On Santa's lap - S01 E12

Story 3 months ago

On Santa's lap - S01 E12

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 12

After my heart had a mini panic attack thinking it was some robber, the voice registered in my head. I looked up startled and raised an eyebrow.

Of course.

I'd rather take a robber right now, at least that way I could bash him up and let out my inner stress.

"I'd help you, but I'm too comfortable over here," Nik said as he picked up the drink beside him taking a long sip from the straw, a curly straw, wriggling his eyebrows.

Perched against Rachel's door he was sitting on the ground with his legs stretched, legs so long they would brush my door if he wriggled his feet. Wait, where were his shoes?

I gathered what dignity I had left picking myself and my keys off the ground, "Look who came out of his hiding hole," I said as I walked towards the door. It was weird seeing him after the long absence, but at the same time somewhat nice to see his face.

I forgot how beautiful he was

Even in the dark corridor with the flashing light the landlord will never repair, his features were accented as I got closer.

"Nice to see you too, how was your day, mine was excellent thanks for asking,"

I rolled my eyes shoving the keys in the door hole giving it a good tug, and the door that could never open. Stupid door.

"For someone who says Jesus a lot, you sure hate his birthday," and it took me a solid thirty seconds to figure out what he was on about, right Christmas.

"Don't you have someone else to bother?" I asked looking over my shoulder as he got up from his spot, and yes, his shoes were off beside him.

"Is that the thanks I get for waiting for three hours for you?"

"No one said you had to wait," I said giving the door a tug. I was ten seconds away from cutting it open with a chain-saw, I just needed to find a damn chainsaw. He leaned against the door sipping on his drink, "Isn't Rachel home? You could have chilled with her, rather than looking creepy sitting in my corridor,"

"I knocked, here move, I'll open it,"

"I got it,"

Right it was Christmas, she was probably at her family's house, urgh the joys of family.

And then he was in front of me, too close, looking down and I winced when his fingers brushed against my forehead, one holding my chin tilted up, "What the hell did you do to get this?"

Wait, was he saying something?

"Oh," I said stepping back to give us some space, "I fell,"

It felt so weird, to see him look like he actually cared, a weird expression. He 'tsk'ed with his tongue shaking his head, "Got to be more careful Chirp,"

"Here, move," He said taking the keys out of my hand and I gave up placing a hand on my hip trying to watch him wrestle the beast, except he did it more swiftly. With a light push my apartment was revealed and he blocked it as I was about to get in. "What?"

"What's this?" he asked grabbing the package under my arm, "Why didn't you open it?"

"Because I don't celebrate Christmas and it's hardly fair to open gifts, hey, give it back, what are you doing?" I tried grabbing it off him as he shook the box and then threw it inside. "Good, let's go,"

"What? Where?"

"Anything else you need to dispose inside that apartment of yours?"

"Yes, me! I'm tired go away,"

"Not likely," He said grabbing my wrist with one arm and then closing the door with the other and pulling me after him.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW

"Are you serious," I said digging the heel of my foot the best I could into the carpet, making it harder for him to drag me down, "It's nearly midnight let me go to sleep and you go home and sleep," I said realising what he was wearing.

My eyes travelled from his white shirt that was crumple free and suit pants, wait, was he in a suit? Or was, since the lack of the jacket. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone showing tan skin and the sleeves were rolled up displaying his strong forearm, probably why he succeeded dragging me to the stairs.

"Actually," he said clearing his throat and raising his hand to look at the watch, "There is still fourty-five minutes left of Christmas, come on,"

With another tug I gave up struggling, there was nothing worse than falling down the stairs again, I had enough bruises in the past few days to last me for the rest of this year. Which was coming to an end surprisingly fast.

I pulled my hand out of his grip as we ended up back on the ground floor and crossed my arms, just so they weren't hanging free for him to grab, "What brought you back after three days?"

"Aww, were you counting?" and the smirk was back.

Absolutely not

"I was just thinking how amazing the past three days were, so calm, and now you've ruined the record,"

"You wound me, now get in," he said as he walked to the car by the curb opening the door and I raised an eyebrow, "I can open car doors by myself,"

"A gentl-,"

"Man always open cars doors, yeah yeah, who made you king of all the gentleman's?"

Nik scoffed throwing his eyes to the air briefly, "Now now, chirpy chirp, I am definitely not a gentleman. Besides it makes a man look weak and powerless when a girl opens the doors by herself,"

"Or it just shows that she can use her arms," I reached to close the door but he beat me to it, once again, and shut it. I grabbed the seat belt buckling in as I watched him walk around and get in.

"Should I be worried that this is some midnight murder?" I questioned, genuinely concerned. Firstly I don't really know him that well. Secondly this guy was like my personally own stalker. Thirdly I had never been in his car.

