This Christmas

three

"Hey Jack" Lily, his coworker, greeted him, "coffee?" 

Jack desperately nodded and took the cup of coffee she held in her hand, already the stress of working retail during the holidays consuming him along with the caffeine he chugged like water.

"It's crazy today, and it's only the beginning of December!" Lily complained, sitting on a big box full of... stuff. 

"And the uniforms don't help either, I look like I just got out of the North Pole," Jack whined back.

"Much better than looking like a traffic sign," Lily pointed to her bright red uniform, and Santa hat.

Jack snorted and took a sip of his coffee. 

"Hey, what are you doing this saturday?" She asked him, swirling her own cup of coffee, her other hand playing with the hem of her skirt.

"Probably wallow in self pity and hatred, you?"

"Twinzies! Wanna do it together? How about my place at eight?"

Turns out the last thing they did was wallow in self pity, they ended up watching a movie and having dinner at Lily's, like a date. 

They've been friends for years, and the switch from friend to date friend was a nice and smooth transition, with all the shared laughs and cuddles.

Maybe Christmas this year wasn't going to be so bad this year.