CLAIRE
Time sure does have a way of slipping through your fingers. Ever since Blake and I had our little heart-to-heart, weâve been spending more time together.
And now, itâs Christmas Eve. Iâm about to do something I havenât done in years: buy a gift for someone.
I stopped buying gifts when I was thirteen, once I realized it didnât really matter. But now, I have Blake. ~I never thought Iâd say that!~ But I do. And I know that friends buy each other gifts.
I donât knowâand honestly, I donât careâif Blake will get me something. I still want to do this for him.
In just a few weeks, Iâve learned a lot about him. For example, he loves steak, his favorite color is grey, and his favorite movie is ~Mr. and Mrs. Smith.~ Just the basics.
But Iâve also picked up on the little things.
Like how he hates being interruptedâI learned that the hard way. He loves being the center of attention, heâs not a big fan of animals (heâs actually scared of them).
And heâd do anything for his mom and sister.
Heâs your typical cocky jock, but underneath it all, heâs just a sweet gentleman who loves his family.
I found myself smiling as I walked into the bustling mall, my blue skinny jeans rubbing against my legs as I headed to Hot Topic.
I was wearing my purple Converse, blue skinny jeans, and my Sleeping with the Sirens band tee. My wallet was in my back pocket, holding a little over $5000 at the moment.
Iâll admit, Iâm actually pretty excited to buy him a gift. I thought Iâd never get the chance to do this again. And while Iâm at it, I can get gifts for Nancy, mom, dad, and Molly too. Itâs a win-win!
As I walked into Hot Topic, I could hear good music blasting from the radio at the back of the store. There werenât many people here, as it was only the afternoon.
Lights flashed and customers were browsing the clothes and checking out. I havenât been to Hot Topic in forever.
But I did work here for about five months before I quit to focus on my boxing career. But I still knew the manager.
His name was Zach. He was about twenty now, and heâs had a crush on me since the beginning. So, I thought, why not pay him a visit?
But first, I had to get Blakeâs gift.
One thing I definitely noticed about Blake was that he absolutely loved ~music!~ He was head over heels for it!
His favorite bands were Green Day, One Republic, Skillet, and, of course, Skrillex.
I strolled through the aisles, looking at different CDs that I knew Blake would like. I stopped in my tracks when I saw the new release for the Green Day CD. ~Blake would love this!~
I thought with a smile. I picked up the CD and turned it over. It had eleven of their new songs for $5.99.
That was a deal I could live with.
I walked back over to the cash register and grinned when I saw Zach. Just for fun, I added an extra sway in my walk to see his reaction.
And sure enough, his eyes darted to my legs and my hips as I stopped in front of him. I didnât even blush as he was practically undressing me with his eyes until his own chocolate brown eyes met my hazel ones.
His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. âClaire,â he breathed.
I nodded and leaned on the counter, placing the CD on it. âHey, Zach. Long time no see, huh?â I joked with a grin.
Iâll admit, Zach was pretty attractive with his chocolate brown eyes, dark brown hair, and a slight mustache.
His chest was toned and well-muscled. He had dark bushy eyebrows, but that just made him more attractive.
He knew he was good-looking, and he used that to his advantage. Iâll admit, before I was dating James, I was attracted to him.
He always teased me because I used to stutter around him, but now I guess heâs shocked that Iâve totally moved past that stage in life. That was a long time ago.
Finally, he seemed to snap out of his daze when I waved my hands in front of him.
âH-Hi. Hi, Claire. Yes. I havenât seen you in a while,â he stammered, looking at my toned arms and smirking. ~Whoâs the one stuttering now, Zach?~ âYou look great.â He finally said.
I tilted my head to the side in a sweet and innocent kind of way. âI know. I just came to pay for the CD.â I said with a sugary smile.
He looked down, and I grinned even wider when I saw a light blush creeping onto his cheeks. ~Heâs blushing!~ I was starting to realize the effect I had on guys, and I loved it!
