Imagines and One-Shots (Book Three)

Holiday Cheer (Calum Hood) - Part 3

sorry this took so long 😅😅

~

The next day

It had been nearly 24 hours since you'd last spoken to – or even looked at – your boss. You were still incredibly upset with him – not just for what he'd done to Holly but for the fact that he was so convinced you should apologize to him for being mad about it.

But you still kept your word about the deal.

You were sitting in the living room – you on the couch and Calum on an adjacent chair. You were both reading your manuscripts, the only sounds being when one of you would occasionally sip the hot chocolates your mom insisted she make for you.

"I wasn't always like this, you know," you heard Calum murmur. You looked up from the manuscript on your lap, cocking an eyebrow at him. "I wasn't always like this," he repeated despite not having looked up himself, feeling you stare at him, "I actually used to enjoy Christmas."

"You enjoyed Christmas?" you asked, "Then what changed?"

"My ex-wife left me two years ago," he replied just as quietly, "Packed her stuff and left before I woke up Christmas morning." You were speechless for a moment, prompting him to meet your gaze.

"That still doesn't give you the right to treat everyone else like shit," you shook your head, surprising him, "We've all dealt with terrible people, but you don't see me walking around telling everyone their holiday traditions and the things that make them happy are pointless."

"I don't think they're pointless..."

"No, you just think they're a waste of time," you stated, "You think we do too much around here just for it to all taken down and forgotten about after New Year's Day."

"Y/N, I never said-"

"I meant what I said last night about you staying here while I enjoy my holidays at home," you reminded him, "And maybe our deal was that I would read all these-" You motioned to the manuscript you were holding. "-by the time I came back to work if you actually tried to enjoy being here. I'll still hold up to my end of the deal, but I don't care if you do anymore; I don't care if you participate." Calum stared blankly at you for a moment before narrowing his eyes.

"Do you understand that I could-"

"Fire me? Go ahead," you challenged, "But that doesn't change the fact that you know I'm right."

~

Later that night

"Honey!" your mom called down the hallway, "We're going to be late if you don't hurry!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," you insisted, walking out of your bedroom as you pulled a beanie onto your head.

"Dear," she then addressed Calum, who looked up at her from where he was still sitting on the chair in the living room, "Are you sure you don't want me to make you something to eat while we're out?"

"I'll be fine, Ms. Y/L/N," he nodded reassuringly.

"Well... Alright," she caved, "But if you need anything, you have Y/N's number." Calum noticed you roll your eyes before walking to the door and heading outside with your mom, brother, and Charles following not far behind, audibly sighing to himself when the door closed behind them.

~

"Y/N!" Cindy cheered when she saw your family approaching the town square, "Come here! You have to see this!" She grabbed your hand and started pulling on you, making you laugh.

"What am I seeing, Cindy?" you asked, letting her lead you to wherever she was going.

"Me and Jack built the best snow-thing ever!"

"Snow-thing?" you wondered.

"Yes!" Jack announced when you made it to him, "We present to you... Snow Cat!" He moved to the side, allowing you to see the animal they'd created out of snow.

"Impressive," you nodded, "How long did this take?"

"Longer than it should have," Cindy huffed, "There were some...creative differences. Jack didn't want to add any of the things I did!"

"Because all of them were dumb!" Jack stuck his tongue out at her.

"It looks great either way, Cindy," you promised her, "And you know brothers are supposed to be annoying."

"Hey!" Jack pouted while Cindy laughed loudly. You teasingly ruffled his hair.

"Come on, you two," you told them, "Let's get back to the tree before they light it up without us." The siblings raced back to the square while you simply walked.

When you turned the corner and everyone came into view, you were surprised to see Calum now standing with your family. You stopped just short of them, causing them to look up when your boots crunched the snow underneath them.

"Hey, sweetheart," your mom smiled, "What did the kids want to show you?"

"Their snow-cat," you replied, glancing back at Calum.

"Snow-cat?" Charles questioned.

"It's actually pretty cute," you shrugged, "I'll have them show it to you before we head back home later if you want."

"We'll go see it right now!" your mom said, her own gaze flicking between you and your boss, "You were only gone a couple minutes, and the tree-lighting doesn't start for another 5! Come on, boys!" She quickly put both of her hands on Charles and Dylan's backs and led them away to find Jack and Cindy, leaving you with Calum.

You found yourself sighing, not even realizing Calum had heard it. He shifted uncomfortably on his feet before finally gaining to courage to speak.

"I'm sorry for...you know..." he cleared his throat – apologizing was something Calum didn't like to do, "I shouldn't treat others poorly due to my bad experiences, and... I'm sorry..." You opened and closed your mouth a couple times, not immediately too sure what to say.

"What are you doing here?" you decided to ask him softly.

"Apologizing, mostly," he admitted, "But... Though I'm not too keen on Christmas, I really do enjoy looking at all the lights back in the city... Figured I'd see if they're any better in a small town."

"They're way better," you informed him. Calum was about to respond, but the Mayor speaking made him stop, simply smiling at you instead.

"Are we all ready for the tree-lighting ceremony?" Mayor Santos asked, obviously earning a resounding 'yes' from everyone. "Excellent!" he smiled, "The kids have prepared a special song that they're going to sing to get us in the spirit!"

The kids did exactly that – singing The 12 Days of Christmas – before Mayor Santos spoke again. He gave a small speech, and then everyone began counting down. You bounced on your feet as you joined them – the town's tree-lighting was always your favorite growing up, and you were more than happy that you were finally back home to be part of it again.

When the crowd shouted out '3... 2... 1!', the giant tree's lights lit up the night around you. You clapped giddily along with those cheering and the kids yelling, not even noticing the man beside you wasn't even looking at the tree anymore.

Calum tried to focus on the town's excitement – really, he did – but he kept getting distracted. The way the Christmas lights shined in your eyes as you stared at them in awe... He wasn't sure any one person could get more beautiful.

"Isn't it gorgeous?" you whispered, more to yourself than to him.

"Yeah," he mumbled in response anyway, "Yeah, it is."

~

inspiration: "Home For the Holidays" on the Choices app