Chapter Text
There has been one thing that Maggie Rhodes has been able to count on since she was five. No, not a thing. Person. The one person that was always there for her when she needed them the most.
Zac Hanson.
If she’s being honest with herself, she could add the entire Hanson family to that. However, it was Zac right by her side since the first day of kindergarten. Zac held her hand when she fell off the ladder of the Hanson treehouse and broke her arm when they were seven. It was Zac who, at the age of thirteen, held her the day she found out her mom died. He was the one she ran to after finding her father passed out drunk on numerous occasions; also the few occasions he got physical because of it. Zac was the first person she called when she was accepted into all three of the colleges she’d applied to. It was Zac who had rushed to her after her accident that ultimately changed her life.
It goes both ways. It was Maggie who had gotten in trouble after a fight at school in the second grade. No one makes fun of her best friend simply because he was growing his hair out. At fourteen, Zac told her that he was gay. She’d been the first person to know. She was his first call when he was denied at two of his colleges of choice, followed by the call that he’d been accepted into the third.
First loves, break ups, heartbreaks…
It was always Zac.
So no one was surprised when, after a failed relationship and losing her job because of it, she packed up and moved to Chicago. It’s where Zac’s been for the last seventeen years.
It’s where she’s found herself bartending at the bar Zac manages and working at a small bookstore for the last six months. It’s how she found herself agreeing to do a photo shoot for a friend of theirs. Cora had asked her initially, but she turned it down. She hadn’t touched anything that involved her dance days since her accident. Even during the move, it was Zac who had packed and moved her costumes and shoes. However, Zac asked her about it and she found herself actually interested.
Maggie stares at the box in her closet and takes a shaky breath. She needs to pull it down. It’s one of the boxes with her costumes, but she can’t bring herself to actually do so. She chews on a loose piece of skin on her thumb as she continues to stare at it.
“Want me to get it?” Zac asks from the doorway.
Maggie turns and looks at him. “Please,” she answers. She’s grateful that he doesn’t tease her about it as he steps past her. There are times she would be fine with him teasing her. Now isn’t one of them.
“Just this one?”
“Yeah, the other box is from the younger years.” She steps forward again to grab her old dance bag that carries her shoes.
“Ride should be here soon. You ready?”
Maggie looks at him and shrugs. “I haven’t even thought about dance in almost eighteen years. What am I doing?”
“You and I both know that’s a lie. You think about it a lot. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t have an issue touching these boxes.”
“I hate that you know me as well as you do.” She closes the door of her closet. “You can’t leave.”
“Wouldn’t dare.” He pulls his phone from his pocket. “Ride’s here.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
Maggie looks out the window as they come to a stop at a light. She knows they’re close to the studio and can feel her stomach tighten. She hates how nervous she is. Sure, it’s because she’s also doing something she’s never done before. However, how is she supposed to put her shoes on again?
Zac looks at Maggie after they step onto the sidewalk. “What do you need?” he asks.
“Just tell me I can do it.”
He smiles at her. “You can do it. You’re going to be amazing.” He nudges her with the box. “Now, one foot in front of the other.”
“Is Jordan here already? Or is he meeting us here?”
Jordan Pierce. Freelance photographer slash marketing director for a highly regarded consulting agency. But more importantly to Maggie, Zac’s boyfriend of three years.
“Yeah, about that. He can’t make it. He got called in for a big project.”
“Oh.” Maggie frowns at him as they step onto the elevator.
“I mean, I guess technically the new guy is Jordan. But…”
“What?”
“Nothing. You’ll see. You’re going to be great.”
Even without his hesitation, Maggie would know something is going on. She could read Zac easily.
“What did you do?” she asks.
“Nothing. Cora asked if I knew another photographer and I happen to know one.”
“Okay. Meaning what?” She watches him closely as he tries to look away from her. “Zac, what aren’t you telling me?”
He opens his mouth to say something, but the doors open. “Oh, look. We’re here.”
Maggies rolls her eyes at her best friend before stepping off the elevator. “Should I be scared?”
“Have I ever put you in danger?”
“You were sixteen and had just gotten your license.”
“You know what I mean.” He reaches out and grabs her arm. “Hey, you know I would never do anything that would get you hurt, right?”
“I know.” She steps over and kisses his cheek. “You gonna tell me what’s going on?”
“You really haven’t figured it out?”
“Obviously not.”
“I know another photographer, Gretty. His name is technically Jordan.”
“Zac, what…?” She stops when she sees who steps out of the other elevator. “Oh…”
She can’t believe she hadn’t thought about him.
Taylor Hanson.
Of course, she hadn’t known he was still in Chicago. Okay, that’s not completely true. She knows he’s here. She knows it’s Taylor that Zac plays gigs with several times a month.
