As Tracey looked at him with what could only be called pride, Theo felt like a poodle strutted out by its owner for a dog show. He was doing tricks at her bidding for an attentive audience, or that's what their relationship felt like most of the time. It was mortifying in roughly every way imaginable, but he was certain that throwing himself out into the singles market would be worse, not to mention awkward beyond belief. As much as he hated these games of pretend, at least they only needed to be carried out in public. He remembered in Hogwarts where he attempted to maintain honest-to-god relationships with a succession of girls. That was not fun. This was preferable.
He would need to speak to Tracey's parents, it seemed; he wasn't sure why, but Tracey had hinted at it enough that he figured he could just ask her parents why. Honestly, their anniversary was his annual headache. Every year, it'd show up, then he'd erase it from his memory and get on with life, and every year, it managed to ambush him with an encore performance. It was a never-ending cycle. He didn't want it to be the best day of Tracey's life. If it were, what was he supposed to do the next year? He couldn't keep one-upping himself as the years went by--that'd be ridiculous.
Despite his annoyance, Theo mirrored Tracey's starry-eyed expression like a pro, though it faltered into a brief smirk when she pulled him in for a whisper. "The day is for you, love, not for me, but you could make it the best of mine. I suppose we'll have to wait and find out," he said.
"You're right, we shouldn't try the minister's temper, and I've got entirely too much paperwork to take care today, but you're welcome to steal me away in the night. I'd like that," said Theo with what might not have been an entirely appropriate grin. She'd let go of him already, but he leaned in for a second kiss, this one too glorified to be called a peck, but only the most conservative and prude members of the ministry would consider it unseemly.
He stepped back from her, and turned to leave without a farewell. "Write me!" he called out before he was out of line of sight, and he hoped that Tracey would not write him at all for the rest of the day. He needed time to himself to make some bloody anniversary plans.