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Missing Krampus

NAOMI

one year later

T he official promise for them to try meeting each other again—other than giving Naomi hope for a happy joined future—made the wait harder for her. With the fantasy of that future right out of reach, she only missed Kilean more.

When she returned home last time, his absence immediately made itself known. While she was still in the chalet, she could pretend he was still around due to all the memories they now had in that house. There , she could still hold onto his lingering presence.

At home in the city, however, it was much harder. The change of environment always felt like a harsh snap to reality, and Naomi would be lying if she said she didn’t question whether she had imagined everything or not— again .

With the mundanity of her daily life, memories of Kilean slowly faded.

Every day, she wished she had something of him.

No one was supposed to know of his existence, so she couldn’t ask him to take a photo together, no matter how much she wanted to.

And he never wore anything, so it wasn’t like she could “steal” some of his clothes, the way girlfriends usually did with boyfriend’s hoodies.

Boyfriend … it felt so odd to think of Kilean like that—because the word itself didn’t fit his not-so-human nature, and because despite the sweet words they exchanged, they never defined their relationship.

Kilean was a very straightforward type, never beating around the bush or hiding things purposely.

He needed clear words and instructions to figure out things properly, so the fact that he never brought up the topic himself made Naomi think that demons weren’t used to the same types of relationships as humans.

Maybe demons didn’t need to speak about it.

Or maybe the two of them already did something which, for Kilean , was a clear sign that they were fully committed.

For all she knew about demon culture and habits, Naomi might have even married him already.

Frustrated by his absence and worried about memories of him fading, Naomi decided to pick up drawing.

Since she was a newbie, her drawings weren’t good at first. But Naomi practiced every day—first learning human anatomy, then trying her hand with more monstrous features, hoping that she’ll be able to draw Kilean properly someday, and have something to look at whenever she missed him.

When the time finally came to go back to the chalet, Naomi packed all her usual bags and boxes, then set off.

Her heart raced when she saw the house from afar, as if something inside her chest was tugging her closer and closer. She wished she could control her expectations, but her hopeful heart betrayed her every time, causing her mind to wander further away than it should.

Naomi did her best to act normal, like she would on any other trip, and not as if she was waiting for something.

During her stay, she rewatched all the movies and shows that had krampus in it, just to feel closer to Kilean somehow.

However , they were all horror stories, and none of the krampuses looked like him, so they never completely filled the hole in her chest.

Eventually , she spent her whole days reading, having recently found that romance books where people fall in love—and bang—monsters and other fantasy creatures were a real (and very popular) thing.

However , the more that she read about scary-looking monsters being lovely with their humans, the sadder she became.

Those books made her horny, too, since any time she read a sex scene, she was unable to stop thinking of Kilean and the intimacy they shared. And then that, too, made her sad, as she remembered they may not share such intimacy any time soon—or maybe ever again.

She busied herself with decorating the house with fairy lights and Christmas decorations, but she waited to decorate the tree. Kilean had liked doing it with her, so she wanted to wait in case he showed up again.

And wait she did, but days passed, and no one knocked on her door.

As mid- December approached, Naomi gave up hope seeing him that year. She knew he had some wiggle room to be out in this world, but by now, the time window was more than closed.

Sighing in defeat, Naomi decorated the tree alone, loudly singing along to sad music as she did. She felt a bit a silly—and dramatic—but at least she felt a bit better about the missed encounter.

To not feel lonely, all she could do now was think about the approaching Christmas .

Naomi’s close family and her best friend Hayley were going to stay at the chalet with her from the 24th till New Year , so the place would soon be chaotic and lively again.

All she had to do was wait—she was getting good at that.

A week before Christmas , her friend video-called her just as Naomi was laying with her e-reader, bundled in the blanket fort she had built in front of the fire.

“ Hello , stranger,” Naomi answered, an involuntary smile pulling at her lips at the sight of her best friend doing her makeup, her phone propped up against the mirror.

“ Hello , stranger,” Hayley said back in a sing-song voice. “ How’s it going over there? Got tired of the snow yet?”

“ It’s going well,” Naomi replied, ignoring the second question. “ It’s quiet and cozy.”

Naomi turned the camera to show her the fire, then turned it back to herself, showing her setup in the middle of the blankets and pillows.

“ Cozy indeed,” Hayley agreed.

Naomi watched as her friend worked on her makeup, the familiarity of the motions bringing her comfort.

“ Are you going somewhere nice?” Naomi asked, curious.

Hayley grinned. “ I have a date.”

“ With who? Anyone I know?”

“ You remember the person I met the other night, when I went out on that team dinner? Well , I saw them again yesterday at a coffee shop. We exchanged numbers and I asked them on a date.”

A week before, Hayley had a dinner with some of her colleagues.

She was outside on a cigarette break when someone tripped and fell on her.

When her friend had recalled the moment, she had gushed about how handsome the stranger had looked.

Naomi wasn’t surprised to find out Hayley had immediately scored a date when she saw them again.

“ Make sure you tell me all the details once it’s over,” Naomi reminded her.

Hayley grinned, a mischievous look in her eyes. “ Of course.”

She immediately went back to her makeup, and as Naomi quietly watched her, she began feeling more and more distant from her. Just a few weeks away from Hayley and she missed her like crazy, despite all the texts and calls.

“ You could use a break from city life, you know,” Naomi said.

Hayley narrowed her eyes at her friend. “ You don’t need to convince me. I’m already coming, remember?”

“ But can’t you come a bit earlier then everyone else?” Naomi asked, pouting for dramatic effect.

“ Stop that, you’re a grown woman,” Hayley scolded, but there was no real irritation in her tone.

“ Please ,” Naomi said, purposely making her voice sweeter. “ Honey , sweetheart, my baby boo , can you come keep me company a few days earlier? I miss you.”

“ Oh my God !” Hayley threw her hands up, exasperated. “ Okay , okay, I’ll see what I can do. I’ll talk to my boss tomorrow and let you know if they let me take a couple more vacation days.”

“ Yes , please. Ask and let me know.”

Naomi didn’t want to sound desperate, but she was surely feeling it. If she could just spend some quality time with her best friend, she could forget about Kilean for a few days.

The two of them kept chatting as Hayley finished her makeup, then Naomi helped her choose an outfit.

“ Text me when you’re back home,” Naomi reminded her. “ Or if you end up going home with your date.”

Hayley winked at her, the look in her eyes suggesting that she was very likely going home with them.

When they eventually ended the call, Naomi found herself again in the quiet of her lonely chalet, the sound of her deep sigh filling the room.