THAGGIE
"All I want for Christmas is you."
Theo and Maggie were sitting together on the stage in the rose room, looking up chords for random Christmas carols to pass the time.
"Ooh, what about Jingle Bell Rock?" Maggie asked, looking up at Theo. Their eyes accidentally made contact and the two waited a split second before looking away.
That was weird, Theo thought.
He shook it off, though, laughing at Maggie's previous statement. "Sounds good," Theo agreed. "Should we do the Plastics' dance, as well?"
Maggie let out a giggle. "I don't think anybody wants to see me slut-drop, but you can go for your life."
Theo jumped up so he was standing in front of Maggie. "Alright, play me the carol," he demanded, dramatically.
Maggie laughed again and Theo felt real good about himself.
She began strumming the chords whilst Theo began his "interpretive intro", before Maggie started singing.
Theo did the first few dance moves, unable to remember the rest and cutting straight to the slut-drop on the first rock. Maggie had to stop playing, laughing too hard at Theo's dancing.
He smiled. He loved Christmas. It was the only time of the year when everybody was in a good mood on the day, and leading up to it (minus parents, of course). It was the perfect time to remind yourself that you are loved, by surrounding yourself with people who loved you. It was the perfect time to remind people that you loved them back.
Theo smiled as he watched Maggie continue to lose it. I have to get Maggie a Christmas present, he realised.
It was the perfect opportunity for him to let her know how he really felt.
And, if all went wrong, he wouldn't be seeing her for the rest of the week.
+++
"What to get, what to get," Luke sang as he and Theo scanned the random pieces of jewellery in the store. "A ring would be too much, hey?"
"Definitely," Theo replied. "Leia might get the wrong idea, too."
"I was talking about you getting a ring for Maggie, but okay," Luke explained and then began laughing. Theo rolled his eyes, lightly pushing his close friend. "No, but for real, bracelet or necklace?"
"Leia loves necklaces," Theo pointed out. The two looked down at the bracelets in front of them.
"That's what I was thinking, but I'm really hooked on this bracelet," Luke said, pointing to one. It was a silver chain with a small heart pendent on the end. "I think it's very Leia."
"I agree." Theo was happy Luke picked a bracelet, because although Leia loved necklaces, he knew Maggie did, too.
Now, there was nothing stopping Theo from getting Maggie the necklace with a heart locket that he had spotted as soon as he entered the store. He was just waiting for Luke to pick something for Leia, considering it was his girlfriend he was buying for, so he definitely got first choice.
Theo held the necklace after he bought it and had trouble stopping himself from smiling. He knew exactly what photo he was going to put in the locket.
Maggie was going to love it.
+++
Theo could see Maggie standing on the other side of the room with Annabelle, laughing about something. She looked over at him and gave him a small, soft smile. He smiled back and then looked away, feeling stupid for being caught staring.
He was standing by himself at the studio Christmas party, contemplating whether or not to give Maggie the necklace. Maybe it was too much? Or it wasn't enough.
"Dude," Luke said, running up to Theo. He was breathing heavily and his face was red yet glowing with pure happiness. "I gave Leia the bracelet and she, like, jumped me! You need to give Maggie the necklace."
"I will," Theo said, looking back over at Maggie. "Just . . . Not yet."
Luke threw his arm around Theo's shoulder. "Look, you're never going to know how she truly feels if you don't do anything about it," he said. "And I mean, it's not like she's going to throw it back in your face and tell you she hates it."
Gee, thanks, Luke. Now there's another thing to add to my list of reasons why I'm too scared to give Maggie her present.
"I say go for it," Luke concluded.
"That's easy for you to say. You have girls throwing themselves at you every day. Of course Leia was going to return the feelings."
"You're just think too much," Luke told me. "But it's your choice. Do what you want."
With that, Luke disappeared, and Theo was left standing by himself again. He and Maggie made eye contact again, but this time she excused herself from Annabelle and made her way to him.
