Your Secret Santa

It was December, the temperature in Seoul was below zero, very cold. Everyone was wearing their warmest clothes walking in a hurry or chatting with a friend while window shopping. And here was you in a coffee shop working until late night. There were a lot of costumers giving orders, some would sit on a table others would just take out their coffee. You sighed, it was a day you didn't like.
      You had stayed up till morning studying and then headed here. Right now even your reason of insisting to study in Seoul was pointless. The door opened and the cold wind entered the shop along with a tall man. His hair were blond his eyes almond shaped and very expressive. You knew him, Kris from EXO a very outstanding man, a god if one could say. He approached you and gave his order. Your turn was to give it to your co-worker and make everything asked. Kris stood at the side waiting for the coffees, it wasn't only his own but a couple more to prepare and give.
   There were no more costumers entering so you found the chance to go talk to him. You were thinking what to ask him but you were stuck. Kris looked at you waiting for your voice to come out.
“How is work going?” you finally asked with your crappy Korean
“It's tiring but it is also fun”. Kris replied with a warm smile
“You sound satisfied. I'm so glad. Are you doing well? I hope you're not sick or something”, you asked another question wondering if you had some kind of a problem.
“I'm perfectly fine thanks for caring”, he replied in English and smiled again
“You're welcome if we don't care then who will? you're giving us so many things with your music that's the least I know we can do”, you smiled back starting to feel your shaky legs
“So you are a fan but what a foreigner fan is doing here?” he asked, his voice did sound husky but it was very calm with a tone of excitement
“I'm studying economics I thought it would be better to study in a rich country that I like”, you replied and started to pack the coffee. You saw Kris’ hand leaving a white paper on the counter
“Can you bring it on this address? I'm kind of late so if you can...” he was asking politely, a shine of hope in his eyes making you not able to deny his request
“Yeah it's alright but it will take a while”, you actually agreed you possibly couldn't say no to those eyes that where almost pleading.
“Thank you”, his voice loud enough to hear him when he was opening the door waving to you, the noise of the road trying to cover Kris' voice.
 

         You packed every plastic cup carefully and put them inside a box and placed a ribbon on it. You put the receipt in the bag. You had closed the account with money that Kris had left together with the address. You informed your boss you'd be leaving to give the order. You threw the coat on you and rode the bicycle after putting the box in the basket at the front so it can be safe. After biking through a lot of neighbourhoods you stopped at the most luxurious. Tall buildings, trees decorating the sidewalks people wearing expensive clothes holding a laptop or an iPad. You walked to the entrance of one of the buildings.
        This one wasn't as tall as the rest. It had only three floors but bigger windows. You rang the doorbell and a man answered through the machine. You explained the reason for your coming. The man told you to get inside and leave the box in a specific place. You got inside and left the box at a wooden table. The interior of the building looked beautiful and guessed that probably the other floors would look the same, this was the dorms of EXO. You checked once again the box and left on it the change.

“Oh! You're here thought you would take longer”, a familiar voice spoke behind you. "You keep the change the voice" said again
“No Kris it's alright”, you smiled being happy for seeing him twice in a day
“I insist, your shop don't do delivery but I made you come here”, he moved to the table.
“But it's really..”, you tried to say when Kris' hand took yours and gave it the change
“Think of it as a reward for your hard work”, he suggested closing your hand in a punch
“Thank you”, you said with a shaky voice because his hand touched yours. “I better get going I can't be late”, you bowed thinking that the real reward was that you saw him again but half regretting for wanting to stay more.
 

    Back in the coffee house you were serving the costumers at their tables. Once you had got back you had to work as a waitress punishment from your boss for making a delivery. Your boss knew how you hated being a waitress and just wait for weird costumers to decide for the order. Fortunately you didn't hesitate and suggest for a blend if one took too long.
     At the end of the day you heard of something new, an event called Secret Santa. You said something nice to the person you wanted to make its days till 24th or 25th of December. Many girls had found this as a nice try to make the person they liked to have feelings for them or confess when revealing who they were. Yes the most interesting part was to not reveal your identity until Christmas. When washing a few glasses your thought about the event. You weren't able to say anything to Kris and you were grateful for giving you a tip. It would be nice leaving him small messages and cheer him up for the remaining three weeks until Christmas. You headed home quickly riding your bike and took white paper and ribbons to make your messages. You wrote seven for this week.
     The next day you went by their dorms and left the message, it was in a small paper rolled up and tied with a green ribbon on the door knob. You had written Kris' name on it.
When you entered the coffee house you noticed a paper on your machine. It was written on it "I hope you have a wonderful day as you are one of the best people I know. xxxSecret Santa"
 

