Ren Holly - Graphically Designed Holiday;

Table of Contents

By Ren Holly

Graphic designer Eli has harbored a secret crush on nerdy math teacher Lincoln since they were at school together, and hes perfectly content with his unrequited feelingsuntil Lincoln requests a special handmade holiday gift: a dating profile with all the bells and whistles Eli can include, one that will be sure to find Lincoln a boyfriend for Christmas.

Eli uses building the profile as an excuse to spend time with Lincoln, but will he be able to watch his friend find love with someone else?

For my brother, who deserves nothing less than a prince for Christmas.

ELI SAT hunched over a wooden desk that was nearly as intricate as it was old, hastily wrapping up a design project so that he could dive into the weekend with no lingering responsibilities. The memory of the desk inheritance was still fresh in Elis mind.

It had been a gift from his father, reluctantly passed down to him, as promised, when he had completed his degree in aerospace engineering. It was expected that Eli would continue the family tradition of launching satellites and developing exploratory spacecrafts, advancing our species and satiating our natural curiosity as his father called it. And while that was all well and good, Eli found there was plenty to do right here on Earth.

The ice caps are melting, his father had said as he perused the newest issue of Aerospace Sciences. We have a garbage dump in the Pacific the size of Texas, and no one cares .

I care, Father was Elis tired response, and he did, which was exactly why he had secretly procured a minor in graphic design. Perhaps the stretch between graphic design and the sorry state of the world was a bit far, but Eli liked to think that he had already begun to make a difference.

During his time at Princeton, he had teamed up with the environmental students and launched an advertising campaign to reduce single-use plastics, encourage recycling, and spread environmental awareness. According to Elis calculations, his efforts, along with those of his colleagues, had spared the ocean thousands of pounds of garbage. It was a good feeling and the spark of his career.

The Earth is doomed, his father had continued. Our only hope is technological advancement and space exploration.

Well that theory is quite good for your business, isnt it? Eli sagged against the doorframe of his fathers office. I, on the other hand, have a more optimistic view of our future. People can change. Its not too late.

Why are we even having this argument? His father pinched the bridge of his nose and took a breath. You have your aerospace engineering degree. Now its just a matter of choice. Will you work for my company, the university, or? Elis father didnt bother trying to come up with a third option. In his mind there were only two, and he had stated them explicitly.

Actually, Eli said with forced brightness. I have already accepted a job offer.

With whom?

Eli hesitated, but only for a moment. He couldnt afford to show any weakness to his father or he would be trampled. The company is called Welsh and Swann.

A start-up? Elis father said the word like it was blasphemy.

Its not an engineering firm, said Eli, fighting a grin in spite of himself. His father, so enamored by the cosmos, was likely the only one in the entire country never to have heard of the largest graphic design firm in the United States. Even as the valedictorian of his class and with great connections, it had been hard to get the offer. Ive decided to pursue graphic design.

What? his father sputtered. His face ripened to deep plum color. This isnt funny.

Im perfectly serious, Eli replied calmly. Ill be moving to Washington DC at the end of the month.

Why did you even bother to major in aerospace engineering? his father spat, still reeling from unspent emotion and shock.

A lazy grin slipped onto Elis face. Its family tradition, and well.

Eli glanced guiltily across the cluttered study, and his father followed his gaze to the ornate desk in the corner. It stood strong and proud even under the crushing weight of dozens of astronomy books.

If you think youre taking that desk, passed down from your great-grandfather through three generations of aerospace engineers, then youre sadly mistaken.

Eli had the good sense to look somewhat sheepish as he produced a stack of unassuming papers. We had an agreement, he said, pushing the pile toward his father. The contract was also a family tradition, though backed by the full force of law. It was supposed to be a formality used to encourage the next generation to pursue their otherworldly destiny. Undoubtedly his great-grandfather had never anticipated that one of his progenies would complete the rigorous degree responsibilities only to turn their back on the profession entirely. Even Eli had to admit to himself that this was ludicrous. The path had certainly not been easy, but the price was well worth the desk. It was perfect for graphic design.

Elis fathers jaw slackened, and his eyes assumed a glassy, far-off expression. Were doomed he muttered to himself. All because my son is a stubborn idiot.

Hes taking this worse than my coming out, thought Eli, bemused.

It was a bit unfair to say his father had taken that badly. The truth was he appeared so indifferent that Eli hadnt been sure if his father heard him correctly. He had, of course. The old codger didnt miss anything.

Only in retrospect did Eli realize his fathers indifference had actually been intentional. As a detached, objective scientist, it was the best he could do with such an intimate and personal conversation. In the end the truth didnt change their relationship at all. The memory made Eli smile. His father was hardly the callous and uncaring man he appeared during their argument over the desk.

ELI GLANCED at his calendar. It had taken his father two months to rein in his anger and finally pick up the phone to check on him. Their initial conversations had been awkward and short, the first one only consisting of a single question: Are you alive? Since then, Elis father had been shaving off exactly three days from the duration between calls. They were down to a week and a half, with only two days left until the next call. In a few days it would be December, and their regular Sunday phone calls would resume. The fight would finally come to an end.

Eli paused as he noticed a line of writing below the current date on the calendar.

Drinks with Lincoln .

Im late! He groaned, pushing out of the desk chair. On the way out, he grabbed his scarf and hat. Please still be there.

IVE ALREADY ordered three beers, complained Lincoln as Eli strode breathlessly up to the table. A crease formed between Lincolns golden brows, and his full lips tipped into a frown. For a lowly geometry teacher, thats practically a weeks worth of salary.

Eli knew Lincoln wasnt exaggerating. The nations capital was lovely in everything but price. It was expensive just to be. The next ones on me, he said apologetically. I lost track of time, and then they closed the sidewalk to hang Christmas lights. I had to go the long way.

Lincoln sighed. I want bourbon, he said with mischief dancing in his clear, green eyes. The nice stuff.

Consider it done. Eli grinned and went to the counter to procure the drinks and then returned, taking a seat across from Lincoln. He pushed the bourbon across the table. Whats the occasion? he asked. Rarely did Lincoln indulge in anything better than the bottom shelf. Are we celebrating or commiserating?