Текст книги "Frozen"

Автор книги: L.A. Casey

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Текущая страница: 9 (всего у книги 14 страниц)

"Nealaaaa?"

Fuck off.

"Come on, Neala," Darcy chuckled. "You have to talk to me at some point."

I bloody do not.

"Neala Girl," Darcy sang, his voice merry. "Oh, you decorated the room."

Yeah, I decorated the room.

While he was making the tunnel this morning I opened the box of tree decorations and hug them on the branches taking the bare look off the tree. When I was finished it looked like a nice tree. I even placed the Christmas light up characters around the room. The fecking things were battery operated which meant when they were all turned on they completely lit up the room, and we had been using candles since yesterday. Darcy was a moron for not thinking of them when the power went out.

I was pulled from my thoughts when Darcy called my name again. I growled and turned deeper into the couch, hugging myself with my arms to stop my body from shivering. My blanket was in the hallway still and it was wet from the snow that was thrown around when I tried to make Darcy eat it.

"Neala," Darcy sighed long and deep. "You're freezing, I can see you shaking. Will you just get up and come into my bedroom where you will be warm and comfortable."

Ha. Yeah fecking right.

That was the same tune Darcy had sung over and over since he faked his own death this morning. I wasn't having any of it. I would not speak to him or go into his bedroom no matter how dire things got for me. Darcy sighed from behind me then chuckled to himself.

"I'll bring Einstein in here unless you come into my room," Darcy threatened.

He wouldn't dare.

"I will bring her in here, Neala. Don't doubt me."

I widened my eyes.

Could he read my mind?

Fuck you, Darcy.

Silence.

Nah, he couldn't read my mind, he just guessed what I thinking.

"Come on, Neala. You're going to get sick in here. The room is soaking," Darcy grunted, his tone changing to one of annoyance.

I wasn't falling for his change of tone.

The room was wet because of him, it was completely his fault.

After he faked his death and I closed myself off from him in the living room, the fucker opened the door and threw snowballs at me. Yes, snowballs. He was obviously never taught not to throw things inside the house, especially fucking snowballs. He completely soaked my dress and blazer and the furniture because he has the worst aim in the history of mankind. The snowballs melted and all but destroyed the furniture, what little furniture he had, when the wet soaked into them.

He was lucky he didn't mess up the tree, I would have kicked his arse if he had. The moron didn't even notice I did up the room earlier when he attacked me because I turned the light up characters off to save the battery power, but now that they were lit he was noticing.

The bloody gobshite.

"Speak to me, Neala," Darcy pleaded. "I'll get upset if you don't."

I lifted my right hand in the air, and stuck my middle finger up at him.

Darcy's sudden scream frightened the shite out of me. I quickly turned to face him just as he dropped to his knees and dramatically began to scream and cry.

He was such a bloody moron.

"Shut up!" I shouted and covered my ears with my hands. "You're giving me a bleeding headache, you eejit."

Darcy continued to wail and throw himself onto the floor and slap his hands against the wooden floor.

He was throwing a tantrum.

Wonderful.

"Stop it!" I bellowed and jumped up from the couch.

Darcy ignored me and continued his fake tantrum, he even added rolling from side to side into his stupid routine. Einstein started to freak out and wail too, and even though she was in the kitchen I could hear her as plain as day. She was even louder than fucking Darcy.

"You're upsetting Einstein, stop it!" I snarled down at Darcy as I stomped over to him.

When I was stood before him, Darcy wrapped his arms around my legs and held on for dear life.

Oh, Christ.

"Darcy!" I shouted and bent down and slapped at his arms.

He wouldn't let go.

"For the love of God, will you let go of me and stop!" I snapped.

Darcy's stopping fake crying and looked up at me. "Will you do as I ask?"

"No." I hissed.

He screamed. “Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the wayyyyyy. Oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse opppeeeennnnnn-“

“Okay!” I screamed. “I’ll do as you ask!”

If he'd stop acting and singing stupid jingles like a five year old I'd do just about anything.

