Thanks for all the wonderfull feedback for the first chapter. I'm glad you guys favorited and followed because I didn't get a lot a reviews. :( I hope you like the second part.
xoxo
I huffed at his arrogant expression after losing a long and tired arguement. His gaze was fixed on the road but a small smirk played on his lips. I could almost hear his laughter ringing in my ears.
"You're really not telling me where we're going?" I asked my voice covered in indifference.
"Nope," he smirked, haughtily popping the p. I pouted, crossing my arms over my chest and turning my gaze to the window. I watched the blur of trees passing by in distorted images as I pretended to be angry at the annoyingly sharp blonde boy in the drivers seat. Although, attempting to be angry with him was like getting my dad to actually pay me, useless and infuriating. I felt his gaze on the back of my head and I smirked at his inability to handle an upset female. "Come on, don't be mad," he said with a twinge of sadness nearly making me give in. "Ally?" he asked as I felt him move one hand from the steering wheel to rest on my arm. I involuntarily glanced down at his large hand firmly grasping my arm. I turned around to face him, looking into the puppy-like eyes, letting my crossed arms fall limp on my lap.
"Why won't you tell me?" I frowned.
"I don't want to jinx it," he said, taking his eyes off the road for a brief moment to look over at me. He gave me a warm smile before turning back to face the highway.
"You're so lucky I left all my money, my phone, and basically everything I own back at the store. I have no where to go, so I guess you're stuck with me," I sighed, watching his hand that was previously on my arm move to rest on my knee. I gaped up at him, but he barely acknowledged the complete inappropriate invasion of personal space. I looked down at the arm like it was a parasite. This was way inappropriate because one of us was currently in a five year relationship, and yet I couldn't find the heart to remove the warm hand from my knee. A small smile graced his lips and I heard him chuckle at the painful truth that I had no other choice but to follow him on this insanely impractical journey.
"We're here," he said pulling into a lot in front of a large gray building. I looked out the window at the filled parking lot and my brows pulled together in confusion. I turned to look at him with a confused expression on my face. He only wiggled his eyebrows in reply before he popped open the door and stepped out of the car. I quickly followed in pursuit, stepping out of the car as well. The air hit my face and I thanked god that winter in Miami was still relativily warm.
"Austin? Where is here, exactly?" I asked as I looked around at the surroundings. When I heard no answer, I turned to face the spot where Austin should have stood but instead I found him walking up to the big building. I squealed in surprise before running after him, quickly catching up to him. I huffed angrily as I caught up with him. He walked with his hand pushed into his pockets and a mischievous smile on his face. A smile that I so badly wanted to slap off. We entered the building and Austin strolled right across the lobby and through the empty halls. I looked around at the blank walls and barely decorative furniture, my confusion only growing.
"Austin?" I asked, following behind him. He smiled down at me as he wandered through the halls. He had definitely been here before. He walked around the building with a obvious familiarity. We reached a door and he grabbed the doorknob before turning to me with a devilish smile on his face.
He pushed open the door and led me through by placing a hand on the small of my back. I stepped into the cool air and realized we were outside again. I walked further out into the gated lot with my mouth ajar. My eyes scanned the area and my jaw dropped even lower to the ground. The entire lot was filled with Christmas trees. It covered every inch and corner of the gated area. Christmas lights were hung around the fenced property, making the entire scene feel festive. I grimaced at the lights. In my opinion it made everything feel like a scene from a really cheesy Christmas movie. There were also a lot more people out here than the completely vacent building inside. Children ran around the trees like it was a maze, and I saw parents roll their eyes at the actions but beneath those annoyment filled eyes, stood an unmistakable fond smile.
"Welcome to your first Christmas lesson," Austin said from beside me.
"Seriously?" I said incredulously. "You're taking me tree shopping? Isn't that a bit too cliche, even for you?"
He threw his head back in a loud laugh at my question. I frowned, crossing my arms over my chest, not understanding when something funny happened. "I'm not taking you tree shopping?" he said inbetween chuckles.
"Then what are we doing here?" I frowned, motioning to the large clearing completely decorated with Christmas trees.
"We are here to help," he said as he tossed me a pair of gloves perfectly fit for moving trees.
"Help?" I questioned, slipping on the gloves slowly. He gave me an affirmative nod before motioning me to follow him. I sighed, reminding myself that I had no way to leave, before following him down an aisle of evergreen trees. When I found Austin again after getting lost in the towering trees, he was talking to a young couple.
