Chapter 6
Chapter Six
AVERY
“Avery.”
A distant voice calls my name, luring me out of the most wonderful dream I was having.
I can feel the warm summer sun on my face as I run through a snow-covered field.
I laugh as I run playfully from the man behind me, dodging half-heartedly thrown snowballs as I zig-zag out of the way.
The man catches up with me, pulling me into his arms as we laugh hysterically and fall into a snowbank.
A pair of familiar hazel eyes looking down at me behind black rimmed glasses.
Eyes that I know I have no business dreaming about, but I can’t help it.
“Avery.”
There’s the voice again, this time followed by a gentle shake of my arm.
I nestle in further against the car window, stuck in the warm place between dreaming and awake, where I don’t want to leave. But the cold car, and reality, are winning as I lose the battle with sleep.
“I fell asleep.” I don’t expect an answer as I sit up, stretching out my aching muscles.
“Yeah, around Chilliwack. We’re stopped in Merritt. I’m going to get gas if you need to go in and grab anything.”
I blink my eyes awake and start to take in my surroundings as Matthew gets out of the car. Looking down at my phone screen, I see that I’ve been asleep for nearly two hours. What I wouldn’t give to be back in that dream where he laughed freely and escaped whatever heartaches he’s currently hiding.
Pulling off my elf hat, I do the best I can to make my hair less of a chaotic mess in the tiny vanity mirror. I choose to ignore the red line at the top of my forehead where the material dug in during my nap, or the matching lines on my cheek from where my hands doubled as pillows.
A hot elf mess. That’s what I am right now.
The gas station attendant has seen worse as people pass through. Right? At least that’s what I tell myself as I slip on my black jacket and pull it tight around my body, bracing to brave the blustery December air.
After running to the bathroom and looking at myself under the bright lights, I fully realize the car’s small vanity mirror didn’t truly convey the extent of the disarray of my appearance.
Knowing there isn’t anything I can do about it now, I decide that it’s the ideal time to act like my life is perfectly normal and fill up on road trip snacks.
Making my way out of the back hallway, I hold my head high as I peruse the aisles and fill my arms with whatever looks appealing.
Chips, chocolate bars, jerky, and pop bust from my torso before I see the coffee machine.
I don’t have high hopes for it tasting anything but bitter, but we both need caffeine, and it should do the trick to get us through the rest of the drive.
Dumping my array of junk food onto the counter, the clerk starts to ring everything in as I pour us two cups, putting in more cream and sugar than necessary in hopes of hiding whatever over roasted bitterness awaits us.
I smile as I place the paper cups down, scanning the front counter to see if there’s anything I want to add to our food choices. The clerk doesn’t say anything as he continues to scan, but I can’t help but notice the not-so-subtle glances he sends my way as he reaches for the next snack.
“I don’t usually dress like this,” I blurt out, feeling the need to justify my awkward appearance.
He remains silent but raises his eyebrow at me as he scans my All Dressed chips.
“I’m an elf.” That earns me both eyebrows raised and a glare over his glasses. “I mean, not a real elf. I’m not from the North Pole or anything. Just Kamloops. But I help kids with Christmas, organize toy drives, write letters. That sort of thing.”
I don’t know why I’m rambling, or why I feel the need to tell this stranger I’m never going to see again my life story. I guess it’s the theme of the night.
“The costume is for a conference. It’s sort of a uniform. I mean, we don’t wear it all the time, just when we deliver gifts and things…” He glances at me again. “We thought it would be fun to get a group picture before heading home.” Another raised eyebrow. “All right, I’ll stop talking now.”
I look around, seeing that a tiny red garland hanging off the screen facing me is the only decoration in the store. It makes me a little sad to think that it’s the only bit of holiday joy. Maybe if he had a little more decor, he would be in the holiday spirit.
The clerk gives his head a shake. “Thirty-five, eighty,” he says in a gruff voice.
Maybe not.
Or maybe a rambling, dishevelled elf is the craziest thing he’s seen.
I pay and grab my items, rushing out of the gas station as fast as I can, making a mental note to never come back here ever again. I might never even stop in Merritt again at this rate.
Rushing out of the door, I nearly crash into Matthew.
“I came to see what was taking you so long.” He looks down at the bags and cups in my hands. “What’s all this?”
“I bought us snacks.”
He brings his eyes up to meet mine with a smirk on his face. “I see that.”
“And coffee,” I say, lifting my hands slightly, showing off the cups. “I can’t promise it’s good coffee, but it’s hot and caffeinated.”
“My favourite kind,” he laughs. “You know there’s only about an hour left on the drive, right?”
I pass him a cup as we head back to the car. “Yes.” I take a long sip and can’t hide the wince on my face as the bitter, over-roasted liquid hits my tongue. My nose scrunches and my eyes close as I wait for the horrid taste to pass off my tongue.
Yup, called it. The coffee is disgusting.
What I was wrong about, however, is that no amount of cream and sugar was covering how horrible this coffee is. As I open my eyes, I find Matthew staring at me, his own cup halfway to his mouth. “What? Did I spill on me?”
That would be the icing on the cake of the night. Possibly staining my elf costume with horrible coffee in front of Matthew.
He gives his head a slight shake before answering. “It looks like you bought half the store.”
Oh. That. At least it’s just my impulse for buying too many snacks.
“Well, I didn’t know what you’d like,” I answer as we climb into the rental.
“I mean, I don’t know if you’re a sweet or salty guy, so I just bought a little of everything.
” I stop and look up at him, panic rising in my chest. “Oh my gosh, you aren’t diabetic, are you?
Food allergies? Am I going to kill you with one of my snacks?
