I sidle up to Rick and shrug apologetically at Liam as he throws his hands in the air in feigned outrage.

"Ladies and germs!" A gruff voice booms from the doorway and everyone turns to it. "Your kind host has brought the good stuff."

A guy dressed in a t-shirt, jeans, and a striking neon jacket walks into the already packed room. His face is almost entirely obscured by the stack of pizza boxes and soda cans carefully arranged in his arms. Grinning widely, he hands everything except one box to the Mistletoe Couple. Moments later, he catches sight of us and hurries forward, exchanging greetings with others on the way to our end of the room.

"Liam! Rick! And, hey, new girl! You are. . . ?" He regards me with a polite, questioning gaze.

"Carmen," I smile, extending my open palm to him awkwardly. "Thanks for having me."

"Mi casa es su casa, my friend!" he says heartily, shuffling the large box into the crook of his left arm before giving my hand a firm yet amiable shake. His teeth are almost freakishly white against his tanned skin, his hair buzzed so close to his scalp that it's almost impossible to see. "I'm Axe."

Before I can react, he whirls around to put the pizza on the desk, delving into conversation with one of the girls sitting on the bed to his right.

I raise my eyebrows at Liam, inching closer to him to whisper, "Did he just say his name was . . . ?"

"Axe," Liam whispers back in confirmation, bending to reach my ear. "No one knows if that's even his real name."

"All right!" Axe whoops suddenly, and Liam gives me a conspiratorial smile before straightening to his full height. "Everybody ready?"