I'll leave her for the time being.

“Well, I think I’m gonna head back,” you get up from the couch and start for the door where your coat is. “Wanna stop by for a couple drinks or to hang out?”

Delilah beams at you. “Do you want me to dress up again?”

“I’ll like it even if you show up like that,” you smirk.

She giggles. “I’ll be around when it’s dark. Perhaps we could get something to eat?”

“Let’s not eat at the tavern.”

“Then you’re picking,” she says, and you nod.

It’s pleasant but cold outside. The overcast stops the sunlight from warming anything below, but this doesn’t cause it to snow. It seems everyone is tucked away inside for the day, but after working with Scarlet, you can hardly call it an innocent silence as you stroll through the empty streets. And speaking of Scarlet… she’s stationed in front of Tiny’s Tavern. Scarlet doesn’t look like she’s outside admiring the weather; it's more like she’s waiting for someone while sending plumes of white smoke from her cigarette.

When you’re close enough to converse with her, she flicks the cigarette away and waves once at you. “Merry Christmas, Warren.”

“Same to you,” you walk up the steps, hoping to ignore her, but she stops you.

“Care for a smoke? I’d love the company. A girl shouldn’t be left alone on her lonesome on Christmas,” she cleans her teeth before flashing you with a bright smile.

There’s no way around it, so you agree, hiding your **** with a shrug and warm but crooked smile. Scarlet’s blonde hair is free-flowing, but she has a few braids that characterize her appearance slightly. Her dark blue eyes oversee you as you approach her. In her hands is a pack of the nicotine splendor that she’s about to share.

You partake from the pack and suck dry on the orange end while you wait for Scarlet to give you the needs to light it. She hands you a matchbox, and you use it, shaking the matchstick to extinguish it after letting a few wispy clouds from the corners of your mouth slip into the cooler air. There’s a strange aftertaste that’s minty— “peppermint?” You ask, shooting a quick look at her. She’s smiling again, but this time, she’s amused.

Scarlet lights another cigarette, and you notice her nails are painted in a festive fashion. Red, white, green— only her thumbnails are bare. “You celebrate?”

“Christmas?” She scoffs like your question is stupid. “I have good memories.”

“Want to share some of the holiday cheer?”

She laughs. “Not with you.”

An awkward silence builds itself in the empty space between you and Scarlet as you suck, puff, and breathe, increasing the chill that settles in your bones while you examine the once-familiar trees. Snow has stuck to the branches, weighing them down into a deep sag. The clouds above shift slowly as they drag themselves northward. A steady breeze pushes through the front of the tavern, carrying a wild, wintery scent that you’re unfamiliar with. Scarlet has her eyes fixed forward as she thinks about her secrets.

“What work do you have lined up? Think you’re going to need me more?”

“Nah,” she flicks her eyes over to her as her orange stem shoots to the ground. “I think I’ve got you figured out. Besides, I have a little helper out in the field doing some stuff for me, so it ought to be easy from here on out.”

“Must be nice having a helper for everything you do.”

“He likes it,” she muses. “And it keeps him distracted from his own problems, you know?”

“What’s he up to? Unless that’s all classified information.”

“Just scouting for troublemakers,” she squints at you.

You choose not to follow the conversation anymore. This prompts Scarlet to continue. “You got plans? We could go somewhere right now to spice up the day.”

“Got plans later tonight,” you offer, but say no more.

“Follow me then,” Scarlet goes forward. Since you feel like you have to, you do exactly that.

Scarlet guides you back to a store that looked closed. Upon further examination, you find that it is closed. This doesn’t deter her however. She loops into the back of the building and begins to work on the padlock with you hovering behind her. She looked at you and winked. “You don’t complain much do you?”

“Not when I’m following,” you smile, accompanying it with a little laugh.

The padlock is unlatched, and you both walk in without a problem. You weren’t expecting an alarm anyway. She’s unfocused as she walks her fingers along the shelves. You didn’t consider her a thief, and now that you were watching her aimlessly browse in the darkness, you realized you were right.

“What are we looking for?”

“Trouble,” she looks at you suddenly, and her voice sounds a little high. “I’m bored, and I was hoping for a little excitement.” Scarlet's eyes shift slightly, and her pupils dilate.

“You ever go Christmas shopping?”

“No,” you say, looking around. “And I don’t think I’d ever go here even if I were. What is all this, anyway? A hardware store?”

“Something like that,” she grabs a handful of screws and jingles them. “You’re dating someone, right?”

You try to think of a lie, but nothing comes quick enough to your mind. “Yeah… the bartender girl.”

“The cute brunette?” Scarlet offers.

“That’s the one,” you wondered what Delilah would think of having that title.

“What’d you get her for Christmas?”

“She doesn’t celebrate it,” you say, thinking that’s a good enough excuse not to have gotten her anything. “She didn't even have any decorations around her house.”

“It’s an American tradition to do something for someone. Regardless of whether they celebrate it or not. It’s one of the few good things left in the ruins of this star-spangled empire.”

“Didn’t take you as a patriot. You belong in Texas or somewhere closer to Virginia where the old-world government retains some of that empire.”

Scarlet opens her mouth to say something but swallows her words before they can come out. Apparently, she has opinions of her own, but has no interest in expressing them. “My point is, you could make today special for her. Besides, as a contractor, you have no idea if this’ll be the last Christmas you’ll spend with her.”

“This is our first year.”

She shrugs. “All the more reason. Are you really going to ignore a gift on your FIRST Christmas as a couple? Fuuuck, you’re so unromantic. I’d hate to date someone like you.”

“Okay then… what would you gift me?”

“Honestly, I don’t know you well enough to say. You can’t just shit out something and present it as something meaningful, but picture this,” she stands next to you and points at the desk. “Say I didn’t get anything for you, but later I learned you wanted… a new gun or something while we were dating. I’d give you a gun.”

Scarlet leans back and crosses her arms. Somehow, you know she’s being sincere and that she genuinely wants to help you find a gift for Delilah. She studies you closely. Her mind gears turns with conflict. “You need to get her something that lets her know you care about her. It doesn’t have to be expensive or flashy, but something that lets you know you’ve been listening. So…?”

“She’s a pianist,” you start to explain. “She wants to play more and become a performer.”

“Oh,” Scarlet sounds interested. “You play anything?”

“Guitar, but what kind of contractor doesn’t?”

“Can you sing?”

“Not my strong suit.”

Scarlet looks amused but pushes off the desk. “Let’s get her bracelet. Come with me.”