Don't Forget Your Christmas Cheer

I remembered the first day that I had laid eyes on you. It was an unusual place, I must say, to meet someone at - it wasn't your usual romantic movie setting. I never thought that you would capture my attention so easily, and have such a great hold on it.

I heard the rattle of the shopping cart's wheels moving faster than it normally would, and a burst of sheer laughter as it came closer and closer to the end of aisle I stood at. A few people around me scoffed and rolled their eyes before returning back to their business. I turned my head towards the noise as it slowed down in motion and stopped directly behind me.

There you were, a pair of purple sunglasses placed neatly on top of your head, a green bandana neatly placed around your neck, and your hazel eyes scanning the shelves stocked with noodles.

Your friend, a brunette as well, the one causing the commotion with the most amount of laughter, came jogging up behind you, still hysterical. "Andy, you're crazy," she tried to catch her breath. "I'm surprised that no one has yelled at you through the speakers yet." She picked up a box of noodles and placed it in the cart. You rolled your eyes and shrugged carelessly, smiling a smile that showed your teeth, bringing a light to your face. You then stuck your tongue out at her.

I found that I couldn't look away - it was hard to. It took Brandon several attempts to recapture my attention.

"Dude, stop staring," he chuckled with a smirk and began to lead me away.

I had to steal one last glance back at you as we passed by slowly. Your friend nudged you in the side with her elbow and her head jerked back, directing to someone. "He keeps on staring at you," she said, and I knew that from that moment on, I was caught. But I couldn't help but notice that she had an accent; perhaps she was a visiting friend.

But as you replied, "The guy with the bandana?" I realized that you had an accent as well. I've come to conclusion that you're not from Orange County - hell, maybe not even this state. It was the accent that pulled me in; I was intrigued - interested to know more about you and where you came from. But as we rounded the corner, I thought that I would never see you again.

I sighed and leaned my head back against the padded headrest. My crossed legs shook in anticipation and my heart raced, my fingers fidgeted every second possible. I was nervous, to say the least. It's been months since I last saw you, and I couldn't wait to just be able to hold you in my arms again. I couldn't wait to even see your face in person.

I tried to ignore the man sitting next to me, chatting away on his cell phone and clicking on his laptop. A stewardess walked by right then with a pitch of water in her hand and I stopped her, getting her attention.

"Excuse me," I asked, and I could see the man glance over at me. She stopped and shot me a questioning look with a smile on her face. I didn't want to keep her waiting long, so I asked quickly, "When will we be landing?"

She took a quick look at her wristwatch and replied, "Ten minutes, sir." She flashed me another (fake) smile and walked away after I thanked her.

I pulled out my cell phone and opened up my contacts list, scrolling down to your name. Pressing the 'send' button, I placed the phone up to my ear and listened as the ringing tone came on the other line. I waited and waited for what seemed like forever until you finally picked up. A smile came to my face the moment your voice met my ears and traveled up to my brain.

"Alex?" you asked and I chuckled, leaning over to one side of my seat.

"Who else, babe?" I questioned back playfully.

You began to laugh and I could hear the slight shakiness in your voice. "Shut up. So, when are you coming?"

"My flight should land in ten minutes. I only have two carry-on's so I'll be there in about..." I began to calculate how long it'd take me to take a taxi to the park where I would meet you, "Twenty minutes hopefully. Are you there already?"

"I just got here actually," you replied, your accented voice thick in the cold.

"Alright. I'll try to get there quick."

"Okay. I love you."

I smiled to myself. "Love you, too."

My leg tapped and a flipping sensation filled my stomach as I watched Brandon eat the fast food he had ordered in the mall. I placed my elbow on top of the table and leaned forward, resting my chin in the palm of my hand. My eyes scanned the crowds of people walking around; maybe it's paranoia getting to me - or maybe not, but I felt the need to do so.

"Are you sure you don't want some?" Brandon asked me, sticking a fry out at my face. I shook my head and laughed as he stuffed some more food in his face.

"I'm sure." And that's when I caught sight of you.

You walked by with your friend from earlier. I kept my eyes on you and you caught on. As our eyes met, I flashed you a small, hesitant smile; you returned it back, uncertain, and carried on with your friend.

Brandon had momentarily stopped eating and raised a brow at me. "What the hell..." he muttered and turned around in his seat, his eyes scanning through the crowd. His head stopped moving and he turned back to me with a smirk. "It's her again," he simply stated and I shrugged with a sheepish smile. Was it my fault if I was attracted to someone? "Make a move already and stop being so stalker-ish."

My mouth dropped and I frowned. "I'm not stalking her!"

"Well you're staring like crazy - and you're getting defensive!" he pointed out.

"Because you accused me of stalki--"

"Let’s go," he quickly said and got up, dragging me along with him. I guess he didn't care about leaving his unfinished food behind for others to clean up after him.

"Where are we going?" We were practically running through the mall by now, with him leading the way and dodging people every second. Soon enough, we were directly behind two shorter girls, both brunettes and one with a pair of purple sunglasses on the top of her head. I grabbed his arm and pulled him back a few feet, hissing in his ear, "What the fuck are you doing?"

He shrugged. "Stalking." Just then, you two took a turn into a store - Hot Topic, to be exact. "Hah," Brandon laughed, "Perfect. We're going in here!" He pulled my arm once again and into the store, where you were standing at one of the aisles near the front of the store, directly down the middle where the entrance was.

Brandon was moving so fast, my shoulder collided into yours, causing you to stumble sideways a little ways. Just at that moment, he released my arm and duck behind the section on the opposite side of us. He held a devilish grin and your friend snickered, digging through the stacks of screen tees in front of us.

I coughed a little, trying not to stutter. "I-I'm sorry about that," I apologized and you smiled, laughing a bit.

"It's fine.” You shrugged it off like it was no problem, which it probably wasn't.

But I decided to try and push my luck anyway. I knew Brandon didn't do this for nothing. "Are you sure?"

You shook your head with a smile. "I'm sure."

I grinned and stuck my hand out, planning on making something happen out of this. "I'm Alex Varkatzas."

"Andy Woods," you replied with a bright smile and took my hand. I nodded in return. I just had a hunch that that wasn't your exact name, but that didn't matter.

The taxi pulled over to the side of the road and I pulled out my wallet, paying for the ride and handing in a few extra dollars as a tip. Maybe it didn't make much use for him for me to hand him American money, but I'm sure he can find those money exchangers somewhere. I got out of the cab and onto the snow-covered streets of Canada, hauling two bags with me.

I crossed the road shortly after the taxi had left and entered the park where we were scheduled to meet at. It didn't take me long to find you, sitting on an empty bench, huddled up in a thick coat. I sped up my walking pace and dropped my bags into the snow when I was close enough.

Placing my fingerless glove-covered hands over your eyes, I leaned down near the side of your face. "Guess who." I couldn't contain the grin that was battling to get through inside of me.

You jumped and turned around, causing my hands to fall to my side. "Alex!" you exclaimed in a high-pitched voice and your arms came crashing around my waist, hugging me close to you.

I leaned down and wrapped my arms around your shoulders the best that I could, placing a kiss on the side of your face. "I missed you too," I laughed and walked around the bench, sitting down next to you. You crawled into my lap and sat there as I wrapped my arms around your waist. Your hand took my chin and you placed a kiss upon my lips. Pulling back with a smile, I leaned my forehead against yours. "Merry Christmas," I whispered, my breath condensing in the cold air.