Magnolia's POV:
Mum and Elliot greeted us at the mouth of Kings Cross, allowing Juniper and me to slip through the platform unnoticed by Elliot. The feeling of Mum's arms again was everything I was hoping for, the warmth, her citrusy scent curling up my nose, I was home. Juniper sat in the backseat of Elliot's car with her hands folded in her lap as she watched the passing buildings.
I'd never seen her so quiet and patient, she was either overwhelmed or excited. Mum kept glancing back at me through the rearview mirror, her eyes shifting back at Juniper who sat awkwardly beside me. Almost like she was trying to see if she should spark up a conversation with Juniper.
"I'm so excited to have you as a guest in our home, Juniper." Mum twisted in her seat to give Juniper a warm smile.
"Thank you, Ms. Lancaster. You can call me June though, it's not as formal." She nodded with a friendly smile, glancing out the window again to catch another glimpse at the passing buildings as they melted into farms and light fluffs of the forest.
"Where are you from?" Elliot asked, his eyes trained on the thinning road in front of us.
Juniper gave me a knowing grin, "Here and there, why don't you tell me about the book-selling business? Seems far more interesting than a nearly fourteen-year-old girl from nowhere really important." Juniper was quick to change the subject.
Elliot happily went on and on about literature, and Juniper soaked it up politely. Juniper seemed genuinely interested in what Elliot had to say after a while. She knew that Elliot was a Muggle and wouldn't know anything about magic, nor the difference between Muggle London and Wizarding London; an entire city hidden in the cracks of the London he knew. I was beginning to wonder how that conversation was going to go, I couldn't go the rest of my life living in the same house hiding an entire other life. Especially if he saw a future with my mum.
Juniper was eventually set up in the spare bedroom Mum and Elliot put together while I had been gone. The one just at the bottom of the stairs that led up to my room. The white walls were now a warm cream-toned adding warmth to the walls. The walls were filled with classic rock posters assumingly from Mum's collection from her teen bedroom. They had been kept in frames elongating the lifespan of the prints. The queen bed wasn't glamorously made or anything special, but it was kept neat with a deep forest green duvet and a few throw pillows.
June didn't waste any time familiarizing herself with things like the light switches or the ceiling fan in her temporary room. I swear she flicked the light switch in every room of the Cottage, every time she entered a room in amazement. Elliot found it odd at first, but I guess it was going to be something he'd have to get used to if he saw a future with Mum. He had yet to meet the Weasley family or even the Twins, and at this point, it was bound to happen when they'd eventually come to pick me up for something from the Cottage. Mum had yet to hear about the incident over the summer with the car. I wasn't going to let her find out the same way the Dursley's did about the Weasley's enchanted car.
"It's cute here." Juniper mused as she flopped back into the fluffy duvet and decorative pillows at the headboard. Propping up on her elbow she glanced out the window, "There are so many bright windows here, too."
The window in Juniper's room barely got a glimpse of the oak tree I'd become fixated on from my room. Although Juniper made it clear she loved the room, she didn't plan on spending all that much time. The garden was covered in a healthy blanket of snow. It was the first time in my life I'd actually seen enough snow to collect in one spot. Enough to build a real snowman and not have it only stand about eight inches from the pavement or get toppled by a shop door swinging open. We made the plan shortly after noticing the amount of untouched snow we had access to get bundled up and bound outside to dig right in over the next few days leading up to the big day.
Mum greeted us at the back door with hot cocoa each time to warm us up from the cold, "I sort of don't miss butterbeer at all." Juniper mumbled with a hidden smile behind her mug as she sat beside me, after her third welcome back mug of the warm, rich, chocolate liquid.
Also, over the next few nights, we sort of crashed wherever we landed. It was a rarity for either one of us to spend this much time outside enduring the cold, perhaps the winter Quidditch games we'd attended were beginning to thicken our skin. Mum found us wherever we had ended up the next morning and treat us to breakfast before Elliot and her would go to the book store for the day. Truthfully, June and I had spent more time just the two of us than I had originally expected. Tonight though, we decided to sleep in my room as we awaited the festivities to come tomorrow. Tucked next to each other like the siblings in movies always did on Christmas Eve.
"When I was younger, Demi used to let me climb in her bed the entire time she was home from Hogwarts during the holidays. We'd talk about what Mum and Dad may have gotten us or the odd little gifts Gran would give us." June mumbled as she stared at the ceiling, "It feels sort of odd not being able to do it this year, not that we've done it in a few years but I figured since it's her last year home, she might want to."
