Tis the Season

Liam & Kendall

Her arms full of neatly wrapped presents, Kendall crossed her parent’s front lawn to their brightly decorated porch. Even though the sun passed through the sky, the colorful lights still flashed on and off, to the tune of Jingle Bells.

With her knee underneath the heaviest present for balance, Kendall attempted to open the door with one hand, while the other held tightly onto the gifts. It was an amazing feat, and Kendall was proud of herself for having done it so effortlessly.

“Is that Santa I hear?” Kendall’s mother called from the kitchen, when she heard the sound of the door opening.

Letting out a laugh, Kendall pushed the door shut behind her. “It’s me, Mom.”

“Just in time.”

Kendall’s father ran right to her side, lifting the presents from her hand. The older man was able to place the presents under the empty space beside the tree twice as effortlessly as she would have been able to.

“It’s good to see you, Pumpkin,” her father said, placing a kiss on the top her head. “Your mother is going to throw a fit when she sees your hair.”

The brunette girl laughed, shaking her head. All she had done was straighten it, but her mother always preferred it curly, and she knew her father was right.

As if on cue, the older woman walked through the kitchen’s threshold, a large grin on her face. She paused in the doorway, as she admired Kendall’s hair for a moment, before continuing on, and wrapping her daughter in her arms.

“I’m so glad my baby girl’s back.” Her mother tugged at her hair, while she squeezed her tightly, and Kendall gave her a firm squeeze back. The smell of her mother’s chocolate chip cookies filled the woman’s hair, and Kendall couldn’t wait to have a bite.

“Lunch first,” her mother said, “presents after.”

Image


Kendall sat comfortably on the sofa, with her mother on one side and her father on the other. Each of them had a stack of items in front of them, the presents that had previously been wrapped. Kendall’s gifts from her parents were perfect, and she couldn’t have asked for anything better. As an only child, she always got everything she needed and more.

Looking to each of her parents, Kendall smiled. “Thank you so much for everything. I love it all.”

“You’re welcome, baby girl,” Kendall’s mother said, pulling her in for a hug. “Thank you for my new pots. I love them.”

When Kendall’s mother pulled away, her gaze fell to the necklace wrapped around Kendall’s neck. Her eyes admired it, before her hand reached down to feel the pendant.

“What’s this?” she asked, rubbing her fingers over the edges.

“It’s a necklace,” Kendall said, laughing as she did so. “It’s my Christmas gift from Liam.”

Her father shot up at the mention of a boy’s name. “Who’s Liam?”

Her mother laughed, eyeing her father. “You remember Liam. That boy Kendall fancies so much.”

With a laugh, Kendall glared at her mother, while shaking her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, I remember now,” her father said, from the opposite end of the couch. “The one in all your Facebook photos.”

“You two are mad,” Kendall laughed. “I don’t fancy Liam.”

Her mother gave her that knowing look she always gave. Kendall might be able to fool her father, but she’d never be able to trick her mother. The older woman saw right past Kendall’s mask, and there was no hiding it.

As Kendall’s mother continued to move her fingers across the pendant, it began to crack at the edges. The two looked down at it, as it pulled all the way open.

“Would you look at that,” Kendall’s mother said, with a smile. “It’s a locket.”

Kendall’s face twisted in confusion. “It is?”

Her hands moved immediately to the locket, pulling it from her mother’s fingers. Bringing it to her face, she took a look inside the opening for the first time. On the left side was a tiny picture of Kendall and Liam that was so small you could only barely make out their faces. On the other side was an engraving that was more easily read. Stamped across the metal surface, were a few quick words in a cursive font.

Christmas 2012

Kendall Stone,

You mean the world to me. I love you more than you will ever know, and I only hope that one day I will get the courage to tell you.

Until then, keep this close to your heart, and never give up one me, because I will never give up on you.

One day.

Liam Payne


Kendall’s heart began to flutter in her chest. The engraving, that quick 50 or so words, said more to Kendall than anything anyone had said to her before.

If it were true, if Liam really loved her back, all that time she had spent crying over every date he went on would have been for nothing. The few nights she had spent awake worrying about him and Nadine, until the blonde girl confessed that nothing had happened, would have been for nothing, and she would never have to feel that way again.

