A/N: Hello everyone! It's been a long time since I've done a one-shot, so I decided to write one as sort of a New Year's present for you all! :)

This was originally going to be a Christmas one-shot, but I recently heard Taylor Swift's song New Year's Day and the idea popped into my head for this story instead!

This one-shot is dedicated to winterschild11, who has been supporting me since my very first story way back in 2012. Your support means so much to me, so I wanted to do something a little special for you :)

I hope you all enjoy!

I let out a groan as I came out of my peaceful sleep. But that aggravation was short-lived as memories from last night quickly came flashing back to mind, causing a smile to replace the frown that was starting to form.

'Last night was... amazing. Even better than I imagined it would be.'

It was officially New Year's Day, with yesterday being New Year's Eve. It was the time for new beginnings, and also apparently a time when anything could happen.

I had finally gotten the courage to ask out my crush, although it wasn't so much asking him out as it was inviting him to my New Year's Eve party and throwing some pretty obvious hints. Thankfully he didn't let me make a fool of myself and we ended up fooling around a little, which was something I was totally not expecting. But I was hoping that now that some of the cards were all out on the table maybe we could be mor-

'Oh...'

I slowly rolled over, immediately noticing that the spot next to me was empty. I also didn't miss the fact that his clothes from last night were gone, the observation effectively killing my smile.

'Of course. I should've known better than to think that this time would be any different. Guess all I'm good for is being a good lay after all.' I thought before letting out a sigh, doing my best to ignore the slight pang in my chest.

I really thought that this time would be different. That he would be different. We had clicked. More than I had with anyone I'd ever met. But maybe it was just one-sided. Or maybe Jett was right when he said that I wasn't 'relationship material.' There were a million thoughts running through my head, but they were all forgotten when I smelled...bacon?

'Someone's in the kitchen?'

I quickly got up, throwing on my sweatpants and a T-shirt before I started making my way to the kitchen.

'Man, this place is a wreck. It's going to be a nightmare to clean up.' I thought as I walked through my house to the kitchen, stopping in my tracks when I saw who it was.

"Morning, James. Hope you're hungry. I didn't wake you, did I?"

"K-Kendall? You're still here?" I asked incredulously, watching as his smile slightly faltered.

"Um, yeah. Is that okay?" He asked hesitantly. "I didn't mean to overstay my welcome."

"No! No, I'm... I'm actually really glad you're here."

"Are you alright? You seem kind of-" He started, concern clouding his features for a moment before his eyes widened slightly in realization. "You didn't expect me to stay."

"I-" I started to argue, quickly stopping myself as my shoulders slumped a little. "How'd you guess?"

"Well, from the surprised look on your face when you saw me and the fact that you look a more than a little relieved right now, it's not really hard to piece together that puzzle." He responded, a small smile forming on his face.

"But...why?" I asked, before realizing how it sounded out loud. "I mean-"

"Relax. I know what you meant." He chuckled, motioning for me to take a seat as he grabbed a couple of plates. "For one thing, this place was absolutely wrecked last night. And it might sound stupid, but I'd feel like a total asshole if I didn't at least stay to help clean up. Especially since you went through all of this trouble just for me."

I was glad I wasn't drinking anything, because I probably would've spit it out. And as much as I wanted to ask how the hell he knew about my plan, I knew that there was no point. Besides, I was pretty sure that he found out from the fact that I practically spent the entire party with him and barely interacted with anyone else.

"And two, I kind of really really like you." He continued.

And even though a part of me felt insanely happy about that admission, I couldn't help but think that this was all a little too good to be true.

"I feel like I'm dreaming." I muttered, not realizing that I had said it out loud until I noticed Kendall's eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

"Why would you be dreaming?" He asked softly as he made his way over to me. "I feel like I'm missing something major here."

'Don't say anything. He doesn't need to know how pathetic you really are.'

"It's nothing."

"It's not nothing, James. Something's clearly bothering you." He said gently. "I'm not going to push you to tell me. But...I'm here if you want to talk."

I wasn't sure what it was, the gentle and inviting tone of his voice, or maybe the sincerity in his eyes, but I found myself letting slip more information than I wanted.

"Let's just say I have a bad track record when it comes to relationships." I responded, which was the understatement of the century. My longest 'relationship' had only lasted a little over a month, and that had been with Jett, who turned out to be an asshole. Even then, pretty much everyone that seemed interested in me only wanted me for my looks or because I was popular. But Kendall, he seemed different. Or at least, I hoped he was...

