Skye knew it was a good idea–even if she felt overdressed in the elf clothes, she was still making a lot of children happy as she talked all about Santa Claus and his kingdom.
It didn’t hurt that she was getting paid for just being goofy, taking pictures, and smiling. It was surely a different work than her usual typing and programming, but it was, without a doubt, so much more rewarding.
She sighed as she thought about how uninviting her own home would be that night, just her and her over-decorated Christmas tree with popcorn, eggnog, sweets, and all the holiday season movies Netflix had to offer.
To escape that not-too-promising prospect, her mind wandered as she recalled her previous encounter.
He was tall, brown-haired, with whiskey brown eyes; her definition of sexy–and not only that–he was standing in the line with this huge labrador dog awaiting his cue to meet either Santa or one of the elves.
Skye held back her laugh. It was silly cute how the dog was wearing a Santa hat and a red scarf with a snow pattern on it, which matched his owner’s clothes. She guessed they were there for taking pictures with Santa, as were all the other kids and their parents in the line, but she couldn’t help the smile that appeared on her lips every time she glanced and saw the man talking gently to his dog, the pup wagging his tail in response.
Imagine her surprise when she finally took a good look at the man and heard his velvety sweet voice calling her by her name. Her name!
“Hi, Skye.” He sounded like hot chocolate with marshmallows melted over it, delicious and sweet, and somewhat a little shy.
She blinked and stared at him, mouth hanging open. “You’re the guy from 215, right?”
He laughed. “I guess it’s not surprising you don’t know my name. I’m Grant, by the way.” He gestured at his dog that sat on his paws and looked dreamily at Skye, “And this big guy here is Bailey.”
Grant was smiling at her, with those perfect, white, commercial-worthy teeth of his.
“So,” she said, “are you guys here for the picture with Santa?”
“Actually, Bailey here would like to know if you would mind taking a picture with him. He has a thing for elves. Actually, he has a plush elf that he adores, so I figured bringing him to the actual thing would blow his mind.”
Skye arched her eyebrows in surprise, then, without a second thought, she kneeled in front of the dog, scratching his neck affectionately.
“How did you know my name?” she asked, still cooing to the dog.
“It was hard to miss when that Scottish guy screamed it at least four times when you were moving.”
Skye rolled her eyes and bit her lip, adding, “That Scottish guy is Fitz, he’s been my best friend since college. We keep each other in check, but he tends to overreact from time to time. So, I can call more elves if you want?”
“No need, you’re perfect! Maybe we could move closer to the Christmas tree?”
Skye stood up and called Bailey who followed her as soon as Grant had nodded with his head commanding him. She then kneeled on his side and pretended to kiss his furry muzzle, before moving to hug the dog who looked happily at the camera, while Grant took as many pictures as he could, and when Skye was called to Santa’s side, she kissed both the dog and his owner on the cheek, running up to help a scared child.
She crouched in front of the small child, whose face was smeared with tears. She smiled gently down at her and hushed her with soft words, then, with a trick, she produced a lollipop from the depths of her outfit. She turned and saw Grant smile broadly and wave at her before walking away.
And now, at six o’clock on the 24th, after having finished her shift as Santa’s elf, as she got on the train home she thought to herself that no, she wouldn’t mind spending some quality time with her neighbor, actually, she might enjoy it very much.
The wind was cold as she walked towards her apartment and she pulled her coat closer to herself, wishing her feet would carry her faster so she could arrive at her apartment already. She breathed deeply, smelling the fresh snow, then looked up as she pulled the door open and felt the first snowflake fall on her lips before entering the welcoming warmth.
As she arrived at her door she was surprised to see an envelope glued to it. Inside, there was a simple invitation: “Would you like to spend Christmas night with me and Bailey?” Signed Grant, from 215.
She smiled upon seeing the invitation, then walked over to her neighbor’s door and knocked. Grant opened it with a smile and invited her in, helping her out of her coat and offering her a cup of eggnog.
Maybe this was the start of something new.