Don't Be A Grinch

By the time Melody zipped up her coat, she could feel it deep in her chest, the kind of excitement that had nothing to do with noise or crowds and everything to do with memory. The kind that warmed you from the inside even when the weather tried its hardest to freeze you out.

Tara was already pacing the living room, phone in hand, checking the time for the third time in two minutes.

“Relax,” Melody said, laughing softly as she slipped her scarf around her neck. 

“We’re not late.”

“I know,” Tara replied, rolling her eyes. “I just don’t like crowds, people bumping into me like they're kind of blind. And I hate the stupid traffic.”

“That’s because you’re a grinch,” Melody teased.

Tara shot her a look. “I work almost twenty hour shifts surrounded by sickness and death. I’m allowed to be a grinch.”

Melody smiled, because that was Tara, sharp on the outside, soft where it mattered. She grabbed her gloves from the table and paused, looking at her friend.

“You look really good,” Melody said sincerely.

Tara glanced down at her outfit and shrugged. “I tried.”

Melody knew that was a lie. Tara had definitely tried. The coat, the boots, the subtle makeup, everything was intentional. Tara always pretended not to care, but she did, she would always put up a fit. She's that girl.

Melody, on the other hand, felt light. Happy in a way she hadn’t felt in a long time. Not the loud, reckless kind of happy but the quiet kind that settled into your bones and stayed there.

“Ready?” Tara asked.

Melody nodded. “I’ve been ready all day.”

They stepped outside together, the cold biting immediately, sharp and unapologetic. Melody laughed as she pulled her coat tighter around herself.

“Why do we live somewhere that wants to kill us every winter?” she joked.

“Character development,” Tara replied dryly.

They got into the car, the heater blasting almost instantly. As Tara pulled out of the driveway, Melody leaned her head back against the seat and let herself breathe.

Christmas had always done this to her.

Growing up in Snowbrook, the season had meant more than decorations and music. It meant tradition. Familiar faces. Shared laughter. The town carol every year, the same songs, the same story, the same cold air filled with warmth somehow.

Her mind drifted without permission.

Snowbrook. The square. The laughter she shared with her customers as she took their orders. Brandon’s hand warm in hers. Her head resting on his shoulder. The way the night always felt endless, like nothing bad could touch them.

She hadn’t thought about him like this in a while not sharply, not painfully. Just softly. Like an old photograph you found in a drawer and smiled at without regret.

“Tara,” Melody said suddenly.

“Yeah?”

“Do you remember that Christmas when Cynthia wore that green sweater with the blinking lights?”

Tara burst out laughing. “Oh my God. She looked like a walking Christmas tree.”

“And Jamie kept pretending he didn’t know her,” Melody added, laughing too. “He was so embarrassed.”

“We rated everyone’s outfits that night,” Tara said. “We were horrible.”

“We were honest,” Melody corrected.

Tara smiled, shaking her head. “I miss that version of us sometimes. When our biggest problem was exams and how to get boyfriends.” 

Melody nodded. “Yeah. Me too.”

They fell into a comfortable silence as they drove, the boney m Christmas album playing, the city growing busier the closer they got. Melody watched everything pass by the lights, she was in love with the Christ child, and genuinely happy and contented with her life.

And that alone felt like a miracle.

Parking was a nightmare, as expected, but eventually Tara found a spot. They stepped out of the car, immediately swallowed by sound and movement. Melody instinctively reached for Tara’s arm.

“Don’t lose me,” she said jokingly.

“Like I’d survive that,” Tara replied.

They made their way through the crowd, laughter and chatter surrounding them. Melody’s eyes darted everywhere not because of the lights, but because of the people. The families. The couples. The kids tugging at gloves and scarves. She felt like she belonged here.

They stopped at a drink stand, both of them instinctively gravitating toward warmth. They joined the long queue, but in no time they were in front of the stand.

