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She was going to clock him.

Maddie’s rage grew, making her cheeks glow in the cold. She glared at Luke across the tiny jewelry store. There he stood, wearing that infuriating smirk of his. He held the exact silver locket she’d been saving for all month. The one she was going to give her sister. And now Luke—Luke Pembroke, of all people—had beaten her to it.

“You don’t even have a sister,” she hissed, clenching her fists as she stepped closer.

“True, Maddie,” he replied with an easy shrug, inspecting the locket with the intent to drive her insane. “But I do have a mother. And she’s going to love this.” 

Maddie groaned. “Don’t pretend like you’re a sweet, devoted son. You likely forgot to buy her a gift and remembered it while you were coming here.”

He placed a hand on his chest in mock offense, feigning hurt. “That wounds me. I am filled with deep thoughts.”

“If you were thoughtful, you’d give me the locket. I saw it first.” She crossed her arms, channeling every ounce of determination she had.

Luke raised an eyebrow and extended it beyond her reach. “I got here first.”

For a moment, they both stood there, neither willing to budge. Maddie could feel the other shoppers watching them. It was like a strange holiday rom-com. She could only imagine two childhood friends, toe-to-toe, in an old-fashioned jewelry store. A Christmas tree emitted a gentle light behind them. They eyed each other as if preparing for a duel.

Luke sighed after what felt like an eternity of staring at each other. “Look, why don’t we flip for it?”

Maddie narrowed her eyes. “Flip for it? What are we, twelve?”

“Fine,” he replied, slipping the locket into his pocket, “I guess I’ll take it then.”

“Oh, no, you don’t.” She reached for his jacket, but he sidestepped her in a smooth move that made her stumble forward. She regained her balance. When she looked up, she saw a sparkle in his eyes that she hadn’t seen in years.

It struck her that Luke Pembroke was somewhat handsome. That hadn’t occurred to her until now. It was because he’d only annoyed her each time they met since high school. It had always been like this since their families had been neighbors. He would tease her, she’d retaliate, and somehow, they’d laugh about it over hot chocolate.

But this time felt different. It could be the holiday glow or the soft music playing in the background. Or it was that he looked at her for a second in a way that felt… well, different.

She cleared her throat, realizing she was standing too close. “Fine. We’ll flip for it.”

Luke grinned, pulling a coin from his pocket. “Heads, I get it. Tails, you do.”

He flipped it, and they both held their breath as the coin spun through the air and rattled to the floor. Maddie watched it bounce… and then stop.

“Tails.” She beamed, unable to hide her excitement.

Luke shook his head, laughing. “Well, I’ll be. Guess you win, Maddie.”

He pulled the locket from his pocket and held it out to her. But when she reached for it, he didn’t let go immediately. Instead, he looked at her with a strange softness she hadn’t seen before. “Your desire for it was strong, wasn’t it?”

She nodded. “Yeah, my sister is going through a rough time. I thought it might cheer her up.”

Luke smiled, letting go of the locket and nodding to himself. “Well, in that case, she’ll love it.”

Maddie tucked the locket into her coat pocket, the cool metal warm against her fingers. “Thanks, Luke.”

He shrugged, a hint of a blush rising to his cheeks. “You know, if you’re not doing anything tomorrow, I’m having a little Christmas get-together at my place. A few friends, ugly sweaters, terrible eggnog, the works.”

She raised an eyebrow, trying to keep her voice steady. “Since when do you throw Christmas parties?”

He rubbed the back of his neck, looking almost sheepish. “Since…well, I figured I’d give it a shot this year. It’s my first Christmas in my place and all.”

Maddie’s heart softened. “That sounds nice. Sure, I’ll come by.”

And as she walked out of the store, she couldn’t quite wipe the smile off her face. That evening, she wrapped the locket and hid it under the tree. She found herself thinking about Luke a bit more than usual. It was silly, but somehow, the thought of his Christmas party excited her.

The next day, she showed up at his place, ugly sweater and all. The party was cozy like he’d promised. As the evening wore on, filled with laughter and old memories, she talked to him more and more. They swapped childhood stories, reminiscing about snowball fights and pranks. They found themselves in the kitchen, drinking cider that had lost its warmth.

Luke glanced at her for a moment, then leaned in a little. “You know, you got that locket on purpose.”

She laughed. “Oh, yeah? Why is that?”

“Because,” he murmured, smiling, “it was your clever way of getting me to ask you out.”

She blushed, meeting his gaze. “You got that locket on purpose.”

“Oh?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah,” she said in a gentle tone. “To make sure I’d show up tonight.”

They looked at each other and realized they were both right. Then, he leaned in, his lips warm against hers, as Christmas lights twinkled around them.

In the end, neither could remember who took the locket. Only, it had brought them to their destined place.