A/N: Hello everyone! No, your eyes are not deceiving you, another new story is here!

This is actually something that I wrote last year, but it wasn't finished in time for Christmas, so I just kind of held on to it. And yes, I know this plot has been done hundreds of times already, but I liked the idea and wanted to give it a shot so...here we are.

I hope you all enjoy!

"Congratulations on another successful year!" My boss said, holding up his glass of champagne. He's had three glasses too much that evening, but it was for celebration, so hell, let him have it. "Sales have skyrocketed and are up by fifty percent. Cheers and Merry Christmas!"

I raised my glass to the toast and took a sip.

Working at Rocque Inc. for the past seven years had been great, and I'd slowly but surely worked my way up in the ranks. I was only twenty seven and on my way to the top. Not without sacrifice, though.

My fiance complained that I spent too much time at the office and that I worked even while at home. Both were true of course, but all of it would be worth it in the end when I got the director of marketing position-one that would pay over $100k a year.

"Kendall, you are an asset to this company." Gustavo said, bumping his glass to mine. "You'll be at the top someday."

That day cannot come soon enough.

Gustavo had finally learned my name this past year, after years of me kissing his ass. He was also currently drunk, so I wasn't even sure if he actually meant his words.

It was by chance I'd even landed the job interview with him all those years ago. At only twenty-three-and thanks to the guy I was dating at the time who knew the right people and got me the interview-I'd been given a secretarial position at the advertising agency and had gradually proved my worth, bumping my way up and going higher into advertising.

I was a member of the creative team now, but I wanted more. I wanted to have my ideas actually be heard instead of just executing other people's ideas.

"Thanks, Mr. Rocque." I replied before checking my watch and cringing. Dammit, I'm late. Again. "I hate to be rude, but I gotta head home."

Gustavo checked his own watch and nodded. "I'm in the same boat as you. I plan to get an ass chewing from the wife when I get home."

Yeah. Same here.

It was Christmas Eve, and I should've been home almost four hours ago. A few of us had stayed after work, trying to finish the new project by the deadline. I'd also had to stay while Gustavo met with the CEO about a new direction for the company, mainly acting as his errand boy, which wasn't in my job description, but fuck it. If it got me brownie points, so be it.

Afterward, Gustavo had pulled out some bottles of champagne, wanting to celebrate our huge accomplishment, and I couldn't say no to my boss. Plus, it was rare to see Gustavo in such a good mood.

Just one drink, I'd said to myself.

But then that drink turned into another, and before I knew it, he'd invited some colleagues and ordered takeout and the small celebration had turned into a party.

The office Christmas party had been days before, but Gustavo was always up for an excuse to stay late and not have to go home to his wife.

James was going to kill me.

After I said goodnight to Gustavo and some of the other guys, I grabbed my coat and headed toward the door. Once I was out in the hallway, someone stopped me.

"You sure you can't stay longer?"

Jett.

I turned around and looked at him, shaking my head. "Positive."

Jett had started working for the company earlier in the year. I had to admit, he was attractive. Oh, and he'd been trying to get in my pants since his first day on the job. None of his advances had worked because I was in a committed relationship, but damn if he didn't still try.

Smirking, he walked closer until he was standing less than a foot in front of me. "I've been trying to get your attention all night."

Yep. And I've been avoiding you.

When he ran a hand down my chest, I grabbed his arm.

"Jett…"

Giving me a look of exaggerated innocence, he asked, "What?"

"You know what." I released his arm and stepped backward. "I have a fiance. Whatever you think is going to happen between us isn't happening. We've been over this too many fucking times."

His brown eyes gleamed. "Oh, I love it when you talk dirty."

"Stop."

"Are you sure you don't want your present? I got you a nice package for Christmas, if you want it." He purred, unrelenting.

Goddammit.

There had only been one time that I almost said fuck it and took Jett up on his offer. Back in May, James and I had gotten into a huge fight and he'd packed up his bags to go stay at his mom's house for a few days. Seething and pissed beyond words, I'd come into work the next day and Jett had been all over me, as usual.

I never touched him, but fuck, I had really thought about taking him into the bathroom and fucking him senseless one good time. The thought of James stopped me, though. I could never betray him like that, no matter how pissed I was.

Jett got so close that his chest pressed to mine as he met my eyes.

I put my hands on his shoulders and stopped his advance. "Look Jett, you're going to find a man one day who will give you everything you're after. But it's not me and you need to stop it before I file a harassment suit against you. Got it?"

"Whatever. I know you want me." He said in a cocky tone, although I was sure I detected a hint of hurt underneath the bravado. Thankfully, he got the hint and stepped away. "If you ever change your mind, just let me know."