Darcy smiled up at me then let go of my legs and jumped up to his feet.

"Excellent, now follow me."

I narrowed my eyes at Darcy's back when he turned and pranced out of the living.

He was so bloody full of it.

I shook my head, and reluctantly followed Darcy out of the living room, down the hallway, and into his bedroom. I stood idle at his bedroom doorway and hesitated to go inside. Darcy looked over his shoulder at me and laughed which made me want to smack him.

"I'm not going to jump you – I'm trying to help you."

Ha. Yeah, right.

"Help me how?" I asked, curiously.

Darcy turned and walked over to his wardrobe, he opened the door and pulled out a few items of clothing. He walked over to his dresser and pulled out another item of clothing, he turned and dropped the items on his bed and gestured at them with his arms.

"Trousers, a t-shirt, boxers and socks. Have at them."

What?

"I don't understand," I said with furrowed eyebrows.

Darcy cleared his throat. "You're clothes are soaking, you can't stay in them because you'll get sick so I'm giving you some of mine to wear."

Butterflies exploded in my stomach and I had to fight myself not to blush. I should have been annoyed with the clothing offer, because I couldn't stand Darcy, but I wasn't.

I was oddly excited.

"I'm not wearing your clothes," I said simply to keep my excitement undetected.

Who the hell gets excited over wearing a lad's clothes?

Apparently me.

Ugh.

"Do I have to throw another tantrum?" Darcy asked.

I wasn't looking at him, but I could hear the smile that was sure to be plastered over his stupid good-looking face.

I looked up to him, ignored said smile, and glared. "You're threatening me."

It was a statement, not a question.

"You're a clever cookie," Darcy teased.

I grunted. "You'd rival an toddler with that bloody tantrum."

Darcy smirked. "Thank you."

It wasn't a compliment and he knew it.

"Fine. I'll wear your clothes."

Darcy winked. "Thank you."

I wanted to thump him.

He was really doing me a favour by offering me clean, dry clothes to wear, but made it out like I was doing him a favour by wearing them.

"The boxers are brand new, so are the socks. The t-shirt and trousers aren't though."

My cheeks flushed red so I walked over to the bed with my head down.

'Thanks," I muttered.

"What was that?" Darcy asked, loudly.

I hated him.

"Thanks," I repeated through gritted teeth.

"I can't hear you."

Was he serious?

I set my jaw. "Thank. You."

Darcy pressed his hand against his chest and faked getting emotional.

"You don't need to thank me, Neala," he said and fanned his face. "You're so welcome."

I blinked my eyes in boredom.

"I'd punch you only I don 't wanna get moron on me hand."

Darcy continued to fan himself, then burst into a blubbering mess.

"Darcy, I'll bloody cut you if you don't stop!" I cut him off with a growl and put my back to him.

Darcy cut the act and laughed from behind me and patted my shoulder. "I'm finished, I swear. I'll be in the kitchen if you need me."

"I won't need you," I said to his back as he walked out of his room, snickering to himself.

I scowled at Darcy's now closed bedroom door, then looked down to his clothes and found myself smiling.

I forced the smile off my face and shook my head.

"You're pathetic," I muttered to myself.

I stripped out of my damp and cold clothes, folded them over and placed them on top of Darcy's dresser and then pulled on Darcy's boxer shorts and socks. They were both big on me, but they felt nice so I continued and put on Darcy's trousers, and t-shirt. I had to tie the trousers tight with the string so they wouldn't fall down, and I also had to roll them up a few times because they were pretty long. The t-shirt was my favourite. It was like a tent on me, but a warm, cuddly tent that smelled fucking amazing.

I deeply inhaled and groaned out loud.

Darcy. Smelled. Awesome.

I looked down at his t-shirt and when I realised how creepy I was being I put my hands on my face and groaned.

I was turning into some sort of Darcy fangirl and the worst part was... I liked it.

I possibly liked... Darcy... a tiny bit.

