“You're gorgeous, you old hag, and if I could give you just one gift ever for the rest of your life it would be this. Confidence. It would be the gift of confidence. Either that or a scented candle” -David Nicholls, One Day

Meredith’s Christmas party was a constant in Nick and Samantha’s life. This was why that Nick did not let Samantha skip it no matter how much she begged. By using candy and some threats, he was able to convince her to take a shower and put on the pretty little dress she had bought before the break up.

She was not especially happy about it. She insisted on wearing her heels that she had bought with the dress no matter how much it snowed and was sitting in complete silence with her arms crossed over her chest in the passenger seat. Nick was running out of sympathy.

“You cold?” he asked, reaching for the knob that controlled the heater. She did not answer but instead crossed her arms tighter around her torso. He took this as a yes.

Nick tapped on the steering wheel to the music and tried to put on a cheery face. He had already tried to cheer Samantha up with the promise of presents, hers was in the backseat, he didn’t know if she had gotten him anything, and the description of the cookies Meredith and her mom made each year. Not even mentions of the lights and the tree that would no doubt take over the house could make Samantha smile.

“How are those heels feeling?” he asked.

Silence.

“I saw your house was all decked out, did you help your mom?”

Nothing.

“I’m sure Meredith will be happy to see you. You haven’t seen her in a while.”

She didn’t respond.

“You do realize that you’re going to have to actually speak when we get there.”

The music kept playing.

“Are you even excited to go? Could you just try to seem a little happy?”

She whispers something. He cannot hear her but can see her mouth form the words.

“What?”

“No,” she whispered.

“No?”

“No, I am not excited to go. And no, I could not just try to seem a little happy. I do not want to go.” She said this with absolutely no emotion. Instead of saying something sympathetic, Nick rolled his eyes and went back listening to the music.

They pulled up to Meredith’s house, which was, as usual, a delightful display of white lights that twinkled in the falling snow. Meredith did not have a particularly large yard but with the walk cleared and the lights lining the windows and trees, it seemed endless. The windows were lit and he could see some of their friends moving around inside. No one bothered to be fashionably late to the Christmas party.

He buttoned up his coat and got out of the car, only pausing to reach back and collect the presents he had left on the back seat. It wasn’t until he was on the sidewalk that he realized Samantha was not following him. He looked back at her in exasperation but she did not meet his eyes.

He tapped on the window but she did not make any response. After a few failed attempts to talk her out, he pulled open the door and said,

“Get your coat.”

“No,” she replied, still not looking at him.

“Fine. But you’re coming to the party either way.” In his head, he counted to ten, then fifteen, as he gave her time to get out on her own. When she didn’t he took desperate measures.

Picking her up and throwing him over his shoulder, Nick was able to kick the door closed with his foot and keep both the presents and Samantha steady. He grabbed the bag and headed up the walk with her screeching all the way.

Meredith opened the door before he got there and looked at them with a bemused smile.

“Not a happy camper?” she asked.

“She’ll be okay once she gets some of those cookies. Her blood sugar’s low,” Nick replied with a grin.

“Let me guess,” Meredith said as she let him in. The hall smelled like cinnamon. “Your blood sugar is low as well?”

“Low enough to eat a few cookies?”

“Only a few?”
“I didn’t say how many constituted a few,” he said, putting both Samantha and the presents down.

“You. Are. So. Dead,” Samantha said, simultaneously pulling down her dress and pointing her finger at him.

“Whatever,” he said, pushing her accusing finger away. Samantha rolled her eyes in response and probably would have began her rant if Meredith’s mom hadn’t arrived at that moment with a plateful of cookies. Samantha’s anger disappeared with the cookies.

Soon after, Nick found himself with his coat off and surrounded by his friends who were all comparing their winter breaks. It seemed like everyone had a better time than him. And they definitely had a better time than Samantha.

The whole gang was there: Tobias, Maddie, Talia, Jessica, Rosie, Ryan, and of course, Meredith. There were a few more that Nick didn’t know but he made no attempt to get to know them.