"You pay at the desk over there." I heard Austin say as I walked up behind him. The couple left and Austin turned around, stumbling backwards when he saw me. "Geez Ally!" he cried, holding a hand to his chest in an unecessary dramatic fashion.
I rolled my eyes. "What are we doing?"
"I told you. We're helping. Now help me lift up this tree and carry it to the customer's car," he said leaning down to grab the trunk of the tree.
"Um, Austin?" I said, making him look up at me. "I don't know if you noticed, but I have the upper body strength of a jellyfish." I lifted up my arms to emphasize my nonexistent muscles.
"Come on. Just grab the light part," he chuckled, pointing to the tip of the tree.
"I'm pretty sure the tree weighs more than I do," I deadpanned, motioning to my extremely petite frame.
"Ally, The tree is barely twenty pounds. I think you'll survive."
I sighed, reaching to grab the top of the tree. Austin gently lifted the tree off the ground and I heaved it the tip on my shoulder as I grasped the middle. He brown eyes peered over the tree, silently me asking me if I was good. After adjusting the tree on my body, I gave him a nod and we slowly began walking to where the car was waiting for us. I let Austin lead the way as I concentrated on the tree that began to get heavier with every step I took. The branches poked my cheeks and I already knew that some of it would be stuck in my hair.
"Right over here," Austin instructed, lifting the tree over his head to the roof of the car. I huffed as I gathered one big burst of energy to heave the tree up over my head. "See that wasn't so bad," Austin smirked. I panted, resting my hands on my knees as I caught my breath.
I glared up at him. "I. Hate. You." I muttered inbetween deep breaths. He laughed grabbing a bundle of rope and tossing it towards my unexpecting arms. "Oof," I huffed as I caught the bundle in the last minute, stumbling backwards.
"Woah. Are you okay?" he laughed at my lack of grace in that moment.
"I am a weak individual, Austin." I glared at his laughing expression, roughly shoving the rope in his face. He shook his head, still in a fit of giggles, as he strapped the tree into place with the rope. He tugged on his knot one last time to make sure it was tight. I watched as he carefully inspected the sides of the tree by walking around the car multiple times.
I sighed as the heavy wind blew past me, making me shiver. I looked around, just noticing the orange colored sky that was getting darker with each passing minute. I ran my hands over the goosebumps forming on my arms. I looked down at my attire, skinny jeans and a red tight t-shirt paired with brown boots, cursing the fact that I left my sweater at the store. I reached up and pulled the rubberband loose, letting my hair that was previously in a bun fall over my shoulders. At least my neck was slightly warmer. The Christmas lights that were on before significantly doubled to adjust with the shift from day to night. Another heavy wind carried through the area and I shivered. I noticed Austin's flannel shirt tossed over a stand that sold Christmas ornaments. I stared at it, mentally debating whether it would be crossing any boundries if I wore it. I shook my head, coming to a decision. Just as I decided to deal with the frigid cold, another burst of wind pushed past me. I sighed, throwing my hands in the air, letting out an aggravated growl.
Fine mother nature, you win this time.
"Hey Austin?" I called as I saw his shadow peeking out from behind the car.
"Yeah?"
"I'm a little cold. Don't take this the wrong way, but can I please borrow your sweater?" I asked, wincing at how inappropriate and needy I sounded.
His hand lifted it up in the air and it became the only body part of him I could see from behind the car. "Yeah whatever," he waved his had in a dismissing sort of manner. I grinned, not caring how distracted he sounded, reaching hastily for the warm cover up. I grabbed it, putting my arms through the sleeves, and wrapping it around my body. The sleeves hung off my hands and the end of the shirt almost reached my knees. I sighed contently at the warmth before taking a deep breath. My eyes widened at the strangely intoxicating aroma that filled my nostrils. I looked up to see if Austin was still on the other side of the car. After making sure he was, I lifted up the collar to my nose and took a deep breath.
Holy mother of pickles! Does he buy his cologne from a Greek god?
Austin came out from behind the car, not taking a glance towards me. He observed the tree, tugging at the ropes and fixing some knots. "Okay. I think this one is go-" he stopped midsentence as he turned around to finally look at me. His eyes widened for a fraction of a second before they returned back to normal. His mouth opened and closed like a very awkward fish, before snapping shut. He crossed and uncrossed his arms many times and leaned against the car, looking at me with curious eyes. There was another emotion in his eyes, something that I couldn't name, an emotion that I've never seen directed at me before.
