Money Trees

9 ✮ Christmas Traditions

Christmas traditions had always been obligatory for Mai and Oliver and this year was no exception.

  Firstly, they spent their Christmas Eve in matching onesies, binging Christmas movie after Christmas movie. Their Christmas-movie criteria had broadened over the years from strictly Christmas-themed to anything with the word 'Christmas' mentioned in it. Settling for vague Wintery movies arose due to Oliver's pesky aversion to watching the same movie twice and the fact that they were beginning to run out of Christmas movies after years of binging the big names, from the Home Alones to Love Actually. This year, they spent their day jumping from Harry Potter to Mean Girls to Die Hard to a bunch of avant-garde movies Charlie wanted to watch.

  As Charlie brought them in their hot cocoas, Mai made a silent wish that Charlie and Oliver stayed together forever. And as Oliver rested his head on Charlie's lap as Charlie combed his fingers through his hair, Mai made another wish. One about her own future.

  Apollo had stopped by earlier that morning with a large canvas wrapped in turquoise crêpe paper. Mai couldn't stop the goofy smile from spreading across her face as she answered the door to find him in a Santa Claus costume.

  "I have so many questions."

He laughed adorably. "I'm volunteering at the children's hospital."

  Mai's heart melted just like how it melted the previous day when he kissed her. She would be lying if she said she hadn't spent the previous nineteen hours thinking about how his lips welded around hers, how her heart drummed in elation. No one had ever made her feel that way before. And when he put her in a taxi and let their hug linger long enough for the impatient taxi driver to honk his horn, Mai knew that her gooey heart would never go back to the way it was.

"I see you're in theme too."

  Mai looked down at her Grinch onesie and smiled sheepishly. "This is haute couture, babe."

  His expression brightened as he acknowledged her use of the word 'babe', something Mai noticed instantly.

"I have to go to the hospital soon but I thought I'd stop by to give you your gift for Oliver."

He held up the canvas which Mai took from him gratefully.

"I can't thank you enough."

He shook his head. "You don't need to thank me. It was all you. That piece you wrote for Oliver was beautiful."

"It was pretty rushed. Definitely not my best work-"

"Perfect. It was perfect."

Mai bit her lip to muffle the wide smile threatening to spread across her face.

He pulled out a smaller box-shaped parcel from his comically large Santa Claus pocket. "I got you something too."

"You did?"

Mai panicked. Despite feeling like she had known him a lifetime, it had only been five days since they met. She hadn't realised they had reached the exchanging-Christmas-gifts level of friendship.

  "It's only something small. I know it feels like we've known each other for years but it's only been a few days and I didn't want to come on too strong."

"But I didn't get you anything..."

He chuckled and shook his head gently. "You didn't have to. I'm not trying to one-up you or anything. I just saw this and thought of you."

  Mai took the box from him. It was so neatly wrapped that she felt bad even considering ripping the wrapping paper apart.

"Thank you."