âYes, yes, of course. So, how have you been?â He asked, trying to make small talk.
I shrugged. âGood, I guess. Iâm making money and stuff. Just came here to buy a small gift for a friend.â I answered casually.
He nodded, scanning the CD. He was wearing a red and grey plaid button-up shirt with blue ripped jeans. His name tag read, âManager: Zach.â
âThatâs great.â He looked up and grinned at me. I knew that grin all too well. It was the one he always gave girls when he wanted âsomethingâ.
âSo, since we havenât caught up in a while, what do you say I get your number and we can hang out sometime?â He winked.
I gave him a lopsided smile as I grabbed the bag with the CD in it. âThanks, but no thanks. Merry Christmas!â I shouted, quickly walking out of the store as Zach stood there with a dumbfounded look on his face.
Next stop, ~Jared!~ ~Jared was the place I usually went to get Molly or Nancy some jewelry. I just went there when I really wanted to splurge.~
I knew that Nancy loved earrings, and Molly loved rings. I preferred necklaces but didnât wear much jewelry anyway.
After I bought Nancy some diamond blue dangling pearl earrings, and Molly a sea blue crystal ring with little dark blue studs on the sides, I made my way to the last store, Macyâs.
My mom loved shoes, heels to be exact! When she was little, she loved dressing up in heels and pretending to be a princess. She just adored it. I still remembered from when I was little that my dad also loved sports caps.
So, I set out to buy my mom a pair of heels and my dad a baseball cap.
I hopped out of my car and strolled into Macyâs. It was already past four oâclock and the Christmas shopping frenzy was in full swing.
Macy's was a madhouse! People were swarming the clothing, shoes, makeup, and cash registers.
I made my way to the shoe section and started browsing the heels. After a quick scan, I spotted the perfect pair: Gold, strappy heels that would match her light green eyes flecked with gold.
There was a silver diamond circle in the center of the shoe and they were open-toedâjust the way my mom likes them. Sheâs not a fan of closed-toe heels; she loves the feel of a cool breeze on her toes when sheâs strutting around in her heels.
Once I had the heels in her size, I set off to find a cap for my dad. I wasnât sure what kind, but I knew he had a thing for camouflage and military gear. So, I figured Iâd find some sort of army-style, camouflage cap.
Sure enough, I found a dark green and brown camouflage cap in one of the hat sections. It was the kind youâd see on soldiers.
I grabbed the cap and headed to the cash registers. It was getting late and Iâd promised mom Iâd be home by eight oâclock.
Not that sheâd be home by then. With it being Christmas Eve, she wouldnât be back until at least three in the morning, thanks to all the last-minute shoppers!
Thatâs the main reason she always forgets about Christmas. Sheâs too exhausted to function properly. And I canât blame her. I think she deserves the extra sleep on Christmas day.
Besides, she always makes up for it a few days later when guilt gets the better of her.
My dad has managed to cut down to two beers a day and only five cigarettes. Itâs a big change from his usual seven beers and a whole pack of cigarettes a day.
Sometimes Iâm amazed that heâs still alive and functioning. In fact, heâs even applying for jobs to get his life back on track.
I think my two-day disappearance really made them realize they needed to shape up.
And Iâm not complaining! Iâm loving the extra attention Iâm getting from them and from Blake. Blake has become my rock over the past few weeks.
Every time Iâm with him, my heart races and my palms get sweaty. But, for some reason, I donât mind it anymore.
I know Iâm not in love with him, maybe itâs just a little crush, but Iâm sure itâll fade soon.
Once Iâd paid for everything, I hopped back into my car and started the drive home, a huge smile plastered on my face.
I was just so thrilled and couldnât wait for tomorrow. I loved Christmas shopping! I really did. I hadnât realized how much I missed and loved it until just now.
~And suddenly, I was buzzing with anticipation for tomorrow.~ ~This Christmas was going to be the best one Iâve had in a long time!~