Above us hung paper snowflakes with misshapen cuts from Juniper's first attempts at cutting paper snowflakes. We laid under my orange and purple covers, bundled up in an attempt to keep warm with the light wind blowing through the cracked open window above our heads. Though the breeze felt nice on my skin.
The wrapped package from Fred and George sat on my bedside table, I hadn't attempted to open it yet, it didn't feel right to open a Christmas gift early. It was only another day. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve, Juniper and I were going into town with Mum to show her the bookstore and the cafe. Hopefully, we'd be able to venture out a little bit and see some of the other shops.
"What do you think it is?" Juniper's voice was muffled by the duvet pulled under her chin.
I glanced back over to see her eyes half shut, "I'm not sure. They said I could open it whenever but it feels weird to open it early." I explained.
I sat up, taking the package in my hand. It was still holding up the wrapping paper around its edges. I was so careful with it on the train home, I didn't want to tear anything away before I was ready. Juniper rolled on her side facing me, glancing at the clock behind me.
"It's technically Christmas Eve now," the clock read midnight, "My mum always lets Demi and I open one gift at midnight on Christmas Eve, so it's probably fair if you open it. Plus they said it was okay."
I sat up flicking on the lamp beside my bed. My fingers nimbly undid the twine around the package, the paper was limp sliding off the small box underneath. It was a dark blue colored cardboard on the outside and George even taped down the lid of the box to keep it shut.
Once I'd gotten the last of the tape off, underneath the lid was white tissue paper delicately tucked around the gift inside. I was really having to work more than usual all from some little thing in the box. My eyes caught the glint of what was inside as I undid the paper. Inside the cluster of wrapping was a dainty necklace with a blue stone pendant. It looked like sapphire, my birthstone.
Juniper sat up quickly, trying to take a better look at the jewelry inside, "Well I'll be damned." She gaped.
"I can't believe it either," I mumbled, I didn't know how they could afford this. It was the nicest gift I'd ever received, "How'd they even manage this?"
"I can help you put the necklace on." Juniper offers.
I nod, and she takes the necklace carefully, clasping it around my neck. My fingers find the pendant tracing over the shape.
"It looks good on you. They did good," Juniper confirms. "What are you giving them?"
I shrugged, my thumb still padding over the stone, "I was planning on something simple and silly like I usually do. But now I think I've got to give something better."
"There's always the morning to think of something, you're a thoughtful gift-giver, they'll like whatever you give them." She attempts, as lays back down in bed.
I nodded, clicking the light off and slipping back under the cover comfortably again. I stared up at the plastic cut-out stars that had their faint glow in the dark of the night. My fingers fumbled with the other pendant once more, there was a swirl in my stomach, I felt odd. Like everything was just slightly off. I was most likely just tired, and feeling giddy about the holiday.
"Goodnight, Mags," Juniper mumbled tiredly, rolling on her side.
"Night, June," I mumbled back, my eyes still trained on the glow in the dark stars.
My head was filled with the memory of the feeling of Fred's cheek on my lips. It was just a friendly departing gesture but for some reason, I couldn't get it out of my head. I'd moved along from my first kiss just a year ago without a second thought about it. Why did this little stupid thing weigh my thoughts? I tried pushing this feeling aside and tried calming my head. As I stared up at the plastic stars hoping my dreary mind would warp them into the real constellations I wished to see. I just needed to sleep, that's it.
••••••
When Magnolia and Juniper awoke in the morning, the smell of bacon filled the house. It had been a long time since either girl had gotten the chance to awake to the warm smell of breakfast. The Great Hall was so far from their dorms, they didn't get the joy of waking up to the scent. Once they'd gobbled down breakfast the two girls split back up to Magnolia's room to change from their pajamas. Magnolia pulled the sweater Molly had given her last holiday over top of her dark-toned jeans. Juniper followed suit wearing an orange sweater, Magnolia had seen Demi wear it a few times before.
Magnolia didn't doubt it was still full of the smell of her perfume, she usually smelled of rich florals and had an earthy undertone.
