Akeena wasted no time snuggling up to his side as they walked. She let out a small laugh at his comment, âhonestly I can see why. Iâm already so much warmer than I wasâ she said, âIâll just start calling you whenever Iâm cold I guessâ she said as she smiled up at him. âActually, thatâs literally all the time so I guess Gabe and Bellamy are just going to have to deal with me making you my roommateâ she said playfully with a small laugh.Â
âPants would never protest, or at least if he did I would act like he didnâtâ she said with a small laugh before smiling up at him. âBut you should talk to Bellamy and let me know. I would really like it if we could all spend Christmas togetherâ she said happily. âand you know, if theyâre both busy youâre more than welcome to come spend it with just me. I mean if that isnât weird of courseâ she said, her tone growing a bit shy. âWe could make sugar cookies together, and put Pants in ridiculous Christmas costumes that I totally didnât order for him the other dayâ she said with a small laugh. She then was quiet for a moment before saying, âI just donât want to be alone again this year so I thought it would be niceâ she said softly, her expression falling a little. The last thing she wanted to do was make him feel sorry for her. It hadnât been anyoneâs fault last year, her health just hadnât been good enough for her to go anywhere is all. âBut I also donât want you to feel obligated, okay?â she told him softly, the small smile returning to her face as she looked up at him. She immediately felt bad for being sad. Of course she knew Romeo didnât care, but she always felt bad when her mood flipped so suddenly like that. So, to hide the sad expression that was still slightly on her face, she snuggled even more into his side, making sure to not make it difficult for them to walk, âyou really are like a personal heater wowâ she commented after a moment with a small laugh as she leaned her head against him slightly.
âOh, man, I wouldnât want to be there for that conversation,â Romeo let out a bright laugh, shaking his head before adding, âActually, Iâd hope theyâd try to fight for me, but they might just be sick of me at this point, so who knows? Maybe theyâll thank you.â
As Akeena spouted off ideas about their potential Christmas, he couldnât help but smile warmly, imagination roaming along with her words. As they spent more time together and became closer, it was as difficult to imagine not spending the holiday with her as it was to imagine not spending it with his roommates, which was almost a surprise to him. Akeena really was one of his closest friends, he realized, and the thought spread warmth through him as he looked back down at her endearing, shy smile, âWeâll figure it out, but whether theyâre busy or not, itâs a date.â After a moment, he offered her a playful grin and his pinky, âPinky promise.â
At the sudden turn in her mood, though, he squeezed her shoulders gently and tried reassuring her, âKee, Iâm not the kind of person who does things just âcause I feel obligated. I hang out with you because I want to, because I like being around you, and that isnât gonna change. Got it?â He knew she had been through a lot, and even if she hadnât, he cared a lot about her and would never mind talking her out of her head. Heâd done the same for Gabe more times than he could count.Â