Free Up on the Rooftop by Kristine Grayson

Marshall.
    “That guy,” Delbert said, “you know, the one you were kissing? Which I don’t think they planned on, to tell the truth.”
    Her cheeks flushed, but she didn’t care. “What about Marshall? Is he all right?”
    “He’s in Human Resources right now,” Delbert said, “getting interviewed for his new job. They think you did great. He was a better catch than they expected, but they had to grill him. They didn’t want him to show up just because he wanted to be in your pants.”
    “ What ?” she asked.
    Delbert shrugged. “You were the one who wanted a real job, not some workshop management position. A chance to get out into the Greater World, you said. Well, the job choices are limited, but the best ones are the recruiters, because they can go anywhere. Only I’d never met one before, had you?”
    It was taking Julka a few minutes to catch up. “You’re saying they tested me. As a recruiter ?”
    “Yeah,” Delbert said and grinned. “Although I’m really not sure they’re going to want you to kiss each recruit to get him to come to the North Pole.”
    “I didn’t kiss him because I was recruiting him,” Julka said. “I like him. I have never kissed anyone like that before.”
    “Well,” said a voice from beside her. “That’s good to hear.”
    Marshall was standing there. He was wearing just a bit of glitter—the kind that rubbed off flocked candy cane wallpaper. It got on everything .
    She threw herself in his arms. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t know.”
    “I gathered that,” Marshall said.
    “They manipulated us into recruiting you. I didn’t mean it,” she said.
    He pulled back just a little. “You don’t want me to work at the North Pole?” he asked.
    She didn’t, not if it meant she was working here. But that wasn’t what he meant, and she knew it. “I didn’t know about the recruitment or the test.”
    “I know,” he said.
    “I really like you,” she said.
    “I know that too,” he said.
    “I….” want to spend the rest of my life with you. Never want to leave your side . All of that was too forward this soon, although it didn’t feel soon.
    “It’s okay,” he said, pulling her close again. “I like you too. I more than like you. It looks like I’m changing my entire life for you.”
    “No,” she said. “You can’t. You can’t base a relationship on that.”
    “Is that what you want?” he asked. “A relationship?”
    Her breath caught. “Don’t you?”
    He smiled. A real smile without sadness. “Of course I do,” he said, and then he leaned in to kiss her.
    Delbert cleared his throat. “You guys realize that you’re going to need me.”
    Could Delbert get any more annoying? “For what?” Julka asked.
    “The second test. Your first planned event. Seems someone figured out that the kids here weren’t going to trick or treat because of the snow, so they’ll need some kind of open house, complete with candy and costumes. I’m told that you have to organize it pronto, with enough advertising that the kids can find you.”
    Julka turned inside Marshall’s arms. “What? We don’t celebrate Halloween.”
    “But everyone here does,” Marshall said. “So they told me I needed to show how well I could plan something—and do it fast—and so I thought of this.”
    “And then they told me that you’d need S-Elf assistance, so I’m going to assist,” Delbert said, straightening up proudly.
    Julka thought it all through. It only took a moment, but she realized what had just happened. She had gotten her Christmas wish. Wishes, actually. The ones she never talked about.
    The ability to stay in the Greater World if she wanted. The chance to do a job she would love—organizing. And someone beside her. Someone who would love her and cherish her. Someone she would love and cherish.
    “Delbert,” she said. “We need some privacy.”
    “Then I suggest you leave here,” Delbert said. “They can turn on