Cold Sweetness

❆ chapter fourteen

She tapped the accept button the second it was in her hand, and she hurried into the privacy of her bedroom where her conversation wouldn't be overheard. She doubted that her parents would find interest, but she couldn't say the same for Natalie and Carlita, who both shared the same nosiness when it came to her personal life.

The call had come as an unexpected surprise, but the second she lifted her phone to her ear to hear Sam's familiar voice shout on the other line, "Happy birthday!" the giddy grin returned.

"And Merry Christmas," Sam added. "But I think your birthday deserves the same amount of appreciation."

"Thank you," Nevada said, her cheeks reddening. It had been the smart decision to have this conversation in private. If Natalie caught sight of her blush, she would've never lived it down. "I was starting to think you forgot. Everyone else texted me already. I'm guessing that was your doing."

"You're not wrong," he said with a chuckle. "But I told them, like, a week ago, so if you think that I made them wish you a happy birthday, you're wrong. They remembered all on their own."

The knowledge warmed her heart. For some reason, she had pictured Sam urging them all to acknowledge her date of birth, forcing their friendship, but knowing that it had been done of their own accord meant more than she'd realized. A weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and her initial grin settled into a warm smile as her insides became fuzzy.

"Well, thanks," Nevada said. "It means a lot."

"How has your day been so far? Feel free to hang up if I'm keeping you busy. I was only able to call you now because we were in the car driving to my brother's."

If she listened, she could pick up on the faint rustling in the background as others swept through the house. He'd told her about his two older brothers. He must be spending the holiday with them and his parents then. She was almost certain that he could hear the shuffling in her own home as Amanda shouted instructions from the kitchen.

"You're not keeping me busy," she said. "I tend to be left on my own today. My gift is that I don't get bothered with chores." She barked a humorless laugh. "My dad's family is coming over, which means the house will be jam-packed in a few hours."

Sam chuckled. She heard him close the door on the other line before responding. "I'm guessing you're not excited?"

Her lips twisted. While that was the impression she gave off, it lacked the complexity behind her emotions. She adored her cousins and the rest of her family to death, never finding any moment spent in their company dull, but the truth was that their interactions drained her mentally. The effort of keeping up a conversation slowly chipped away at her resolve, and she could physically feel herself shrinking in the shadows of her cousins as the evening progressed.

"I love them. Honestly. They're all just ... overwhelming. They're all exactly like my dad. I love my dad, but I need a break from him sometimes. He's loud—and he draws all the attention to him. He's—"

"Your polar opposite," Sam finished. "I understand. I'm similar in a sense. I can get along with my brothers for a few hours, but by the end, I'm willing to kill them if it means that they'll leave me alone."

Sam wasn't as close to his older brothers as Nevada was to Natalie. Being the youngest, he was often the target of pranks and malicious teasing, their misguided way of toughing up the baby of the family. Sam had been the last to leave the house: he was the closest to his parents, especially to his mother. He had been the first one to discover the truth behind her mental illness; he had been there through all of the therapy sessions; he had been through the darkest times while his brothers had been off at school, and he'd had to endure it on his own.