Accidental Christmas Miracle

16.

Miracle

Sooner than I thought it would take, we were inside the comfy bookstore.

It smelled like apple cider and I loved it. The lighting made it cozy and it was nice and warm, different from the coldness outside.

I forgot what we were here for in the first place as I walked in heaven on Earth. How was this just so perfect?!

"Ahem," Christi cleared her throat, snapping me out of my wonder.

"Yes." I answered the question that I was sure she had asked but had no clue what it was. Just say yes to everything if you don't know the actual question. Actually, don't do that. Don't follow my advice.

"I didn't say anything."

"Oh." There was a slightly awkward silence and I looked around. I then snapped suddenly, remembering what we - well - I was here for and kind of startling Christi. "Oh, yes. Hiding the notes."

"Shhh." She shushed me and looked around dramatically.

"There is literally no one around us." I deadpanned.

She shrugged. "Better safe than sorry."

A gray haired lady, wearing thick black rimmed glasses came up to us with two cookies in her hand. "Hello. Here you two, have these cookies." She winked at us and smiled.

Christi grinned, her face lighting up and then took the cookie, quickly taking a bite of it.

What the heck?! This is a completely random person that gives you cookies! How does she know if they're poisoned or not?!

"Chill, Miracle." Christi told me as she continued to munch of her cookie. "This is Mrs. Robin. She's the owner of The Write Stuff. She won't poison one of her best customers and her friend." She said.

It probably would've slid past anyone else without them giving it a second thought but I noticed that she had called me her friend and that made me feel good. I was probably grinning like a maniac but I didn't have much friends growing up and still kind of don't, which sounds just downright sad but I'm not denying it.

"Why...why are you grinning like that?" She asked me slowly.

I shook my head, still grinning. "Nothing really. I-" I paused. "I just like the fact that you're my friend and I'm yours."

She shrugged. "Of course, you're a great person."

"Are you going to take the cookie?" Mrs. Robin asked me, interrupting us and reminding that she was there.

"Oh. Ummm, yeah. I think I am." I take it and then have a bite of it.

It was a good sugar cookie.

I told Mrs. Robin thank you and she then went to help someone else find a book.

"So..." I started but was then dragged by my arm to a portion of the bookstore. "And what was that for, might I ask?" I asked her, taking my arm from her grasp. "People need to stop dragging me everywhere. I can walk by myself, you know." I gave her a look.

She gave me a sheepish one back. "Sorry?"

I shrugged and sighed. "It's fine..."

"Well, I dragged you over here because this is the best place in the whole store." She grinned.

I raised an eyebrow and glanced around. I saw particularly special about the area. "Why?"

"Because, one - it has beanbags, two - it has the best selection of books within reach of the beanbags and three - the beanbags are so comfy!" She jumped up and down, motioning towards the beanbags.

I laughed. She looked so excited about beanbags.

She stopped jumping and then added, "Oh, and it also has a lot of good spots to hide things." She grinned. "Like there." She pointed to one spot. "Or there." She pointed to another. "Or-"

I chuckled. "Okay, okay. I get it."

She grinned at me and went to find a couple books as I hid the notes and boxes I had.

When she came back, I was done - although I didn't put them just in the section I was in currently, I scattered them - and was looking at a book. I looked up to see her with a stack of five books and grinned. "That's a quite a few books."

She shrugged. "I suppose." She then claimed one of the beanbags.

I soon found myself a book and dived into, sucked into the world that the author wrote and only came back out once I was done with the book. Sighing, I put it down and saw Dot, Jules, and Noel staring at Christi and I.

I flinched, startled and gave them a look. "When did you three get here?"

Noel crossed her arms. "We've been here forever. Gabe went outside, the both of you were taking so long!"

Christi suddenly looked up, torn away from her book because of Noel's volume. Her expression was one of confusion. "When did you three get here?" She asked the same question that I had.

Noel gave her an irritated look. "Too long ago."

Christi was about to say something when I head an upset shout was heard from outside the bookstore.

I quickly rushed out to see what the matter was.

Gabriel was sitting in the snow - although it looked more like he had fell - in front of a boy who had Gabriel's glasses in his hand and was smirking. The boy was probably a couple years older than Gabriel.

I immediately knew what was going on and felt my jaw clench.

"Want these, little angel?" The boy taunted him, holding them up high.

Gabriel scrambled to his feet to try and get them, jumping up to reach them. "Give them back!" He yelled.

"If you're such an angel, then why don't you fly up and get them?" The taller boy laughed rudely.

Before I knew what I was doing, I had gone over to the boy and snatched them from him.

He spun around to see who had taken them and I gave him a look. "Who the hell are you?" He asked me with a sneer.

I shrugged, crossing my arms. "You decide. You leave now and leave my friend alone, I won't be a problem. If you don't, I will be. Understand?" I gave him a fake smile, fighting my urge to punch him or something of that matter.

He laughed. "You're just a silly girl, go away and gossip with your friends, if you have any that is." He tried to push me away but I grabbed his arm as it came towards me and twisted it behind his back.

"Want to rethink that?" I asked him and let him go.

He tried to play it off but I had a feeling him wasn't going to mess with Gabriel anytime soon. "Whatever." With that he stalked off.