12 Days of Christmas || Seb and Chris One Shots

Looking Back || Mickey Henry

On the seventh prompt of Christmas, we proudly give to thee... a Greek Christmas with Mickey Henry.

The Christmas tree starts to blur, the lights bleeding into one another and he's not sure if it's because of the drink or because of the tears that sting at his eyes. The corners damp already, back of his hands wet from where he'd been wiping.

Your present is under the plastic branches of pine even though he's not seen you for months, was hoping you'd be back in time for tomorrow so you could open them together.

But no, he'd lost you.

He looks at the time, it's only 9pm. Three hours until the bells toll for Christmas Day, a little less until people take to the streets as they head to mass. It would take him maybe one to get to yours if he left now.

One more chance at getting you back.

Please take me back?

*

2019

"What can I get you?" You asked, eyes busy trying to see who's filling the gaps left by the people you've already served, keeping a mental note on who's next.

"Rum and Coke and whatever you're having."

"Thanks, I'll save it for closing." You say with a smile, not looking at him as you're already pouring his drink.

"What time's that?"

"About three maybe, depends how the night goes."

"It's Christmas Eve."

You stop and look at him before adding the coke to the rum and you think he's the most beautiful man you might have ever seen. Recognise him from the booth earlier on in the night but he's even better up close. His outfit tells you he doesn't try too hard while his cologne tells you he puts some effort into things.

The white vest he wears is tight around his chest but ripples towards his waist when he moves before it's tucked in at the top of loose trousers. Not that you'd watched him approach the bar or anything, just caught glimpses of him as he danced towards you.

"Hey, we're actually looking for a new calendar for the back office for next year, I think I just found one." You say, pouring the rest of his drink.

"Huh, and here I was thinking the Grinch was green."

He gets a smile from you at that, forcing a breathy laugh from you as you place his glass in front of him as he holds out a card. The plastic is almost peeling at the edges, scratched at by nails as he waits to pay for things or just keeping his hands busy in his pockets.

"Thanks." You say as the machine shows you a green tick and you get ready to serve the next drunk.

"I'll see you about three for that drink, then?"

*

He's passing that very same bar now, you'd made jokes about how it was almost perfectly in the middle of your apartments. The walks equal on both sides. Tested the theory that night as he took you home, leaning into him as one drink turned into more, lost count after the fifth.

He can hear his own voice in his head now, telling you how his house is the exact same distance but in the opposite direction. That was two years ago but he can still remember how you'd turned around at your door, looked him straight in the eyes and told him to prove it.

And he did.

That was your first night together spent doing nothing but talking. And you fell asleep with your head resting against his thigh, breath warm at the line of his hip.