I think.

I had one thing to say to that tiny thought: WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK?

"I'm so screwed," I muttered to myself.

I mutely walked out of Darcy's bedroom and headed down to the kitchen.

Darcy was over at Einstein's cage finishing of eating a tin of bins. I glanced to him, but when he turned in my direction I focused on washing my hands in the sink, and not anything, or anyone, else.

"You look good in… clothes," Darcy commented as he put the now empty tin in the bin.

I raised my eyebrow and looked to him. "I was in clothes before these... they were just wet."

Darcy gave me a get-real look. "That dress and blazer didn't cover much, what you're wearing now are proper clothes."

I inwardly smiled.

"Yeah, well... whatever."

Darcy chuckled, "Is it killing you to wear clothes that belong to me?"

No, and that's why I was annoyed.

"They'll do," was all I said.

I didn't want to lie, because I hate lying so not directly answering his question was my only option.

"What time is it?" I asked.

Darcy looked to the wall behind Einstein and said, "Half eleven."

I widened my eyes. "At night?"

Darcy nodded. "It's Christmas Eve tomorrow."

I frowned. "I don't want to miss Christmas."

Darcy tilted his head as he looked at me. "We won't, our ma's will come up here and dig us out with their bare hands before they'd let us miss a Christmas."

I laughed, and shook my head.

I wouldn't put it past either of our mother's to do something so drastic.

"So…" Darcy said.

I wanted to smile because he was rocking back and fourth on his heels as he looked at me.

"So what?" I asked.

Darcy shrugged. "So... it's late. Bedtime."

He was sending me to bed.

"You're putting me to bed?" I asked, teasing.

He shrugged. "Depends. If you walk into my bedroom freely then no, but if you run from me then yes."

My stomach flipped, my heart pounded against my chest, and between my thighs pulsed. The pulse frightened me most because I never got that sensation for Darcy... until now.

"I'm, uh, good with the storage room," I said and tried to walk by him.

Darcy clicked his tongue at me and caught me around the waist with his arms when I tried to pass him by. He pulled me back to him until my back was flush against his front. I could feel the heat of his body on mine.

Christ.

Why was I reacting to him like this?

This was Darcy.

The same Darcy who drove me absolutely mad.

The same Darcy who was my enemy, and had been for twenty years.

The same Darcy who hated me as much as I hated him.

My body, and now my mind seemed to not care about any of that because I liked his closeness, and his touch.

I fucking liked Darcy holding me this close to him.

What the hell did I do now? Admit myself to an asylum?

"No more sleeping in the storage room, little woman. You're sleeping next to me in my bed tonight. You don't have to be scared, I'll even let you build a pillow fort between us so you don't have to look at me."

I giggled.

Yeah, I bloody giggled.

"Was that a giggle I heard?" Darcy playfully teased.

I tried to smother my impending laughter as I said, "No."

Darcy brought his mouth down to my ear and said, "Are you coming willing or not?"

Because I wanted to see what he would do, I said, "Not."

"I didn't want to have to do this, but you've left me no choice," Darcy said, his voice raspy.

What was he– "Omigod!" I screeched as Darcy turned me to face him then proceeded to bend and grip me behind the knees with his hands were he pulled. I flipped over Darcy's shoulder and hung there as he straightened himself up.

"Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to bed we go," Darcy sang as he marched out of the kitchen.

He turned slightly as he left the room and my head hit off the kitchen door.

"Ow!"

Darcy winced. "My bad."

I cracked up laughing as I hung over his shoulder. I smacked his arse a few times just to show some sign of protest even though I loved every second of his caveman act.

I yelped when I was suddenly flung back over Darcy shoulders, but instead of hitting a hard surface I fell into a soft mattress. I was still laughing as Darcy jumped onto the bed beside me. I rolled over and shoved him. He looked at me and chuckled. I was smiling as I found myself looking into his eyes, then to his mouth.

I caught the moment Darcy saw what I was doing and I noticed his sharp intake of breath. I nervously swallowed and cleared my throat.

