Ugh.
Passing by the streets weeks before Christmas while the hustle and bustle just begins is the most annoying thing for Noel.
It's tragic that someone with such a festive name turns out to be someone who despises festivities.
Festivities, namely Christmas.
Noel deftly avoids the men bearing Christmas trees and women carrying the decorations meant for those trees.
So much, that she found out easy to weave her way out of the crowds without even touching or bumping into any Christmas decorations or trees or anything brightly colored.
Her phone rings and she picks it up.
Turns out to be her boyfriend for a few months now.
"Hey Harvey" She shouts into the phone as she passes a noisy family bearing everything she's avoiding.
"Yes. I'm on my way home." She pauses for a second and stops short in the middle of the street.
"What? You're breaking up with me? For?" She visibly trembling
"Not liking Christmas? Do you think I don't have a reason for that?" She whispers into the phone with a solemn face"
"Bye then. Don't forget to pack your decorations along with you. I'll give you enough time before I'm back so you can leave comfortably. I think I gave more into this relationship than you did anyway." She shouts into the phone and clicks the call off.
She stands there in the same spot for a few minutes looking as though she'll burst into tears anytime soon.
But she adjusts her bag and walks into a coffee shop and takes a seat.
A waiter approaches her and takes her order.
Soon after, she has a steaming hot mug of tea in front of her.
She sips her tea silently and watches the individuals and families pass her by.
A couple holding hands catches her eyes and she watches till they round the corner.
She stands up and heads to the cashier. After payment, she steps out of the cafe right into the hands of a man loaded down with elf clothes and props.
She immediately brushes herself down and apologizes. She looks carefully at his face and see he is breathtaking.
Her face turns red and she blames it on the cold weather while she wraps the coat around her closer just a bit more and helps the man up and picks up his things scattered all over the floor for him.
She apologizes again and leaves him watching her as she leaves.
Leaving the unknown man behind and left him staring at her till she went out of sight.
He adjusted his loads and went on his way.
He kept glancing at the corner she went down the street till he can't see it again.
Few minutes of walking later, he arrives at the place where the props and elf costumes he is carrying are needed.
"Shawn. You're so late. They've been waiting for half an hour"
"I'm sorry Mr Woods. I had a little accident." Shawn apologizes not very sincerely
"Your acting got way better" Mr Woods says with a laugh and takes the costumes from him.
"It should." Shawn says and laughs too
"You should settle down. You do this every year without even taking payments."
"It happens to fall into my free time every year and I just help out. My Job doesn't do much around Christmas. Settling down is not as easy as you put it to be you know?" Shawn replies while gathering the fallen elf ears.
"But you have to start somewhere."
"Don't you get tired of it? You say this same thing every single year."
"Christmas is a time for family and loved ones. Christmas is no fun without someone to bake for, cook for, decorate trees with and get gifts from."
"I have my Mum for that" Shawn says and laughs
"You also say that every year. I hope this year will be different." He says with a wink and takes the costumes in for the elves to dress up in.
Shawn smiles and turns to leave. As he turns around, he sights a woman who is being pushed away by someone he couldn't see.
He walks over just like a few other people and he recognizes the woman to be the one who bumped into him earlier.
He can faintly hear the words being said. More like, the words the man was saying.
"Don't come back here. We break up and I take the apartment." He says and pushes her down the stairs. Along with her belongings.
"I own this apartment not you nor your new girlfriend. Get out instead, you filthy man." She gets up and makes to push him away
"I'm filthy? Says the woman who hates Christmas for a reason that is just an excuse to not be happy." He shouts back
Shawn walks forward and pulls the woman up from where she lay on the floor.
She looks up at him and leans on him with her face buried in his suit.
Shawn looks up and says to the man
"You're a disgrace to Men."
He helps her up and leaves with her.
Her Clothes are rumpled and dirty so he gives her his jacket to cover the patches of dirt.
They leave together and walk to a nearby cafe with Shawn's hands around her shoulder.
After they sit, He orders for a cup of tea while she just asks for water.
She takes off the jacket and gives it back to Shawn.
"I appreciate the help but I can't help you with anything Mr?"
"Oh, my bad. I'm Shawn. Shawn Wright."
"Oh. I'm Noel Sanders. Thanks for the other time and I'm sorry for the bumping earlier too." She apologizes
"Are you okay? Do you have where to go? I can call someone to pick up your things."
"No thank you. I'll be fine on my own. You've done more than enough. I can't be indebted to you anymore." She replies.
"So, if you don't mind me asking, what are you going to do about your apartment? I heard you say you owned it." Shawn asks
She looks at the cup of water in front of her for a few seconds before replying
"I'm going to take legal action against him. I own the apartment and it's in my name. I won't leave it to a cheating jerk like that" She voices out.
Shawn looks at her, sighs and looks outside while trying to mask the look on his face.
He sees laughing families and bustling people with the Christmas spirit and smiles. He looks back inside and notices she has her eyes on him.
"What?"
"You seem to like the aura around." She states.
"Yes. Christmas is my favorite time of the year."
"Really?"
"Yes. Countless good things happen to me during Christmas."
He notices her face fall for a second and her defense are back.
She drinks out of her water and sets it back down.
She gets up and dusts her clothes.
"Thanks a lot for today. It was fun meeting you. Please don't mind me for not paying my bills but I think I lost my purse. Thanks again."
Shawn is taken aback by her abruptness. He wonders if it's something he said.
He lets her go anyway.
"My pleasure." Shawn replies and gets up too.
She doesn't wait for anything else and strolls out of the cafe into the street and down to a corner that leads God knows where.
Noel is left to her thoughts as soon as she leaves Shawn. She begins to wonder where she'll stay for the night.