❆ Jingle Bell Rock ❆

The weeks had rushed by and I soon found myself turning over the calendar page so that it showed December. It was as if someone had flicked a switch on the weather machine, the air had become considerably colder signalling that winter had well and truly arrived.

I had spent the majority of yesterday evening packing my bags with the help of Gabby.

"I really wish you were coming with us," I said as I folded another thick, woolly jumper into my traveling bag.

"I love your family and all that but your mother can be extremely crazy at times." Gabby shouted from down the hall.

"You're just as crazy as her though, if anything you influence her." I shouted back, ceasing my packing to join her in the living room.

"I do not!" She said giving me a teasing smile.

"You look very cosy," I said taking in her appearance. Her auburn hair was tied back in a French plait and she was wearing her special Christmas pyjamas that were scattered with tiny cartoon reindeers. With her legs propped up on the coffee table in front of the sofa, she took frequent sips from her wine glass.

"Thanks for helping me pack," I said sarcastically.

With the side of her face illuminated by the flashing images on the TV, she jerked her head in the direction of the kitchen.

"I poured you a glass of wine. You should be thankful I could have gone ahead and drank it all on my own!" She teased, taking another big sip from her glass. I wouldn't have put it past her to finish the bottle.

I sauntered towards the kitchen and retrieved my glass before sitting beside Gabby on the sofa.

"What are you watching?"

"Some wannabe singers trying to impress everyone," She said and I groaned. Not again!

"Oh please put a film on I can't stand watching that tosh!"

She put her glass of wine down on the table and held her hands up in defence.

"Okay, okay Love Actually it is." I beamed at her and she rolled her eyes.

"I really do wish you were coming with us tomorrow," I said as we waited for the film to begin.

"I do too but my brother is coming home for Christmas this year so mum wants us all there." I nodded my head showing her I understood. The truth was I'd miss her.

"I'm only a phone call away if you need me though," She gave me a reassuring smile before adding; "I know a Christmas with the Thorne-Hallowell family can be pretty eventful."

I scrunched up my face, "God, don't remind me! Do you remember the time when Holly was four and tried to climb up the chimney in an attempt to find Santa?"

Gabby covered her face with her hands to muffle her laughter.

"Or the time when Marina burnt half her eyebrow off as she tried to light the Christmas pudding? Your mum is hilarious!"

"Well it didn't help the fact that you had been slipping drops of whiskey into her drinks,"

"She's a fun drunk," Gabby raised her glass of wine, "To the Christmas season!"

We then spent the rest of the evening watching Love Actually and FRIENDS reruns before turning in for the night.

❆❆❆

At 10 o'clock the next morning, wrapped up in my winter coat, scarf and gloves, I started to load my bags into the car.

"Make sure you call me as soon as you get there," Gabby said pulling me into another bone-crushing hug, "I'll miss you."

"I will, tell your family I say hello," I replied as we pulled away. I grabbed the suitcase I had packed last night and lifted it into the backseat of the car. As I climbed into the driver's seat, Gabby beckoned for me to roll down the window.

"Be careful on the roads, drive safely," She said, giving me a sincere look. I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded.

As I started to pull out of the driveway Gabby took a few steps out of the doorway, still dressed in her Christmas pyjamas, and waved me off. I blew her a kiss before setting off to my dad's old Christmas cottage.

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After a couple of hours driving, I slowly pulled up onto the driveway in front of the cottage. I turned off the engine and looked at the old cottage through the car window. It looked untouched; it was exactly the same as how we had left it all those years ago. The stone, cobbled bricks looked as homely as ever and the thatched roof added character to the building. I sighed and opened the car door. As I climbed out I noticed Nick's car was parked further up the driveway, I quickly gathered my bags and suitcase and made my way to the front door.

Before I reached the doorway, the door swung open to reveal a colourful elf.

"Talia, you're here!" Holly squealed jumping up and down on the spot, the bells on her hat and boots jingling loudly.