"Thanks... I don't agree with your method, but I appreciate you wanting me to have somewhere comfortable to sleep," I said then turned and crawled up the bed and got under the covers, facing away from Darcy.

"No problem," Darcy said then lingered for a moment before he moved and got under the covers also.

There was silence for a moment until he said, "Goodnight, Neala Girl."

My heart thudded in my chest and my stomach burst into butterflies.

"Goodnight, Darcy."

I closed my eyes and prayed sleep would come easy. Even though my mind was screaming that something definitely changed between Darcy, and myself and I wanted to think about it. I surprisingly fell into a deep and relaxed slumber. That relaxed slumber was utterly destroyed the next morning.

I woke up before I opened my eyes.

I didn't want to open my eyes because I was warm, comfortable, and completely content with the pillow I was hugging so tightly to my body. I snuggled closer to the warm, hard pillow and started to doze off again when movement under me interrupted my snooze.

What was that?

I groaned out loud and it caused whatever was under me to tense.

Since when can pillows tense?

Since when can they do anything?

I became aware of everything in that moment when my mind fully awoke.

Oh, no.

"Oh, my God," I whispered as I opened my eyes and came face to face with a light pink nipple.

It was practically pressed into my eye socket.

I slowly reached up with my hands and pressed them against the chest around the nipple and carefully peeled my face away. I swallowed when I looked down and found my leg cocked over Darcy's body. I was so far in Darcy's space that I was practically straddling him.

I widened my eyes when a sharp pulse between my thighs caught me by surprise.

I was getting turned on?

By almost lying on Darcy's hard body?

I was fucking losing it.

I tried to retract my leg again from Darcy's body as slowly as I could, but when a slight moan rumbled up Darcy's throat, I froze. I didn't know what to do, so I stayed perfectly still until I was sure Darcy hadn't woken up. I looked back down and slowly began to pull my leg away from Darcy once again, but the moment my leg moved over his pelvis and it slid over what can only be described as a speed bump, I feel tingles burst free all over my body.

Darcy had an erection... and my leg was currently resting on top of it.

Oh. My. God.

I wanted to clench my thighs together when the pulses between said thighs got a little too intense for me to calmly deal with, but I couldn't. I was mortified that I was having this sort of reaction to Darcy and he was doing nothing but sleeping.

I felt like a major pervert.

I quickly moved my leg away from Darcy's groin area, but the quick movement made my leg grind over the erection and Darcy must have felt it because he moved. My heart jumped as I took a peek up at Darcy.

His eyes were closed, but he had a small grin on his face.

Oh, Jesus.

I gasped, "You're awake!"

Darcy opened his eyes and laughed, "I'm sorry, you trying to get off me undetected was too entertaining to interrupt."

I was so embarrassed.

I scoffed and shoved Darcy's chest with my hands as I pushed away from him. I rolled off him and huddled into the covers on my temporary side of the bed because the entire section of the mattress was freezing.

I winced.

I must have being sleeping on Darcy for a long time.

Damn it.

"Neala," Darcy laughed. "Don't hide over there. I don't mind if you want to spoon me... or lie on me. If you're cold don't be afraid to use me body to warm you up."

Bloody hell.

"Stop it. Stop talking to me, just go back asleep," I snapped and buried my face into the pillow my head rested on.

"But I can be your heater, baby," he sang.

I couldn't even smile. "You just butchered a great song."

I was absolutely mortified, and I didn't want Darcy to notice because he would just tease me some more so I tried to play it cool and that meant I had to be a bitch.

"Are you embarrassed?" Darcy asked, chuckling.

Cool, play it cool.

"Why would I be embarrassed?" I said, and then cleared my throat. "I can't help what I do in my sleep. It's out of me control if me body moves when eighty percent of my brain is dormant."

Darcy cackled, "Same here so me hard on shouldn't freak you out so much. Lads get morning wood all the time and it's out of our control."

I didn't even mention his erection!

