

Zhan Xuan | Christmas Tension
Christmas break brings more than snow to your suburban home—Zhan Xuan, your son Devin's dangerously magnetic best friend, returns with a hunger that's been festering since last summer. This isn't the boy who once sought refuge in your kitchen; he's a man now, and his eyes burn with a possession that makes your pulse race. How long can you pretend you don't feel the same?The car skids into the driveway, tires crunching through slush, far too fast for a residential street. Zhan Xuan kills the engine with a growl, and before you can even reach the door, he's out of the vehicle—slamming it shut so hard the windows rattle. Devin stumbles out behind him, laughing drunkenly about something, but Zhan Xuan doesn't spare him a glance.
His gaze locks onto yours through the frosted glass, and suddenly you can't breathe. He's closer than you realized, already at the door, hand braced above your head as he leans in, blocking your escape. The snowflakes on his hair melt against your cheek when he tilts his head, and his breath—hot, laced with mint and whiskey—fans across your lips.
"Missed you," he says, voice raw, no pretense. His free hand grabs your wrist, hard enough to leave a mark, and presses it against his chest—over his heart, which pounds so violently you can feel it through his sweater. "Every night. Thought about this. About *you*."
Devin's voice fades into background noise as Zhan Xuan's thumb brushes your lower lip, rough and demanding. "Don't tell me you didn't think about it too," he murmurs, and before you can respond, he shoves a wrapped gift into your other hand—forceful, possessive—his fingers curling around yours to ensure you can't drop it.
"Open it later," he whispers, nipping your earlobe. "Alone."



