Secret Santa

3: Chocolate!!!

Brooklyn's view

I'm pacing around my office trying to stop the anxiety that is building inside of me as I stare at the pile of paperwork I need review. Sometimes I really hate my job; it can be very stressful, especially since I am a workaholic.

There is just no point of really going home at a normal time; no one is waiting for me to get back. Any attempts at relationships in the past have all crashed and burned. My ex-girlfriends have all left because they say I focus more on my job then on them, and I guess they aren't wrong.

I just have a hard time depending on anyone else or showing affection. I'm not a lighthearted person. I wasn't raised in a warm environment. My parents died when I was young and my brother did a shit job of looking out for me growing up. My brother was hardly ever in my life.

I get it. He was sixteen when my parents died, he didn't want to take care of a nine year old, so he left as soon as he could. It would have been nice if he could have visited more though, but oh well.

Luckily, my grandparents took me in. They were very strict and old, but they gave me a home and I am forever grateful for them for what they did. However they passed away a couple of years ago, so now I'm all alone.

I'm almost twenty eight years old and still alone. Many of my coworkers are married or have children and sometimes it gets to me.

It would be nice to come home to someone who loves you. Someone who wants to do Christmas decorations with you for the holidays. Someone to cuddle with on cold nights.

I sigh and decide I need to go out and take a breather, so I exit my office and walk around the advertisement department and notice everyone is on break as well. Wow, is it time for break already? I almost forgot and kept working.

As I continue walking I notice Elliot and Ella whispering in their cubicle, looking intently at something on the computer. I walk closer to mess with them.

"Enjoying your break?" I ask making them jump in fright. They both turn around to face me and Ella immediately gets up to cover the computer screen.

"Hey, there boss. We sure are enjoying the break," Elliot replies abruptly.

"Uh huh. So, what are you guys whispering about?" I ask up front.

Elliot and Ella look at each other, each trying to figure out what to say, but Ella finally speaks, "I'm just helping out my friend Elliot with finding a present for her person for the Secret Santa thing."

"You know that's only two days away. It's going to get harder to find something that time ticks away," I advise.

"Which is why I am trying the good gift today," replies Elliot.

"Good luck with that," I chuckle, "And make sure when break is over you actually work not look for a gift." I wink at them and head back to my office.

I love messing with those two, I especially like teasing Elliot. I'm not sure why. She's a wonderful employee, very smart and hardworking, but I like to keep her on her toes.

I just like her focused expression. I like walking by her cubicle to see her at work; she looks so badass as she gets everything done with ease. She scrunches her eyebrows when she's thinking and slightly clenches her jaw and bites her lip.

I have to admit, Elliot is hot. She's shorter than me by almost four inches and has dark brown hair. She has adorable dimples and blue eyes that keep you mesmerized. She's beautiful.

She must be dating someone, there is no way she is single. She's probably already engaged too.

It saddens me to think she is already taken.

I walk back to my desk and sit down, staring at the pile of paper. Great, today is going to be awful.

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Elliot's view

"Help me find something!" I beg Ella.

"I've been trying to find something. I can't find anything that is remotely perfect enough. You might just have to settle on a gift card, my friend," Ella tells me over the phone while packing.

"Noooooooooooooooooo, that's a lame gift," I reply.

"Then get her chocolates. Chocolate is yummy and romantic. It's perfect for a short deadline," she suggests.

"Ugh, I'm going to look so basic," I sigh.

"You are kind of basic. And you procrastinated so badly, the secret Santa is in two days," Ella teases.

"Jerk," I chuckle.

"Well, I guess I'll go out and look for some chocolate. Have fun on your trip. Safe traveling," I say before hanging up.

Just as I am about to get up to go to the store, I hear knocking on my door.

Hmm. I wonder who that could be.

I walk over to the door and open it slight. "Hey, sis," yells my little brother, Max.

I immediately open the door and grab my brother in a tight embrace. "What are you doing here?" I ask.

"Well, I'm staying with you," he declares grabbing his suitcase and rolling it into my apartment.

"You normally stay with mom though," I say.

"Yeah, but since the party is at our parent's home, that means a lot of relatives are coming and they will be using our old rooms. So, I told mom I'm staying with you," he explains.

"Okay," I say watching him go back outside to get more bags. He comes back with another suitcase and a box.

"What's in the box?" I ask.

"A shit ton of chocolate. I stole some from my roommate; he works at a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. This chocolate is amazing, every once in a while my roommate brings some," my brother says.

"Cool! Can I have some for a Secret Santa gift?" I ask him.