Elizabeth and Elliot cleaned up after breakfast while the girls got ready upstairs. Magnolia kept the necklace hidden under the collar of her sweater, a small part of her worried the Twins may have stolen it and she'd eventually have to return it. It would be her little secret until then, just to enjoy it as much as she could. Magnolia was finally able to take Juniper into town. Elliot had a few things to finish up around the bookstore and they'd have time to get last-minute gifts from the shops around the corner.
"Are you girls ready? Liz is waiting in the car already." Elliot's voice called from the bottom of the stairs.
Magnolia gathered up the last of her babysitting money from last summer, packing it into a small purse she'd gotten from as a parting gift when the older woman had moved away. Magnolia often wondered how the elderly Brooklyn woman was doing now that she was back in the states with her family. She'd been living across from Magnolia and her mother for as long as she could remember. It was odd to think she'd likely never see the woman again after all the time she'd spent at her house.
Magnolia handed Juniper the bag full of money, "Mum already said she'd help me buy gifts, you can take this if you find anything and you can just pay me back the next time we go to Hogsmeade." She offered.
"Are you sure? It's your money." Juniper argued, without taking the money.
Magnolia insisted, "You don't have any way to exchange your money on this side, just take it." She forced the bag into her friend's pocket.
The girls quickly gathered the rest of their things into their bags and clambered down the stairs to meet Elliot at the bottom. As Juniper slipped ahead, jogging her way to the car, Elliot snagged Magnolia's jacket as she tried to rush behind her friend.
"Hey kiddo, wait!" He called back, he flashed the ring box in his pocket before quickly tucking it back, "I'm thinking of proposing tonight since everyone will be over for your dinner."
Juniper had insisted Magnolia treat them to a Christmas Eve feast. She had already prepped a few batches of cookies in preparation the day before. Willow and James would be joining them as well. Magnolia worried she'd feel added pressure for this meal to go perfect now. Though the excitement for her mum was overpowering it.
"That's perfect!" She exclaimed, "She's going to love it."
Elliot smiled to himself, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, shielding her from the cold as they finally stepped out of the house, "I can't wait to have you as my daughter officially." He mumbled against her hat.
Magnolia almost felt a tear in her eye, as she got older she felt more and more like her birth father couldn't have gotten away faster, without a single care for her or her mother. Magnolia had watched Elizabeth give her everything she could by herself while he had gone off where it was. Though when Magnolia saw her mother laugh with Elliot it was like there was a piece she didn't actually know she was missing. Elliot had been in the background of Magnolia's life since she could remember. He was the one who taught her how to tie her shoes and useless things like how libraries sorted books in the Dewey Decimal system. Elliot was the closest she'd ever had to a father figure.
••••••
Magnolia's POV:
I felt as if I had to bite the inside of my cheek all day, fighting a knowing grin at what would end the evening. Mum was blissfully unaware and it made it so much harder for me to hold it in. I couldn't even trust myself to tell Juniper about the proposal and I know she's got a big mouth and slips about a lot of things.
"You look like you've swallowed a frog." Juniper points out as we sat down at the cafe beside the bookstore.
Mum and Elliot had a few things they wanted to get done at the store, sending June and me to the cafe next door for tea. Mum said Willow was supposed to be meeting us there so we could do a little shopping without them there. Willow was like the cool girl next door everyone wanted to know and Juniper had grown excited to meet her. Since I'd last seen Willow, she had a powder blue shaggy bob, but that was three months ago, and knowing her I expected something very different. The question though was just what was it going to be.
"I'm fine, just keep your eye out for a short girl with pastel-colored hair," I told Juniper, taking a drink of my tea, craning my neck out to look out for Willow.
"What's she like?" Juniper finally asked, taking a drink from her mug.
"She's sort of like Demi but cruder if possible." I smiled, glancing at the door again.
Juniper nodded understanding, "Sounds like fun."
When she stepped in, I almost didn't recognize her. Willow's hair had grown out of the layers and she'd chopped it short to one length again. The color was what threw me off. For the first time since I'd known her, she had plain dark brown hair. I could finally see the resemblance between her and James with her dark hair. She waved excitedly as she noticed me, skipping over to our table.
"It's crazy how much you change every time you get back." She chuckled into my hair as she hugged me.
"Look who's talking Willow, you've got normal hair for once. I was looking for rainbow hair and a new piercing." I joked, she chuckled ruffling my hair.
She shook her head, glancing back at the door again, "I brought James, he's just getting something from the car." Willow gave me a knowing grin before pinching my arm, "I'm going to order us a few drinks. Are you and your friend still okay on yours?"