"What?" I self-consciously asked, reaching a hand up to my hair to get rid of the branches which I knew were there. I frantically ran my hands through my hair as Austin continued to watch me, that unknown emotion growing as every second passed, a darkness covering his pupils. "What?" I asked again with a more demanding tone.
He shook his head as if he was just coming out of a trance. "Nothing," he mumbled huskily before clearing his throat and repeating that same word in a more normal tone. He dropped his crossed arms and removed his body from the side of the car. I furrowed my brows in confusion as I watched him walk away, scratching the back of his neck and fixing his jeans. I noticed the slight change in the way he walked. His steps were slower and more careful. It was like he was being restricted somehow. My expression became even more perplexed as I watch him discreetly loosen the belt on his jeans. I shook my head, convincing myself it was nothing, before following him to help another customer.
We spent the rest of the evening lifting trees and strapping it onto cars. I swear I lost at least twenty pounds from this workout. I actually had a lot more fun than expected. Austin and I turned the whole thing into a game to see who could sell the most trees. It was a battle I easily lost considering Austin's amazing people skills. He still wouldn't tell me how this was supposed to teach me the true meaning of Christmas, despite my countless hours of pestering and pleading. The sun had officially set and the sky turned completely dark. The twinkling lights still made everything seem like a moment from a cheesy movie, but as the day progressed, I found myself caring less and less.
Austin declared one more sale before ending the night. I eagerly smiled, skipping over to a tree and firmly grasping the tip. Austin chucked the bottom of the tree over his shoulder as I did the same to my part. We walked towards the car at an even pace, careful not to trip the other by going to fast or too slow.
"I do this every year," Austin said from behind me. We reached the car and hoisted the tree to the roof.
I frowned at his sudden confession. "Why?"
"Ready to learn why I brought you here?" he asked, handing me one end of the rope.
"I've been ready for hours," I said with a roll of my eyes.
"It's for the kids," he plainly side as he walked over to the other side of the car, unraveling the rope as he did so.
"Excuse me?" I frowned, tying a knot to my side.
"This place is owned by a married couple. They live in that gray building. Along with their thirty seven foster children," Austin said, his eyes briefly flashing in sadness. I didn't say anything, knowing that he wasn't done talking yet. "They do this every year," Austin continued. "Niether of them have a steady job, so this is how the afford to take care of so many. These kids are so amazing. They are so passionate and well-raised. This place is like their playground, and even though they know that they're not all related, or that they won't be getting Christmas presents, they still have a genuine smile on their face." His eyes became radiant as he spoke about the children. His face glowed with happiness and a bright smile graced his face.
It suddenly clicked as to why I saw so many children running around the place, but no one that came to buy trees ever had a child with them. I smiled fondly at two little boys chasing each other in circles around a tree. One fell to the ground and a quivering frown appeared on his face. The other boy stopped running and sat on the ground next to him. He didn't care that his clothes got covered in dirt, all that mattered was the other boy was happy now and the frown was long gone. I smiled at the boys before turning back to Austin. He looked at me from over the hood of the car and a light smile was on his face. My face flushed from his intense gaze and I returned my focus to tightening a knot.
"These kids-" Austin said. "-don't care about all the stuff. Christmas isn't about the gifts or the money. It isn't even about Santa Claus or anything like that. Christmas to them is just having fun with the people closest to them. They don't need to material things, all they really need is each other."
I smiled as I watched the children. Their faces were bright and they didn't have a single care in the world. I turned back to Austin with a widening smile. "Okay, I'm convinced," I chuckled. "Christmas isn't all about the gifts or money."
Austin grinned, pumping his fists in victory. I laughed, tossing the end of the rope in his direction. "Okay fine. You were right. Don't rub it in," I warned with a playful edge. "How did you find this place anyway?"
"I grew up in a family like this," he shrugged.
I dropped the rope, covering my mouth with my hand, letting out a strangled gasp. "Oh my god. Were you-"
"No!" he chuckled, hurriedly shaking his head. "My parents fostered a couple of kids growing up. After they had me, they weren't able to conceive any more, so they decided to become foster parents. It was so cool! I had like ten different brothers and sisters! My parents met this family when I was sixteen. I've been coming here for Christmas eve every year since."
I grinned as I watched him. He looked over at the kids, a dazey smile on his face. I saw how he looked at them with complete adoration, like nothing else in the world could compare to those kids. "So do you ever get Christmas presents?" I asked almost reluctant to pull him out of his dream state.