He was sitting on the worn red couch in the front room of Meredith’s house, the one with the tree. All the presents had been set around it and ranged from being wrapped very neatly to one simply covered in duct tape.

Samantha was sitting on the other couch with Rosie and Jessica. She was not talking but instead just staring off into space, nodding from time to time. Nick decided not to try to cheer her up. It might only make her annoyed again.

He instead got up and hung out with Ryan for a little while and they made fun of Tobias for being so whipped, even though Nick knew there were worst things to be. Being hopelessly in love with your best friend, for one.

Soon after teasing Tobias, Nick and Tobias turned on Ryan and started asking questions about Rosie and seeing how red they could get his face. They were almost got him to tomato red before they were called back into the other room to open presents.

Nick joined them all on the floor to participate in the wrestling match that was looking for presents. He found one from Tobias and Meredith, respectively, and an IOU from Samantha, who, to her credit, did look acceptably apologetic.

Tobias got him a new video game, the same one Nick had gotten Tobias, actually, and Meredith gave him a CD, the new Imagine Dragons, and a blue sweater. Meredith hated how he insisted on wearing this old sweater he’d had for ages so she somehow found him one exactly like; except it didn’t smell.

Getting up and taking his presents with him, Nick moved to the doorway of the room to watch the spectacle. His eyes searched the room until they fell on Samantha, who was just discovering her present from him.

She looked up and met his gaze, as if waiting for his permission. He smiled and motioned for her to open it. He did not have to tell her twice.

Samantha opened the small package to find a book. More specifically, it was Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, one of Samantha’s favorite plays. He motioned her to look on the inside cover, where he had written an inscription. He knew it by heart.

It read:

Samantha,

I can never think of this play without thinking of you. You and Beatrice are just alike. You're both amazing girls, even if you’re both stubborn as hell. I hope someday you'll see yourself the way I see you. Merry Christmas.

Yours until we run out of things to talk about,

Benedict (also known as Nick)

When she finished reading, Samantha looked up at him with an expression of both shock and gratitude. He could see that her eyes filled with tears, just for a quick moment, and then she smiled at him.

He smiled back and watched as she showed the inscription to Jessica, who was sitting next to her. Jessica read the inscription and then smirked at Nick before giving him a thumbs up. He rolled his eyes in response.

Nick did not have a chance to talk to Samantha until it was time to go home, but even then they did not speak.

They sat in pleasant silence until they reached her house and Samantha turned to him, hugged him with her arms tight around his neck, and whispered “thank you” before getting out of the car, book in hand.

They did not need to say anything else.

A/N: Sorry this is such a sucky chapter guys. I've had this chapter in mind for a while (I thought of his note in the book first) but I guess maybe because I'm trying to write a Christmas scene and it's February so I just can't. I did my best though and I promise the next chapter will be better.

Also, so sorry I've been kinda MIA for this past week! I went to Science Camp (this weeklong this 6th graders at a local elementary school go to every year) as a cabin leader and we were allowed to have our phones but there was no service whatsoever.

It was a very interesting experience. I've known most of the other people who went as cabin leaders since before we went to Science Camp ourselves (in 6th grade) and none of us can ever get along for long periods of time. But we all survived.

I however, almost didn't. I was a co-cabin leader with my friend, who I love dearly, but she's sort of a pushover so it turned into good cop, bad cop (I was the bad cop) with our kids. And they were little bitchy girls (they're 6th graders after all) so it was very exhausting. But I think I'll go back next year cause if I can handle them I can handle anything.

Sorry for rambling about it so much (I have way more to say but if you really wanna know just DM me or comment lol).

The video on the right (or the top if you're on the app) is the song "Photograph" by Ed Sheeran. It's so amazing and sad and beautiful I love it so much.

This chapter is dedicated to VeronicaKruschel for being awesome!

The photo on the right is who I have cast as Rosie, Isabelle Fuhrman :)