Catfish and the Bottlemen Imagines

All I Want For Christmas (Part 1)

"Oh bloody hell here we go!" Your friend Ellie rolls her eyes, an exasperated look on her face, as the opening bars to "Do They Know It's Christmas?" begin to play.

"Don't be so grumpy!" You laugh. "It's December you know. 'Tis the season to be jolly and all that!"

"Yes girls!" Your boss Tom says as he walks past. "You know the rules. Christmas attire must be worn every day throughout December. We'll be starting to get the Christmas shoppers in now..."

He pauses, turning to look at Ellie with a frown. "And smile for gods sake. You'll be scaring the customers away!"

Ellie paints on her biggest, fakest smile, then flips her middle finger at Tom as he turns away, and you both dissolve into fits of laughter.

"Come on, let's get the decorations out," you say excitedly, turning away to make for the store cupboard.

You've been working in the clothing store for a year now. The job's not the most interesting and it's certainly not challenging, but it pays the bills and the best part of the job is meeting new people. You can't imagine being stuck behind an office desk all day seeing the same faces day in, day out. And Christmas is your favourite time of year. The hustle and bustle in the shop, the Christmas decorations and the music, the customers all looking for gifts for that special someone. Everything about Christmas is just... happy. Its just a shame that you don't have anyone special to spend it with this year...

By the end of the afternoon Ellie is practically tearing her hair out as the Christmas CD starts to play for what seems like the hundredth time that day. You giggle at her sullen face, darting forward to wrap some tinsel around her shoulders and she gives you a playful shove, but your foot catches on a clothes rail and you suddenly find yourself stumbling backwards. You try to right yourself but it's too late, you've already picked up way too much momentum and you find yourself falling through the air, arms whirling, crying out.

"Shit! Sorry Y/N!" You hear Ellie cry as you brace yourself, ready to hit the ground.

But you don't. You suddenly feel solid warmth at your back, strong hands gripping you around your waist. Someone has broken your fall.

"Oh god I'm so sor...." You whirl around and out of the grasp of your rescuer, embarrassed and already starting to apologise but the words get stuck in your throat.

There's a guy standing there. He's tall and slim, with mousy brown hair that falls long around his ears and flops over his eyes. You watch as he brushes it back and a cheeky kind of grin emerges on his face.

"Woah... looks like someone's been indulging in the Christmas sherry a bit early!" He chuckles good-naturedly and you feel your cheeks start to glow.

"Oh... errr I'm so sorry! I'm just... umm ... really clumsy!" You blurt out, caught off-guard by this handsome stranger whose smile alone is enough to make your belly flip.

He starts to back away, still grinning. "Well... if you need rescuing again I'll be right over here!"

Then he turns away and starts to walk over to the menswear, leaving you feeling flustered and Ellie looking at you with a huge Cheshire Cat-like grin on her face.

"What?"

Ellie shakes her head. "You're so funny!" She laughs.

"That was your fault for pushing me," you complain. "If Tom saw you pushing me into a customer he'd have a fit!"

"It's not so bad if you've got a good-looking guy to catch you though, is it?"

You feel your blush deepen, as you glance over at the lad and you catch his eye from across the shop. You immediately look away. "Shit, he's just caught me looking!"