saturday mornings are for pancakes // a dream x reader fanfiction

CHAPTER 68: CHRISTMAS

DECEMBER 13

OVER ONE YEAR IN NEW YORK

The mood in the office is low. Everyone grumbles in their office separately; many step out to make important phone calls to their families.

I just sat at my desk, knowing it's two weeks until Christmas, and we were just told we're going to have to work on the holiday.

Working on Christmas. I had always thought I would never have to be that person, especially since my job has never been particularly a desk job until recently.

I glance at the clock in the bottom right hand corner, and I stare at the date. Something seems to be off about it. Something about me sitting at this desk while looking at those numbers is wrong.

I guess I had always thought by the time Christmas came around, I would've gone to Florida with no plans to come back home to New York. Now I won't even be going to Florida till sometime next year.

A text from Clay pops up on my phone screen. I glance over it quickly to see it's complaining about Nick, and I set my phone back down.

Clay and I have been good. Really good, actually. We've managed to get this friends thing down really well. We still argue, we always will, but now it's about little, unimportant things.

My hands cover my eyes, and I drag them down my face. This is about to be my life for the next few months, and I'm starting to not look forward to it. I wish I could stay in my apartment and code every day. That would be really nice right now.

_ _ _

I decide to facetime Nick, knowing he's the most likely to actually pick up the phone. He answers with his face right in the camera. "Hello," he says before pulling away.

"Hey," I begin, "Are George and Clay home?"

"Yeah, they're in the living room." Nick is already getting up from his chair. "What's up?" he says as he walks.

I hear the Christmas music first. I didn't expect that Clay and George being in the living room meant they would be decorating a tree. My heart sinks at my own bad news.

"Look at this, y/n!" Nick shows me a full view of the tree. He zooms in on his own ornament before showing Clay and George. Clay has Christmas lights around his shoulders, while George has a Santa hat on his head.

"Hi y/n!" George yells over the music. "Look, it's Christmas!"

Clay laughs at the returning joke. "Look at how tall our tree is."

Nick backs up so that I can see both Clay and the tree. The tree towers over Clay, almost reaching the high ceilings.

"How are you going to reach the top for the star?" I ask.

"We bought a ladder," Nick explains. "Wait, look at this ornament we got too."

"Oh, let me get it." George digs through a bag and pulls out a little ornament. He puts it in front of the camera.

I wait for it to focus before realizing it's a pancake ornament. "Aw, guys."

"We needed something to remember by until you get here," Clay says. I can hear the excitement in his voice, and I think that hurts the most.

"Yeah, when are you getting here?" Nick asks.

I take a deep breath, knowing I need to tell them sooner rather than later. "Um." I know I just need to rip off the band-aid. "That's actually what I wanted to talk to you guys about."