A nice car at that too.

A Chrysler.

Who would have thought he owned one of these beauties, especially since spotting one of these were incredibly rare in Melbourne. Not to mentioned the interior was fine looking.

I relaxed into the seat as he pulled out onto the empty roads, "Wounding me, you're on a roll tonight,"

"What did you expect, it's Christmas, I don't like Christmas,"

"And why is that?"

None of your damn business I thought as a silence settled over us. I tried keeping track of the roads, trying to figure out where he was dragging my body to stab and dispose. It wasn't too much of a ride as he pulled into a parking lot that was deserted and I recognized the murky brown water, even in the night, look stunningly disgusting.

"The Yarra?" I raised an eyebrow as I opened the door.

"You were meant to wait for me, damn it chirpy chirp," Nik said irritated as he hurried across but I was already outside. Did he really expect me to wait while he walked around and opened the door? That was just...a waste of time.

Ignoring him I started walking towards the water. The Yarra river was just a river that cut through the city before it mixed in with the ocean, the water was a beautiful brown colour, where ducks, swans and lots of seagulls bathed in.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW

Whilst it was disgusting, it felt like a second home to me, there were countless days I would just come with Rachel and we would sit here. So it was a bit if a surprise that this was Nik's chosen spot.

"Wait I have a picnic mat!"

I was half on the way to sit down and looked over my shoulder to see Nik running with an esky in one hand and a picnic mat in the other hand.

"You certainly planned this out," I said as he kicked out the picnic mat and placed the esky on the side so it wouldn't get picked up by the wind.

"Well, for three hours ago, now the suns long gone, the birds are probably sleeping and we are most likely going to get mugged tonight. But it's Christmas. Live a little,"

"I lived a lot today, all I wanted to do was sleep,"

"Sleep here,"

Right, I would love to be some mozzies dinner. Even though majority of my body was covered, I still felt those annoying insects buzz around me making me rub my arm unintentionally.

"So...what exactly are we meant to do here?" I asked after staring at the water. It was slightly windy but the waves were calm. There were a few lights in the high rise city buildings opposite from us, but most of it was dark. There were a few clouds that were visible thanks to the heavy lights in Melbourne.

All in all, it would have been a spectacular view, if it wasn't somewhat chilly outside and it wasn't nearing midnight.

"Well I have ice-cream, it's probably melted now," he said as he reached into the esky, pulling out what was a two litre Bulla's boysenberry ice-cream with two spoons.

"Want some?"

"I'm good," I said as he opened it, I was still full from eating all the ice-cream earlier.

"Yep, all we need is straws and we can drink this," he said closing the lid and placing it to the side. He kicked out his feet laying on his back, propping his head on his elbows as he rested them behind him.

A tug on the back of my top, a not so kind tug, made me topple back onto the picnic mat, "Lay down chirp, you get to see the beautiful stars behind the clouds thanks to pollution,"

"Fun," I replied, the breeze was soft, the silence was pleasant and my eyes were starting to close. All I wanted to do was curl up and sleep. Preferably in my bed.

"So, how was your Christmas?"

"Boring, yours?" I asked turning my head to look at him.

His face looked blissful, eyes half closed, as he enjoyed the somewhat nice weather Melbourne was giving.

"Why aren't you in your Santa suit?" I asked as he replied, with a shrug, whatever that meant. For someone who loves Christmas and was playing Santa, it felt oddly strange seeing him in a suit.

"Are you cold, I think it's cold," he said avoiding my question.

"What? Um no, I'm fine,"

"No say it, say you're cold,"

What? "Okay..." I said confused, "I'm cold?"

"Good," and then he was on his feet again rushing to his car, the sound of it being unlocked, the boot of the car being closed and then the car locking again. If I wasn't so comfortable on the ground, I would have seen what he was up to.

Something hit me in the face, a familiar sent and I pulled it back, "Are you trying to be a gentleman again?" I asked staring at his suit jacket. What was I meant to do with this?

"Ha," he said as he sat down again, "Firstly darling I am far from a gentleman, I was raised better than to leave a fair maiden shivering in the cold,"

"Exaggeration," I replied as I pulled it closer, it smells nice, before my conscious could tell me to place it folded neatly between us.

"Secondly," He said re-taking his position, "Actually I have no secondly,"

I rolled my eyes, enjoying the extra warmth, "Right,"

He was saying something but I wasn't exactly concentrating, I was far too comfortable in my spot.

"Hows little Evan?"

"Huh, oh he was good. Saw him today," I said yawning. Can I go home now? "Got him a telescope, he likes star gazing, ate ice-c"

"Why do you hate Christmas so much?"