Young and in Love - Wenclair

Please Just Fall in Love with Me this Christmas

Secret Santa >:))
-

December 15th, 2022.

Jericho was booming. Teens whizzing about, Christmas shopping, laughing, dancing around the streets. It had all the essentials for a perfect and cheery Holiday, even with parents- visibly exhausted and slouching, trying to catch up with the younger kids that were visiting their older siblings at Nevermore.

The sky was opaque, the buildings looking nearly ethereal, dusted in a beautiful crystalline coat of snow that twinkled beneath the setting sun. Enid's cheeks were rosy, breath casting ghosts in the air and letting puffy ears and a tail sprout to entertain the boys and girls that giggled by in passing.

She licked her chapped lips, the cold finally settling in beneath her large winter coat. She took shelter in the Weathervane, where Tyler was busy fixing drinks for the patrons and spared her a wave before sweeping off again,

An older worker, Emilia, siddled up to her with a sly grin on her face. "Well, if it isn't my favourite werewolf!"

She had been working there for twenty years, apparently. A sweet Irish woman in her retirement years with the penchant dor helping wherever she could. She was the kindest woman Enid had ever met, and smiled warmly in greeting, scanning the coffee shop for a free space. "We're quite busy in here I'm afraid, las." Emilia said sympathetically, dancing away with a tray full of steaming mugs of sweet cocoa. Enid's throat felt dry at the sight.

"Aww, have a heart, Em!" Xavier, the newest addition to the shop, grinned at her, rounding out from where he was bussing tables to pull her into his side for a quick hug. "There's always space in here for Enid!"

Emilia rolled her eyes, but a light played in them, illuminated by the soft glow of the Christmas lights strung up overhead. "Alright, alright. Theres a spot by the that friend of yours over there." She waves dismissively, shouting a warning at Tyler who's balancing the cash register and a tray precariously in the crook of his elbow.

Enid sucked in a breath, looking to the beanie-clad boy sitting alone in the corner, and puffed the air into her cheeks. She nods in thanks to the duo who continued with their jobs.

Ajax looked... different. Soft, almost. He was nicer- more civilized at least since the breakup. It was awkward, still, even if they had settled on being just friends.

But it's been a months, and she was happy to bury the hatchet and let it rust over in lieu of salvaging one of her favourite relationships.

Swallowing her pride, she approaches the tense Gorgon who looked just as stunned as she would feel if the roles were reversed. "Hi, Ajax."

"Enid."

A beat passes.

"Mind I sit? There's not many free spots and I was freezing to death otherwise..." She trails off helplessly, wishing the werewolf Gods would strike her down where she was standing out of pity.

He nods, moving his book-  Wizard of Oz- and beckoning Xavier- who looked like he was gonna throw up from the stress,- for another round of Hot Chocolate. She plucked up the book, smiling at the page that was folded in the corner.

"Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking..."

Ajax looked at her, an eyebrow cocked in amusement. "You know the Wizard of Oz?"

She scoffs, rolling her eyes "Yeah, I shockingly do read things other than gossip blogs, yknow."

He smiles softly, "Touché."

She quickly strips her jacket and mittens off, laying the puffy coat on the backing and setting her mitts next to her handbag on the table. Folds her hands in front of her, lays them flat, then settles on letting them sit uselessly in her lap all in the span of 5 minutes.