"Hey." Kendall said, effectively snapping me out of my thoughts. "I don't know about those other people, or what they're motivations were, I can only speak for myself and how I feel. And I've said it before, but I'll say it over and over again if it'll make the words register with you. I really like you." He repeated, his smile coming back full force. It was infectious that I couldn't help but smile back.

"I love the fact that even though you look amazing on the outside, you're even more amazing on the inside. You don't consider yourself better than anyone else just because you're popular. You're also really smart, contrary to popular belief. I also love the way you liven up a room whenever you walk in. I guess the point I'm trying to make here is that yes, you've got great looks, but I know that there's way more to you than that. And I'd really love the chance to explore that."

I stared at the blond in amazement for a moment because nobody had ever said anything like that to me before, but also because I realized just how observant he was. Not that I should've been that surprised.

Kendall and I didn't really know each other. We had a few classes together and had run into each other a few times on campus. We even talked a little as we quite literally ran into each other at the coffee shop, meeting up a couple times after that as well. But I had also kind of watched him from a distance. From the little time that we had spent together, and the time that I spent slightly creeping, I found myself falling for the blond.

I'll admit that at first, it was kind of a physical attraction, but there was still a little more to it than that. I could tell right from the start that there was something different about him. And after our first run in at the coffee shop with each other a little over a month ago, I found myself starting to feel things for him. I found myself falling in love with the way that his green eyes seemed to sparkle a little when he was happy or excited. Or the way that they would darken a little when he concentrated really hard on something. I found myself falling in love with all the little things that made Kendall...well, Kendall.

As the initial shock of his confession wore off, I found myself smiling back at him.

"Nobody's ever said anything like that to me." I said honestly before quickly continuing. "But I really like you too."

"Well, that's good. Otherwise, this would've been really awkward for me." He chuckled, with me doing the same before quickly sobering up.

"I'm serious. I've had a crush on you for a while now, but I never thought you'd go for someone like me." I admitted, not quite sure where my next words came from. "You always seem so sure of yourself, and I'm pretty much always doubting myself. You're working towards your dream while mine is more of a pipe dream, at best."

The more I spoke, the more I realized just how different we were. But as usual, according to these past few minutes anyway, Kendall seemed to pick up on internal struggle.

"Your dream isn't a pipe dream. I've heard you sing before James, and you're amazing." He said softly as he laced our fingers together, his voice so earnest that I felt compelled to believe him. "It may take a little work, but it's not unattainable. As for always doubting yourself, you really shouldn't. I know that's easier said than done, but you have to stop selling yourself short James. You're amazing. And I'll do whatever I have to do to prove it to you."

I nodded my head, deciding not to argue him on it like I wanted. Instead, I found myself wondering what I ever did to deserve someone as great as Kendall actually liking me for...well, me.

"So...does this mean that we're really going to give this a shot?" I asked hesitantly, motioning to the two of us.

"I'd love to. But only if you want the same thing."

"I do." I assured him. "I've been wanting this for a while now. I just didn't think it would actually happen."

"Well, it's happening." He stated with a smile as he leaned forward, his lips connecting with mine in a sweet kiss.

When we broke apart from the kiss, we both stared at each other for a moment, wide grins on both of our faces.

"Sorry, I still have morning breath." I said softly, my cheeks heating up slightly in embarrassment as I realized that I never brushed my teeth in my rush to find out who was here.

"It's fine. Really. Now, come on." He said with a smile as he went to stand up. "Our food's getting cold and we have a hell of a mess to clean up."

I glanced around once again, already dreading cleaning the place up. In retrospect, I probably should've considered that before deciding to throw a party on New Year's Eve. But I knew that having Kendall here would make it a thousand times better, which made all of this worth it to me.

Even though there was a part of me that told me to run for the hills, to stop myself before I fell even harder than I already have for the blond, I knew that I had to trust him. I had to trust in the fact that he actually stayed. That small action alone spoke volumes seeing as he was the first person to actually stay. The realization brought yet another smile to my face, effectively killing any doubt I had at the moment.

'Best New Year's ever!'

Done! Like I said, it's been a long time since I've done a one-shot so I'm a little rusty, but I hope you all enjoyed it! I have a couple of ideas for more one-shots so who knows, maybe there'll be more to come in the future ;)

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts and if you happened to have a favorite part/moment!

I also hope you all have a very happy and safe start to the New Year! :)

-Epically Obsessed