Living for the Music

I ran over to him, falling down beside him. “Oh my God, Seth, are you okay? I didn’t mean to, really, I wasn’t trying to hurt you.”

He winced as he sat up, feeling his cheek. “I think you broke something.”

I stared at him. I’m sure the horror was evident on my face because he managed a weak smile. “Well, not really. It just hurts like hell.”

“I’m sorry,” I pleaded. “I didn’t mean to hit you that hard.”

“Yeah, I know,” he assured me.

I continued to fuss worriedly. “Come on, let’s get you inside,” I decided, turning to stand up. “Maybe-”

Smack! I flinched as a snowball hit me in the back of the head. I turned to see Seth smirking at me. “Sorry,” he replied, without a note of sincerity in his voice. “But you deserved it.”

I stared at him, hurt in my eyes. “Aw, come on, Sophie. It was funny.”

I glared at him, turning around and storming across the yard. “Sophie!” he called. “Come on, don’t be like that.”

I heard him push himself up and start to follow me. I walked into the kitchen and kicked off my boots, waiting for him to burst through the door and demand that I listen to him. “Sophie, let me explain!”

Right on cue. “I was worried about you, Seth,” I snapped. “I thought I had really hurt you. And then you go and act like nothing’s wrong, like you were fine all along. Well, I don’t like being toyed with, okay?”

“It did hurt,” he admitted, rubbing his cheek, and a wave of shame washed over me again. “But I couldn’t resist. You were there, all apologetic… it was the perfect shot.”

I felt my anger slowly draining away. At least he wasn’t mad at me, which is probably what I deserved. I sighed in defeat. “I was worried,” I repeated, but my voice lacked conviction.

“I know,” he shrugged. “And I’m sorry. It was funny at the time.”

I pulled off my gloves and threw them at him. “Not nice,” I snapped, trying to sound mad. “I should… do something mean to you.”

“But then you wouldn’t get your Christmas gift,” he teased.

I sat bolt upright. “What? Christmas gift?”

“Yeah,” he laughed. “You didn’t think I just forgot about you, did you?” Before I could respond, he countered his statement. “Well, maybe you did. But I knew we were coming back in time for the holidays, so I got you something. Even if it’s not exactly Christmas…”

“Quit stalling,” I ordered. “I want to see this.”

“Greedy much?” he laughed.

“Nope,” I replied cheerfully. “Besides, I have something for you, too, so it’s all good.”

“Really?” He seemed surprised. “You didn’t have to.”

“And you didn’t have to, either,” I replied. “But we both did, so it’s a mute point. Now hurry up! I want my present.”

Seth laughed. “Wow, you’re like a little kid.”

“Are you kidding? Double Christmas? It’s awesome.”

He laughed again. “Note to self: Giving Sophie presents makes her un-mad at you.”

“Well, not always…” I pretended to think about it. “Never mind, it always works.”

Seth shook his head as he threw his boots in the general direction of the rug. By some miracle, they actually landed there, and he stood up and pulled off his coat. “Let me go grab it. I’ll be right back.”

I followed him for a ways, heading towards the den when he turned to his room. I grabbed the CD out of my bag and stared at it. It now seemed trivial, a far-fetched hope that he might actually like it. But I didn’t have anything better to give.

My face fell further when Seth ran into the room, holding a small, neatly wrapped package. I glanced down at my CD, still in the original plastic seal, with nothing to disguise what it was. “Um… here,” I said awkwardly, handing it to him.

He glanced down at the label, surprise evident on his face. “Shiny Toy Guns?” he mused aloud, glancing at one. “I’ve never heard of them.”

“They’re pretty good,” I told him. “Some of their songs get repetitious, but over all I really liked this album, so I thought you might, too.”

“I’m sure I’ll love it,” he assured me. “Thanks, Sophie.”

I nodded, looking down at my hands and silently cursing. I could’ve been more elaborate… there had to have been a better way to give it to him than just handing it over. But Seth didn’t seem to care – he seemed genuinely happy about it.

“Okay, your turn,” he announced, sounding more excited than I had been a moment ago. He handed me the box, and I stared at it for a moment.

“You’re sure you want to give this to me?” I finally asked.

He rolled his eyes. “Why else would I have gotten it, Sophie?”

“Well, you might’ve-”

“Just open it,” he interrupted.

I carefully peeled the gold paper away to reveal a small black velvet box. My heart leapt to my throat. No one had given me jewelry in… a long time. Aaron thought it was ‘over-rated,’ ‘a flashy way of showing off.’ I had never told him how much I secretly loved it.

“Open it,” Seth pressed.

I flipped open the lid and let out a small gasp of amazement. A small gold music note dangled from a thin chain, with a single crystal attached at the top. It was gorgeous – and totally me. “Really?” I asked. “For me?”

“Yeah,” Seth said, a note of worry in his voice. “Do you like it?”

“Like it?” I repeated.

“Yeah, if you don’t, I can-”

“I love it,” I interrupted. “It’s the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen. It’s perfect.”

“I thought so,” he sighed in relief. “I saw it and I immediately thought of you. It fits you, right?”

“Yeah,” I repeated, pulling it out of the case. “Fasten it for me?”

He took the small chain from my hand and I turned around, pulling my hair out of the way. I felt him fumble with the tiny clasp before it locked around my neck. I stood up and looked in the window, using it as my mirror. The note fell right below my throat, framed between my collarbones. “It’s perfect,” I repeated. I stared at myself for another minute before turning and giving Seth a hug.

“Thanks,” I whispered in his ear.

He wrapped his arms around me, holding me tight. “You’re so welcome,” he replied, squeezing me slightly. “I’m glad you like it.”

“I love it,” I repeated. “I don’t think I’ll ever take it off.”

Seth laughed into my hair. “You might want to take it off sometimes. I mean, you don’t want to choke yourself in your sleep.”

I pulled back a little. “Well…”

He glared down at me. “Don’t even think that, Sophie. I swear to God, if you say one word…”

I grinned at him. "I'm not going to, Seth. I'm over that. I mean, I have you now, right?"

He smiled back at me. "Yeah. Always remember that."