She knew she had to do something fast. She had waited long enough, and she wasn’t going to wait anymore.

“I’ve got to go,” Kendall said, placing a kiss on top of each of her parents’ heads. “I’ll be back in an hour, two tops.”

Her mother smiled at her, locking their eyes together. “Take all the time you need.”

Shooting through the door, Kendall made her way to the center of town, and she was there in just moments. She had never gotten to one place so quickly, and she was sure it was her adrenaline that had helped her get there.

The sidewalks were busy and filled with people making their way to their Christmas destinations. Children walked closely by their parents side, and many couples walked hand in hand.

With her coat wrapped tightly around her, Kendall stepped through the crowds of people, who were all admiring the large tree in the center of town. She couldn’t blame them; it was quite the site. The large tree was nearly as large as the beautiful church it stood in front of, and people always flocked to it on Christmas Day. As much as she loved seeing all the people enjoying the tree, they only made it harder for her to find Liam.

She had no idea what color coat he had on, or whether or not he was wearing a hat. She only knew that every year on Christmas, his family made the journey to see the tree. She could only hope that they hadn’t left yet.

As her eyes wondered through the crowd, they landed on the bright red hair of Liam’s mother. He stood directly next to the woman, with his sisters at his side, as a stranger took their picture in front of the tree.

Kendall shot through the crowd, pushing through the people with several quick apologies, until she reached the open space in front of the group.

Liam’s eyes fell on Kendall, just as the camera flashed, and a large smile fell to his lips.

“Kendall?” Liam shouted at her, just a few feet away. “What are you doing here?”

At that moment, Kendall no longer knew what to do. She supposed she should have had some sort of plan to help the moment go more smoothly, but nothing she had thought of seemed fitting. She had no clue where to begin, and her mind raced with thoughts of what to do next.

Luckily, her body seemed to know something that her mind did not, and her feet began moving across the pebbled ground. Her legs were flying, as she sprinted towards the boy. She leapt into his arms, while he wrapped his hands around her waist.

“Is everything alright, Ken?” he asked, his warm breath falling against her ear.

She couldn’t bring herself to respond. Her mouth opened, but no words fell out. Instead, she kept her arms wrapped around his neck, while he held tightly onto her. Her heart was thudding in her chest, at a speed unlike any she had felt before. Nothing she was feeling made any sense, and everything felt so strongly that it made thinking nearly impossible.

When she pulled away, all she could do was hold up the pendant, and flick her eyes between it and the boy. A look of confusion fell across his face. He was clearly confused as to what was going on, and her hints did nothing to help.

Laughing, Liam shook his head. “Ken, what’s going on? Are you okay?”

“Do you love me?” Kendall asked, the words falling from her lips before she had a chance to catch them. She hadn’t planned for it to happen, but her brain had other plans.

Liam stepped back, his eyes wide. “What do you mean?”

His confusion gave Kendall pause. If he loved her, why was he so hesitant? Her thoughts immediately raced to James, the boy who had been in the exact same situation, and had failed miserably. Becca didn’t love him, and he’d had his heart crushed. Kendall had that same fear, but she didn’t care anymore. The truth was going to fall from her lips whether she liked it or not.

“I love you, Liam.” Kendall’s eyes were pleading with him, as he looked down at her. “I don’t mean to, and I don’t know how it happened, but I do. Gosh, I think I have since I’ve known you. I thought I’d be like James, but then I saw this,” she held up the necklace again, “and then I thought – “

Before Kendall could finish, Liam’s lips were pressed on hers. His warm lips were softer than any she’d ever felt, and when he placed his hand against her cheek, it set on fire.

That kiss made more sense than anything Kendall had felt before. With it, she felt everything Liam had wanted to tell her since the moment they’d met. She knew all the times he’d held her in his arms and wanted it to mean more. She could feel the pain he’d felt when he saw her dating other guys, and he could feel hers, too.

There was something about the kiss that made Kendall know it was the only start of many, many more.
♠ ♠ ♠
Liam and Kendall finally got their happy ending! :)
I am so sad their story is over! I am really going to miss these characters!
Merry Christmas everyone!