Five

Steve

After seeing that guy from the mall I smiled all the way home. Today had been a shitshow, but somehow seeing him again had eased some of the tension I’d carried around all day. I wasn’t sure what made me take the job as a fucking elf, but if I was being honest, it wasn’t that bad.

I was never fond of children but thinking back there were not that many times I’d actually spent time with them. That changed today, and after watching their excitement through the guy from the bookshop’s eyes, something had changed in me. Sure, they were still annoyingly loud, obnoxious without trying to be, some of them smelled, and a lot of them had sticky hands. Which I didn’t want to give much thought to.

But they were cute, and so happy to see Santa. I wonder if I went to see Santa when I was a kid? I wasn’t sure, but I promised myself I’d ask my parents the next time I saw them. I drove the rest of the way home and realized it would take me less time to get to this job than it had been taking me to drive to El Dorado Hills, and no snow was a bonus. The rest of the night I spent relaxing and even watched a Christmas movie. Sure, it was about Santa fending off an army of mercenaries, but it still counted as a Christmas story.

The next day I worked the first shift, so I was up early and ready to go. I knew the mall would be open before the Santa display was, so I thought I’d go and do a little shopping. And maybe see that cute guy that seems to really like Christmas. I ignored that thought and ate a quick breakfast before driving to the mall. The irony wasn’t lost on me. I’d avoided malls for years, now here I was rushing to go back to this one.

It was just as easy to find a parking space today as it had been yesterday. Even if the line for Santa was long, not many people came to this mall. Its popularity had dwindled through the years, but it was in a convenient area for a lot of people, so they still came. I entered through the same door I had yesterday and wondered for the millionth time why I thought this was a good idea, but after I started walking through the mall and window-shopping, I found I really did enjoy it.

“Hey, are you working today?” a voice from behind me asked as I stood looking at a display of shoes. I turned and there stood the guy from yesterday. He was probably around my age with curly blond hair and dark brown eyes.

“Yes, but not for a little while still. I’m on the early shift today. Do you work here?” I asked and noticed his smile.

“The mall? No, I drive for UPS. I just love the holidays, and this is the mall I’ve always gone to since I was a kid,” he said and looked past me at what I was looking at. “Are you buying shoes?”

A deep blush warmed my cheeks, and I shook my head when I couldn’t get my voice to work. “No,” I said after clearing my throat. “I hate malls, and crowds.” His face fell at my words. “I mean I wouldn’t want to work at one of the big malls. But this isn’t so bad.”

He grinned then. “The Galleria is crazy this time of year. I’ve had that route before, and the traffic makes it so much worse.”

“Yes, I hate that part too. There’re so many things that make the holidays not as fun,” I said.

“Want to get a coffee?” he asked, surprising me.

“Sure.” I checked my phone for the time but realized I still had more than an hour. “I don’t have anywhere I need to be for a while.” He smiled then and walked next to me as I followed his lead. He obviously knew exactly where he was going but I had no clue.

“How’s this?” He stood outside a small coffee shop that wasn’t crowded, and I nodded my agreement. He held the door open, and we walked to the counter to order. He chose one of the seasonal flavors loaded with sugar and cinnamon while I ordered a black coffee. “I’ll get it, you go get a table.” I stepped in front of him as he took out his wallet. He hesitated a moment before nodding his head and going to the nearest table. “Can we get two of those too?” After paying, I walked over to the table and sat down.

“I realized I have no idea what your name is, I’m Steve Reynolds,” I said as I adjusted my chair.

“Oh my gosh, you’re right. I’m Garrett Juhl,” he said just as the barista signaled that our order was ready. I hurried over to pick up the tray and took it back to the table. “So, how is it being an elf?” He glanced at me before taking a sip of his holiday drink, and giving the blueberry scones I’d ordered a curious look.

“That’s for you.” I moved the tray closer to him and he broke a piece off one to try it. “It’s just as horrible as you’d imagine it would be, but it was also a little bit fun. But only a tiny amount,” I said, and took a sip of the hot, strong coffee.

“Being a delivery driver, I sort of get it. This time of year, I love all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, but I also get annoyed at all the hustle and bustle of the holidays.” He smiled at me, and I fought not to return it. What was it with this guy?

“Do you live nearby?” I asked, and it hit me that we were total strangers, but I felt very comfortable around him which was a first for me.

“Yes, I live in Citrus Heights just down the road actually. How about you?”

“I live in Oak Park. It’s quiet and I have a big yard,” I said, and once again fought the urge to smile at him.

“Sounds nice,” he said and took a sip of his holiday mixture which turned out to be a mocha with salted caramel. “Oh, this is good.” He licked the whipped cream from his lips and my eyes followed his tongue before flicking back up to his eyes.

I cleared my throat and glanced away before taking a sip of my coffee, and thought about how much my life had changed in twenty-four hours. If yesterday me knew today me was going to be dressing like a fucking elf and working at the mall, he would have laughed his ass off. But meeting those brown eyes as Garrett took another sip of his drink told yesterday’s me to fuck off.