Taylor has a beard? She never thought she would ever see him with facial hair.
“Maggie Rhodes,” Taylor says as he steps over. “Been a while.”
Maggie nods slowly. “Yeah, it has.”
Taylor nudges Zac. “Where’s Jordan headed?”
“Milwaukee. We better head in before Cora throws a fit.”
Maggie shifts her bag as they all walk toward the studio. Her stomach tightens as Taylor opens the door and motions for her to go in. “Thank you.”
“I was beginning to think you three were ditching me,” Cora announces from her desk.
“Never,” Zac says. “Well, Maggie probably would have if I wasn’t here.”
Maggie glares at him. Why would he say that?
“Well, come on. We can start going through everything while Maggie is getting her hair and makeup done.”
Maggie quickly changes into a robe given to her before she sits down where instructed. She sees Taylor standing near the backdrop closest to her as if debating if it’ll work or not. Zac is standing a few feet away.
“Taylor, as long as Maggie’s okay with it, why don’t you go through her costumes and see if anything comes to mind,” Cora says.
Maggie nods when Taylor looks at her. “Yeah, that’s fine.” She watches as both brothers walk over to the box.
“How did everything fit in this?” Taylor asks. “I swear she has like a million costumes.”
“This is only one of the boxes,” Zac answers. “Most of these still fit her.”
“Is that white and icy blue number in there?”
Maggie frowns at the question. She knows which costume he’s speaking about. But he hadn’t been at that recital. He had already moved. While she’s sure he watched his sister’s dances, she hadn’t performed with her in this one.
“Should be,” Zac says. “This one?”
“Yes!” Taylor takes it and hangs it up on the rack. “This one is perfect for a snow backdrop.”
“Which shoes?”
“What does she have?”
Zac snorts. “Everything imaginable.” He grabs her bag and carefully dumps everything out of it.
Maggie wrinkles her nose at the sight. She should really go through everything in the bag. There has to be things in there that are definitely not needed anymore.
“You have beautiful eyes.”
Maggie turns her attention back to the makeup artist, Elaine. “Thank you.”
It’s not something she hears very often. She honestly can’t remember the last time someone told her she had beautiful eyes. Has anyone ever told her that?
Taylor…
She looks across to where Taylor is rummaging through her shoes. Taylor had told her that. They were dancing at her junior prom. He’d come as their friend Sammy’s date. Sammy was dancing with Zac so Taylor pulled her onto the dance floor too.
“How long have you known them?”
“Umm… since I was five. So over thirty years.”
“Makes sense.”
“What do you mean?”
Elaine smiles at her. “They’re both going through your bag and box without any hesitation from you. You’re close with them.”
“Zac’s my best friend.”
“And Taylor?”
Maggie isn’t sure how to explain that. Are they friends? Sure they had hung out back in the day. But that’s because of Zac, right? There were a few times when Zac wasn't there, but those were just random times. But she also hasn’t seen him since his wedding, aside from pictures. That had never sat well with the Hanson family. However, after making a fool of herself in front of Taylor, she couldn’t bring herself to see him. The only reason she actually went to his wedding is because Zac had begged her to go.
“We hung out a lot back in the day,” Maggie finally says. “This is actually the first time we’ve seen each other in person since his wedding.”
“Taylor’s married?”
The question is asked loudly, causing the brothers to stop what they’re doing and look over. Maggie wishes she could crawl into a hole and die right now.
“Sorry,” Elaine says. “That was loud.”
“Dare I ask why you’re asking? And shrieking about it?” Taylor asks.
“Maggie just mentioned she hasn’t seen you in person since your wedding. I had no idea. I mean, I know we don’t know each other that well. But you don’t wear a ring.”
Taylor nods. “Divorced.” He looks at Maggie then and she has to wonder what that’s about.
Why is she just now finding out about this?
“How’s it going in here?” Cora asks.
“Just about done with hair and makeup,” Elaine says. “We can make some adjustments for each outfit if needed.”
“Great. Taylor? How’s it going?”
“Several options,” Taylor answers.
Maggie walks over to where Zac and Taylor are standing a short time later. They both look over as she stops.
“I hope you know what you’ve gotten yourself into,” she tells Taylor. “I’m not a model. I have no idea what I’m doing.”
Taylor grins. “You’ll be a natural. Just pretend you're up on a stage.”
“Been eighteen years since I’ve been on one of those.”
“Wait, serious?”
“I told you that,” Zac mutters. “After the accident.”
“I thought you just meant…” Taylor looks at Maggie again. “I’m sorry.”
She shakes her head. “It’s okay. So what am I doing first?”