He smiled, pointing a finger over my shoulder. "You see that right there?" he asked, motioning with his index finger. I turned around, following the direction of his finger. A young boy and a girl stood there, each with their own Christmas ornament in their hands. The boy balanced his ornament on his head, showing off his ability by spinning aroun in circles, and the girl grinned letting out a tinkering giggle. Her laugh instantaneously brought a smile to my face. I watched their carefree expressions along with most of the other shoppers in the area. I turned around, looking back at Austin. "That right there-" he said, pointing with his calloused finger to the smile on my face, "-is my Christmas present."
I ducked my head to the ground, trying to hide my inflamed cheeks which were probably matching Santa's suit. I coughed, looking back up to pull on the rope making sure it was tight enough. "I-I t-think this one is good," I stammered, dusting the branches off the tree as a desperate attempt to keep myself busy.
He chuckled. "Yup. Thanks for shopping guys," he said to the man and women who stepped into their car and drove off. I watched them drive away with their large Christmas tree tied tightly onto the roof. I smiled, already imagining all the possibilities that could be done with that large tree. Austin and I stepped foward towards each other now that the car that was previously between us was gone.
"So, what have we learned today Miss-" he paused, silently asking me to fill in the blank.
"Dawson," I supplied with a playful smile on my face.
"Right! The lovely and amiable Miss Dawson," he flirtatiously grinned.
I rolled my eyes, hoping to distract him from my flushed cheeks. "Well Mister-"
"Moon," he grinned, eagerly giving me the information.
"Well, Mister Moon. This evening has not only been educational, it has also been highly enjoyable. While I have learned many things today, the most important one would be, Christmas isn't about the money or even the enchanting tale of Santa Claus. It is about spending your time with the people you love and bringing smiles to peoples faces," I grinned, pleased with my answer.
I looked up at Austin after a few seconds of silence. I raised my eyebrow at his lack of witty combacks and snide remarks. My confusion grew as he looked at me with those eyes again. Those dark, troublesome eyes that almost appeared sinful. I studied his eyes, the dark shadows swirling around in the pools of chocolate. I felt his hot ragged breath on my face, and only now did I realize the reduced distance between us. My eyes grew curious, not startled or worried, just curious. I looked into his eyes, trying to decipher his actions, but he was no longer looking in my eyes, but at my lips.
"You forgot something," he breathed, looking down at me though half-lidded eyes.
I cocked my head to the side, my eyebrows indenting further in confusion. "I did?"
"Christmas is also about miracles, taking chances, new beginnings, and-" he paused, throwing a glance above our heads, "-mistletoe."
My eyes widened as I looked above our heads. There, just as he said, hung a good amount of the green plant on a strip of Christmas lights. I looked back at him, my eyes still wide, and he was looking intently at me with an evasive smile on his lips. I realized, with how close we stood, I could smell it again. The smell of a Greek god. The smell of Austin. The intoxicating and highly arousing aroma.
"Austin," I whispered. I observed his actions, the deep breaths and dark eyes, and I wanted so badly to fall right into it. I wanted to grab him and for once in my life, listen to my instincts. But my brain and my logic decided to be extra annoying today. So as much as I tried to fight it, as much I tried to push away the over-analytical thoughts and listen to my heart, I just couldn't. I couldn't forget about the real world as much as I wanted to. So I gave into the logical Ally and pushed away all the incoming regret.
"Cassidy," I said in a low voice. And as that single word left my mouth, it was like a switch was flipped. The darkness in his eyes was gone and his breath became steady. He looked around as if suddenly realizing what he was doing. He hastily stepped backwards, clearing his throat and scratching the back of his neck. I averted my eyes to the ground, peeling off his shirt, letting my skin hit the cool air.
"Thanks for letting me borrow it," I whispered, reaching out to hand him the shirt without meeting his gaze. "I had fun tonight but I really should be heading home. Thank you for the evening." I muttered every word politely but they sounded more mechanical than sincere.
I felt him take the shirt from my grasp. "Ally-" he began, sounding a little apologetic.
"Please just take me home," I said before walking towards the parking lot. I walked with my hands wrapped around myself in stiff straight lines. Everyone of my movements felt automated and fake. I heard his feet shuffling behind me and we walked to the car in silence with him trailing slightly behind.
I squeezed my eyes shut, mentally cursing the orderly and analytical part of me, because I have never hated that reasonable part of me more than I did in that moment.
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