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Hobi burst into the door of the convenience store. He was freezing. He needed to grab his instant ramen and mini heat packs and blot. Today had been way colder than he’d anticipated. It had been in the 50’s when he’d left his apartment, but now it was nearly 30 degrees. Why hadn’t he brought a thicker coat?
He rubbed his hands together as he walked down the aisle to grab his heat packs. Then he headed to find his ramen. He entered the aisle to find one cup left. He headed towards it quickly, reaching for it just as another hand did. They both wrapped their hands around it at the same time before looking at each other.
The girl standing in front of him had short, black, frizzy hair that looked as it it had been hacked off with absolutely no care how it looked. Her eyes were charcoal black, her eyebrows equally as dark. He sighed inwardly. He didn’t have the energy to fight with someone over a cup of ramen right now.
“Hey!” the short girl snapped at him. “I was here first!”
Hobi was surprised by her sudden outburst. She seemed to be too. The second after she said something her hand slipped from the cup and a look of horror passed across her face.
“I-I’m sorry…never mind. You can have it. I’ll just get something else…” she turned and started looking at other options, frowning as she went.
Hobi glanced down at the ramen cup in his hands. Then back up at her. He watched as she chose the cheapest item, walk to the counter, and dump out a handful of change before beginning to count her coins. He glanced around the aisle before grabbing another ramen cup of a different flavor and heading up to the counter.
Change was tumbling all over the floor a moment later as the girl knocked her hand into a few of her coins. Hobi took the opportunity to place his items on the counter and request adding her item to his receipt.
When the girl returned with her change a moment later, she glanced at the counter and noticed her item wasn’t there anymore. A look of pure panic crossed her face. Hobi held out a bag to her.
“Here. Merry Christmas.”
Then he turned and walked out the door.
A minute later he was being chased down the block.
“Sir! Sir! I think you gave me the wrong bag!”
When she caught up to him, she held the bag out to him, pulling out the heating packs and the ramen. Hobi shook his head.
“No. They were for you. I have my ramen.” He held up the other flavor of ramen he had picked out.
“N-no…you should take this one…” she held the other ramen cup out to him.
Hobi shook his head. “I’m just fine with this. Now if you’ll excuse me, I should get home before I freeze my tailbone off.”
She watched as he walked away down the sidewalk. He was whistling and there was a spring in his step that hadn’t been there before. A tear slipped down her cheek. No one had ever been that kind to her.
