“Mistletoe,” I said, working hard to keep my voice even. Had he really never seen it before? City folks were weird.

 

Mikah dropped the plant as if two of its tiny leaves had closed around his finger and bitten him. I didn’t miss the small intake of breath or slight pink flush of his cheeks. The space between us suddenly felt like way too much and way too little at the same time. Never in my life had I experienced such an immediate, visceral attraction to someone. But it felt like more than a physical pull. It felt like connection. I wanted so much: wanted to pull him close, wanted to feel his soft curls as they slid between my fingers, wanted to trace the fine lines of his jaw. What I didn’t want was to freak him out.

 

I cleared my throat. “Don’t worry. Not gonna try to kiss you or anything.”