The Gift

December 22nd 5:00PM

"What?" Henry Anderson exclaimed. A few people on the busy New York street turned and looked, waiting for another outburst. When none came, they moved on, shopping bags knocking at their knees. William Reynolds waved his hand at Henry's face and scoffed, breath fogging in the December chill.

"You heard me! This will work!" William exclaimed back. Henry shook his head, letting it fall forward into his hand. His auburn hair seeped through the spaces between his fingers.

"How?" Henry asked letting out a cloud of frozen breath. He adjusted the collar of his denim jacket as snowflakes fell and stuck to his shoulders. With a flick of a hand, he wiped a few off of the white flakes. They melted as soon as his hand touched them.

"You go to a girl who is all alone, chances are she's not going anywhere, ask if she has plans for Christmas and then spring it upon her!" William grinned. His white teeth glowed in the glow of the neon sign above his head. Henry averted his gaze to the ground, shuffling his feet in front of him.

"Fine," William let out a heavy sigh. His black hair, shaved to just half an inch glittered from the melting snow. "If you won't, I will for you."

"What?" Henry's head whipped up just in time to see William dart into an open bar. Henry stood in shock. Should he go after William? What if he actually succeeded? A short woman bumped into Henry's tall frame and let out a string of curses, shaking a fist at the young adult. She hissed through her teeth before waddling away. Henry let out a wispy sigh and looked up at the sky. The door to the bar slammed open and William tumbled out.

"Apparently no one at a bar wants to go to a family Christmas with a dude, but I got three numbers!" William hooted, punching the night air with his fists. Henry rolled his hazel eyes.

"I told you it wouldn't work," Henry stated. Without waiting for his friend, he began walking down the city sidewalk. The snow was sticking to the concrete in flimsy patterns as people walked over the fresh layer. William raced to catch up, slipping on the snow. He grabbed onto a lightpost to re-erect his large body. Henry was a toothpick in comparison to William's broad stance and large chest. Henry had had to accept he would be thin as a stick, but that didn't stop him from putting muscle in his lanky frame.

"Dude, this isn't over," William stated, taking out a comb and running it through his short hair.

"What, you don't even need a comb for that, and no, we are absolutely done," Henry said, but William was looking at the sign above a storefront. "What now?"

"Isn't this the coffee shop Allison's boyfriend recommended?" William asked, pointing to the name. Wayward Wanderer.

"Her ex. But yeah, it is," Henry replied, looking up at the wooden sign. The black letters spelling out the name were lit with bright bulbs, but the rest of the sign, which appeared to be a map, was only lit by the glow of the street.

"Let's go in," William grabbed Henry's arm and pulled him through the door. A bell jingled and the smell of homemade pastries and fresh coffee filled the air. "Heaven," William whispered. On the left side of the large counter were the cash registers, and along the rest of the counter space were racks to hold bread and other pastries, of which only a few remained. A teen appeared from behind the racks and pressed a button on one of the registers.

"Can I help you guys?" He asked. William and Henry shared a look before looking up to the menu boards. Henry shrugged his shoulders, turning to look at William in the faint blue aura of the cafe.

"Can we take a few minutes, we've never been here before?" William asked. The teen nodded, his red hair bouncing out from under his cap.

"Of course. We have a sampler box you can purchase if you'd like. We give you a select of a dozen items," the young cashier offered, pushing his hair back up underneath the blue cap upon his head. Henry and William turned to each other again. William was the one to shrug his shoulders this time.

"That sounds good, thanks," Henry replied to the young cashier with a nod. The teen nodded his head as well and punched in the sampler into the register.

"Anything else or do you want another minute?" The cashier questioned as he looked up at the two young men. William narrowed his blue eyes as he peered up at the board.

"What would you suggest?"

"Really anything. There's very few menu items I haven't tried and I have liked them all. Hazelnut is my favorite," the cashier replied, resting his hands on the black granite countertop. He leaned slightly forward, eyes flicking back and forth between William and Henry.

"I'm allergic to hazelnuts," Henry stated.

"If you like sweeter coffee, I'd recommend the caramel swirl or blueberry muffin. Otherwise the just plain coffee is good too," the cashier added.

"I'd take a large hazelnut, boy that sounds great!" William exclaimed, wiping his head around to look at Henry. Henry flicked his gaze between William and the cashier.

"I'll try the blueberry muffin in medium," Henry said and handed the teen his debit card. William swiftly punched Henry's shoulder, turning Henry's attention away from the cashier. "Ouch! What was that for?"

"Look!" William hissed, nodding to the far corner of the shop. The cashier handed Henry back his card and disappeared behind the racks. Henry stuffed it back in his wallet and turned to look at what William was pointing at. In the far corner under a set of mason jar lights, a girl sat at a small table, her eyes glued to her phone.

"Oh please don't!"