I nodded, lifting my nearly full mug. Juniper glanced down at her empty mug, she had been sipping at it nervously the entire time we sat in the shop as she watched people join us in the cafe with their notebooks and pens handy to start their work. A bustle of people coming in for their morning drinks and then back off to work for the rest of their days.
Willow chuckled, noticing Juniper's empty mug, "I'll grab you something, what'd you have?" She asks June.
"Um, I had an Earl Grey with two sugars," Juniper mumbled, passing her mug to Willow.
I heard the door open again and James stepped in holding a bouquet of red roses under his arm. He smiled casually as our eyes met and it was like everyone disappeared for a moment. I got up from the table again awkwardly as he got closer. The flowers were abandoned on our table as soon as he stepped up, I wrapped my arms around his neck pulling him in a tight hug. As I felt his arms snake around my waist I felt my cheeks heat up, I could feel the familiar swirl in my stomach again in his arms.
"Missed you, Maggie." He muttered shyly as he pulled away, picking the flowers back up he gave me a sly grin, "These are for you, I thought they'd make a good centerpiece for your supper tonight."
I nodded fighting a wide grin, "Thank you they're lovely, James"
"I missed you too," I added nervously. I could feel my hands getting clammy as he reached to take my hand.
Juniper cleared her throat reminding me of her presence. She could save me from my nerves, I thought to myself.
"James, this is actually one of my good friends from my boarding school, Juniper." I introduced her.
Juniper stood from her seat at the table reaching across to shake James' hand. She had struck her hand out to him so quickly he sort of flinched, not expecting her to be so quick. "Just call me June." She greeted happily.
"James." He nodded taking her hand briefly.
Their interaction was brief before James had turned his attention back to me like he couldn't have cared for a second about anyone else. Willow returned with three mugs full of warm beverages to warm winter away. I sipped at my mug as Willow took over the conversation with Juniper excitedly.
"We can stop next door before we leave for the shops so you can ditch the thorns. I told him he should wait until we see you guys tonight but he insisted he brings them now." Willow points leaning back into her chair comfortably.
James kicked her under the table before trying to hide a blush behind his mug. He had more confidence in his walk than I typically did but when it came to his sister, he was one of the most awkward and shy people I had met. She had a particular way of causing both of us to blush in embarrassment when she was around, she'd say things that didn't need to be shared. Willow really did a good job being the nosey older sister. Juniper chuckled to herself at the entire thing, being unusually quiet herself.
"It's okay, I like them, James." I placed a hand on his knee, "They're really pretty," I reassured him.
Once Juniper had finished her second mug of earl grey, and the rest of us finished our first we dropped the bouquet off at the store. Mum gave me a knowing wink as she took the flower from my hands, causing the blush I'd been fighting for the last hour to break past my defenses again. Elliot even gave James a warning look as we left the bookstore. They were quickly morphing into embarrassing parents.
We now stood one street over in my favorite bakery, or what I always wished could be my favorite bakery. As a kid, Mum and I would pass the bakery on our way to the restaurant she worked for. The smell of fresh-baked bread always looming through the street was my signal of being close to home. James laced his fingers through mine confidently, which earned a smirk from Juniper as she mocked writing something down.
"What kind of stuff do you like to do, June?" James asked as he followed his sister and led us through the bakery.
"You know, this and that," Juniper replied cryptically, I knew she was being vague to be safe.
Though Juniper had usually been one to spurt out things at the worst time, she had been so casual and quiet. It was unlike her to be so quiet but everyone still seemed to like her well enough.
"Tell me about it, I'm interested in your hobbies. They've gotta be impressive if it's enough for a fancy boarding school that steals Maggie off all the time." James insisted.
"I like working with plants, I guess." She shrugs, not used to the grilling.
"A gardener, how fun, floral or edible?" He continued, she was struggling to sensor herself.
Her mouth opened but she couldn't figure out how to alter her language, "James, do you think you could go and pick out a really good loaf of French bread for dinner tonight, please? I've got gift ideas I wanna go over with June and I don't want you to get any spoilers." I quickly made up an excuse.
James gives me an odd look but nods, unlacing his fingers from mine he slips further into the bakery leaving June and me near the entrance.