Please tell me it’s not a severe peanut allergy. ”
Placing my coffee in the cup holder, I start rifling through the goodies. the first thing I grab being a chocolate-covered peanut butter cup. My eyes frantically search the rest of the bag as Matthew places his hand on mine, stilling my actions.
“No, no medical concerns here. I guess,” he stalls for a moment, searching my eyes. “I guess I’m just not used to anyone being that concerned about what I like, or don’t like, or even buying snacks for me at all.”
“Really? No one?”
“Well, I have my friend and business partner back in the city that picks me up the occasional coffee or lunch, but no, I can’t say that I’ve had anyone that’s done that in a very long time.”
My heart sinks. While Maxwell wasn’t the best boyfriend—especially with recent events—when it was good, he’d always brought me flowers, coffee, or treats.
He would surprise me with things that he knew I liked, just because.
Even my friends would load up on my favourite snacks for a day out on a road trip or a movie marathon.
I find it incredibly sad to think that someone as seemingly wonderful as Matthew hasn’t had the same experience.
Placing my hand on top of his that is still resting on my arm, I give it a gentle squeeze. Looking deep into his hazel eyes reminds me of my dream, I know that I want that to change for him.
“I’m so sorry, Matthew.” I don’t know what else to say that won’t sound trite or impersonal.
“It’s all right.”
The sadness in his voice kills me. No one should be this sad, especially during the holidays.
As we sit here, locked in each other’s eyes, I can’t help but pray that a Christmas miracle will fill this car and show him that the world can be a wonderful place.
There are people who can care for him, buy him snacks, and respect that he loves working with computers.
I want to be the one that helps him find that happiness.
I can’t deny that we’re starting to make a connection.
A connection of what? I don’t know, but I know I’m feeling something.
Certainly it wouldn’t be in a romantic situation; I literally got out of a relationship today.
But I know that I want to be there when Matthew discovers it.
“Anyways,” Matthew says, clearing his throat and turning in his seat, taking a sip of his coffee without even a wince at the bitter taste. Maybe he is a psycho or serial killer. “We should get going if we want to make it to Kamloops before we get snowed in here.”
“Right, we wouldn’t want that.” I look away, buckling my seatbelt and reaching into the bag to pull out a bag of chips.
The lack of holiday treats leaves me to stick with my go-to non-holiday snack—All Dressed chips.
“Help yourself to whatever I bought. I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t eat before the plane was supposed to take off and I’m starving now. ”
Matthew laughs and once again I’m relaxed at the sound.
“Now that you mention it, I am.” He places his coffee next to mine in the cup holders and grabs the chocolate peanut butter cups I had been holding, tearing into them as the car warms up once again.
A wide smile crosses his face as he takes a bite.
“I rarely have these, but whenever I do, I love them. I don’t know why I don’t have them more often. ”
“Maybe you should indulge yourself a little more often,” I add, enjoying how much he’s letting himself relax.
“You know, maybe I should.”
“So, Big City Man, what do you do for fun?” I take another bite of my chip and watch him as he ponders, chewing his own treat.
“Oh, I don’t know. I like to stay home a lot when I’m not working, so I guess reading and watching movies?”
“I’ll accept that,” I joke. “Let me guess, you like reading thrillers? Maybe action movies with spies and superheroes?”
He laughs. “Actually, yes. How did you guess that?”
“I’m Santa’s helper, remember? But seriously, tell me one movie that is so out of left field for you, but you totally love.
” He narrows his eyes at me. “We all have them. A movie that doesn’t fit our typical genre, but we love it anyway.
” My eyes widen as he clenches his jaw. “It’s a Christmas one, isn’t it? ”
He pops the last peanut butter cup into his mouth, looking out the window to avoid my gaze.
“It is! Oh, let me guess. The Grinch? Elf? Home Alone? Santa Clause?” When he doesn’t answer or look my way, I groan. “Don’t say Die Hard. That doesn’t count.”
That earns a laugh from him. “No, but that is an awesome movie.”
“Agreed, but not for the holidays. Come on, tell me. I know it is one.”
He lets out a sigh as he turns in his seat and faces me.
“I’ve had this tradition ever since I was a kid.
I don’t think it started with my family because I don’t ever remember watching it with them, but every night on Christmas Day I need to watch Miracle on 34th Street.
” He blows out a breath and runs his hands through his hair.
“I can’t believe I’m even telling you this.
I’ve never even told Mitch, and we make a point to watch everything but Christmas movies together during the holidays. Especially on the big day.”
“Why would you hide something like that? Who’s Mitch?”
“My business partner and best friend. As to why I would hide it, I don’t know.
We both aren’t fans of the holidays so we do everything we can to try to make it just a regular day.
We order in food that doesn’t resemble turkey and have movie marathons with all the genres you rightly guessed I would watch.
” He chuckles sadly, but the laughter doesn’t meet his eyes.
“Except when you watch Miracle on 34th Street.”
“Except when I watch Miracle on 34th Street,” he echoes, this time with a light in his eyes. “I wait until he goes home or at least falls asleep on the couch and then I put it on.”
“I hope you find someone to watch it with, Matthew. Even if you do it in secret.”
With a smile, he finishes the last of the chocolate cups. “Thank you, Avery.”
We sit there for a moment, just staring at each other with shy smiles on our faces, letting Michael Bublé and Dolly Parton’s voices fill the air around us. It isn’t until he buckles up and pulls out of the parking lot that I realize there’s so much more to Matthew than I first thought.
When the night first started, I couldn’t wait to get back to Kamloops. Now that I’m getting closer to being home, getting to know this mysterious stranger from the airport, I realize I don’t want the night to end.