Cold Sweetness

❆ chapter fourteen

The holiday season in the Ruiz household was never anything less than chaotic. Nevada's love for the Christmas season became swiftly overshadowed by the heavy demands it had on her physically and mentally. Part of her was glad that she'd been away for much of the preparation, but the other part of her hated being thrown back into the mess of readying the house for her father's side of the family.

It seemed almost ironic that her family was so large when Nevada often felt like she shrank into the background. Her relatives were loud and boisterous, proving where Jose Ruiz — her father, had come from, whereas she was quiet and soft-spoken, and the two did not make a good combination. No matter how much she loved her family, there was a limit to how much she could stand them, and the influx on her birthday was overwhelming.

The biggest plus to having her birthday fall on the holiday meant that she was excused out of most of the chores in preparation. Instead, Amanda Ruiz recruited Natalie and Clarita — her grandmother — for assistance. Nevada stole the opportunity to hole up in her room, giving herself the room to breathe before her family stole all the oxygen for themselves.

To her surprise, her social media had been buzzing all morning, former high school classmates wishing her a happy birthday on her page, and a few had even bothered sending her a text. She had responded to each with equal enthusiasm, and when she scrolled down to the respective messages from Cassidy, Alicia, and Carter, she couldn't help the shock that overcame her. There was no way they could've known her birthday; she hadn't told them ... unless Sam had.

Each text contained a variety of colorful emojis along with sentimental messages that spurred on an uncontrollable grin. But if Sam had been the one to tell them, it was strange that he hadn't reached out himself. Maybe he'd thought that giving her the socks had been enough. Though she knew she should've been satisfied, there was a pang in her chest. She'd counted on him, and this was the one instance in which she didn't want him to prove her wrong.

The sound of clattering plates broke her out of her reverie, and she poked her head out of her bedroom long enough to find Clarita carrying a stack of plates out to the dining table. Nevada dropped her phone on her bed and rushed forward, her arms outstretched.

"Abuelita, I can take care of that," she offered.

Carlita wasted no time in shifting the heavy load into her grasp, and Nevada brought the stack over to the table. Amanda had already smoothened a decorative tablecloth over the surface, and so, Nevada started arranging a plate at each chair. Their house would be packed to the brim tonight with ten guests, but including the four that lived here and her grandmother, the table had to been set for fifteen.

The routine was almost therapeutic: setting a plate down before Natalie swept past, placing the silverware on either side. This was the easy part. She could turn her mind off as she worked, putting all of her effort into the chore, but the sight of fifteen plates only reminded her of the evening to come. Her stomach twisted.

It wasn't until she had begun folding the cloth napkins that Carlita returned, holding a cell phone out. "Nieta, your phone."

When she held the phone out to Nevada, her eyebrows furrowed. She never received calls, finding text messages far less threatening. When it came to written word, she could review her message several times before sending it, but phone calls were unpredictable. It was the reason why she hardly using her phone for its intended purpose, but anyone who needed to reach her knew that she almost always answered a text with the same speed.

"Who is—" Carlita cut herself off to peer at the bright screen, squinting as she read out the caller ID. "Sam?"

Nevada crumpled up the napkin in her grasp, tossing it aside in favor of snatching her phone. Carlita handed it over without question, her other hand raised in surrender.