Jumping, I flashed a smile to them and reached for a candy cane, but their parent, who was busy talking on the phone, tugged them up in line, clearly not interested in any interaction.
Chestnut studied the mall aisle that led to The Bern. “Is your barista the hot one with the man-bun?”
“No, that’s Mario. Harvey is the tall one with the olive cap.” I wilted with longing.
Chestnut screwed up his face, clearly trying to place the description to anyone he’d seen in there.
I pointed at my lip. “Uh, he also has facial piercings.”
Chestnut drew back in disgust. “Oh, is he the guy who wears a t-shirt on top of a long-sleeved shirt?”
“Don’t be so judgmental. You’re one to talk about workplace fashion.” I knocked him with my boot and raised my eyebrows at his zig-zag cut off pants.
“Mine's a uniform,” he snapped.
“Maybe Harvey’s is, too. He might have to hide his tattoos or protect his arms from hot burns and it’s easier to layer that way. Or maybe he likes the aesthetic.”
“Obviously you do.” Chestnut crossed his arms and leaned against the poinsettia planter. “Who knew you liked bad boys?”
“He’s not a bad boy just because he has piercings.” Although his style was certainly alluring. The other night, I'd researched how lip rings impacted kissing.
"He gives off that vibe, though. How well do you know him?" Chestnut prodded, wagging his eyebrows.
My cheeks heated. “Notthatwell. He could be bad, I guess. But lately, he’s been nice to me. Even when I make a mess of things.” I twisted my skirt between my hands. We’d only been acquaintances for a few weeks. Yet, our interactions had become a highlight of my day. Like kids telling me this place was awesome and asking their parents if they could stay longer. Or people getting emotional taking their first Christmas card photo. There was this light in people’s eyes:hope. That this year would be good. This year would be worth remembering and celebrating.
Chestnut pushed aside some fake snow with his shoe. “Do you think he likes you?”
I shrugged despite my heart spinning at the idea. “I think he enjoys the novelty. Like, bantering with a mall elf is kinda funny.”
“Is he flirty?”
“Yes, but it’s customer service flirty. I don’t know if it’s real.” I shifted gears and smiled brightly, waving at kids as they passed by. “Hey, happy holidays. Have a great day.”
“Happy holidays,” they cheered back, twisting around to wave at me until they turned the corner.
Once they were out of sight, I launched back into conversation with Chestnut. “He hasn’t asked me out, and I gave him an opening," I said.
“What’d you say?” He vaguely hid a yawn.
“I asked if he was going to the winter light festival, and he said no, it wasn’t his ‘scene.’” I lowered my head to hide an instinctive pout. It could've been fun with me.
“That’s not much of an opening.” Chestnut chuckled. “A festival is for family or relationship shi–”
“Sugar,” I covered, glancing at passing families. We shouldn’t be swearing on the job–especially in front of little kids.
Chestnut rolled his eyes. “It’s too much commitment for a first date. Plus, didn’t you go to The Bern with your cousin? He probably assumes you’re going with your family.”
“That would be exhausting.” I loved my family, but two years ago, half the little cousins burned their tongues on hot chocolate and started wailing while the other half took off running. Instead of enjoying the festival, I had to babysit.
Chestnut snuck under a tree to check his phone. “Ask Harvey to hang out. Do you know what shows he likes? You could offer to binge-watch something together and have pizza.”
“That’s so…” I played with the fringe on my skirt. Mature wasn’t the right term. Chilling at someone’s house was often an invite to get to know each other physically. I didwant to sit onHarvey’s lap, run my fingers through his silky brown mane, and explore all facets of a relationship. But that was pretty intimate. In fantasy-land, of course, it was all pleasure. We’d connect on every level. But if it went bad, I’d have to risk seeing him at work. There might begossip, anger, rejection, and ridicule. Plus, what if he saw me more as a customer or friend than dating material? I’d hate to make things awkward for either of us.
“I want to know him better before I invite him to my family’s house so I can be sure he won’t run at the first sign of–”My stuffed animals.“My non-elf existence," I said.
Chestnut nodded and scrolled his phone. “Well, I hate to break it to you, but if he hasn’t asked you out yet, he might not be that into you. But hey, you can still get free cookies out of it.”
“Gee, thanks,” I said, bumping his arm as I hurried to greet another family. I probably didn’t have time for dating right now. I had to get a nice bonus. Getting a nice boyfriend who smelled like cinnamon and fed me cookies would be a Christmas miracle. But maybe we were both naughty and nice enough to make it work.