"Stop. Talking," I growled.

Darcy sighed, "You're freaked that you cuddled with me, but you're more freaked that you touch me cock… I mean penis."

I could hear the grin in his voice, the fucker.

"It doesn't freak me out, I'd just rather not touch any part of you. Especially your coc-penis."

Damn it.

Darcy snorted. "A little feisty, aren't you?"

I was never going to be able to calm myself down if he kept talking.

"If you keep talking I'm going out to the living room," I threatened.

Darcy chuckled, "Okay, Okay. I'll quit teasing you."

Thank God.

Darcy stopped talking, and after a few minutes his breathing slowed and I knew the fucker fell back asleep which wasn't fair. I couldn't sleep. My body was on high alert and I was still mortified.

I couldn't stay in his bed any longer so I quietly got out of bed and snuck into the living room. Some areas were still damp, so I went into the kitchen and got tea towels to dry everything up. It gave me something to do and focus on... for a few minutes.

My mind kept going back to touching Darcy's boner, and then him laughing because he knew I felt it.

I was so embarrassed.

I didn't want to look at him, or talk to him, ever again.

I wanted to bury my face in the mountains of snow outside and cease my existence.

With Darcy though, things were never that simple.

It was Christmas Eve, and I was still stuck in Darcy's house.

We had been stuck inside this house of evil for three and a half days already.

Three and half days!

I was counting Friday night as half a day because it felt as long as one.

It got worse too, because it seemed that there was no end in sight for this... ordeal.

I looked to the doorway of the living room when a noise got my attention. When I saw it was Darcy leaning against the doorway I flushed with embarrassment and looked away. I was grateful for the dimly lit room because I could not take Darcy teasing me right now, especially not after what happened this morning. I'd avoided him for most of the day. I forced myself to endure a freezing cold bath for a while to clean myself up. I missed warm water terribly, but I needed to give myself a good scrub. It was a perfect excuse to stay away from Darcy, too. I only interacted with him when I needed fresh clothes, he silently gave me another set of clothes, just like the ones I had before. I thought I would get away with not speaking to him at all, but now it was late in the evening he was making me face him.

It was horrible.

I woke up this morning spooning Darcy, and I touched his... boner. That's not even the worst part, the worst part was that I kind of, sort of, liked it.

Ugh!

It was soul crushing.

I was so confused about my sudden feelings for Darcy. I didn't know what to do with them or myself. I was so freaked by how intense they were for something so new. I didn't know how to process it.

"Go away, Darcy," I grumbled and drew my knees up to my chest.

"I come barring gifts though."

I peaked at Darcy and saw he had a bottle of wine.

A large bottle of wine which was exactly what I needed.

I held my hand out and took the opened bottle from Darcy when he handed it to me. I took at least five large gulps of the bottle and handed it back to him. He have a few gulps of the bottle then put it on the floor next to the couch. I shook my head as the liquid flowed down through my body, and I after a moment I pressed my face back against my knees as Darcy chuckled.

"Why are you being like this?"

I refused to look up at him.

"Being like what?" I mumbled.

I heard Darcy walk toward me and it caused me to tense.

"Like this. You're acting like a little girl who saw her first coc-"

"Don't say that word," I growled and cut Darcy off before he could finish his sentence.

Darcy laughed as he fell onto the couch next to me. "You don't like that word?"

I didn't mind it, but when Darcy said it, it sounded dirty... dirty in a good way.

"No, I don't."

Darcy lightly chuckled. "Okay, you're acting like a little girl who has never seen a penis before."

I elbowed him in the stomach and he coughed then laughed, hard.

"You're such a dickhead, Darcy Hart!" I snapped.

I tried to get up from the couch but Darcy's arms closed around me making that impossible.

"I'm sorry. I won't laugh anymore."

Yeah, like I'd believed that.

I sighed in defeat. "I don't care, laugh it up."

Darcy released me from his hold, but left one arm draped around my shoulder.