Without wasting more time with him, I turned and continued on my way. In the parking garage, I found my car and slid inside before starting the ignition and turning the heat on high.

As the car heated, I took out my phone and heavily exhaled at the few missed calls and texts from my soon-to-be husband.

The first text was polite, the second was worried, and the third was pissy. I had one voicemail, an I deleted it without even listening, not wanting to hear him bitching me out.

Instead of returning his call, I pocketed my phone.

I'll just deal with it when I see him.

Winters in Duluth were brutal. The forecast said we'd have close to two feet of snow by morning, so that meant it was probably already snowing.

Great.

Leaving the garage, my assumption was correct. The white mess was falling from the sky and already accumulating on the grass and on most of the road. I didn't care much for snow. Frosty could kiss my ass. All snow did was make it miserably cold and it screwed up travel. James loved it, though.

I drove with caution, not wanting to add car wreck to a night I already suspected was going to suck.

James had wanted me home by six because he'd cooked dinner. Actually, he'd wanted me home sooner to go with him to the Christmas parade the town held each year, but I'd told him I'd had to work.

So then, he said to be home at least by six.

I knew it'd be the same damn predictable evening. We'd eat dinner and clean up, watch some Christmas movies, exchange gifts, and read 'Twas The Night Before Christmas together while drinking a glass of wine before bed.

The same, tired tradition we'd had for four years. Routine and fucking stupid.

A gift. Fuck!

I'd been so swamped with work that I'd forgotten. Of course, I'd bought him presents that were under the tree, but there was one gift in particular that we exchanged that was supposed to be something thoughtful and not just a random nice sweater or something crazy expensive.

Something from the heart.

Most stores closed early on Christmas Eve, and with the freaking snow, any places that had been open were probably closed.

I drove by the pavilion and saw empty parking lots and blinking 'closed' signs on all the windows.

"Dammit!" I hit the steering wheel and kept driving, knowing I was in so much shit.

There weren't many cars on the road. Obviously, I was the only dumbass out that late, driving around town in desperation for a freaking last minute gift.

That's when I saw it.

Outside of the bigger shopping centers, there was a small log building that sat just a little ways off the main road. Christmas trees adorned with lights stood on each side of the entrance, and a word flashed in the frosted window. Open.

I parked in a spot in front of the store and pulled my coat tighter against me as I got out of the warm interior of my car and faced the deathly arctic temperature.

A sign hung on a candy cane colored pole that read Christmas Wish Shoppe.

An actual store dedicated to just Christmas crap? I didn't remember ever seeing it before, but I hadn't been on this side of town in a while.

Right when I entered, warm air took away the chill in my bones and the scent of cinnamon and baked goods filled my nose.

A fireplace was in the far corner, giving off cozy heat, and the lighting was soft and golden. Brown shelves lined the walls holding antique items, and matching tables with similar objects were scattered throughout the room.

No one else was around.

"Hello?" I called out, walking further inside and shaking out the snowflakes on my coat.

My teeth chattered as my body got accustomed to the change of temperature. I couldn't wait to be done with this stupid errand so I could leave and go home.

Might as well take a look around while I'm here.

I moved along the shelves, checking out the old-fashioned clocks and wood carved Christmas decor. James loved the traditional things, so I basked in my good fortune at finding the shop. Maybe I'd just get him one of the glass bells or a house for the Christmas village he put up every year.

"Can I help you find something?" Someone said from behind me.

I turned to see an older man with a short white beard and glasses. He wore a white shirt and red suspenders. Basically, he looked like one of those Santa Claus wannabes.

"Uh, yeah. Sure." I cleared my throat and approached the counter. "I'm looking for something special for my fiance."

"What does this fiance like?" His voice was deep, yet pleasant, with hints of gruffness.

All things cheesy and romantic.

"He's an interior designer, so he loves anything stylish, but old-fashioned as well. I kind of screwed up and waited 'til the last minute to get his gift."

The man held an odd look in his blue eyes, almost as if he knew some secret.

"Sounds to me like you put other things before him." He said, walking out from behind the counter and nearing a shelf on the wall. "Love is the most important thing of all."

I followed him, unsure of how to respond.

"That's personal, Mr…"

"You can call me Nick."

At least he didn't say Santa.

"Okay, Nick. Well, that's personal and between me and my fiance."

He ran his fingers along the items on the wooden shelf before stopping at an ornate snow globe. "What about this?"

Although it was nice, there wasn't anything spectacular about it. Just a simple snow globe with a Victorian house covered in white and surrounded by Christmas trees on the inside.

"I don't think that's it." I said, wishing I could find something and get the hell out of here.

The detour to the shop was eating up too much time already.