“Icy blue and white one. Didn’t you have a special pair of shoes for this one?”
“Yeah. They should be in with my shoes.” She looks over to where her shoes are laid out. “One of the boxes.”
“Okay. You go change, I’ll find them.”
“Zac, come with me.” She grips his shirt and pulls him through to the curtained-off area.
“Gretty…”
“You’ve seen me naked plenty of times, Zac.” She frowns at the sound of Taylor coughing.
Zac snorts. “I know I have. Are you okay?”
She nods. “Nervous.” She drops her voice so she can talk without everyone listening. “Why didn’t you tell me it was him? Or that he’s divorced?”
“You wouldn’t have come and I thought you knew.”
She sighs as she lets the robe slip off her shoulders. “Hold my hair so it doesn’t get caught in the straps.”
“I know. Not the first time I’ve helped you change before.”
She smiles at him. “You were the only one I trusted.”
When Taylor had received the call to step in for this photoshoot, he jumped at the chance. He hadn’t bothered to ask any questions at first. He’s worked with Cora in the past and the fact that Zac was involved made it an easy decision. Then he found out who the model was.
Maggie Rhodes. Maggie May. He’d like to say she’s simply his little brother’s best friend, but she’s not. He had found himself wanting to hang out with her more and more. He should have told her what he was feeling, but he never felt like it was the right time. She’d been through so much. Then he left for college and met Hannah. Everything changed then.
As he squats down to find the blue pointe shoes that match her costume, he can hear Zac groan about going behind the curtain with her.
“You’ve seen me naked plenty of times, Zac.”
Taylor nearly gasps at that, but he winds up sucking in too much air and starts coughing. He hates that he can hear Zac’s snort. Of course his brother figured it out. He opens the last box, finally finding the blue shoes he remembered so well. He stands up again as he unwraps the ribbons from around them.
He looks over when he hears the curtain open, eyes widening at the sight of Maggie. He looks away quickly, hoping neither of them had noticed. While he had always preferred to watch her tapping, this costume was one of his favorites on her.
“I think we should do a couple of photos of her putting the shoes on,” Cora says. “Wait, are they pointe shoes?”
“Yes,” Maggie answers.
“Perfect.”
Taylor leads Maggie over to the set, handing her the shoes as they stop. He nods after she thanks him.
“How do you want me?” she asks.
He casts a quick look over to his brother before focusing on Maggie again. “Centered right now. I think that would work best for capturing you putting the shoes on.”
“Okay.” She starts to move to the center of the tarp but stops. “Can we turn some music on? Is that allowed?”
“For me? Yes. Cora? Music good with you?”
“Of course,” Cora answers. “Whatever makes you most comfortable, Maggie. I have some playlists, or if you have something, go for it.”
Taylor watches Maggie to see if she would say anything. He’s not completely surprised when she’s silent. But he can fix this.
“I got something,” he says.
He pulls his phone out of his pocket and opens up his music app. He finds the playlist he’s looking for and connects his phone to the studio Bluetooth to have the music play over the speakers. When he looks at Maggie again, he can see the surprised look on her face.
He walks over to her after setting his phone to the side. “Okay, you ready?”
Maggie nods. “I have no idea what I’m doing.”
“That’s okay. I do. We’ll start with you sitting in the center. Don’t sit facing directly to the front though. Turn to your right when you sit. Keep your right leg bent under you with your left out.”
“Sitting on my leg?”
“No, just tucked in.” He steps back to let her sit down.
Once she’s settled, he walks over to pick his camera up. He wishes he could say something that would calm her nerves. However, he knows nothing will. He just hopes that once they get started, she’ll relax.
“Overexaggerate your movements,” Taylor says. “With the ribbons as you wrap them around your leg.”
He lifts his camera to begin. As he zooms in to show her hands closer, he notices the ring on her finger. He remembers the Christmas Zac had given it to her. It shouldn’t surprise him that she still wears it.
“Perfect!” Cora calls from where she’s standing in the back.
Taylor sets his camera down before stepping toward Maggie again. “I think we got those. We can have you stand.” He holds his hands out for her to take. When she does, he helps her to her feet. “If you can just start doing some poses, that would be perfect. I have no idea what any of them are called.”
Maggie nods. “Yeah, I can do that.”
It’s only then Taylor realizes he’s still holding her hands. He drops his hands to his sides and takes a step back. “Whenever you’re ready.”
When he turns to walk off the tarp, he sees the way his brother is smiling at him. Sometimes he hates how well Zac knows him. He takes his camera again.
“Don’t laugh if I can’t hold the poses long. It’s been a long time.”
Taylor watches as she shakes her legs out a little. “You’re going to be great.”