"Thank Godric, "Juniper sighed just as James was out of earshot. Her head leaned back against the doorway with a thud, "Why's he boring?" She finally asked, glancing off at him looking through the various types of bread.
"What do you mean?" I was confused, James wasn't boring.
"Mags, he's so boring, I'd rather sit in one of Professor Binn's lessons than listen to him drone on about how intelligent he thinks Michaelangelo was." Juniper groans.
He couldn't have been that bad, he just wasn't into the same things that she was. James was nothing like Lee or any of the other boys we knew at Hogwarts, that could be the reason for her disinterest. He was still trying to learn about her interests and they'd just met.
Juniper shook her, "Seriously though, how can you stand to be around him for more than thirty minutes at a time without being so incredibly bored. He's worse than Cedric." She squinted at him like she needed to figure him out, "He's fit, I'll give you that much but I'm sorry he's talking a lot about absolutely nothing."
"June, he was just asking about what you like to do. That I can confirm is something Cedric rarely did. Besides, we're far past that."
After I'd sworn off from Cedric, Juniper and Roxy kind of opened my eyes to all the bad parts about him very quickly. They'd made valid points, too. All the things I liked about Cedric had been on the surface things, like his hair, and his smile. When that faded, I'd been able to see that we had little in common aside from the same house. He had been a good study partner, becoming good enough company to keep me out of trouble. I had collected more detentions this term without this extra distraction, however. Perhaps James was another one of the kind.
"I'm going to need examples." I insisted, "I doubt he's really that bad, he's just different from the boys we know."
"Fred would laugh in your face if he heard you right now." Juniper scoffed, shaking her head, "I'll be sure to give you the signal when he does it again." Juniper pushed past me to join Willow at the case of cakes.
I looked off at James as he riffled through other loaves of bread. James had been friendly and talked about the things I had spent so much time learning about all the same things he knew about. Did that mean Juniper found me boring? Was I oblivious to it like I'd been with Cedric?
"Maggie, do you want anything else?" James waved me over. I shook my head, forcing a smile, and moved to join him at the register.
Juniper and Willow each left with a cup of chocolate mousse. James had the loaf of bread tucked under his arm as we followed Willow and June to the next store. I couldn't get my mind off of what Juniper had said. Now I felt like I had to focus twice as much on what James was saying.
"In biology the other day, my friend, Tommy, nearly passed out dissecting the toads." James had chuckled, he was enough like other boys getting wrapped up in stupid teasing, "I wish you could have been there, you'd probably love it at Winston Prep, way better than that dorky school you're at now." He smirked.
James was morphing into another stupid boy before my eyes. The artsy boy I'd met last summer had been fading by each second we spent in the December air, into the same boys I avoided while in school. Maybe summer had warmed his true personality. If June hadn't pointed it out I wouldn't have been so hyper-focused on the substance behind his words.
I forced a smile nodding along to his story, as I followed behind his sister and June. They'd fallen into easy conversation as they trudged ahead of us in the snow. Willow pushed open the door to Hannigan's Trinkets, a store with an eclectic collection of products. I had found the twin's Muggle gag gifts, like the whoopee cushion, at Hannigan's. The store had a little mix of everything, and it was going to be the destination where I'd gather everyone's gifts.
James disappeared between the aisles leaving June and me alone again, I nudged her pulling her back by my side. Linking our arms together Juniper was now my joint attachment, I was feeling desperate now for her signal. The entire walk here I tried dissecting James's stories trying to find the boring bits. Everything was getting muddled with my thoughts and I didn't know how I was supposed to feel.
"What's gotten into you?" Juniper groaned, feeling the weight of my arm on hers, "Got cold feet for lover boy now?" She teased.
"No!" I quipped, I wasn't giving her the satisfaction of being right, but I hadn't realized how much I absorbed from our conversations, "I just might need your signal."
She shook her head laughing at me, tugging me closer, "I'll pinch you every time he does it then." Juniper grinned, dragging me further into the Muggle shop.
••••••
I left Hannigan's with crescent shapes up my bicep from Juniper's signal. Without time to check the damage she left but by estimation, nearly every time James opened his mouth I felt her nails pinch around the soft skin on the underside of my arm. There was a little room for debate on what was classified as boring but I had to admit it, Juniper had been right, he was quite boring. James had a lot to say but it was all without much substance, there was no joy in what he talked about. Like he'd lost his pride in it before he even got started.
