Sam

"Ho ho hoe!" Josh – in his full, straggly Santa costume – drawls as he stumbles into the room, sack dragging on the floor behind him. Sam almost face palms herself. She gave him one job.

Ashley laughs. Chris snorts.

Emily gawks. She looks horrified.

"Is that Josh?" Jess blinks. She looks ridiculously confused. I think she needs glasses more than Chris does. A minute ago, she was saying how hot she thought Josh was. Sam chuckles under her breath. I bet she's regretting it.

"I know, I know," Josh mutters under his breath, sloppily dropping down onto the nearest empty chair. "I'm all you ever wanted. Merry Christmas."

Matt just cringes. He looks glad that it wasn't him who'd been forced into this ridicule. Sam just giggles. She can feel Josh glare at her. She smiles smugly back.

Sam opens her mouth, about to force Josh to actually do his proper job, when Ashley spontaneously yells, "Presents!"

Sam's pretty sure she heard Josh groan.

Ashley rips the badly wrapped paper off her present eagerly, her eyes alight. Sam doesn't think Chris got the message when Sam had explicitly called it 'Secret Santa'. Because, right before Josh had violently thrown her present to her, Chris had leaned over and whispered, "I hope you like it." That had instantly made Ashley even more excited.

"I love it!" Ashley squeals, dangling the silver necklace out of the packaging. It looks like a little, silver book charm at the end of a simple chain. Chris probably found it on etsy or some place. Either way Ashley seems to love it. Which makes Chris grin like an idiot.

Why can't they get together already?

Chris had opened Sam's present to him. It was two tickets to a local convention all about mobile apps or something else to do with video games. Sam had stumbled upon the advertisement at the grocery store of all places and had thought it would be perfect for him. The tickets weren't very expensive but Chris looks surprisingly pleased with the gift, sending thanks into the room.

Sam smiles smugly.

And maybe, if he has the guts, he'll invite Ashley to come with him.

Emily had grudgingly opened up her gift. But her expression had changed in an instant. She had looked genuinely shocked at the pretty plain, fabric tassel key-chain that came out. It was probably the brand label that had clinched it. "This is really expensive," she'd muttered under her breath, her eyes wide.

Sam had heard Ashley cringe through her teeth.

It had been Mike who'd opened up his gift next. He'd stared at it for a moment before bursting out laughing. It was a photo frame – which was totally normal, except for the photo that had been placed in it. A perfectly framed picture of a well manicured hand giving him the middle finger.

"I shall treasure it," he'd snorted. Emily had glared.

Jess had followed, opening up a pink phone case. Which Sam wasn't even sure if it was for the right model. Matt had followed up suite, peeling open Mike's plastic bag and pulling out the shirt. "Thanks..." he'd said slowly. "I... love it..." And Mike had proceeded to give him a friendly slap on the back.

Josh had pulled out another, small present from the sack, glancing at the name. His eyes had instantly widened, grinning. "Oh, this one's for me!" And then he'd instantly coughed, remembering who he was supposed to be. "I mean Josh, er, Josh. I'll give it to him later." He'd shrugged, placing it aside.

It had only taken a second for Sam to catch a glimpse of Emily sending Matt a sharp glare. He had proceeded to smile sheepishly, shrugging slowly. Oh, he was going to be in trouble later.

Josh digs his hand into the sack once more, rummaging around. He comes up empty. "Well, that's it," he lets out a slow, relieved breath, tugging down his beard. He slumps back in his chair.

The room falls into silence. Suddenly, the magic is all gone. There's an emptiness in Sam's stomach.

"What about Sam?" Ashley had perked up. She was now wearing her newly presented necklace.

"Yeah," Emily adds, though Sam doesn't think she has stopped glaring at Matt since. "Wasn't she supposed to get something too?"

"Eh..." Josh peers into the sack one more time, grimacing at its emptiness.

Suddenly, everyone starts staring around the room as if they are trying to decipher the culprit of this horrible act of not gift giving. And suddenly, they are in an Agatha Christie novel.

"Hey-" Sam starts, pulling herself to her feet. "Honestly, it doesn't matter. I'm- I'm good." She smiles. She hides the hurt in the pit of her stomach. Not everybody looks so convinced.

Sam knows exactly who it is. She knows who didn't bring her gift. It is the only person who didn't put something into the sack.

"I'll go get some snacks," she coughs, pushing her way through the room and out of the living room.

And she lets out a long sigh. And she drags her way to the kitchen.

Had she really expected him to give her something? Had she really thought he cared about this – about her – enough? Sam drags the breath out of her lips, slow and long. She pulls a bowl out of a nearby cupboard, grabbing a packet of popcorn and-

"Sorry, Sam."

She stiffens. She drops the popcorn. Hah, how ironic. She now knows how awkward it is to be cornered in the kitchen. Right after she'd done it to him.

"It's fine," she says into the kitchen counter. She won't turn around and face him. She doesn't even know if she can. Especially if it means she might cry – or burst out laughing at him in his costume. "You said weren't going to buy anything anyway. I wasn't expecting anything..."

That's a lie. She was.

She had been expecting. Or maybe not expecting, but hoping. Hoping that if it was her he had to buy for, maybe he would want to. Maybe he would care enough to. Maybe he would love to...

Maybe she had been too hopeful. She lets her shoulders slump.

Josh swallows behind her. "No, actually," he coughs awkwardly. Sam can't tell if he's drunk or not. His feet shuffle. "I just- I didn't want you to open it in front of everyone else."

What?

Sam spins around. She stares. Her forehead creases. Her eyes widen. She gapes, looking at Josh. At Josh and Josh and the small, sloppily wrapped box in his hand.

"Wait..." Sam narrowed her eyes, not quite believing what she's seeing. A little smile quirks at the edges of her lips. Something flutters in her stomach.

"Open it," he ushers it towards her with a persistent – and is that slightly embarrassed? - stare, "Before I chicken out and change my mind."

A laugh bubbles out of her lips. She catches his gaze. She reaches forward. She takes the box. She unwraps it.

She opens it.

She gasps.

"Josh..." she manages to squeeze the word out of her mouth before the tears start teetering over her eyes. Her hands are shaking around the small, velvet box.

"She would have wanted you to have it," he shifts awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. As if he wishes he could be anywhere but here. Not that Sam even cares anymore. Her world is shaking. Her eyes are shaking. Her head is shaking.

"This is... This is..." Sam tries to speak. She tries to say something. Anything. But instead she's just throwing herself forward and flinging her arms around Josh. Tight and tight and hugging him.

He stiffens. He swallows. And then she feels him hug her back.

"Thank you," she murmurs against his cheek. And she just about feels him smile.

Because, in the small velvet box, is a small, silver necklace. With a butterfly hanging from it.

Hannah's.