Time seems to linger as I want it to go faster. I checked my wrist for at least the last 5 hours. I am helping a girl find a novel. "There you go." I say as I hand her the book. "Thanks." She says as she gives me a smile. She walks away. I put the books we pulled out back in there place. "Is it good up there?" I hear him say. I look down at him. I get down from the ladder. "You came?" I say smiling. "Of course. Vanilla wanted that book so much." He says smiling as well. He shows me a picture of the cover of the book. I think I have read it before. It is something about the greek mythology. I walk to the history section. He's right after me. I go up another ladder. I land my eyes on the book's title. I take it out. I go down the ladder with the book. "Here." I say as I hand him the book. "You know, you also look good from up there." He says smirking. I roll my eyes at him as I feel the same feeling I always felt whenever he turns told me something admiring. We walk together to Mr Banes's office, so he can pay for the book. "Is that your friend?" Mr Banes asks as he places the book into a bag. "Yeah." I say smiling. "Well, here you go." He says as he hands him the bag smiling. "Merry Christmas, sir." Charlie says before we walk outside. I grab my coat and bag before we go outside. "Thank you." He says. "No problem." I say. "Hey, wanna have dinner with us tonight?" He asks. "Are you sure?" I ask him. I never had dinner with Miss Johns before. I just had tea once with her. She was the one who invited me. I didn't feel comfortable. "Yeah, I also need help in wrapping the gifts and placing the tree for grandma." He says as he scratches the back of his neck. "Okay, I haven't bought my tree yet." I say. "We can buy them together." He says smiling. It is been a while since I went to buy a tree with anyone. I always went alone. "Okay." I say as we walk our way to get the trees.

We arrive with the trees to the floor that has both of our apartment. He helps me place my tree into my apartment. "We can decorate it, later."he says as we leave it. We enter his grandmother's apartment. "I am home, granny." He says as I help him get the tree into the apartment. "Oh my goddess." His grandmother comes saying. "Thank you, Charlie dear." She says as she places her arms around him. Hugging him. "Well, I hope you made a good dinner. We have a guest." He says as he points at me. I wave a little. "Coraline?" She says as she wears her glasses. "Hello dear." She says as she hugs me as well. As we pull back, she walks back to the kitchen. She has her white grey hair short and curled. Her skin is light and full of wrinkles. Her brown eyes rest into her skull. She's wearing a purple sweater along with black pants. "Give me that." He says as he takes off my coat for me. I take my scarf off as well and hand it to him. I sit on the sofa that's resting in there living room. "Well, looks like you don't have any problem showing it now?" He says as he points at the visible part of my neck along with my tattoo. "How's yours?" I ask. "Shhh. Granny doesn't know yet." He says as he holds out a finger in front of his lips. "Okay, okay." I say in a voice that sounds like a whisper. "Dinner, you guys". We both hear Miss Johns say from the kitchen. We walk to the kitchen. A smell of perfect homemade food fill up my nose. I haven't been eating a lot of that. She made pasta alongside some steak. Charlie sitting next to his grandmother. I sit in front of them both. "This smells so good, granny." He says as he holds the fork and the knife. He starts to eat up. I start to cut the cooked meat softly. "Your father called me." His grandmother says. "Yeah?" He says as he chews on his food. "They will arrive tomorrow instead." She says. "Oh okay." He says as he takes a sip from the wine laying in his cup. "I will start my holiday from tomorrow and until new year." He says. "So, how are you Coraline?" She asks. She doesn't really know stuff about me. She doesn't know that I left my house. She doesn't know that I left my sick depressed mother and came here. "I am okay." I say as I pick up my cup. I let the wine slip into my mouth.

We are all in the living. Miss Johns is sitting on the couch. She's reading a book with her glasses resting upon her nose. I am decorating their tree with Charlie. His shirt sleeve are folded as he hangs the lights and the bells on the tree. I hang some bells on the tree. "Well, wanna put on the star?" He asks as he hands me the star. I smile at him as I take it. I stand on my tippy toes and hang it there. On the top of the tree. "Perfect." I say as I walk to the back. He hands me a cup with wine. We sit on the floor to wrap the gifts to put them by the tree. "I am too tired. I will go to sleep now." Miss Johns say as she gets up. "Thanks for tonight, Miss Johns." I say smiling. "Josie, please." She says smiling back to me. She walks inside. She stops on her way inside. "Why don't you join us tomorrow as well?" She turns looking back at me. "I did love to." I say. She nods at me with a smile. She turns back to go inside. "She likes you." I hear him say from behind me. "I should be going as well." I say as I walk to the door. He walks after me. My coat and scarf are in his hands. "I had such a great night, Charlie. Thank you." I say smiling. I really did. It felt so warm and beautiful. "Well, See you tomorrow?" He asks smiling. I nod at him with a smile. He waves at me as I close my apartment's door behind me. I go to bed, filled up with such a warm feeling.