Welcome to day 4 of my Hayffie Christmas countdown! As always, feedback is much appreciated!

NOVEMBER 4TH

It seemed to get colder with each passing day now, and Haymitch hated it, Back home, it had stayed relatively mild throughout the winter period. He'd never actually seen snow until his first winter in New York. Now, fifteen winters on, he still wasn't used to it.

Bundling his coat around himself, he fought his way through the crowds on 34th Street as he made his way to Macy's. He could see the storefront at the opposite end of the street and he cursed himself for not having gotten Effie's number. It was two o'clock now and, with crowds like this, he knew he would be at least five minutes late.

When he finally arrived, he was relieved to see her standing there waiting for him, wrapped up in a pink fur coat to match the insane stilettos she had on. The rest of her uniform was black, he knew that much, but he'd only seen the upper half of her body from behind the counter.

"Tryin' to add a bit of colour to an otherwise dark outfit?" He smirked when he reached her.

"Well, hello to you too," she smiled brightly. "I was beginning to think you weren't going to show up."

"Nah, got caught up in the 3 billion people makin' their way to your store," he shrugged, gesturing for her to follow him. "Bet you're real glad you're done for the day. Seemed to be a ton of men and no doubt they're heading for the jewellery department."

They made it to the café and sat down, the pair clearly glad of the warmth. Haymitch ordered them both a coffee before sitting down opposite her.

"So…" Effie started with a smile. "I'm sitting here with you and I barely know a thing about you. Where are you from?"

"Atlanta," he said. "You said you weren't familiar with the city, so I'm guessin' you ain't from around here either?"

"Los Angeles," she nodded with a tiny smile. "I moved here six months ago on my twenty-fifth birthday with hopes of signing up to a modelling agency. I'd never guessed I'd be rejected and end up taking on this temporary Christmas job."

"You were rejected?"

"Yes," she said sadly. "They said I wasn't tall enough. I had the figure, the look, everything. But not the height."

"Yeah, they said the same about me," he teased, which made Effie giggle. "Nah, I'm kiddin'."

"What do you do, then?" Effie asked, the smile still playing on her lips.

"I'm a cop in the NYPD," he said. "Chaff, the guy you sold that engagement ring to the other day when I asked you about that necklace, he works with me."

"You're a cop?" She said, raising an eyebrow. "Goodness, you must have women lining up around the block to date you!"

"Nah," he shook his head. "Wouldn't be sittin' here right now if that was the case. Shit…I…that's not what…"

Effie shook her head with a fond smile over his fumbling, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Haymitch, I don't mind," she said softly. "It's nice to be having coffee with someone I don't work with. Besides, you're like me. You're away from home and so am I. Something tells me we ought to stick together in this big city."

"Something tells me you need someone to show you around," he grinned in response, his prior flustering forgotten.

And so, instead of just having coffee and going their separate ways, the pair chose to take a walk through the streets, Haymitch pointing out all the little-known spots hidden away. A coffee shop here, some boutique he figured she would like there. She even showed him a few of her own personal hidden gems, like a family-run bakery just off of 34th Street, which Effie said makes the best cheese buns in the whole city. Haymitch couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm over something so trivial, but silently vowed to try out the cheese buns in question when he was on his lunch break.

It was strange how much they seemed to connect after having only met briefly before hand. Haymitch felt like he'd finally found someone who's presence didn't grate on him to the point where he wanted to cut all ties. From the few hours they spent together that day, he'd established that she was flighty and eccentric, but also that she was sweet and someone he would definitely like to get to know better.

Even the tiny things about her stuck in his mind, things he wouldn't notice in any other woman he spoke to. The way the left corner of her lips tilted up higher than the right when she smiled. The way her nose crinkled when she giggled. Hell, he even noticed the delicate way she sipped her tea while he spoke. Everything about her was etched into his memories in a way he'd never expected.

When he asked her at the end of the day if she'd like to do this all again some time, he was relieved when she agreed.

"Wait," Effie smiled just after they'd bid goodbye.

"What is it?" Haymitch frowned, but watched as she grabbed his hand and wrote on the back of it with a pen she'd produced from her pocket. He quickly realised it was her number.

"Call me," she giggled. "We can arrange something again."

Next time, he would most definitely class it as a date.