~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.
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I'll Be Home For Christmas
FanfictionIt's the festive season, and everybody is out traveling to go see family to celebrate Christmas. Except Mark. Since there's been some weather complications that have canceled all flights out of LA, he's home bound. But, that doesn't mean he's alone