Nick nodded and kept searching. "I do have one item that I keep locked away. It's not just an ordinary gift, however. It's one meant only for special cases. If you're interested, I could show you."

"Sure." I replied. "I'm kind of in a hurry."

He went behind the counter and unlocked a glass case on the wall. Once it was open, he pulled out a small clock. "Time is not to be wasted or taken for granted, and this will always remind you that every second is a blessing."

The cryptic way he talked bugged me. It was like talking to a life-sized fortune cookie. But I was drawn to the item. Emerald green with swirls of gold, the clock was beautiful. Roman numeral lettering was set against an off-white backdrop, and the hands were gold.

James would love it.

"I'll take it." I said, pulling out my wallet. "How much?"

Nick watched me a moment with a gleam in his eyes. "You're a wealthy man. The monetary price isn't anything you can't handle. Just say the word, and it's yours."

I scoffed at his wealthy man comment. I wasn't anywhere near as wealthy as I wanted to be.

"So, it's free?" I asked, hesitating.

There had to be a catch. People didn't just give things away.

That damn look was back in his eyes, and he nodded. "Consider it my gift to you. There is more to life than materialistic riches. I hope this clock helps you see that."

Yeah. I didn't see how a clock would teach me anything about life, but whatever got me out of here the quickest, I'd do it.

"That's nice, Nick. Would you mind boxing it for me?"

As he wrapped the clock and placed it in a gift box, I looked at the time on my phone and cringed. Yep. I was a dead man.

"Merry Christmas." Nick said, giving me the gift.

"Thanks. Merry Christmas to you, too."

With the box under one arm, I walked back out into the cold night and got in my car.

XxX

Pulling into the driveway, I turned off the ignition and sat in the car for a few moments.

The Christmas tree was lit up and showed through the living room window, but the lights on the house had been turned off already. I knew he'd be waiting by the tree, probably sitting on the couch and cursing my name.

Here goes nothing.

After grabbing the box, I walked up to the house, dreading the moment I opened the door.

I was always disappointing James and couldn't seem to ever do anything right lately. Tonight was just the cherry on top of my worst fiance in the world sundae.

Entering the house, I heard the soft music playing from the living room, so I walked that way.

James was sitting on the couch just as I'd suspected, holding a glass of wine and listening to an instrumental version of The First Noel. His brunet hair swept a little into his face, and his profile was sad as he stared at the glass in his hand.

With his brunet hair, toned body, and hazel eyes, he was gorgeous. Even though he had softness to his features, he also had a sharp jawline and high cheekbones.

As I stared at him, I remembered the moment when I'd first met him.

James had his own designing company and was hired by my boss to decorate the office. He'd been hanging curtains in the lobby when I'd walked by and saw him. I'd never seen any man more beautiful than him. The way his jeans hugged his perfect ass and the way his shirt clung to the subtle muscle in his back.

He'd stepped wrong on the small ladder and had been teetering on the edge, about to fall, when I'd run up and steadied him.

"I got you." I'd said as I held his waist.

I hadn't known at the time that my words had held a double meaning. I'd grabbed onto him that day an hadn't let go since.

But now? We were so far from that day. Somehow, we'd grown apart in the four years we'd been together.

"Hi." I said from entryway, causing him to jump a little and snap his head toward me. "Sorry, I'm late."

"Only by, like, four hours." He said in a harsh tone. "No big deal."

"Can we not do this?" I asked, walking further into the room and tossing my coat on the back of the loveseat, along with the gift. "I've had a long day."

"Really?" He raised his brows. "And I haven't? I decorated a client's home all morning and into the afternoon, came home and made us dinner, and then decorated some more for our evening. And for what? To wind up eating by myself, all while staring at your empty seat and wishing you were here with me while I was worried sick." His hazel eyes burned into mine. "You could have at least let me know that you were okay. You knew we had plans."

The more he bitched, the more my temper rose.

"Well, excuse me if I'm trying to make us more money. I didn't know that was a damn crime, James. I wasn't about to tell my boss 'no' just so I could come home and do the same, tired routine we do every fucking year."

His face fell, as did his gaze. He stared at his glass of wine. "I didn't know you hated it so much."

"I don't hate it." I admitted, sitting on the couch beside him. "But there are more important things."

"More important?" The anger flashed back in his eyes. "Wow. It's great to know I'm second best to your job."

"Don't do this." I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. "I'm too tired."

"Then go to bed." He snapped as he sat his glass on the side table and stood up.

"Whatever. But first... here." I said, grabbing the box from the loveseat and handing it to him. "It's one part of your tradition I can do. Merry Christmas."

James stared at it for a second, as if deciding if he wanted to accept it. His face was a whirlwind of emotions, and I wasn't sure what he'd do. Finally, he gently took it from my hands.

