Charles || C. Leclerc

1

Elizabeth leaned against the counter and flipped through the pages of a British tabloid. This had to be the fourth time; she knew every in and out of the magazine now. She wasn't a big fan of tabloids, but when there was nothing to do? A decent thing to fill the time with. The store she worked in was... Empty. Elizabeth looked up and let her eyes glide over the stands; everything was filled and cleaned. She looked outside: it was dark, and snowing heavily.

She sighed loudly and straightened her back. For hours, Elizabeth had avoided the time. But now it must have been late, at least an hour since the last time she checked. It was only ten minutes later than the last time she checked it.

"My goodness," she whispered. Her shift had thirty minutes left, and there was no way, not under any circumstance (well, unless someone dies), that she could close the shop earlier.

For the third time, she took the broom and walked around the store at a slow pace. If this store wasn't part of the resort, she would've been gone a long time ago. It paid well; the hours were decent, it was just quiet after seven o'clock in the evening.

Elizabeth quickly turned around when someone opened the door. The sound of the wind filled the store, and some snow got blown inside. There. Is. Snow. Inside. I just cleaned everything. Her eyes fell on someone in a bright red ski suit. The face of the visitor was covered with a scarf. A forced smile came on her face. "Good evening," she said.

"Hello," the voice said and walked around the store.

Elizabeth made her way back to the counter in the front of the store and put away the magazine. It was not like she wasn't happy to see a person, but that person brought in a lot of snow, and the floor was dry and clean. On the other hand, she had a task to do until closing time.

"Hey," she said when the person was standing on the other side of the counter.

"Hey, I will take this." The person placed the items on the counter

She nodded; she thought it was a man. Many people entered the story completely packed, not showing who they were. They would stay for a couple of minutes, so why put everything off and then put everything back on a minute later? "Is it a present?" She scanned the price tags of the hoodie and mug. This person also got some snacks. She let the person pay.

"Yes, please."

"Perfect," she muttered, opening the drawer to look for wrapping paper. "Is it for Christmas, a birthday or just a gift?"

"Christmas. Well, the hoodie and mug."

She nodded and looked into the drawer. She quickly realised that there was no wrapping paper. Not at all. Not for a birthday, not for Christmas and not for any gift. Elizabeth pressed her lips into a thin line. She was busy filling the time that she hadn't noticed that the drawer was empty. Plus, no one made a note. Elizabeth looked up; the man had removed the hood and scarf from his head. Blushes came on her cheeks. She opened her mouth to apologise, but the man had already seen what had happened, and he simply smiled and nodded.

The man had a gentle face, but his eyes said that he was disappointed. He had definitely not intended to come here now.

"It's alright," he said. "I'm sure we'll figure something out."

Elizabeth nodded and thanked him, not knowing what else to say. She felt embarrassed and ashamed. It was a feeling she would get with anyone, but this was Charles Leclerc. He showed calmness, and it didn't seem like he was bothered by the lack of wrapping paper.

"I should have stopped by earlier," he blamed himself.

"No, I mean, we need to have the wrapping paper in stock. It's not your fault," she said, opening some more cabinets under the counter. "Uhm, I have a tote bag?" It was not like she had more choice.

"Okay."

Elizabeth grabbed some tissue paper and began to pack the gifts, taking extra care to fold them, so they covered each item neatly. Charles watched her intently, making sure she didn't miss anything. Elizabeth could feel her cheeks burn even more; she must look like a tomato now. She put the gifts in the tote bag, folded it and put it in a brown paper bag with the snacks.

"That looks perfect," Charles said.

She smiled and thanked him again, feeling the warmth of his approval. She liked the way he accepted the situation and trusted her to handle it.

"It's the thought that counts," he added, and she agreed, feeling that it was true in more ways than one.

The eyes of Elizabeth fell on the darkness outside. "I will put it in another bag; I don't know if this will survive the snow," she said and put the bag in another bag. "My apologies again."

"It's okay," he replied. "I came here fifteen minutes before closing time, and it can happen."

"Still," she mumbled. "Anyway, here you go."

"Thank you," he politely said. "And do you mind if I wait for another ten minutes? The app says that the wind will be less strong then."

Elizabeth nodded. "Sure, no problem. Do you want a chair?"

"Sure."

She moved a chair from behind the desk to the guy. "There you go. Do you mind if I'm gonna prepare the store for closing?"

"No, no, absolutely not. Go ahead."

Elizabeth grabbed the broom and walked through the store again. Once she was out of sight of Charles Leclerc, she stopped walking, and her jaw dropped. Tears of excitement covered her sight. Charles Leclerc in the store?! And running out of wrapping paper?! She looked up at the young driver. And if he were someone else, she still would feel embarrassed, but this was Charles Leclerc. What must he think of me now?! She dried her eyes and continued walking through the store.

"I like the store," Charles Leclerc suddenly said when he saw the young woman walking towards him again. "I walked past it a couple of times this week. Now I had to be here." The store mostly sold souvenirs and gifts but also had basic needs.

"Thank you," Elizabeth replied. "Are you enjoying your stay here?" The village they were in was part of a ski resort.

"Yes, absolutely. It's fantastic here," he smiled. "Can't get enough from this place. I am here every year, but it doesn't tire me," he shared.

How have I never seen him before?

"I like that this village is not too busy," he continued.

"Yeah, I'm glad it is," she agreed. "Sometimes it's too quiet, but it's better than those resorts where people fight for a bit of space."

"As a guest, I really like it."

"That's good, that is what counts," Elizabeth smiled.

"Did you have a busy day?"

She slowly nodded. "People who forgot their Christmas present at home."

Charles chuckled. "Guilty."

"I reckon tomorrow will be worse, it's Christmas Eve then." She took a deep breath.

"It's always the thing that I thought I packed, but it's never the case. Now my brother gets a hoodie and a coffee mug," he said, being disappointed in himself.

Elizabeth leaned against the counter. "Yeah, I mean, Christmas is about giving. And they're nice. I love those gifts. It's for a memory. If someone got me a hoodie from a gift shop, I would probably live in it for a couple of days. But that's me."

It made Charles think. "My brother is like that too. I think this gift is better than the original." He looked outside and then at his phone. "I think it's safe to go outside. Are you almost off?" Charles started to pack himself.

Elizabeth looked outside; it looked more friendly. Luckily. For her too. "Yeah, I'm closing up, and then I'm going home," she nodded. "Watch out when you go to your accommodation. And happy holidays."

"Thank you, you too," he said, grabbing his gift. "And walk safely."

"I will, thanks."

She watched as he left, the brown paper bag clutched in his arms. She was sure his brother would be pleased, and she was glad she had been able to help him.