➶｡˚ 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...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"This sucks," Holly let out a sigh as she covered her face with the palms of her hands. "Thank you," she said as Max handed her a cup of toffee nut coffee.
They were sitting in a small, cozy café. Max had chosen this spot despite its cheesy Christmas decoration because it'd seemed quiet and, well, Christmassy. Definitely something to make Holly's mood better.
"Their delay is three hours. You'll get all the gifts and decorations, decorate the house, pour yourself a hot cup of tea, and they'll arrive!" Max shrugged, taking a sip from his macchiato.
"Yeah, you're right," Holly let out a sigh. "It just made me upset because everything has been against me today," she murmured, but then she shook her head, trying to push all the negative thoughts aside. "I'm not going to be upset. Today's gonna be perfect!"
"Why do you need this Christmas to be so perfect?" Max asked with curiosity.
"Because it just... has to be," Holly mumbled, chewing on her lower lip. "I wasn't at home last Christmas. And this year, I need to make it up for them," Holly responded.
Max nodded in understanding. Holly appeared to be someone deeply connected to her family, so it made sense.
"You talked about your mom, brother, and grandma, right? Your dad isn't coming?"
The moment Max asked this question, Holly's breath suddenly got stuck in her throat. She folded her hands in her lap, toying with a golden bracelet on her wrist.
"He's the someone I visited in Bristol," she responded, and Max lifted one of his eyebrows.
"Oh, I understand. Your parents are divorced," he said.
"No," Holly kept gazing down at her hands. "Do you want the honest, long version, or will we discuss the gifts for your friends?"
"The honest and long version," Max responded almost immediately.
"My dad passed away one year and a half ago," Holly finally found the courage to look Max in his eyes.
He slightly opened his mouth in shock, but then he coughed. "I—I had no idea. I'm so sorry."
"It's fine," Holly shook her head, cradling her warm coffee cup in her hands. Leaning back into the comfortable armchair, she gazed thoughtfully out of the large window next to her. "He was sick for a long time. Before he passed away, he wished to be buried in his hometown, Bristol," she explained, observing the thick snowfall. "I refused to go back to England for Christmas last year. My dad was the one who made me love Christmas, and I felt that without him it would just feel... empty," she paused for a second before continuing.
"I know I was selfish. And that the rest of my family was probably sad that I didn't come. So this year, I decided to make Christmas cozy and amazing. The way my dad would celebrate. I took a flight to Bristol to visit his grave first, and I crashed over at my grandparents'. Then I wanted to take my dad's car and drive to London, and... well, you know the rest," she released a heavy sigh after telling the whole story.
Max didn't know what to say. That he was sorry for her loss? He was sure that she had heard that sentence way too many times. Of course he was sorry for her loss, though. Losing a parent, especially one who had been your lifelong best friend, must be incredibly hard to deal with.
Instead, Max shook his head, placing the cup of coffee on the table. "You weren't selfish. You lost someone close to you, and everyone deals with grief differently. I'm sure the rest of your family understands," he reassured, and Holly nodded in acknowledgment.
Gazing into Max's deep, ocean-blue eyes, she noticed the reflection of the colorful lights within them. "Thank you, Max. That means a lot to me," she took a sip of her perfectly made, festive coffee. "Please, tell me you have some exhausting story for me. Why do you hate Christmas?"
"Well, I simply never enjoyed Christmas. My parents divorced when I was little, and I lived with my father. My sister Victoria lived with my mom, and we couldn't even spend Christmas together without constant fights. It was just terrible," Max shrugged. "They thought the gifts would make us feel better. The stupid materialistic stuff," he added, shaking his head with a mixture of frustration and bitterness.
"That wasn't nice of them. It's frustrating when parents, who are supposed to be the grown-ups, can't go even through one occasion without a fight," Holly responded, her words laced with a sense of disappointment. "I get why you don't like this holiday. You're absolutely entitled to feel that way," she said with a half smile.
She hated this for Max. Even though she had lost a parent—her best friend and the most wonderful dad she could have wished for—her own holiday seasons had always been filled with love and peace.
And she knew experiencing love, at least for a while, was worth the pain.
"Thank you. You might be my favorite Christmas freak," Max smirked, and Holly couldn't help but smile.
"And you might be my favorite Grinch."
∘₊✧────────────────✧₊∘
a little honesty from max and holly! thank you so much for your kind feedback. <3
