one direction preferences / imagines

getting back together on christmas

Louis: It's Christmas Eve, and you find yourself sat on a blanket on the hill in the park, looking up at the stars and clutching a travel mug of hot chocolate between your hands, keeping your fingers warm. You sigh, looking back down at your drink and swirling it slightly - this is not a situation you expected to find yourself in, not alone anyway. You jump at the sound of dry leaves being trodden on behind you, and you twist around, hand clutching your chest in relief when you realise it's just Louis. The relief quickly vanishes though, your heart beginning to race faster and faster as you watch him approach slowly. This was the first time you'd seen him, in person at least, since the two of you had called it quits a month ago, and despite assuring your friends you were way over him, you most certainly weren't. Your gaze drift to his own travel mug he was carrying, a folded blanket draped over his forearm, and your eyes narrow, "What are you doing here?". He smiles weakly, the confident air that usually surrounds him gone, and instead you can sense his nerves and insecurity, "It's tradition isn't it?" he shrugs, "Christmas Eve, out here. A mug of the finest hot chocolate England has to offer,". You turn back to face forward, managing to stifle the chuckle that threatened to escape, but not the amused grin that spread across your face. Out of the corner of your eye you notice he's come to a stop at the edge of your blanket and he gestures towards the space beside you, "Can I...?" his voice trails off, his voice quieter again. You nod, not sure you trust your voice. The two of you sit in silence for a long while, stiff beside eachother, always making sure to keep a centimetres distance between your arms, as the two of you gaze up at the stars. This is nothing like it had been the past two years, where the two of you would be cuddled up, laughing and joking, pointing out patterns in the stars. "How come you're here?" Louis speaks up eventually, and you look to the side to find him watching you carefully. You blush under his gaze and shrug, "I don't really know... It just, I don't know, it felt weird not coming here. It felt wrong," you mumble, but it's true, you weren't sure why you'd come here. "It's tradition," he repeats, his jokey tone back in place as he nudges your arm with his elbow gently, and you can't help but smile back at him. You shiver slightly in the cool breeze, and Louis immediately holds out the blanket he'd brought, offering it to you, to which you nod enthusiastically. He wraps it carefully around your shoulders, before his hands pause on the material, and he speaks quietly, "Mind if we huddle under it? I'm getting a bit chilly myself,". Your head is telling you no, that it's the worst possible thing you could let happen, not when you're trying to get over him, but you nod anyway - it was his blanket after all. You shiver again, though not from coldness this time as he wraps arm tentatively around your waist, and you find yourself resting your cheek on his shoulder, everything feeling so familiar again. Your breath catches for a second when you feel his lips touch the top of your head, and you barely hear him whisper, "I've missed you so much,". You snuggle into him a bit closer, and the arm around you tightens too, "I've missed you too,". His other hand reaches beneath your chin, tilting it up so you're looking at him, and he stares down at you carefully, "Could we, I mean, if you want, could we try again? I just... It was all so stupid, and I'm sorry, and I just, I want you back, if you'll have me,". You nod instantly, muttering a quick, "I'd like that," before pecking his lips quickly and resting your head back on his shoulder. You point to the sky, "That one looks like a star - a star made of stars,". He laughs, pointing in a different direction, "And that one's a... shoe? No a crocodile,". It was tradition after all.

Zayn: You stare at the page in front of you, rereading the sentence for what feels like the hundredth time, but still you're not taking it in. You throw your book down at the side of you on the bed, and glance at the alarm clock on your bedside table, which read '00:12'. "Hmm," you scoff aloud, it was technically Christmas day. The idea doesn't bring you joy though, instead just hurt and annoyance. You fold your arms gruffly infront of your chest, frowning as you glare at the wall opposite, where a picture of you and your boyfriend had hung until you'd recently taken it down. It had been a week since you and Zayn had broken up, and you just found yourself feeling grumpy about it all the time - though you reasoned with yourself that it could be worse, at least you weren't crying all the time. Arguments were most certainly not a rare occurrence between the two of you, both of you being incredibly strong-willed, but the two of you always ended up laughing about it, instantly forgiving eachother. This time was different though, and despite the shouting being about something just as trivial as all the other times, it just kept escalating to the point when you both said "What's the point of us being together?". And now you weren't, and despite the annoyed persona you displayed to everyone and everything, you felt like part of you was missing. A tingling noise coming from your phone brings you out of your thoughts, and you reach over to read the text. You tense when you realise it's from Zayn, opening it anxiously to read what it says, 'Merry Christmas Sweetheart. I have your present for you - look out your window. Z xx'. You frown down at the small screen. Sweetheart? Present? The two of you had split up, ex-partners do not say and do those types of things. You don't even properly acknowledge the other half of the text until another message from Zayn rings through, 'Please? Z xx'. You get out from beneath your warm bed covers and make your way across the room to the window, pushing back your curtains. Your brows knit together as your gaze falls on Zayn, stood in the middle of your back garden smiling up at your bedroom window, giving you a shy wave. You climb onto the windowsill and push open the window, stage whispering, "What on earth are you doing Zayn?". He holds a finger to his lips, his eyes asking you to be quiet - you'd both be in trouble if your parents woke up. It's then when you notice the cards he's holding beneath his arm, and he brings them out so he's holding them in both hands. He drops the first card, and you read what it says on the one beneath it, 'I may have stolen this idea from Love Actually...'. You chuckle, and he smiles before dropping that card onto the floor too. '... but I know it's your favourite Christmas film so,'. 'I'm here to wish you a Merry Christmas...'. '... and to let you know that I miss you.'. 'I miss waking up to the sound of you singing...' you blush at that one, you never realized, and his next card confirms that point, '... even though you think I'm asleep and don't hear it. I do.'. 'Last week was stupid. I don't even care.'. 'I'm stubborn.'. 'You're stubborn.' you laugh, quickly bringing a hand to your mouth to quieten the sound. He grins up at you as he drops the next card, 'Perfect match right?'. 'So i'm going to put my pride to one side...'. '... because I love you, and nothing feels right without you there.'. 'I'm sorry.'. You think that's the last one, but he drops that to reveal just one last card, 'Forgive me? :('. You instantly reach out a hand the pull the window closed, jumping down onto the carpet and pulling the curtains too. Then you take off through the house, not caring how noisy you are being as you rush towards the back door. When you pull the door open, you see Zayn looking defeated as he collects the cards off the grass, but at the sound of the creaky door he looks up, eyes meeting your own. And as you run towards him, you forget about being grumpy, don't care that you're in bare feet and thin pajamas, because all that matters is reaching Zayn. As you reach him, he lifts you off you your feet, his arms wrapped tightly around you as you mutter, "So much better than Love Actually,".