All I Need For Yule Is You

Chapter 3

And so that's how Sam spent the evening, and the evening following that. Helping out the few customers that came looking for perfumes, the even fewer who came looking for charms, and the children who wanted to have a closer look at the crystal ball. 

He didn't go for breaks but left early, taking Hadrien with him, so he hadn't seen the entirety of festival just yet. Gabi and Mark were going on and on about the ice-rink they had in the centre of the field, but he hadn't had the time or energy to check that out. Ana would not talk to him, throwing him dirty looks. 

Like he wanted  to chug her stupid love potion. 

At times - and more often than he would have liked- when he was not helping customers out, his gaze would drift to Oliver and this warm fluttery feeling would return to his chest, like as if he were a pre-teen and this was his first infatuation. It was getting tiresome, fighting the fuzziness, so after a while, he just rolled with it. 

It kept him awake at least. His cheeks were constantly warm- and that helped against the weather, didn't it? Oliver was an optimist. He would survive this. 

It was all good actually. Sure, their shop was failing, but at least it was romantic. In its own weird way. There was love in the air. Or his blood. Or wherever the heck Ana's potion was coursing through right now. 

It was almost time to take Hadrien back home, when he heard someone approaching. He had been bent down, trying to pick up the small marbles the cat had scattered earlier. 

"Budrioli's, what can I help you-" Sam recited as he stood to his full height, and found himself facing- 

"Hey?" Oliver's greeting sounded like a question. Oliver from class. Oliver from the coffeeshop. Oliver with whom Sam was now supposed to be infatuated with, thanks to a rogue potion. 

Maybe the effects increased with approximation, because Oliver somehow looked cuter right now. And he was saying something. Which Sam had completely tuned out. It was all happening too fast. Way too fast, and Sam had to grab at it and make it make sense because-

"What?" Sam asked quickly. It came out snappish. 

Oliver's friendly smile turned hesitant. "I'm sorry, did I interrupt something?"

"No." Sam clarified. He begged his brain to restart, but it only made an annoying noise in his ears like a broken machine. "No, I mean. I didn't quite hear you."

"Oh." The radiant smile came back. Sam couldn't remember a single time in high school when Oliver had smiled at him. Or at many people, other than this small group of four he usually could be seen hanging with. "I was just asking how's business."

Sam wasn't very experienced with normal teenage convo but he was pretty sure no one said how's business to each other anymore. Also, what did the boy even mean? Obviously business was bad. Very very bad, no thanks to Everlovin' Poshness next door. "Isn't it obvious?"

Oliver looked around, a bit alarmed. Sam wasn't exactly being very friendly. Tone it down, Samar. "I don't understand."

Sam sighed miserably. "Well, it's bad, Oliver. People refuse to believe that the perfumes are supposed to be named luck and insomnia, and no one wants to see my brother pull out his rabbits from under his sleeves."

"Oh," Oliver frowned, nodding as if it was indeed a big tragedy. "Well the luck one sounds interesting."

"As it should. Ana blends them during full moons and if you wear it, your day actually goes luckier." Sam murmured absently, straightening the unsold bottles. 

"And the insomnia one gives you sleepless nights?" Oliver asked. Sam glanced at him, trying to figure out if the boy was snarking. Or being sarcastic. But Oliver looked rather intrigued, if anything. Being the only sort-of open witchy family in the town, Sam didn't get a lot of intrigue coming his way. It was usually just shitty puns and eye-rolls from his classmates. His parents' and aunts' customers were a different matter, thankfully. 

"No. It actually cures insomnia." Sam explained finally, as if to a small child. Wasn't it obvious? 

"Hourly check- oh, " Gabi stopped short, taking the two of them in. "Never mind then," She sang smugly and swung away. 

Sam tried not to glare after her and internally did a quick hourly check- up himself (it was becoming a bit of a habit). Yes, Oliver was still inexplicably cute- appearance-wise. Given the fact that Sam was continually trying to decide if he was being rude proved the love potion only made the other person look good. Which was piffle because he already knew that Oliver was a good-looking human. It was common knowledge. And good-looking humans were attractive. 

But then maybe Oliver was being sarcastic. Maybe he was making fun of how poorly Sam's shop was doing- but Sam couldn't see it, because he was supposed to be in lurveee with him, wasn't he? 

Meanwhile Oliver was examining tranquil. 

"You know, actually, why we're doing so bad?" Sam growled. 

Oliver lifted those gorgeous brown eyes to meet his. 

"Because of you." Sam declared. 

Okay, on the hindsight, it had been a bad day. And he was probably being a shit person to Oliver but everything was going to hell, so why shouldn't this one too? 

Hurt flickered through Oliver's face. "I don't get it?"

"Your shop," Sam pointed out. 

Oliver was quick to tuck the hurt away (which was not good because it was making Sam feel more and more like the shittiest person here. Which he was.) "Oh that isn't mine. That's my uncle's."

"Bet he owns the entire chain?"

"... Yeah?"

"Great! Good for you all."

"You think all the customers are getting pulled away towards the coffee." Oliver nodded, as if thinking something up. 

"That and the terrible bagels and- and-" Sam was about to say your smile but he swallowed the words the down deep deep into his oesophagus. 

"The bagels are actually good," Oliver said, another of those smiles ghosting across his features, before quickly getting wiped off upon seeing Sam's scowl. 

"I'm closing up." Sam announced. Though it strictly wasn't time. 

Oliver straightened from where he was leaning a bit on the counter, and took a few steps back. "Alright. Good talk."

Sam grimaced. "Good night, Oliver." With that, he turned about and busied himself with the forgotten marbles. 

*

A/N: Everyone pray for Oliver, boy did not deserve that 😔🙏