"I'm only playing with you, Neala Girl. You know that, right?"

I did, but it was still embarrassing.

"Did you come in here to talk about this morning? Because if you did, you can feck off."

Darcy shook with silent laughter.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay. You've barely looked at me since this morning and that is odd, even for you."

I leaned my head back on Darcy's arm and looked up to the dark ceiling.

"I know you couldn't help it, it was just your body and not you. I know all that, but still... it touched me, Darcy."

Darcy lost it and quickly wrapped both his arms around my body when I tried to get up from the couch once more. He howled with laughter and yelped and screeched when I pinched his skin in an attempt for him to let me go, but he didn't. He held on to me tightly, and I hated that I loved every second of it.

"I'm sorry," he wheezed with laughter. "I'll stop... just give me a second."

He was such a moron – he laughed at everything.

I muttered obscenities to myself until Darcy calmed himself down, which wasn't for at least three minutes.

"Okay, I'm okay," he said.

I tilted my head back and looked to my right at him. "Are you sure?"

Darcy smiled wide. "Just don't say me boner touched you again in that horrified tone and I'll be perfectly fine."

I rolled my eyes and looked back to the ceiling. "You're an eejit. You know that, right?"

"Yes."

I couldn't help it, I laughed.

Darcy lightly nudged me until I looked back at him.

"You know what this reminds me of?"

I was intrigued.

"What?" I asked.

"When we were little, before the drama started between us, you would lie against me like you are now and you'd happily stay that way for hours. It was as if you felt safe in me arms, like you knew I would protect you from anything."

I melted. "You would protect me from anything back then, Darcy. I knew you would."

He nudged me. "I still would."

I swallowed and looked forward.

What the hell was I supposed to say to that?

"I'm not sweet talking you. I've just never told you that even though we have hate for one another, I still have a lot love for you. Even though we are at each other's throats all the time, you're a huge part of me life. You take up half of it to be honest."

I was half of Darcy's life?

"Wow," I whispered.

Darcy chuckled, "Deep, huh?"

I nodded my head. "I'm not sure what to think. This is the weirdest conversation we've ever had."

Darcy's snorted. "It's called being civil to one another."

I pretended to be disgusted. "I don't like it."

Darcy pulled a face at me and pinched my side making me squeal and him laugh.

"Do you think being stuck here together will change us?" I randomly asked.

It was a question sitting in the back of my mind since Darcy told me what he did for me when we were teenagers.

Darcy thought about it for a moment then nodded his head. "I do. I mean, it has. Look how different we are with one another and it's only been a few days. Sure, we've still had spats here and there, but we're both alive, which speaks volumes… I mean, do you even remember why we acted the way we did for all those years?

Was that a serious question?

"Yes, I do. You punched Alan Pine in the face for calling me his girlfriend and you kicked me out of your house and told me you didn't want to be me friend anymore. I remember everything about that day, Darcy."

Darcy blinked down at me. "You remember that day?"

I nodded my head. "It was the first time someone had ever broke my heart, of course I remember it."

Darcy widened his eyes as he stared at me, and I mirrored his expression because I did not mean to say that out loud.

"I broke your heart?" Darcy asked.

I shrugged my shoulders, but didn't respond.

Darcy's fingers touched my chin as he turned my face in his direction.

"I broke your heart?" he repeated.

I swallowed, and slowly nodded my head.

He blinked his big brown eyes and opened his mouth to speak, but quickly closed it.

After a few moments of silence I smiled. "It's okay, it was a long time ago."

Darcy frowned at me. "It's not okay. I should have never said what I did to you. I never meant to hurt you. I mean, I did, but not to this extent. I just wanted you to feel sad like I did when I heard Alan call you his girlfriend."

I stared at Darcy with wide eyes.

He caught my expression and gave me a sad smile. "I loved you, Neala Girl. You were my best friend. No one else's. Mine. I didn't like anyone else calling you his or hers, even as a little kid I felt protective of you. I just did a shitty thing and took it out on you when I shouldn't have... Is it too late for me to apologise?"

