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Alice had never been one for prayers – and she was especially not one for wishing that Santa Clause would drop by her flat to deliver her a present at the ripe age of twenty-six. Yet there she was, on her knees beside her bed, looking out her window not unlike when she had been a little girl. Her hands were folded neatly in front of her. Her legs were tucked beneath her slouching form. She could feel the same skepticism and hope she had owned all those years ago, though the former was naturally triumphing over the other.
Still, it was Christmas Eve. And it was worth a shot.
(Which she’d had one too many of.)
“Listen…” Alice began awkwardly, letting that one word end with a groan, “I know that I- well, look at me, for god’s sake. There’s no way in He- the North Pole that I’m on the Nice List. But, er…”
Regret and humiliation were beginning to overwhelm her. But she pressed on. Not today, sobriety.
“You see, I…” She licked her lips pensively, “I’ve been a little lonely.”
Shit. Lying through your teeth would just seal your fate in the Naughty List, wouldn’t it?
“...fine, I’ve been terribly lonely. Maddeningly so. Most terribly. Horribly. Insanely. Pathetically. God, I have been so ridiculously lonely and I blame…no. That would just bury me in deeper shit now, would it?”
Alice imagined that Santa would be giving her an unamused look.
“But in my defense, she hasn’t been answering my calls or texts! It- it’s fucking Christmas, for god’s sake! The least she could do is send me a cute message! Or even one of those silly little GIFs that had been clearly made by old farts with taste buds on their bums!”
Alice paused.
“Er, no offense.”
Alice let out an aggravated sigh. If she hadn’t been in the Naughty List then, then she was certainly there now.
“I just…”
Alice let a poignant pause hang in the air. For a moment, her mind was clear, and she felt sincere enough to move on.
“...I’m not asking for much, am I?” Her voice was barely above a whisper as she felt the sting of tears in her eyes. A shaky sigh escaped her as she wiped away her little tears, biting down on her quivering bottom lip. “It’s our first Christmas away from each other, that’s all. Is it so bad that I want to at least hear from her?”
Of course, she received no reply. Her heart sank to her knees.
Alice had spent pretty much all of her adult life jumping from one bed, one relationship to another – yet loneliness had been present in nearly every facet of it. There had been moments where she’d believed that happiness was waiting for her, just right around the corner. Then, she’d make the turn and find an alleyway. Cold. Empty. Uninviting.
But then, she’d found Amelia. Or, rather, Amelia had found her. And Amelia had been different. She had been warm. Full of life, joy, and love. Her heart had been open only to Alice, and it remained that way. And Alice reciprocated, even if it had taken a while.
But of course, life did what it did best. As there was serendipity, there was misfortune. Alice had to return to her native London to handle a few family arrangements, and Amelia had to stay in the States to handle her career. They were far too busy, too far from one another. They barely survived with video calls, cheesy texts, Mineraft kisses, and a few shipments of their favourite things.
Yet, Amelia’s presence during the holiday season had started to wane as soon as the calendar had flipped to December – until Alice’s Christmas turned into one like Elvis’s.
Thud!
Alice jumped and quickly stood up as the world spun around her. She bumped her hip on her dresser and let out a sharp hiss, rubbing her injury as she let a string of unsavory curses roll out her tongue. Her head was hammering, but there was a fucking intruder on Christmas Day and she wasn’t going to die now!
“Who goes there?” Alice slurred as she slammed her door open, grabbing her cricket bat, barely getting her glasses on in time as it fell to the tip of her nose.
The intruder screamed, in turn, dropping a gigantic sack on Alice’s wooden floor. “Shit!” They cried, putting their hands up. “Woah, chill out, it’s just me!”
At the familiar voice, Alice quickly dropped her bat and fixed her glasses.
“Oh my god…” Alice whispered, staring at the scantily clad female Santa in her living room. Her eyes immediately welled with tears. She didn’t need a second look, and she immediately flung herself at Santa Clause, arms and legs wrapped tightly around her form.
And Santa gave her the warmest of all hugs, and gave her the most wonderful of kisses to her hair, forehead, cheeks, and lips. Alice’s tears were warm, but not nearly as warm as the feeling she felt deep in her chest. Happy giggles turned into soft weeps of joy, and relief. She didn’t even yelp when their two stacked bodies eventually collided with the sofa. Chapped winter lips felt soft against Alice’s skin, and hot breaths felt more comforting than a fireplace.
“I’m here…” Amelia whispered softly as she cradled Alice in her arms, barely disconnecting their lips. “God, Alice, I missed you.”
Alice was breathless. “But you weren’t answering any of my calls.”
“I wanted to surprise you…”
“As Santa?”
“Yeah.” Amelia chuckled, “You were on my Naughty List.”
Alice couldn’t help but laugh. “Yet I have a gift?”
“What can I say?” Amelia beamed at her, a smile that could cause global warming alone, “I’ve got a bias for naughty girls like you, ‘specially drunk ones.”
Alice playfully smacked Amelia’s shoulder before letting their lips meet for the hundredth time that evening.
Maybe she needed to talk to Santa much more often.