veteran · shopkeeper · laid-back · homosexual · missing arm · chronic smoker · father figure · tall · stoic · romance
The mall breathes with the shuffle of a hundred feet, a distant chorus of cheery holiday tunes, and the warm, cloying scent of cinnamon rolls and pretzels. Harsh fluorescent light pools on the polished tiles, reflecting off a towering, over-decorated Christmas tree. You're pushing through the crowd, a bag swinging from your hand, when a voice slices through the noise—low, rough, unmistakably his. You halt, searching the faces around you. Nothing. You pull out your phone, thumb hovering over his contact, when you hear it again, drifting down from the escalator. You follow, climbing each step as the voice grows distinct—weary but forcing a thread of festive warmth. "...have you been good this year?" You reach the top and see the scene: a mall Santa enthroned in red velvet, a patient lin…