“Who wrote this?” you asked checking the other machines for similar notes.
“No idea when I came it was there thought you put it for today as a wish for the costumers”, your boss replied to the curious you. You checked the note again, the letters were nice round and very clean. You took it off and shoved it in your pocket. You could do nothing more than wait for the revelation day. Your curious self couldn't wait for it, though you guessed it would be one of the waiters.  The note had cheered you up and you wished the same would happen for Kris.
    The days went by like this, making  the happiest messages rolling them and putting a ribbon. At some point you started to decorate them. A few days ago you passed by a store that sell decorations for the Christmas tree. You couldn't help yourself and bought enough for the remaining days that left. Notes kept being left on the cash machine or on the counter. Notes kept being left on the cash machine or on the counter, bringing smiles on your face. You were cheerful all day long. Whoever wrote those messages was a caring and sweet person.
Christmas arrived the coffee shop was filled with people drinking their coffee or tea. The boss had brought a pastry chef to make cakes for the day. It was hectic and crazy when you started working after you delivered your last message to Kris. At the usual place there was the note "Wait for me" you wondered what exactly meant, wait until when. All the day you were suspicious to all clients and the waiters, but none seemed to have anything to say. It was half an hour before midnight. The boss had left you to clean and close the shop. You were cleaning the counters when you heard a knock on the front door. It was Kris who was looking at you with his cool face. You opened the door letting him in.

“Am I interrupting?”he asked, closing the door instead of you. He took his coat off and hang it on a hanger. You shook your head, he had made himself already comfortable, it would be rude to tell him that he would be in the middle of your work. Though you had almost finished.
“Sit over there” you suggested, pointing a table near the windows watching directly to the street. You closed the view by moving the curtains and you continued cleaning the rest of the counters. Once you had finished, you left the cloth and soap in a drawer near the cash machine. You went to the door and locked it, switching off the lights and letting only the candles on the tables emitting some light
“Follow me” your voice sounding after a while in the room and you went inside, where the kitchen was. Kris had followed you. Luckily there was a table there.

The kitchen was decorated with a fake pine tree, the colourful lights on it made it look like it was out from a dream land. The table was next to the window which was showing the view of the backyard. Kris never thought there would be a small yard filled with flowered pots. He sat on the table.
“Would you like some coffee?”you asked, Kris was keeping silent. You saw him nodding with the corner of your eye nodding gracefully.

You started making coffee, a blend you only knew to make. You felt his eyes staring at your back, feeling self conscious for the way you looked and if his eyes were satisfied for what they were seeing. You never were confident for your own looks this much, but you could live with what you were given. Minutes later you sat opposite of him, offering his drink.
“I hope you will like it. It’s a blend I only make”. Kris smiled back at you, taking the mug on his huge hand. His fingers looked so elegant touching the cup. You looked outside of the window, the Christmas lights which decorated it hit your eyes making you irritated but after a while you got used to their shine.
“Thank you for your messages” finally his voice was soothing your ears, you were troubled all this time for the cat eating his tongue. You looked at him almost blushing and smiled.
“It’s really nothing, but how did you know it was me?”you were curious to know.
“It’s not like I’m stupid you know, you are one of the few people who know where our dorm is” he snorted and sipped some of his coffee “This is actually good” Kris looked at the dark liquid in his mug.
“It has three different kinds of coffee with chocolate and strawberry syrup. Glad you like it. It was the least I can do since you visited this hour” replied back and stared back at the window.
“I see, I guess I was interrupting you in the end. I’ll go” you heard Kris putting the mug down to the table heading outside of the kitchen.
“No. Stay”, immediately you told him, averting your eyes from the window. “I’m happy you came it’s just that I wait for someone to show up” you revealed some of the truth to him, though you weren’t sure if that person would show up tonight or tomorrow.

