I'll Be Home For Christmas

Change Of Plans

~Mark

"Hey mom....yeah, I'm at the airport right now...okay....got it....love you too! Bye!" I ended the call. "Due to weather complications, all flights from LA to Cincinnati are canceled. We're sorry for the inconvenience." There was a click, then the voice overhead went silent. "You gotta be kidding me!" I muttered in exasperation, running a hand through my bright red hair as I approached the front desk to make sure it was true. There was a giant group of people up there as well, shouting at the poor lady behind the desk as she tried to calm everyone down and answer their questions. Suddenly, a man reached over the desk to grab her, making her choke out a scream as she flinched back. I pushed through the crowd and stepped in front of the desk, grabbing the guy's hand and lightly shoving him back. He stumbled back a step before punching me in the stomach, sending me sprawling onto the desk before sliding off on the floor with a thud, scaring the lady even further, her body visibly shaking wildly like a chihuahua. "Damn it!" I wheezed once I regained my breath, pushing myself off of the cold tile floor. People were starting to climb around the desk, meaning I had to act fast. "EVERYONE BACK UP!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, annoyed with how crazy people were acting. A flight was canceled, the world wasn't going to end. They hesitated a moment, giving me time to think of how to calm them and not make things worse. "It's not her fault the weather's messed up, give her some space." I said in a calmer tone. There were murmurs in the crowd before they begrudgingly dispersed. "T-thanks." The woman stuttered, smiling sheepishly. She had long slightly curled blond hair with the tips dyed a yellowish-orange color that reminded me of a sunset, her blue eyes almost the color of silver, shining in the lights so they glittered like stars. "No problem." I smiled back, going back to my car and driving home, calling my mom on the way so I would tell her I would be stuck home. Instead of going straight to my house, I went to the studio and started decorating, even though I knew there wouldn't be a point. All of my friends were either visiting family or at least in Cincinnati so I couldn't reach them. I was almost done when I realized I didn't even have a tree for my house. I jumped back into my car and drove to the nearest pine tree farm so I could get a real tree. Since it was LA, it was only slightly colder than usual with no snow. I aimlessly wandered through the rows of trees, some too big, too small, or had too many bare patches. Finally I found the perfect tree with only a little bare patch that I could easily hide. As I bent down to cut it down, I was greeted by a familiar face. It was the lady at the airport. She blushed and waved hello. I quickly stood up, dropping the saw. "Are you following me?" She accused me teasingly. I felt my own face heat up in embarrassment. "N-no, I was just..." I trailed off, gesturing to the tree. "I'll go find a different one." I picked up my saw and started walking off when I felt her grab my arm, turning me around. "I'm Amy." She introduced herself, offering her hand out for me to shake. "Mark." I shook her hand, feeling warm despite the cool weather. "So-" we both said in unison. I broke off, chuckling awkwardly as I motioned for her to go ahead and talk first. "Do you have any plans for Christmas?" She asked. I shook my head no. "I was supposed to be up going to Cincinnati to visit my mom and friends, but I guess it didn't work out." "Sorry about that. I don't know why people were mad at me though, I don't work at the airport, I was behind the desk watching over stuff since my friend works there." She explained. "What do you do?" I prompted. She went silent for a moment, avoiding my gaze. "I was fired from my job yesterday." She admitted shamefully, her tone a little bitter. "I'm sorry." I apologized hastily, feeling like a jerk. There was a brief uncomfortable silence that filled the air as I tried to think of something else to say. "Do you wanna have dinner at my place?" I blurted. It was two days before Christmas Eve, and it was lonely being at home recording videos by myself. When her gaze snapped back to me, eyes wide with surprise, I expected her to say no, which would only make me look like a bigger idiot than I already was. "Sounds fun." She smiled warmly, stunning me. I quickly fumbled for words to say, ducking down to cut down the tree to buy me time. "Cool." I said lamely, cringing on the inside. Way to go, you look like and act like an idiot, I thought in annoyance as I sawed the tree, causing it to fall over on its side with a whoosh. "I got it." She grabbed the tree by the severed trunk with one hand, dragging it behind her. Rolling my eyes, I walked beside her, occasionally taking turns dragging it until we reached the front where we bag it and pay. I lifted it up and somewhat carefully set it down on the roof of my car, making sure it was secure. "Six good?" I asked. "It's a date." She winked, leaving me alone with my conflicted thoughts. I didn't love her...did I? You can't love someone you just met, I thought as I climbed into my car and drove to the store to buy stuff for dinner.