What If

Chapter 17 - A Gift

Taylor's P.O.V.
Well, what can I say about the last few days? Christmas came and went in a flash - I was still ill with the flu, so didn't exactly have the best Christmas in the world. But Thomas was there to make up for that. On Christmas Eve, we spent all day putting up decorations. I had a bit of a problem with putting the star on top of the tree, and when Thomas walked into the living room to see me standing on my tiptoes, trying to extend my arm as far as I could towards the topmost branches, he burst into laughter.

"I didn't know I had one of Santa's Elves helping me put up the Christmas tree?" Thomas laughed, leaning his shoulder against the door frame.

"Oh shut up!" I groaned through gritted teeth, stretching my fingers as far as I could in an effort to grab the top branch. When I missed again, for about the twentieth time, I sighed and relaxed my arm. Bloody hell, stretching hurts!

"What should I call you, then?" Thomas smirked from the doorway, "Buddy the elf?" In any normal situation, I would have laughed at his reference to one of my all-time favourite Christmas films 'Elf' (of course, after Disney's The Nightmare Before Christmas), but I was too tired, so instead I only had the effort to stick my tongue out.

"I'm not that short anyway to be an elf!" I whined and rubbed my nose, which was now red sore from blowing it all the time.

"Awww," Thomas cooed, coming towards me and wrapping me in a warm hug, "I've got my own little Rudolph the-red-nosed-reindeer!" I laughed quietly into his chest, hitting him gently on his arm. He chuckled at my poor attempt to hit him, and put his hands on my shoulders.

"Now, you want help putting the star on top of the tree?" Grinning, I nodded my head. Laughing, Thomas put his hands on my waist and lifted me up into the air. With one hand on his shoulder and the other with the star, I carefully placed it on top of the tree and smiled. Finally. Looking back down at Thomas, I placed both hands on his shoulders and he slowly put me back down on the ground. I stared into his deep, chocolate brown eyes, and he did the same with me.

"Merry Christmas, Thomas," I said quietly.

"Merry Christmas, my little Rudolph."

So yeah, that was my Christmas Eve. Christmas Day we spent with our families - me round Sydney's house, and Thomas at his parent's house. Boy, Sydney knows how to cook a Christmas dinner! It was huge! Whilst her and Sam bustled around the kitchen preparing the meal, I helped Mia and Teddy with their Christmas cookies. Mia insisted on her cookies being in the shape of a fairy, with pink icing, whereas Teddy just wanted to eat the icing! It was quite a mess we were in by the end of it, and it took a great deal of time clearing the icing off of both the table and the pair of them.

Later in the evening, after Mia had played her new 'Frozen' DVD for the third time, I decided to make my way home. There was no snow this year sadly, so my journey was pretty straight forward. When I arrived, Thomas was collapsed on the sofa sound asleep, with a Christmas hat loosely hanging from his hair. Laughing quietly, I opened up my camera on my phone and taking a photograph of him, I sent it to his sister Ava with a caption of 'What the hell did you do to him?'. Turning my attention away from my phone, I looked back to Thomas. A wicked plan suddenly brewed in my mind, and creeping over to his side, I placed my phone to his ear and hit play on my alarm. Thomas' eyes shot open, and he jumped off of the sofa in shock.

"What the bloody hell?" He yelled over the noise, covering his ears with his hands.

"Oh my God, Thomas!" I howled with laughter as I turned off the alarm, "You should have seen your face!"

"Taylor, that is not funny!" He laughed nervously, sitting back down and running a hand through his hair.

"Oh but it really was!" I wiped the tears from my eyes as I stopped my laughing. The rest of the evening consisted of us sharing gifts with each other, scoffing our faces with some left over Christmas cookies and watching Christmas films till three in the morning.

It's now December 30 - the day before my cousin's wedding. I'm currently stood over my bed, throwing clothes and bits and bobs into a suitcase.

"Ohhhh what to pack for a wedding?" I clicked my tongue in thought as I turned back to my wardrobe. I wasn't exactly a dressy kinda girl. I mean, I dressed smart for work and all, but that consisted of pencil skirts, blouses and blazers. But no dresses. I can't wear business clothes to a bloody wedding. Groaning with frustration, I threw myself down on the bed and buried my head in my pillow.

"Knock knock," Thomas said quietly, opening my door wider and poking his head round, "Bloody hell, what's wrong with you!"

"I don't have anything to wear for the wedding!" I moaned into the pillow.

"Oh you must have something," Thomas smiled, sitting down on the bed and rubbing my shoulder. I rolled onto my side and propped myself up on one elbow.

"Nope, nothing, nada," I stated, looking at my wardrobe.

"Weeell," Thomas said slowly, smiling as he did, "I have a confession to make."

"Mm?"

"I didn't give you your entire Christmas present last week," His smile grew. What is he up to? I rose my eyebrows in confusion but all he did to answer was jump up off the bed and leave the room. Moments later, he came back in with a neatly wrapped box in his hands.

"Merry Christmas," He grinned, handing the box to me.

"Thomas," I replied quietly, looking from the box to him. He nodded in encouragement for me to open it so breathing deeply, I unwrapped the present. Inside was a large white box with a black ribbon wrapped around it. Still confused, I untied the ribbon and lifted the lid.