Last Christmas (Private 0.60)

her again, his expression was almost condescending, like he was about to explain some simple math concept

to a first-grader.

"Ariana. Your boy's not here. He's in Vermont. The hat we saw was one of a million just like it around here.

A coincidence. And yeah, somebody came in here. But it was probably just the housekeeper." Something in

his eyes told Ariana he wasn't as confident about the intruder explanation as he was about the others. "Either

way, we've gotta eat, right?"

"Right," she sighed. The heat had been turned off in the dorm and she was still cold, so she pulled her coat on

over her clothes.

"So come on. I've got a surprise for you."

He turned and started rummaging through her desk drawers.

"What are you doing?" Ariana demanded, annoyed. Why did people keep touching her stuff?

He held up a silver paper clip. "Just call me Pearson," he said smoothly. "Thomas Pearson."

"What-"

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Thomas held a finger to his perfect lips. Then he swiped Noelle's favorite Donna Karan tank top from her bed

and sauntered toward Ariana, swinging the practically nonexistent piece of fabric in his hand. In a single

move, he wrapped it tightly around her head, like a makeshift blindfold.

"Thomas, I'm really not in the mood for this."

She lifted her hands toward the blindfold, but Thomas gently grabbed them away, holding them both down in

front of her as he faced her.

"Exactly. If we're stuck together until the weather lets up, I'm gonna need you to snap out of this mood.

You're bringing me down, Osgood." His tone was light, but Ariana heard something strained in his voice.

"Fine," she reluctantly agreed.

"Good." He slipped behind her and clamped his hands on her shoulders, coaxing her slowly across the room.

"Door," he announced, steering her carefully into the hallway.

Ariana opened her eyes and tried to make out shapes through the flimsy fabric. Everything was muddled and

distorted. Her heart started to pound. She didn't like this one bit. Didn't like the total lack of control.

"I don't know why I have to be the one who's blindfolded," Aria

na said in a clipped tone.

"Because I'm the one who knows where we're going, Einstein."