➶｡˚ part three of the RACING HEARTS series
Holly Lee is a Christmas lover. She adores everything about it. The twinkling lights making her heart beat with excitement. The beautiful time spent with her loved ones. The crunchy, sparkling sn...
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Twelve minutes.
Holly had been waiting in her car for twelve minutes, exceeding her intended limit by two minutes.
"This is a nightmare," she sighed, finally summoning the courage to step out of the car. She needed to try her second option—walking and hoping to come across a nearby village (ideally) where she could ask someone for help.
Before she stepped out of her car, she gathered all her belongings into her faux leather backpack. The chill outside felt almost surreal; it had never been this cold in the United Kingdom. The snow continued to fall—at least something positive about the day so far.
Holly manually locked her car using a key. As she adjusted her scarf, she suddenly noticed a pair of lights approaching through the snowfall. Even though she couldn't see properly, she hastily began waving her hands. As the car was nearer and the driver showed no signs of slowing down, Holly took a bold step into the middle of the road, waving once more.
Finally, the car stopped by the side of the road. Holly wanted to approach the driver and explain the situation, but the driver was quicker.
"Are you insane?! I could have killed you!"
When the guy stepped out of the car, he shook his head to prevent snowflakes from falling onto his face.
In the dim light, Holly couldn't see his face clearly, but he seemed young—and he didn't look like a serial killer. He had a raspy voice and a foreign accent that Holly couldn't recognize.
"Sorry to bother you, but I had to get you to stop. I'm having a car emergency," Holly explained, gesturing towards her car with her index finger. "I'm not sure what's wrong with it, but I need to get out of here."
The man neither nodded nor shook his head—no gestures at all. He just returned to his car, and Holly frowned a little. When she wanted to ask him what kind of person leaves someone else in the middle of nowhere on Christmas Eve in an emergency, he turned off the engine and stepped out of the car once again.
"What happened?" He asked, making his way to Holly. When he was close enough to her, she could finally see his face. He was frowning, but he didn't seem angry—perhaps he had a resting bitch face. His jawline resembled the precision of diamonds, adorned with a touch of facial hair.
"I have no idea. The car just stopped," Holly shrugged, and the tall man in front of her let out a sigh.
"Unlock the car," he said. Holly nodded, unlocking her car with a key. As the man raised the car hood, he used his phone as a flashlight. Clicking his tongue, he shut the hood. Kneeling beside the tires, he observed something—Holly had no idea what he was doing. "You haven't used this car in some time, have you?"
"Um, no," Holly replied. "Probably a year. How do you know? Are you like... into cars or something?"
A soft chuckle escaped the man's lips. Oh, so he wasn't a frowning robot. "Yeah, I guess you can say that. There's rust on the brake rotors," he responded as he rose. "The battery's dead. That's why your car stopped," he said. "You'll have to call a towing service. There's nothing that can be done right now."
"Oh my god," Holly slapped her forehead. "I need to get to London and make this Christmas Eve perfect!"
Frustration and desperation overwhelmed Holly at this moment. Her family was expecting a decorated home with a beautiful Christmas tree, and she couldn't imagine bringing herself to confess that nothing was ready, all because she had overlooked checking the battery.
The guy chuckled once again. "Oh, you're one of those."
Holly lifted an eyebrow. "One of who?"
"One of the Christmas freaks."
"I am. And I'm proud of that," Holly crossed her arms over her chest. He was way too bold! "And you're probably one of those," she shrugged.
"One of who?"
"One of the Grinches," Holly pouted, and the man finally laughed.
"I am. And I'm proud of that."
His response caused Holly to purse her lips, but she chose to let this minor disagreement slide. "I don't know what your plans are, but I need to get to London as soon as possible. I need to buy all the decorations and gifts."
"Well, it seems like today might be your lucky day. I'm heading to London, and I also need to buy gifts for my friends," he said, and then he watched Holly's angry face turn into a happy one.
"Oh my god, seriously? Will you take me to London?" She covered her mouth with her hand, feeling a surge of joy coursing through her body.
"I will. But in return, you will come up with some gifts for my friends. I suck at giving gifts," he responded. Holly nodded enthusiastically, prompting him to roll his eyes with a chuckle.
"Of course! I'm a gift genius!" She laughed, running to the passenger's seat.
"Wait, what's your name?" he asked with a hint of curiosity before Holly got into the car. "You're a total stranger. I should at least know your name."
"Holly. Holly Lee."
"Of course. Even your name sounds festive," he sighed.
"What's your name? Aside from your middle name Grinch, of course," Holly playfully tilted her head, and the man shook his head with a very subtle smile on his full lips.
"I'm Max."
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our grinch is here!! let me know your thoughts in the comments! another update is coming tomorrow <3
