Dear Santa Claus - 14 Short Stories Until Christmas

5th December - A Christmas day can change a lot!

By Soy_Vanny

Once again, it was again the 24.12 ...how fast the time passed after all.

This year, too, I waited up until the last moment to get presents. Right now, I stood with my full shopping cart at the check-out and waited for the enormous queue in front of me to get shorter. But thanks to my thoughts, which were already with tonight, I did not notice, how quickly it went until it was my turn.

"Can't you go on? I don't have all day ...", said a young man who didn't look much older than myself and I was 18. He pushed his shopping cart slightly against me.

I apologized and paid for my purchases, but since I didn't feel like wrapping the presents myself, I had it done by the cashier. In the meantime, I noticed how the guy behind me got more and more upset. This seemed so familiar to me. Even these brown curls, which fell before his equally brown eyes, reminded me of somebody, but I did not know of whom anymore. 

Before I could think further about it, the saleswoman handed me my big bag. I set off on my way home, which, mind you, was longer than usual with this heavy bag in my hand. From halfway onwards, I ran out of breath, so that I had to sit down on a small bench, which had been here since I was little. Over and over again, I remembered gladly the time when I was still a child and played here with my friends and my first crush.
Lost on cloud nine, I did not notice a car pulling up right in front of me all of sudden. A person, dress in dark clothes, got out. Immediately a feeling of queasiness arose in me.

Why was this person approaching me?

"Do you need a ride?", the stranger asked me. His voice sounded familiar to me. But where from...
Although I knew since my childhood that you shouldn't get in the car with strangers, I did anyway. After all, I still had half of the way ahead of me and  I couldn't even lift the bag up anymore.

It was strange to sit next to this man.
"Who are these presents for," he inquired, not taking his eyes off the street.
"My family...", I briefly replied back and tried not to let my nervousness show. But when we didn't turn into the street where I lived, it grew even more.
Where did he take me? I want to go home!

"W-where are we going?" I breathed quietly.
"To a special place." was the only answer I got.

I took a deep breath and let it come towards me...everything in life was predetermined anyway. This I had experienced in my early 18-year life.

About 30 minutes later we arrived at a small house. The closer we came to this place, the less I was afraid...it slowly faded. Even now I felt none... Why? I did not know at all.

Not before the stranger took off his hood, it felt strange again...it was the man from the shopping center...
"Trust me, Rebeka," he whispered gently.
How did he know my name?

I eyed the young man in front of me suspiciously, but very close. Why did he look so familiar to me...?

"Do you remember me?" he asked me what confirmed my suspicion. We knew each other! But when I noticed his birthmark under his eye, it fell like scales from my eyes. "Simon", I shouted out pleased and took him in my arms.

Why did he make everything so mysterious...and why didn't I recognize him before? Probably because through the years we were separated, we had both have changed.

But I did not feel the same feelings as when I had hugged him back then.
He pulled himself from me and looked down at me and then grinned upwards towards the ceiling. When I followed his gaze, I saw a mistletoe...oh!

Doesn't that mean...I should kiss him?

My speculation was confirmed when I felt his soft and warm lips on mine. It was very funny, how just a small kiss could turn into a long one. My first kiss well noticed! 

 Smiling he broke away from me and leaned closer again...but this time to my ear.
"I am not Simon...I am Lukas', he whispered, which made me freeze. I had just kissed my childhood crush and thus the brother of my best friend! 12 years after I last saw him and his family.
"W-why?"

"I thought you were cute back then and when I recognized you, I finally wanted to do something that I wanted so much back then...just in a mysterious way" he grinned, causing me to smile, too.