GLEE

Christmas [3] (Rewind)

Several hours later, I found myself decorating the quite beautiful kitchen of the Smythe home. This room was probably the size of my entire house, but I know my parents would definetely appreciate a kitchen this size. Sebastian was setting up in the living room, playing a the 2007 Christmas hits on his jam box; I wasn't arguing as long as I didn't have to hear any opera. Instead, the jam box decided to be kind and play Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas. It was a favorite since, it came out five years ago.

'Oh, I won't ask for much this Christmas
I won't even wish for snow
And I'm just gonna keep on waiting
Underneath the mistletoe'

I loved everything about the song, the words, the beat, the way after a minute I started singing along and dancing around without realizing it.

'Cause I just want you here tonight
Holding on to me so tight
What more can I do?
Baby, all I want for Christmas is you
You, baby'

This is why I appreciated that my mother was a dancer. That's right, the girl who suffered for nearly a decade had a mother for a dancer. She had to quit when she got pregnant though, unfortunate. But I was fooling around in the attic one day and I found her old tapes. She was fantastic, kind of like me.

'Oh, I don't want a lot for Christmas
This is all I'm asking for
I just want to see my baby
Standing right outside my door

Oh, I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
Baby, all I want for Christmas is you
You, baby'

I had to stop short, both dancing and twirling silver tinstle around a ceramic Santa Clause and his elf holding a 'Kiss Me! I'm a Kringle!' sign with a candy cane post. Sebastian was leaning against the door, arms crossed, and smirking that dumb smirk of his. He had been watching me, God only knows how long.

"Oh my God!" I jumped and bashed my hip into the island, biting back the pain and any profanity filled words threatening to spill out. "What're you doing?" I asked.

"Just standing here, watching a beautiful girl dance around in my kitchen. This scene would be even better if you had on one my shirts and nothing underneath." he replied. Ugh, creep.

"Never in your wildest dreams, you pig." I said with an eye roll.

"I'm not a pig, I'm simply just observant. Where'd you learn to dance?" he asked.

"Well, my mother was a dancer so it's sort of in my blood." I replied. "I started watching Footloose, then Youtube videos and started teaching myself. Paid off pretty well since I didn't have a fancy french dance teacher to help." I added.

"You referring to me?" he asked. I looked around the room and shrugged.

"There's nobody else in this room McCarthy." I replied. Sebastian cocked his eyebrows and came closer.

"If your remember correctly, my father didn't approve of my interests," towards the island. "I never had a fancy french dance teacher," passed the sink. "I had to fend for myself," and towering over me now. "Comes in handy when half the kids in Paris were incredibly artsy and didn't mind teaching me. You're misjudged me again." he said.

"Seems like a funky little habit we share. You're a smooth-talking rich guy, I'm the girl who thought all to get out of life was to drink away her problems and hang herself by her pink belt." I replied.

"I've seen you do it before, you know?" he asked. What?

"Drink?" I asked him.

"No, God no. I mean, dance when you thought nobody was watching." he said.

"So you have been stalking me?" I asked with a smug smirk.

"Well technically, your restaurant was closed and you were dancing with a mop, and the face entrance to your restaurant has a rather large window." he replied. Smug bastard.

"I could get a restraining order against you for stalking." I said.

"You could, but you would hate being away from me." he replied, voice becoming low and soft. "And we're getting closer."

"We are, you should probably back away." I suggested.

"I mean with our progress on Operation Kris Kringle." he replied.

"Operations Kris Kringle? Really?" I asked, trying to bite back a laugh.

"I think it fits perfect." he replied. I pushed him away and grabbed my coat.

"Well while you're hanging around with Kris Kringle, I'm gonna head to the restuarant and grab some brownies." I said.

"Mid-afternoon snack?" he asked.

"Nope, when your mom gets home, they'll be a little Christmas present from yours truly." I replied.

"Want me to come with?" he asked.

"Yeah-no. The last time I went into that storage locker with a plus one, I ended up losing two hours of my life to a Lurch." I said, smiling like the Cheshire Cat. Sebastian seemed to be resisting the urge to spit out a horrid insult in return.

"...You never struck me as the type to hold a grudge." he said. That surprised me.

"Seriously? Have you met me?" and with that, I turned on my heel and headed for the door. "I'll be back in an hour."

-

Perks about owning a restaurant? You can take food and not have to pay for it. 

As the count-down to the holidays were coming closer and closer, we decided to close up shop until after New Years. So, I grabbed a tray of left-over brownies that didn't sell, put them in a take-out box, and headed back to the Smythe house.

"Malcom's Toy Chest, tonight...no you moron! We have to hide out there during the day. The cops aren't gonna check the doll houses!" that voice was familiar, all too familiar. A little voice in the back of my head started saying 'Don't do it! Run for your life!', but the other voice was saying 'Might as well investigate", so that's what I did.

With the take-out package still in hand, I turned the corner in search of the mystery voice...and I knew he sounded familiar. His name was Harry, no last name, but I had met him when I was in the system. Malcom's Toy Chest? That's a major toy store downtown! There was only one thing I could do,

I ran,

And ran, and ran, and ran until my legs ached. But luckily, I ran all the way back to Sebastian's house before Harry could see me. I burst through the door and through my coat to the ground, panting and huffing doing so.

"What happened to you?" Sebastian emerged when he heard me come in, shocked to find me completely winded.

"I...I was running egghead." I replied.

"From what? From who?" he asked.

"An...oh my god..." I needed to start working out again, this was ridiculous "...an old friend I had no intention of catching up with. Let's leave it at that." I replied.

"It seems you ran for your life, from maybe the restaurant until you made it back here, which is probably about a ten minute run! I don't think I should leave it at that." he said.

"Trust me Smythe, not worth the explanation. I just need a glass of water and I'll be good." I replied. Luckily, he dropped it, and went to get a glass of water. I threw the take-out container on the coffee table and landed onto the couch, I was completely ready to take a nap.

But of course, life hates me, and likes it when I suffer.