He knew enough about the world's greatest artists but it felt like he was reading a documentary script with a low-budget production behind it. I had to learn to dissect what was surface attraction. Who let being fourteen mush up your brain with pointless anxieties like boys?
"There's a painting class the day before New Year's Eve, would you want to tag along with me and maybe check it out?" James's voice pulls me from my thoughts.
I glanced at Juniper who shrugged before turning back to Willow with a chuckle at whatever the older girl had said. Juniper made the comparison that Willow had soaked up any interesting thing about James, leaving him the boring dry sponge out of the two siblings. She got along much better with Willow than she had James.
"I'd love to but we've got to get back to school a little early this year," I lied. "Besides, Mum wants a girl's day with just us and June before we go anyways." I smiled sympathetically.
"Ha! Give it a rest James, I told you she's got that boy back at her school." Willow grinned nudging at the curly-haired boy between us.
"What boy?" Juniper interrupted with her own wide grin, I knew she had her own idea in mind.
"You don't know about…Fred, right?" Willow asked with a small grin, James's expression was quickly dropping.
"Fred? I knew it!" Juniper quipped before I could speak.
I was struggling to put my words together, "Fred's just a friend, and I just can't go to the painting class, I'm sorry." I attempted.
"It's okay, I get it, you want to spend time with your mum." James shrugs, pushing a smile to his lips, "We can just enjoy the rest of Christmas Eve together. It's not a big deal,"
Juniper fought a smirk as she turned back around on her heel walking back towards the bookstore. I shook it off the best I could by keeping my eye on the store.
"When are we heading back to the Cottage?" Juniper finally asked as she pushed the door open.
"Hopefully soon, I'm exhausted and could use some warming up," I replied.
The scent I found so much comfort in hugged around me as we stepped in. Now, this felt like I was home again. The shelves stocked with the newest literature, blended around the classics. Mum stood behind the counter helping the family in front of her with a wide smile, the happiest I'd ever seen her at a job, while Elliot was behind her tucked in the office working on paperwork.
Malcolm, the original owner of the bookstore and Elliot's uncle, had been slowly stepping away from the store, leaving the hard stuff for Elliot to manage. At this point, he'd ought to just give the store to him. Mum and Elliot had been taking care of everything for the store, from remerchandising to placing all orders for new books. It looked like everything was falling into place for them.
Mum's smile went wider as she noticed us enter the store, she said her goodbyes to her final customer, closing up the door behind them, latching the lock.
"Merry Christmas you guys!" She wrapped an arm around Willow giving her a side hug, the other arm full of books, "Mags has quite the supper planned. I hope you're both ready to wear stretchy pants home and bring your parents some leftovers." Mum teased winking at the two beside her.
It was obvious James had sort of taken over my place in the bookstore in a way. Except Mum said he'd usually helped Willow with her work stocking the shelves. It was clear he'd grown comfortable in the store, talking to Elliot in easy conversation from the counter while he stacked the last of his paperwork together. Meanwhile, Mum and Willow were chummy and giggling together in their greeting.
"We'll be sure to get right on that Liz," Willow grinned, taking the stack of books from her hands swiftly, "Let me take care of these, you wouldn't want to hurt yourself." She added with a wink.
Willow took the books around the corner, taking them back to their proper shelves. Mum clutching me in a hug. I couldn't help but feel almost as though Mum now had a double life outside me. Elliot had finally helped her get a job that she could enjoy, the perfect little home hidden away from the obstruction of the city. Willow was here to be a normal daughter figure, Mum would have an easier time bonding than with her odd little witch daughter. Even James had been added to the equation to sweeten the deal. I tried to push the negative thought out of my head, taking a deep breath in my Mum's perfume.
"I've missed you," I mumbled weakly into her side. Mum wouldn't just replace me like she had the flat. I wasn't expendable.
A/N: Maggie is a mixed-up girl right now. Hope everyone is doing good out in the world right now, you're all so supportive so far and I appreciate all the love so far. This is the longest fic I've written and I've still got so much planned for Maggie and her friends, I hoped to see y'all to the end of Maggie's story. Chapter 28 is in progress now and I'm hoping it won't take as long as it has been for the last chapters.
"I missed you, too, baby. It's good having you home." Mum whispered, pressing a kiss to my cheek, "Let's hurry and get this store closed so we can head home and start preparing that meal you've got planned."