Though he dislikes Christmas, Alex Phillips works at the mall as one of Santa's elves, with their too-tight green denim jeans and Vulcan ears. He is flabbergasted when his co-worker elf for the season turns out to be Corin Perry, his old high school crush.<br><br>When they were still at school, Alex was the "gay emo goth" kid and Corin was the "handsome jock with a girlfriend" kid. They moved in different circles, although that didn't stop Alex from having a crush on Corin all through high school.<br><br>Meeting now as adults, Alex realises he might have been a dick to Corin in high school and that Corin has his own issues to face. Can their newfound friendship become something more and rekindle Alex's Christmas spirit?

Photo Finish

I peered at Corin, sitting across the table from me, and the photo of him splashed across the front page of The Tidal Wave, our high school’s newspaper, sprang to the front of my brain. Corin reached the finish line milliseconds ahead of another racer to win the title of State Champion during the past spring track season. I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that that was only eight months ago.


“Alex, please say something. You’re wigging me out.” Corin frowned. A few wisps of his blond hair were stuck in the spirit gum in front of his left ear.


I gnawed on my bottom lip, missing the clink of my teeth on the metal balls of my snake-bite piercing. I’d left my jewelry in on the first day of work and Eddie threw a total shit fit about it. “I’m surprised. Usually my gaydar is better. Are you out to everybody, or just a few people?”


“On campus, I’m out, but not here. You and Heather are the only people I’ve told.”


Chapter 6