“Hello ma'am, what can I get you?” The young boy behind the stand who looked like he had been standing all day and couldn't wait to get the hell out of here asked groggily. He looked like he was just a teenager.

“Mint tea,” Melody said.

“Hot coffee,” Tara added.

“Anything else?” he asked flatly.

“No,” Tara said cheerfully. “Just extra sugar for the coffee, thank you.”

He didn’t smile.

As they waited, Tara leaned closer. “Why does he look like someone stole Christmas from him personally?”

Melody laughed. “Because everyone else is having fun and he’s stuck working.”

“But I work during Christmas too,” Tara said. “And I don’t look like that.”

“You save lives,” Melody reminded her. 

“He saves us from hypothermia.” Tara laughed just as a voice called out

“Tara?”

Both of them turned.

Melody recognized him instantly from pictures Tara had complained about more times than she could count. That was Dr. Davy. He looked better in person.

Tara’s face shifted so fast it was almost impressive, shock, anger, irritation all at once.

“Oh,” Tara said flatly. “You.”

Davy smiled, completely unfazed. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”

Melody raised a brow. Interesting.

“And you must be Melody,” Davi said, turning to her. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Really?” Melody asked, surprised.

“Not really, she didn't tell me about you. I've just happened to hear her on the phone with you. She sounds really sweet whenever she's on the phone with you, I wish she was that way with me.”

Melody smiled politely. “That’s so sweet.”

Tara shot her a look. “You eavesdrop on people's conversations? That's creepy as fuck.”

“I don't, I just happen to be around the corner whenever you're on a call with your friend. I'm sorry.” He said gently, trying not to offend her.

The server returned with their drinks, setting them down quickly.

“Thank you,” Melody said.

Tara grabbed her cup immediately. “We should go. The program’s about to start.”

“Mind if I join you?” Davy asked casually.

Tara opened her mouth. “Actually I don't…”

“No problem,” Melody said before she could finish.

Tara stared at her like she’d been stabbed.

The three of them walked together, Tara visibly stiff, Davy relaxed, Melody quietly observant.

They found seats just as the program began.

Children took the stage, dressed in simple costumes. Mary, Joseph and the three wise men. A tiny baby cradled carefully.

Melody felt it again that familiar ache. That familiar wonder.

No matter how many times she heard the story, it never felt old. She never got tired of watching different plays on the birth of Christ. She could hear the story a million times, but Everytime felt like the first time. That was the magic of the season.

Davy leaned back slightly. “This is my favorite time of the year, and these kids are killing their roles.”

Melody nodded. “Mine too. Everything feels christmassy.”

“A season of love,” he said.

“Exactly.”

Tara shifted beside them. “The both of you need to be quiet, I can barely hear the actors.”

The program ended with applause. The lights dimmed and everyone sang ‘Hark the herald angels sing’. The Christmas tree was officially turned on and everyone cheered. The fireworks and everything exceeded her expectations.

“I can drop you off,” Davy offered.

“No,” Tara said immediately. “I came with my car.”

“Alright then, I'm glad I saw you.”

Melody stood. “It was nice meeting you, Dr. Davy.”

“Likewise,” he said warmly, shaking her hands like a gentleman that he is. Melody liked him.

As they walked away, Melody slowed her steps. “Tara,” she said softly. “Let me drive the car to the front so you won’t have to walk. Hand me your keys.”

Tara hesitated, because she knew Melody was trying to leave her alone with Dr. Davy and she could kill her right now.

She handed over the keys, because she didn't want to be a Grinch.

Melody turned back briefly, giving Davy a meaningful smile before leaving. The moment she was gone, Tara rounded on him.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

Davy sighed. “Tara, this is a public place, besides what better way to spend your time off from work.”

She laughed bitterly. “Good. You need to leave me alone.” She said it with finality in her voice like she was done playing games.

“Tara please, I really need to talk to you.”

“Merry fucking Christmas Dr. Davy!” She said this and walked away from him before he could say another word.

As for Melody, she'll deal with her when they get home.