Dear Santa.

“Stella!” I was greeted to a calm silence as I pushed through the front door leading into my shared apartment. No reply was given so I simply shrugged my shoulders walking over to the kitchen table where the mail was strewn across the smooth surface. Flipping through the envelopes I groaned when they were all bill. Chucking them back on the table, until later, I placed my handbag on the table before shrugging out of my heavy coat and resting it over the back of one of the wooden chairs situated around the small, round table.

Looking around the small kitchen area I noticed that it was Christmas Eve and the only decoration in our house was a small cheap fiberoptic Christmas tree. It was sad but to be honest neither Stella or I could afford much with the bills and food shopping it was hard to even pool enough money together to treat ourselves once in a while.

Sighing I walked over and flipped the switch on the kettle and grabbed a mug filling it with two teaspoons of cocoa and sugar.

“Hey, you’re home,” I spun around at the sound of Stella’s bright voice. A smile was spread across her face while an ear bud hung out of one of her ears.

“Yeah, I did call but you didn’t hear me.”

“Yeah sorry, study has been whipping my arse but break time now. I’ve been at it for five hours and my brain has just turned to mush,” I laughed before grabbing another mug down from the cupboard.

“Hot chocolate?”

“With marshmallows?” she asked arching one of her dark brows at me an innocent smile spreading across her young face.

“Of course,” I confirmed quickly, “Could you grab them for me, they should be in the pantry third shelf,” I heard her feet tap away before the cupboard doors of the pantry were opened. I slowly poured the water in trying not to spill boiling water everywhere.

“Here,” she chimed hurrying over to me pulling the plastic apart and plopping three into each of our mugs. Quickly I stirred the steaming liquid before wrapping my cold fingers around the ceramic. The sweet aroma wafting around me making my mouth water with anticipation, taking a small sip I sighed happily as the creamy substance ran down my throat. “How was work?”

“Long and busy,” I groaned as I walked over to the couch that was calling my name. “Why are we open Christmas Eve, what’s up with that?” the brunette beside me shrugged her shoulders as she took a sip of her hot drink. I fell into the soft cushions of the lounge seat groaning in relief quickly kicking my shoes off and bringing my legs up onto the seat curling them close to my body letting Stella sit beside me.

“I don’t know,” she admitted taking a seat next to me.
The two of us sat in silence for a few moments as we sipped at our drinks. “Well Merry Christmas,” I deadpanned.

“Mmmm…” the brunette beside me nodded her head.

“The first year without our family and we’re drinking hot chocolate in silence,” I paused, “Personally for me it’s weird. I’m so used to noise.”

“I wonder what they are doing back home.”

“Probably sleeping, I mean it’s like what four thirty am back in Australia, or something like that anyway.” Stella nodded her head in agreement as she took another sip. We sat in silence for a few moments longer when I spied out fireplace.

“Hey! I have an idea.”

“Yeah?” Stella perked up her brown eyes sparkling in wonder.

“What is the one thing you want more then anything for Christmas?”

“Liam Payne,” the singers name left her lips causing me to chuckle. “Oh come on don’t laugh, you can’t deny that you want Harry Styles wrapped up in a big ribbon on your bed for Christmas.”

“Okay no denying that…” I agreed nodding my head laughing at how silly it sounded. “Let’s write Santa a letter.”

“Uh…” disbelief flashed across the teenagers face as she arched one of her brows at me. “You do know Santa isn’t real right?”

“Nah, I didn’t know.” I sassed sarcastically before giggling. “Of course I know he’s not real but come on, just for the fun of it, lets both write a letter asking for that one thing that we so desperately want then burn it.”

“Burn it?”

“Apparently that’s one way to send Santa mail.” Stella looked at me unsure until I started begging then it didn’t take long to make her cave.

“Alright, Alright…. If you tell anyone I will kill you,” she pointed an accusing finger at me causing me to shrink back into the couch.

“Who the hell am I going to tell, plus if I tell someone you can just tell them I did the same.”

“True,” she smirked before we both burst out into fits of laughter.

“Alright I’ll get the fire going and you go get the writing equipment,” Stella nodded her head as she hurried off the couch leaving her empty cup on the ground. Slowly I walked over to the pile of wood grabbing the thin pieces for tinder stacking them in before striking a stray match and setting it against the wood. Once the flames were high I grabbed a log and put it on.

“Got it all.”

“Awesome,” I smiled spinning on my knees and reaching out for a pen and one of the writing pads she had brought with her. “You ready to write Santa a letter?” I joked feeling like an idiot but at least it was a spark of fun on our dull Christmas Eve.

“Lets go!” she smiled back before turning her attention to the paper in front of her while her hand began to glide across the surface.

I pulled my attention to the lined piece of paper in front of me and began to write.