Elf Costumes and Other Christmas Disasters

Chapter Two

She backed up quickly. Profusely apologizing without even looking up.

"It's all good, I promise," an entertained boy's voice responded to her.

She looked up and Corbin was less than a foot in front of her. His thick fleece jacket was covered in snow and flakes gathered inside the tight curls of his brown hair.

"What are you doing out here anyway? You're going to freeze to death." He looked down at her legs which were barely covered in thin green stockings.

"I, uh." Alexa couldn't seem to find her thoughts. They scrambled away from her like cockroaches when you turned a light on. "I was trying to find my sister."

Corbin looked around the parking lot, his eyebrows knit together in confusion.

"Alexa, the only cars here are that one manager from A Thousand Pages that never leaves and mine."

Alexa cocked her head sideways.

"You know my name?" she asked, distracted. Her own boss didn't even know her name and she had worked there for three weeks now. Much less this boy that never once spoke to her.

"Well, yeah. We've gone to school together since we were six. I may not have gotten on the honor roll every year like you, but that doesn't mean I am a complete idiot."

"I just thought," she started to respond, but then the words sounded too stupid to say out loud. "It doesn't matter."

Alexa pulled her arms around her waist, trying to let the heat from her core warm them as much as possible.

"Like I said," Corbin said motioning to her tucked arms, "You are going to freeze out here. Come on, my truck is already warmed up and everything. You can at least wait for your ride there."

Corbin's truck was a black metal monstrosity. It easily cost as much as her entire house, and that was stock. Once you add in all the additions and modifications he made to it, it was easily twice that.

He opened the passenger side door for her and she stepped up onto the metal step beside it. She held tight to the bar on the inside to get leverage and tried to pull herself up. Her low center of gravity made sure that didn't happen.

Heat colored her cheeks as embarrassment grew in her chest.

"Hold up," Corbin said as she tried again. "I don't call her the Widow Maker for nothing."

He climbed up on the stair beside her and gently helped her into the terrifyingly high seat before he went around to the driver's side.

He was right about one thing. It was warm. Alexa shoved her hands in front of the vents, allowing the hot air to dethaw them.

"I like the outfit by the way," Corbin said to dispel the awkward tension between them.

"Uh, thanks. It's a limited edition," Alexa responded, trying out a joke that didn't quite feel as funny once it was said aloud.

Corbin grinned at her, his eyes crinkling slightly.

"So, Alexa's got jokes. Who knew?"

"Everybody but Corbin apparently," Alexa countered playfully.

"For real though, how come we've never hung out?" Corbin asked.

His body was turned towards hers in the seat, the only thing between them a thin center console and an empty Pepsi bottle. Alexa grew warm, and she didn't think it was entirely due to the heat from the vents.

"We just run in different circles I guess," Alexa said after an uncomfortable moment. She couldn't bring herself to look him in the eyes, so she looked everywhere but his direction, pretending to be looking for Sarah's car.

In reality, she had never sent the text to her sister. It sat on her phone, unfinished, behind the locked screen. Sarah wouldn't be making an appearance any time soon, and Alexa wasn't sure she should change that.

"Ah, that's no excuse. I run with every circle," he said flipping his hand for emphasis.

"I guess it's because I don't run with any circle then. I don't know." Alexa turned her face to stare the opposite way out of the window.

Corbin reached over and grabbed the seatbelt beside her. His hand grazed her hair as he slid it around her and buckled it into place.

"Well, now you run with me," he said buckling the seatbelt into place and putting his hand on the gear shift, but not moving it. "Your sister isn't coming. Is she?"

"How-" Alexa stuttered.

"You never sent that text you were typing when we ran into each other. And this isn't the first time I've seen you wait around most of the night for her before she shows up."

"You've been watching me?" Alexa asked, taken aback by his stalkery tendencies.

"Not like that. Once we get the horses loaded up, I normally chill in the parking lot for a while. Not in a big hurry to get home. Hell, you normally stand right in front of my truck. How am I not supposed to notice?"

"I'm curious. Why do you work for the sleigh ride? I know you have enough money that you don't need a Christmas job."

"You ever seen the first horse we load up? The dark chocolate one, not the spotted one?" He asked in response.

Alexa nodded. It was a beautiful horse. She walked with elegance and grace. Her coat shined like polished mahogany.

"That's Jane Eyre. I've had her since both of us were babies. Dad said that I had to get a job when I graduated. Something about learning some darn responsibility for once in my life. I couldn't think of a better job than hanging out with her all day."

Alexa thought it was incredibly sweet, the way this boy talked about his horse. As if he actually loved something besides himself for a moment. Though the thought that he was wealthy enough to own the horse did not escape her consciousness.

He looked over at her and smiled, this time she returned it.

"So, where to?" he asked, putting the car in drive.