Jensen
Dropping Lauren home after the tree lighting last night had been hell. Despite Nancy’s warning, I couldn’t help but miss her. She didn’t have a mobile phone, which meant that keeping in touch on social media or even calling was out the window. I had talked her into letting me take a quick picture of us on my phone, though, and it was the only tangible proof I had of her existence. It was a magical moment, with the snow falling gently behind us, but what struck me was how happy we both looked. In all of the podium pictures of me accepting trophies or spraying vintage champagne, never had I come close to looking as happy as I did with Lauren. Maybe that was why I couldn’t keep from staring at it. For two days, I’d left her alone with the promise that I’d pick her up again Saturday for the date she insisted on paying for. I had no intention of letting her pay for a thing, of course, but I was happy to let her believe it if it got me another date. But after gazing at her beautiful face for the last ten minutes, I knew I couldn’t wait that long. Twenty minutes later, I’d showered, shaved, and was sitting in the coffee shop looking eagerly for my girl.
“What are you doing here?” she asked as she came through the kitchen and caught my eye.
“Is it okay that I’m here?” I asked, starting to second guess whether bothering her at work had been such a great idea.
“Are you kidding? It’s made my day. If you don’t mind hanging around for an hour, I finish at five,” she said. There was no mistaking the sadness in her eyes, but still she seemed genuinely happy to see me.
“I’d wait for you all day,” I replied, then winced when I realized how cheesy that sounded. Lau
ren didn’t seem to mind though. There wasn’t so much as an eye roll at my lameness.
“Well, what can I get you while you wait? My treat,” she said.
“No way are you paying, but I’d like a large hot chocolate please and a slice of whatever cake you fancy,” I replied.
“A grown man drinking hot chocolate has to be about the most adorable thing ever,” she cooed.
“Leave me alone, woman. It’s very rugged and manly.”
“Let’s see if you’re still saying that when it arrives,” she said, winking at me as she went about filling my order. I gawked as she walked away, unable to stop myself from noticing how hot she looked in that damn uniform. There wasn’t anything particularly sexy about a plain black skirt and black shirt, but she could wear a burlap sack and still have grown men drooling.
On that thought, I looked around the place and realized I wasn’t the only man taking an interest. At this time of year, I expected the place to be filled with Christmas shoppers and families, but there seemed to be an unusually high number of men at the coffee shop, and as I watched her work, I knew that she was the reason why. They couldn’t keep their eyes off her, and as much as I wanted to act all caveman and possessive, I knew I didn’t have the right. I wasn’t her boyfriend, and in a little over a week, I’d be gone. Still, I sure wanted the job though. I wanted to be the one on the receiving end of her smile every night when she finished her shift.
“What did I tell you?” she said, rocking me out of my revelry. Her face was a picture of mischievous mirth as she placed a drink in front of me that wouldn’t look out of place in a Disney movie. The blown glass cup was both fancy and delicate, and aside from the fact that I’d struggle to get even my index finger around the handle, the amount of marshmallows, whipped cream, and chocolate wedged into the top of it made it look more like an ice cream than a hot beverage. I wasn’t sure whether to lick it or drink it.
“How am I supposed to drink this?” I asked, wondering if I should pick out the top layer of bonus edible treats and hold the thing like a soup bowl.
“I have no idea, but I can’t wait to see you try,” she replied.
Tentatively, I lifted the drink to my lips, ignoring the fact that she was clearly trying to suppress her laughter. It was the worst thing to have ordered in front of the girl I wanted to impress, given that there was likely as much cream on my face after one sip as there was left in the cup.
“I promise you, Jensen, your masculinity is safe. If anyone could make drinking that look hot, it’s you.”
I cleaned my lip with a napkin and was slightly mollified as she placed the biggest slab of chocolate fudge cake I’d ever seen down in front of me and next to it a jug of what smelled like warm fudge sauce.
“Will you marry me?” I asked after my first bite.
“Sorry. I’ve already promised myself to whoever makes these cakes,” she replied as she walked away to wait on other tables.
As I watched Lauren work, I began to understand exactly what it was my life had been missing. But the knowledge didn’t make me feel any better. I looked forward to every minute we spent together and dreaded leaving, but the reality was that I was needed back in Europe sooner rather than later. My time in Friendship was running out.
It wasn’t as though I could take any of that time for granted either. Between the hours that she was working and our lack of options for communicating, every stolen moment we had together was infinitely precious. I considered asking Lauren to keep seeing me after I left, but I spent nine months a year traveling around the world and three months training.
Even if I left Friendship with the promise of returning, in the end she’d hate me for keeping her waiting. Letting her go would be the most selfless thing I could do. Until then, I’d allow myself this tiny window to savor every moment I could. Setting her free would be my gift to her. Stealing these memories would be my gift to me.
“Ready to go?” she asked, slinging a messenger bag over her shoulder as she walked toward me.
“Sure, where shall we go?” I asked, watching as she chewed on her bottom lip. We might only have known each other a matter of days, but I knew the gesture well. It meant that she was racking her brain for something to do that didn’t involve money.
“How about a walk?” she suggested.
“It’s too cold to walk,” I replied, wincing at the idea. In the UK, it rained far more than it snowed, so I was still adjusting to the climate.
“I know!” I said, recalling something that had caught my eye on the way over. “I passed on old-fashioned cinema on Main Street, and they’re showing It’s a Wonderful Life. Why don’t we go? You can’t get more Christmassy than that.” I silently applauded my own brilliance. Two hours in a darkened room, inches away from the girl who took my breath away, and maybe even the chance to put my arm around her. I was a genius.
She bit her lip harder, and I knew she wanted to go.