"Hello little elf," I said passing her one of my lightest bags to carry. She took it and started frantically talking about her latest costumes as we walked inside the cottage.

"I have one for each day of December. I have an angel costume, a star costume, a gingerbread girl costume..."

"Wow, you'll have to show me all of them later, Hols."

"No, I can show you them now. They're upstairs in my room, wait here!" She shouted before racing up the stairs, bells jingling.

I watched as she disappeared from view and then looked around the hallway in awe. Since my dad's death I had associated the cottage with dark, miserable images of the painful years of mourning that had followed. But the cottage was alive again; my mum had obviously been at work hanging fairy lights across the walls and around the staircase. There was a familiar warm, happy glow about the place.

"Hello sweetheart. I thought I heard Holly talking to someone." Nick said appearing from one of the rooms, "Was the drive here okay?"

I nodded and smiled at him when he opened his arms for a hug.

"I'll take your bags up to your room for you; your mother is in the kitchen cooking God knows what!" He rolled his eyes as he took my bag and suitcase off my hands and headed up the stairs.

I took off my boots, coat and scarf and followed my sense of smell towards the kitchen. I waved at Oscar who was lounging on the sofa reading another comic book.

"It smells delicious in here!" I said spotting my mum with her head in the fridge.

"Ah hello, darling, welcome back to the Christmas cottage. It's lovely to be back again isn't it?" She asked her eyes wide with excitement.

I wasn't too sure how to answer. Yes it was nice to be back but this place used to hold so many happy memories...it made me feel kind of uncomfortable to be back here but this time without my dad.

I opted to stay quiet and give her a quick nod.

"What are you baking?" Mum clapped her hands together and turned to grab something of the kitchen counter.

"I made cranberry and white chocolate cookies. I've got another batch in the oven now." She said placing a plate of warm cookies on the kitchen island, "Try one," She urged.

I picked one up and took a bite out of it.

"Mum, these are delicious!" I said catching the crumbs in my hand.

"I know," She beamed, pretending to brush dust off her shoulders. My laughter was muffled by the rest of the cookie I had stuffed into my mouth.

"Talia! Talia! I told you to wait there." An annoyed voice shouted from the hallway.

"Oh dear, looks like someone is in trouble," Mum sang as she continued her baking.

I crept out into the hallway ready to apologise when I came face to face with a gingerbread man.

"Oh Holly! You look adorable."

"I know," Her frown instantly turned into a wicked grin.

"You make a fine gingerbread man." I said inspecting her costume.

"Lady. I'm a gingerbread lady." She said firmly.

"My mistake, you make a fine gingerbread lady." We grinned at each other.

"Can I show you my other costumes?" She asked suddenly coming across shy.

"Of course," I said taking her hand, "lead the way."

  ❆ ❆ ❆   

As I looked out of the guest room window my eyes fell upon my dad's outhouse. Suddenly all the conversations we had had here filled my mind. I could remember him talking passionately about his plans to build an extension and that the end of the garden was the perfect spot to build it. He had told me that it was mine if I wanted it. That he would build it so I had a place to stay if the city ever got too much for me. He had exaggerated that in the future...way in the future that my partner and I could join him and mum on family getaways. We would stay in the newly furbished outhouse and they would stay in the cottage.

I suddenly felt the urge to be closer to him. I took one more look at the house before walking away from the window. I climbed down the stairs, passing Bruno along the way and made my way into the kitchen.

"Where are you off to?" Mum asked as I pulled on my boots and wrapped a scarf around my neck.

"The outhouse, I won't be long," I swiped another cookie from the plate as mum looked at me with a surprised expression.

"O-okay," She said hesitantly.

I smiled at her before unlocking the backdoor, Bruno raced past me and into the garden. I frowned slightly as I saw my mum's anxious face peering out the window after me. I shrugged it off. Maybe she was just feeling what I was feeling and understood the memories and emotions the building held.

"Come on," I beckoned for Bruno to follow me as I walked across the frost covered grass towards the outhouse.

