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Scott met my eyes, and I could see he got it. His palm curled around the back of my neck, and he pulled me closer before pressing his lips to mine and giving me a soft, heated kiss. “Thank you,” he whispered, and I gave him a small smile before pushing the last and final gift toward him. It was the one I was the most nervous about because unlike the others, I’d made this one with my own two hands.
Scott grinned as he unwrapped the gift, and his eyes lit up when he saw what it was. He pulled the woolen jumper out of the packaging before unfolding it. It was in the Gryffindor colors, which was Scott’s Hogwarts house, obviously. The jumper was maroon with a golden S in the center, just like Molly Weasley made for all the boys in the books.
“Oh my god, Luke! It’s beautiful! And so soft!”
“I’m glad you like it,” I said with a grin. All those late hours spent working on it hadn’t been for nothing, and I was glad.
“Wait. Did you make it? Like from scratch?”
“From wool, actually,” I joked.
Scott stared at the jumper for a few minutes, and I realized with a start that he was crying when a teardrop plopped onto the wool.
“Hey,” I murmured, pulling him closer and hugging him to me. He held on to me tightly and breathed deeply for a few minutes. I pressed a kiss on top of his head and rocked both of us, surprised at this role reversal. After a few minutes, Scott pulled away and wiped his eyes before giving me a smile.
“Thank you so much for making this for me. I’m going to treasure it forever.”
“It was my pleasure.”
“When did you even make it? I’m sure it took a lot of time.”
“Uh, I wasn’t really staying late at work. I’d go to Brady’s café and knit for an hour or two instead.”
“You’re amazing,” Scott said simply, and I blushed. I’d never get tired of Scott’s praises.
“Now, my turn!” Scott declared before handing me the first gift from his pile. I unwrapped it eagerly and gasped when I realized what it was. It was a tea set, with a kettle and six cups and saucers. But the best thing was the fact that the kettle and the cups each sported a quote from Bastien White. When I read through them, I realized they were one from each book. “Oh my god, Scott. These are beautiful!”
“You love tea, and you love Bastien White,” Scott explained with a shrug.
“And I love you,” I added, and he smiled widely at me.
“I love you, too.”
My next gift was a book set that we’d read a few weeks ago that I’d wanted to buy in paperback for my collection. Scott had one-upped me and bought me the hardcover set. “Thank you!” I squeaked as I ran my fingers over the illustrations reverently.
Scott just smiled at me before handing me my third gift. It felt like it was some kind of cloth, so I quickly unwrapped it to find a scarf. And not just any scarf. It was the color of a book’s page and full of quotes from different books. I read a few and realized it was fairy-tale-themed. I wrapped it around my neck and sighed at its silky softness. “Oh Scott, this is lovely. Thank you.”
“My pleasure,” Scott said before handing me the final package. It felt like another piece of clothing, so I quickly unwrapped it before shaking it out. My eyes widened as I realized what it was. It was a crop top with black-and-blue stripes. The sleeves would come to my elbow while the top itself would end somewhere at the base of my ribs. I looked up at Scott to see him biting his lip and watching me nervously.
“A crop top?”
“Well, I’m guessing the tattoo you got is gorgeous, and I thought you might wanna show it off. You could wear it when we go out if you wanted, or you could just wear it around the house if you’d prefer that,” Scott said with a shrug. I watched him for a moment before getting to my feet, realizing my perfect moment was here.
“L-Luke?” he stammered as he clambered to get up.
“Give me a minute,” I said before rushing off into our bedroom. I closed the door before unwrapping my scarf and removing my sweater. I stared at the crop top for a second before donning it. It was the perfect size. Next, I walked into the bathroom and carefully removed the dressings on my tattoos. I grinned at the reflection before rushing into the bedroom. I wrapped the scarf around my neck again before taking a deep breath and walking outside. Scott was pacing in the living room when I walked in, and I realized I probably shouldn’t have left the way I did.
“Scott?” I said, and Scott whirled toward me, his mouth open, probably about to say something. He clamped his mouth shut as his eyes fell on me, and he examined me from head to toe.
He walked closer before grabbing my hands from where I’d crossed them across my stomach to keep the tattoo hidden and examining my tattoos. “Vines?”
He didn’t remember?
“On our first hike, you—”
“The tiara!” Scott gasped as he looked up at me. I nodded.
“That day, for the first time, you made me realize that I could still be beautiful, that Marcus hadn’t taken everything from me. You gave me…hope.”
