A Christmas Miracle

Monday - December 14, 2017

"Will you please pretend to be my boyfriend and come spend Christmas with me and my family?"

"Okay so I definitely heard you right the first time," I said, letting out a shaky breath. I've worked at Sunbucks-the world's most popular coffee chain-for almost a whole year so I've grown accustomed to the odd question here and there. This definitely tops the list though, and that's saying something, especially since a man had onced asked me if I could fill his boot with whipped cream. "Um Lucas, do you think we could talk about this later?"

Lucas scratched his flushed cheek, brown eyes looking at anything but mine. "Yeah, of course! I just-I've been meaning to ask you for about two weeks now but I've pussied out so far and I'm leaving this Sunday so it's now or never and you know how I get when I'm nervous and when I saw you standing there behind the counter, big ol' smile on your face, it just spilled out and my immediate thought was fuck-."

"Language," I hissed. I glanced at the growing line of waiting customers behind him and immediately stiffened. "I'll text you after I finish my clinical shift tonight, okay?"

"José, buddy, is that a yes?" He asked, a smile forming on his previously pouted lips.

"That's an 'I'll text you later'," I said with an eyeroll."Now, the usual?"

He nodded, dark brown hair barely moving thanks to all the products he had in it. Products that I had warned him would eventually leave him with a dry scalp. I looked down at the screen and punched his order in (five medium sized iced coffees) with shaky fingers. It was ironic that my best friend, the guy I've been in love with for the past year, would ask me to meet his family as his boyfriend. I've spent hours fantasizing about this exact same situation; except in my fantasies, I'm not pretending. In my fantasies, Lucas realizes how much he loves me after I'm nearly run over by a speeding taxi. A beam of light washes over me and Lucas confesses his eternal love in the middle of a busy Manhattan street. It's a bit dramatic but I blame that on the fact that I've watched too many Lifetime movies.

"The firm interns are taking next week off for Christmas."

I raised an eyebrow. "Simone and Associates interns taking a whole work week off? Hell is freezing over right as we speak."

Lucas handed me his card, fingers brushing against mine, and laughed. It was his usual deep and throaty laugh that always made my toes curl.

"I'm serious," I started, handing him his card and receipt.. "Since when does Simone give her paid interns a week off?"

"Ever since she started dating the 'man of her dreams'," Lucas smirked, fingers raised in invisible quotation marks. "Now she's all about love and destiny and soulmates."

"I don't believe you. That woman is tougher than nails, one man isn't going to change her," I huffed. I marked his cups and pushed them to the side.

"She can be badass and in love. They're not mutually exclusive you know."

"He's right," Camille (my annoying friend and manager) said, grabbing Lucas' cups. "Hi Lucas, you're holding up my line again."

"Oh shit. My bad," He blushed and stepped to the side. Instead of following Camille to the drink pick-up side, he leaned his tall frame against the counter. He turned back to give me a lopsided smile and I almost melted.

I turned and greeted the next customer. This morning was already proving to be too much for my fragile heart. I would have to push all of my Lucas filled thoughts to the back of my head if I wanted to get through this shift. It was easy. All I had to do was ignore the way he was pouting his rosy lips at me for ignoring him and doing my job. No problem. Just ignore the way that the overhead lights cast a halo over him, causing his tan skin to glow. Easy. The way his fitted black suit clung to his lean body was definitely easy to ignore. I definitely didn't notice the way his pants clung to his bottom when he reached for the drinks Camille had placed on the counter. Nope.