From the outside, the outhouse had a modern appearance; it looked more like a cabin. I stepped up onto the wooden decking and looked back at the cottage. I took in the crisp, winter air with a deep breath. It was so peaceful to be in the countryside for once and not busy London. I took a bite out of the cookie and pulled the door open.

Inside was exactly how I'd remembered. The low ceilings with exposed wooden beams added charm and character to the place. Large bookcases lined the far wall, filled with my dad's collection of old classics. The bookcase continued to the upper level which could only be accessed by the open balcony. Bursts of reds, browns and golds created a warm, homely atmosphere. A maroon sofa, decorated with patterned cushions sat before an oval glass table.

I brushed my hand over the back of the sofa as I absentmindedly wandering around the ground floor. My dad had done a beautiful job, the extension was jaw dropping. I entered the kitchen and briefly looked around before returning back to the living area. My attention was drawn towards the rows upon rows of books that were organised alphabetically. My dad and I shared that same gene for organisation. I smiled to myself when the letter A caught my eye. I pulled out Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and ran my hand over the cover.

A creak of a floorboard upstairs made my hands freeze. Bruno trotted up and stood beside my feet. When no further noises came from above I brushed it off, it was probably the changing weather outside. I relaxed and continued to look at the other titles along the shelves.

There was another creak and this time Bruno nudged his head against the back of my legs. I quietly placed the book I was holding down on a nearby table and crept towards the spiralling staircase. I climbed up onto the first step and then the next. I looked up as if to expect the source of the noise to reveal their self.

But there was no one there.

With Bruno at my feet I hesitantly made my way up the stairs. My mind was racing with elaborate ideas of what the noise could be. A burglar? Maybe I should have brought something to protect myself with. I peered down at Bruno who crept alongside me; he'll do.

Reaching the top of the staircase I looked from left to right. There were only two rooms, the bedroom and the study. I chose to investigate the bedroom first. As quietly as my boots would allow, I padded towards the closed bedroom door. I took a deep breath, bracing myself for an imposter. Maybe I was wrong, maybe it was just the floorboards creaking. They do that sometimes don't they?

Without wasting another second I grabbed the handle and pushed the door open.

The cookie fell from my hand.

My eyes widened at the sight of my ex-boyfriend/love of my life standing before me with a white fluffy towel wrapped around his hips. I blinked, and then blinked again; I wasn't dreaming. My gaze flickered away from his surprised face to the steam filled bathroom and then down to the suitcase on the bed.

"Talia," My name sounded like a breath of relief escaping his lungs. It shook me to the core, I hadn't heard his voice in so long.

My eyes fell on him again and I found myself taking a step back when I saw the slight smile making its way across his face. He combed his wet, short brown hair back with his hand and took a step towards me. I took another cautious step back and then darted back out the door.

"Tal, Talia!" He called but I was already out the bedroom and rushing down the stairs.

No. No. No, he wasn't really here. I had just imagined it.

Bruno barked from behind me and then came running past me, his tongue hanging from the side of his mouth. Damned dog thought this was a game, this wasn't a game this was my past and I was running from it.

"Talia wait!" I turned my head and to see Jacob buttoning up his jeans as he tried to catch up with me.

I'm imagining it, he's not here.

I dashed across the living room and threw open the door. Bruno leaped over the steps and onto the grass; I quickly followed him towards the cottage. Mum was still in the kitchen when I burst through the backdoor, panting. Her eyes widened in alarm and then frantically looked out the window to see Jacob running across the grass, struggling to pull on his jumper.

"Talia, darling wait," She cried as I continued past her and towards the front door. I grabbed Bruno's lead and ran out the door with Bruno at my heels.

❆ ❆ ❆

A/N - Second chapter of the week for you. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as you did the first. I'm having so much fun writing this story, it's really getting me into the festive mood! 

Remember to vote, comment and follow if you liked this chapter, I'd love to hear what you're thinking so far. We're still getting into the story line at the moment but I think you'll all like what is coming up next ;)

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- H xx