As Maggie starts lifting into different poses, Taylor begins to snap several pictures. Each pose she’s able to hold for several seconds giving him plenty of time to get what he needs. He lowers his camera when he sees her grimace a little.
“Are you okay?” he asks.
“Yes,” Maggie answers.
“Gretty…” Zac groans.
“It’s fine, Zac. Like I said, it’s been a long time since I’ve done anything like this.”
Taylor approaches her. “You’re sure?”
She nods. “I’m sure.”
“Okay. Let me know if you need a break before we switch it up. For now…” He takes a step back and looks her up and down. “Turn around.” He waits for her to do so before stepping up behind her. He rests a hand on her waist just above her skirt, guiding her to a spot. “There.” He explains what he’s looking for before walking off the tarp again.
Taylor sets his camera down a short time later. “We’re good with this one. Wanna change into the green and black number?”
Maggie nods. “What shoes?”
“Your tap shoes. Hey, your black and white tap shoes. Do you have the outfit you wore with those?”
“Yeah. It’s the red flapper-looking one.”
“Perfect.”
He watches as Maggie pulls Zac into the curtained-off area again, a pang of jealousy flowing through him. He’s jealous of his gay brother.
As he’s pulling the snowy backdrop down, he hears Maggie groan followed by a soft laugh from Zac.
“It’s stuck,” Zac says.
“Is it stuck or does it just not fit me anymore?”
“That’s ridiculous and you know it. It's the zipper. Taylor!”
Taylor’s grip on the tarp tightens. “Yeah?”
“We could use your help in here.”
He closes his eyes. Damn it. He drops the tarp and steps over to the curtain. “Coming in.” He takes a shaky breath before slipping into the small area. “What’s going on?”
“The zipper is stuck,” Zac answers. “I’ll break the damn thing. You’ve always had better luck with this shit. I’ll go change the backdrop. Which one?”
“The old buildings.” He glares at Zac as he passes him. He waits until the curtain is closed again before stepping up behind Maggie. “Well, first of all, my brother is an idiot.” He smiles at the sound of Maggie’s soft laugh.
“What’d he do?”
“Part of the fabric got caught up in the edge of the zipper.” He grips one side of the opening carefully, the backs of his fingers pressing up against her soft skin.
“Just be careful.”
“I will.”
Taylor is able to get the zipper to move back down, the fabric coming loose with no issues. He can feel Maggie relax. He knows how much all of these outfits mean to her. This had been her life for so long.
“It’s good,” Taylor says. “I think that may have been what the issue was. But just in case, keep your fingers crossed.”
Maggie turns her head to look at him as best as she can. “It was probably my fault. I moved when he was zipping it up.”
Taylor simply nods as he carefully pulls the zipper up. “There, all set.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He takes a step back as she turns around. He can’t help but let his gaze fall down her body, seeing the way the leotard tightens over her curves.
“It always looked better on your sister.”
Taylor frowns as he meets her gaze. “What?”
“Even back then. This piece was made for someone with your sister's curves.”
Taylor opens his mouth to say something but quickly closes it when his brain can’t completely comprehend what she’s saying right now. He watches her as she shrugs.
“Well,” he says, “I saw my sister in this piece. Never thought about what you said because she is my sister. However, what I can say is that you look beautiful. Then and now.” He’s sure he sees a blush on her cheeks.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He clears his throat as he pushes the curtain open. “You got it, Zac?”
“Yeah, all good,” Zac answers.
“Which shoes?” Maggie asks.
“The character shoes. Black ones. We’ll switch to the other black ones in a few.”
Taylor watches as Maggie steps up beside Zac. The way Zac slides his arm around Maggie’s waist would make anyone question their relationship. Hell, Taylor’s questioned it and he knows his brother is gay. But when it came to Maggie Rhodes, even Taylor had no idea.
Taylor is packing away the last of his gear when he sees the curtain open. He glances over to see Maggie stepping out with Zac right behind her. He turns his attention back to his own gear and lets out a heavy breath.
Get a grip.
Taylor holds the door open for Maggie and Zac as they all walk outside. He slips his sunglasses on as they move to the side. He wants to say something to Maggie, but he isn’t sure what to say exactly.
“So now that Zac doesn’t need to lie to me anymore,” Maggie says. “I guess I’ll see you around.”
Taylor nods. “Yeah.”
Zac snorts. “Yeah, we’ll get together soon.” He looks at Taylor. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I’ll be there.” He pulls his phone out of his pocket when he rings. “I gotta get this. I’ll be in touch when the photos are ready. Great job, Maggie.”
“Thank you.”
Taylor steps away as he answers the call. “This is Taylor.”
He can’t help but glance back to see Zac and Maggie walking away.
Maggie Rhodes. Back in his life once again.