"Hey, why are you so mopey?" she asked, nudging him with her shoulder.
Theo cracked a small smile. "I'm not. Just thinking," he replied.
"Looks like something serious."
Theo looked down at Maggie and sighed. "Yeah, it is," he said. "Excuse me, I left something in my car."
+++
Theo avoided Maggie for the rest of the night. He decided he couldn't give her the necklace. It was too obvious and he wasn't ready for the rejection that would follow.
Creative ways he managed to dodge the brunette included engaging in a conversation with Eva about dolphins, announcing he needed to pee before running off to the bathroom, and burying his face in a bowl of punch.
They managed to keep him away from Maggie for the rest of the party, but nothing could have stopped the inevitable goodbye that came at the end.
After hugging Jude goodbye, Theo turned around to see who was left to see off and screamed when he found Maggie standing in front of him with a victorious smile, as if she knew exactly what was going on.
"Why are you avoiding me?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
"I'm not," Theo lied and then looked to his right. "Hey, Nate, hold up!"
Maggie grabbed Theo's arm tightly, having a surprisingly strong grip for such a small person. "Oh, no you don't." Theo and Nate shared an awkward look before he turned back to Maggie. "Why are you avoiding me?"
"I'm not," Theo insisted. "I'm just a busy guy. Got lots to do. People to see."
Maggie rolled her eyes, hitting his chest. "I got you a Christmas present, you jerk," she said. "I was trying to give it to you all night, but you kept running away."
Theo gulped. She got him a Christmas present. He got her a Christmas present. If she gave him his present, he couldn't just not give her something in return.
He was slightly screwed.
Maggie handed Theo a small box and then smiled, expectantly. She was waiting for him to open it.
"Uh, you didn't have to," Theo said as he began to rip the wrapping paper off.
"Of course I did. Luke told me that you were getting me something, so I had to return the favour." Luke. I'm going to kill that pretty boy.
Theo laughed once he saw what was inside. It was a cardboard box filled with cut out photos of Theo, flower petals and quotes from songs that he had written.
It was so personal and perfect. He really didn't want to give Maggie her present.
"This . . . This is awesome." He looked up at her. "Thanks, Maggie."
"It's okay," she said. "Now, where's mine?"
Theo laughed at her eagerness and then reluctantly pulled the box out of his jacket pocket. He shook it a bit before handing it over to her.
He felt sick.
Maggie unwrapped it and then raised her eyebrows once she saw the box it was in. "Jewellery?" She asked. "Fancy."
Theo watched with unease as Maggie popped open the velvet-y box and gasped at the sight of the necklace. She pulled it out, holding onto the locket.
"Theo, it's beautiful." He no longer felt anxious, but was definitely embarrassed.
"There's, uh, there's a photo in the locket. Of us," he explained, awkwardly. He felt so stupid. She was never going to like him the way he wanted her to.
Maggie opened the locket and smiled at the photo of the two of them. It was taken a few weeks after Maggie had arrived at Lost & Found. They were busking together, trying to see who would make more money. Annabelle passed by and took a photo of the two of them together, singing to each other. The photo truly captured how that day was more than just competition for them. It was when they first truly bonded.
"I remember this day," Maggie said, still smiling. "Busking. And you were so competitive, you wouldn't rest until we settled the score."
They both laughed fondly at the memory.
Maggie looked up at Theo, her face going soft. She leaned up and kissed Theo's cheek, allowing her lips to linger for a moment before pulling away.
"Thank you, Theo," she said. "This is beautiful."
Theo smiled. "You're welcome," he replied, even though he knew he should have been the one thanking her. She had made his entire night. His week, even.
"I'll see you next week," she said and Theo nodded.
Once Maggie left, Luke walked up to Theo and threw his arm around her shoulder. "Call me Cupid," he said, winking at Theo.
Theo shook his head at his friend. "If that didn't turn out well, I would have killed you."
Before the two walked out of the studio, Theo gave it one last glance. Next week.
Song: All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey (obviously lol)