He untied the ribbon around the box before popping open the lid. After ruffling around in the red and green paper inside, he gasped as his gaze landed on the clock. He pulled it out and studied it in both hands.

"Ken. This is… wow."

His reaction took away some of my frustration. I loved seeing that look on his face. One of wonder and awe. It didn't take away from the fact that we were still fighting and not on the greatest of terms in our relationship, but it helped a bit.

"I know how much you like antiques." I said, shrugging. "Am I off the hook now?"

"Seriously?" He asked with wide eyes. "You think giving me a gift will make up for your poor behavior? Money doesn't fix everything, Kendall."

"You're not being fair." I peered at him as he stared at me with an incredulous expression. "Every year, you have all of these damn traditions and everything has to be perfect. Valentine's Day, we go to the same restaurant. Thanksgiving, we go to your mom's house. Christmas Eve, I have to stop what the hell I'm doing just so I can come home and watch stupid Christmas movies with you like we're five years old. The same shit all the time. I feel like my whole life is planned already, and frankly, it's driving me fucking crazy, James."

I'd never told him any of that before, always keeping it in my head. But now that I had, I felt like an asshole, especially when I saw the way his features had changed.

He looked as if I'd slapped him.

"If I'm so predictable and boring, then why the hell did you ask me to marry you?" The sadness in his voice was palpable.

Reason told me to stop fighting with him and make things right. However, my emotions were out of whack, and anger held dominion over all of them.

"Honestly? I don't know." I answered. "Maybe I didn't realize how unhappy I was at the time."

"You're unhappy with me?" He asked as his eyes watered.

He stood in front of the Christmas tree, staring at me with a combination of anger and sorrow as he held the clock in his hands.

The lights danced behind him, but somehow, they only made the situation worse. As if our fight had no room for the merriness that came with the stupid decorations he loved so much.

I didn't respond.

I couldn't.

Seeing the answer in my expression, he nodded and took another step back, shutting off the stereo that had been playing soft carols.

The silence in the room deafening.

"How long have you felt this way?" He asked with a pained expression. "Because honestly, it's taken me by surprise." James studied me with such devastation that a tightness formed in my chest. "Do you even love me anymore?"

"That's a lot of questions." I pointed out. James waited, so I gave a defeated sigh. "I'm not happy! Okay? The thought of coming home to you every day has started making me miserable. Especially recently. You get crazy around the holidays."

The tears he'd held at bay now fell freely down his face.

The side of me that still loved him ached to reach out and kiss his pain away, but the other side that was tired of his shit kept me in place.

"Take back your last-minute gift, Kendall." James came forward and shoved the clock in my hands. "I'm going to bed. You can get acquainted with the couch tonight."

"Gladly!" I shouted after him, and then muttered under my breath, "Anything to get some damn distance from you is perfect."

James returned to toss my pillow and a blanket on the couch before storming back down the hall to our room and slamming the door.

"Psycho." I mumbled as I punched the pillow and lay down.

I was still in my work clothes, but I didn't have the motivation or energy to get up and change. Plus, James would probably yell at me if I went into the bedroom. So instead, I stripped down to my boxers, taking off my shoes, pants, and shirt and tossing them on the floor.

As I lay there, still fuming from our fight and rejecting all thoughts about it being my fault, I glanced back at the antique clock.

Its ticking was the only sound in the room, other than the quiet licking of the flames in the fireplace.

That Nick guy had been a little weird. And who in their right mind just gave away something to a complete stranger? I should've insisted on paying for it, or hell, just walked out right then because it was probably stolen. But I hadn't thought about any of that at the time.

I'll take the damn thing back tomorrow.

It wasn't like James wanted it anyway.

At the thought of him, I snarled.

How had we become this? We used to be so happy. I wondered what my life would've been like had I not met him.

Probably better, to be honest. He held me back from so much.

If it weren't for him, I would've had my promotion already and been raking in the cash, living a nice, luxurious life, instead of living in a small two bedroom house with him and driving a car that would probably break down any day now.

Most of the other guys in the office drove sports cars, or something that wouldn't break down in the middle of the road at least. It was embarrassing pulling into work every day with my piece of shit clunker.

James was happy being stuck in that simpler life, but I wanted more. So much more than what he could offer.

"I wish I'd never met him." I whispered as my gaze moved from the clock to the fire.

And sometime later, I fell asleep, already dreading the next morning.

Done! So, yeah...I'm pretty sure you all can guess where things go from here. :P

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the chapter, as well as if you happened to have a favorite part/moment!

The next chapter will be up this weekend sometime, so I hope to see you guys again then!

Until next time!

-Epically Obsessed