What. The. Hell?

What was happening right now?

Darcy was apologising to me?

This was too much to take in.

"You look like you're about to freak out," Darcy mused.

"I am," I replied.

Darcy chuckled and hugged me to his warm body. "It appears to be honesty hour. We may never get another chance like this so I want everything between us to be out in the open. Okay?"

I nodded my head.

"Does my honesty scare you?" Darcy asked.

Scare me?

No.

Thrill me?

Yes.

"No, I'm just a little... shocked? I don't really know. I never expected you to say anything like this to me, Darcy."

He nodded his head. "Trust me, I never planned on it, but it just feels right. I don't know why, but it does."

I gnawed on my inner cheek then said, "Maybe you have cabin fever and the isolation it starting to drive you mad."

Darcy looked at me and burst out laughing.

The tension that built up in the room fled within that moment, and I was very grateful for it.

"Be serious," he chuckled and nudged me.

I cleared my throat. "Deadly serious?"

Darcy nodded.

"Okay, it does feel right. I think because it's just us here together and we don't have our families around us trying to force us to be nice. We're being nice on our own terms, which is sort of a miracle in itself. I mean, did you ever imagine us ever being even remotely friendly to one another?"

Darcy grinned. "No, but I hope today is the first day of many we're friendly?"

I turned in Darcy's arm and raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you suggesting an indefinite truce between us?"

"Would that be so terrible?" Darcy asked.

I thought about it and could only come up with one answer.

I smiled. "No."

"Then yes." Darcy beamed. "That is what I'm suggesting."

"Say it," I chuckled.

He playfully sighed, "Neala Clarke, can we live out the remainder of our lives in peace?"

I pretended to think about it and Darcy shoved me making me laugh.

"Yeah," I giggled. "We can be friends."

"Friends." Darcy nodded.

Wow.

Talk about a strange turn of events, Father Christmas himself couldn't have predicted this.

"So we're friends... What do we do now?" I asked.

Darcy slumped down a little and said, "I've no idea."

I looked at him at the same time he looked at me and we both laughed.

"I'm sorry, too," I said and watched him smile at me.

I wanted to burst with excitement, but I somehow kept my cool.

"Our ma's are going to be so happy," I said, amused.

Darcy snorted. "I'd bet money they'll cry."

I nodded my head in agreement. "That's an easy win, they'll sob for weeks."

Darcy snickered, "Our brother's will be delighted, they won't have to break up our fights anymore."

I grinned. "They were getting too old for it anyway."

Darcy shook his head, smiling. "And our da's? I don't even think they'll notice."

I gnawed on my lip. "They'll at least high five, it means they don't have to listen to our ma's go on about us anymore."

Darcy mouth curved in a grin. "I think the entire village will rejoice. Birds will sing, Mothers will weep, cripples will walk-"

I cut him off with my laughter.

He hugged me tightly to him. "Does touching my penis creep you out so much now?"

Really?

Did he have to bring that back up?

"Darcy!" I whined and covered my face with both of my hands.

He cackled, "I'm only teasing."

"Well, don't. I've never been so mortified in me entire life than I was this morning."

Darcy had both his eyebrows raised when I looked at him.

"Really?" he asked. "Touching me hard on was worse than walking home naked from the Elite Swimming Pool after we graduated from school?"

I flushed crimson.

"Oh, my God. That day was all kinds of horrible, and you... you caused that!"

Darcy winced. "That prank did go a little too far."

I growled at Darcy, it went more than a little far.

The horrible indecent he was referring to was the day I graduated secondary school. It was the year after the situation with Trevor. I wasn't into drinking or acting a fool so I tagged along with a few lads and girls from my graduating class. We all decided to go to the local swimming pool, one of the lads in class got keys to it because his father was a lifeguard there. We had the pool all to ourselves, and it was a brilliant night – that was until Darcy, my brother, Justin, and some of Darcy's stupid friends showed up.