“Oh?! Who do you wait?” he asked with a grin on his face.
“My Secret Santa. I might have been one for you, but there’s actually someone for me too. But I have no clue who he or she is, if I know them or not, if we work together” you started fidgeting noticing your sudden bubbling. Kris closed the kitchen’s door and sat next to you, by moving the chair.
“What would you do if he has already come here?” his eyes sparkling and looking into yours.
“I think that person would wait outside most likely. I don’t know” you shrugged your shoulders, looking at Kris who gave out a caring aura. He stood up and left outside. You thought he was bored this much from your attitude that he just left, but he came right back wearing Santa’s hat. You broke in laughs at his face looking serious with a hint of trying to make it funny and that hat, with glitter at its end. It just wasn’t for him, it looked too girly.
“What?!” Kris whined at you, pouting, thinking he had failed.
“You’re just too funny, what’s with that hat? What are you trying to do?” you kept laughing loudly, curling up to your tummy . Kris sat at his chair again and crossed his legs.
“I’m your secret Santa” he said taking a glimpse at the clock on the wall. The clock was showing twelve o’clock, the day has changed.
“You? Why?” you couldn’t form any other words, his words sounded like a spell you couldn’t understand well.
“Because, I was happy that I met you, that I could talk in English that day. I was going to stop the messages but after I saw yours every day, I wanted to do it till the end” Kris confessed and started to search his jean pockets, you were looking at him speechless, that was a plot you had never thought, you were waiting one of your co-workers to appear but apparently, you were very wrong.
“Weren’t you in trouble coming here every morning?”you asked worried if he really did have troubles, you wouldn’t like it if Kris was scolded by the manager.
“No don’t worry I was perfectly fine, I had it all under control”, Kris patted your hands to calm your worries. “Here” he passed a post it note, “Read it once I’m out of the kitchen” Kris stood up and walked out. You started reading the note.

“Thank you for your messages. They were encouraging and very caring. Each day I was very cheerful for receiving those small pieces of letters. It felt like there was one person out there who cared for me more than anyone in the world. As the days of revealing my identity to you were approaching us, I wanted to hide even more, I wished for this to never end, but everything has an end. Along with the end though a new beginning will come, but what kind of start should it be?”

You blinked your eyes and smiled at the note, you thought that this might be strange and crazy but more than anything you wanted to see where all this would lead. You went out of the kitchen almost running. Once you were in the front room your steps became steady almost hesitant. Kris had put his coat back on and he was ready to go.
“Are you leaving? Don’t go”, your lips said on their own, your heart pounding, you didn’t want him to leave yet.
“Why shouldn’t I go?” Kris asked not facing you, his hand on the doorknob, ready to leave the coffee house.
“Santa needs to tell me what beginning he wants on his end”, your voice suddenly sounding cuter than usual. Holding tight on the last note he had given you. Kris left the doorknob and came to you, staring at your face not with an angry gaze but with a very caring yet melancholic stare. One that could be the same as the puppies give to their owners when they want to ask of something, when they want to play and melt your heart.
“A beginning with you, that might bring troubles to both, that will be risky, but I’m willing to try, as long as you’re around.”Kris’ voice wasn’t sounding husky as usual, it wasn’t the voice that could give you chills because of its hoarse tone. You looked at his eyes, glistening under the lights decorations on the windows, his face was so honest, it didn’t twitch.
“I will be around. I want to be around you”, you said while blushing and looked down, you were feeling embarrassed almost letting out your feelings, biting your lips. Kris was shocked by your words and reaction. He approached you and hugged you tight. As you were blushing harder, feeling your breath almost been taken away, because of his broad chest. Kris leaned close to your face, caressing your long hair, lifting your head gently to gaze deep into your eyes, he placed a soft peck on your lips. Kris stopped the kiss and looked back at your eyes, searching for your permission to continue., Without knowing what to say, you were staring at his eyes,  you took a small step towards him, covering any gap between the two of you. Kris got the permission he wanted and caressed your cheek, pulling you in a longer, more passionate kiss than the previous one.
     A year later, still working on the same place, you looked outside the window reminiscing your last Christmas. You left a sigh remembering such a sweet memory. The phone rang in a loud ringtone of your favourite boy band, you answered not recognizing the number.
“Hey baby it’s me”, the husky voice you knew a year now was on the other side of the line.
“Hi Kris. What’s up anything wrong?”, you replied back, he didn’t use to call you at such hours while both of you were working.
“No, everything is all right. Are you free tonight? I’ve missed you”, you heard his voice say making you blush, you have lost counting of how many times he had made your cheeks go red.
“Yes. I’m leaving early today. After all it’s Christmas. Are you celebrating with the guys later?”, you asked, you were curious after all, expecting his answer to be that he would be with his band members forgetting your anniversary.
“No! I have more important things to do tonight. I’ll be waiting outside the coffee shop” Kris told you, hanging up after saying goodbye insisting on you to be waiting.
A year has gone by already and he remembered, you went back to your work duties feeling hyper than before waiting for the night and every night and day that you would meet with him in the future.