Mozart, Metallica, and Me...Wynnie

"How nice it is," Mom smiled, placing the chicken down on the table. "That both of my kids are under the same roof again. I feel like we haven't eaten as a family in years." She sighed, going back to the kitchen.

"Mom, do you want help?" I said at the same time as Sammi and we looked at each other, both of us half-risen in our seats.

"I'm just getting the pasta for the two of you, no big deal." She chuckled, bringing it back out. "Here we are."

"Thanks, mom," Jinxx smiled. "Looks amazing."

"It does, Mrs. Ferguson, thank you." Chris said easily, unlike me who just didn't talk to his parents half the time we were staying at their home.

"Hal, pass the salad dressing." Mom reached out for the bottle my dad passed her in response.

A silence fell over our table before my dad swallowed a bite of chicken. I'd been spooning pasta onto Sammi's outreached plate when he shifted and decided he had to make his conversation become an announcement. I nearly dropped pasta everywhere when he spoke.

"So, Jeremy." My brother seemed almost startled to be referred to by his real name. I call him "Jer" a lot, but I don't think he's called Jeremy so much by any of us. Only our parents really call us by our full names. I mean, they're pretty--uh--well, they're different… "What do you think of your sister dating this boy?"

And a more awkward silence fell upon us. Way to go, Dad.

"Well," My brother seemed to think carefully about his words, "Dad, CC's one of my best friends, and I've known him for years now." He shrugged, "It was weird when I found out about them, because it's weird to think about anyone dating your sister, especially someone you know so well. Dad, I'd trust CC with my life. There's no reason to doubt his intentions or anything about him that involves Wynnie."

My dad seemed satisfied with that answer and he nodded before going back to eating.

"But if he hurts her, he can bet his sorry ass that he'll be six feet under." My dad choked before laughing at my brother's words.

And, like that, the eerie awkwardness over the table vanished and we could all be friends with each other.

"Bronwyn, pass the lemon?" My mom motioned towards the center of the table and I nodded, picking it up and giving it to her. "Sammi, dear, would you mind moving the napkins closer to the middle of the table?"

Sammi smiled and pushed the napkin holder front and center.

"So, are you thinking about living together, Christian?" My mother inquired in her delicate way of asking intruding questions. My family is humiliating…and my parents have this annoying knack for calling everyone by their name...

Sammi's smile became a cheshire cat grin and CC and I looked at each other.

"Just out of curiosity, of course. I mean Jeremy and Sammi moved in together before they were married." She said simply, "Or maybe you already are?"

"Mom…" I mumbled, pushing around the pasta on my plate like an angst-y teenager. "It's not really any of your business."

"I want to know what's going on in my children's lives as neither of them seem to be able to pick up a cellphone and call!" She insisted.

"Yes, mom." I sighed, "We're considering living together right now."

"In an apartment? A house?" She pressed.

"A castle." I said easily. Jeremy choked on his drink across the table and shot me a grin.

"I hear those castles in LA cost a fortune in taxes." My father smiled at me.

"True, but the view is worth it." I pointed out.

"I can agree on that." He nodded.

There was a break in the conversation again before my dad sighed.

"How did my two lovely girls find such men?" He shook his head disbelievingly.

"Oh, you think I'm a lovely girl? Thanks dad." My brother joked.

"I like to pretend that I'm not related to you and that Sammi was my daughter all along." My dad joked back.

"Awe, thank you." Sammi laughed.

"So I got classified as 'such men.'" My brother sighed.

"Sammi could have done better." Mom pointed out.

"Mom!" We all laughed.

***

"Do you think they like me?" CC asked after we'd left. We were spending the night in a hotel and then we'd head back home tomorrow.

"I think my dad loves you." I smiled while changing into sleepwear. "You all seemed to get along great."

"He's a cool guy." He smiled. I left the bathroom and looked at him, laying on his back on the bed with his arms crossed behind his head. "And your mom is nice. She's a good cook."

"I wish she cooked half as well as your mom." I laughed, walking over and laying down next to him.

"I had fun today." He said after a moment.

"Good." I chuckled.

"So, when do you want to start looking at houses?" He changed topics again.

"When we get you moved into my apartment we can start thinking about it." I promised.

"There's got to be thinking? We can't just go for it?" He chuckled.

"We're buying a house." I frowned, sitting up to look at him. "We can't just jump into it, especially because--" I broke off and shook my head. "We just need to think it through."

"Why?" He sat up, too. "Especially because of what?"

"It's a horrid economy, we're not married so we're splitting this and if we break up it's difficult to sell a house, and--"

"This is because we're not married?" He frowned. "We agreed we aren't ready for that, Wyn…"

"We're not, CC." I agreed. "But we're not ready for a house either…"

"I think we should go for it." He pressed, "It can be small and worthless, we can buy a garden shed for all I care." And I had to laugh at that, "But we'll get something that either of us can afford without the other if that's what is really worrying you…" He trailed off. "I want a house."

I bit my lip.

"Wynnie, it'll be fine." He promised.

"But what if something happens, CC?" I tried. "We don't know what we're doing."

"We'll be two roommates buying a house."

"Roommates rent houses." I groaned, resting my head on his shoulder.

"Well, I want to buy one." He said simply. "I'll buy it, then. It can be mine and you can live with me."

"Then that's not fair." I frowned.

"I'm an international rockstar, I think I can handle buying and paying off a house."

***

"I can't handle this." He ran his hands through his hair while looking blankly at a computer screen. "Two-and-a-half baths, what does that even mean?!" He looked at me.

"It means there's two bathrooms, and one of them is probably the master bathroom, with showers and/or baths and one with just a toilet and a sink." I shook my head. "How much is it?"

"Affordable, but it's shitty looking on the outside."

"If you don't like it, why are you looking at it?" I laughed.

"I wanted to know why there were two-and-a-half baths!" He groaned.

I kissed his cheek.

"I'm going in today, we've got a shoot." I smiled. "By the way, there's a free-lance type-thing on Thursday and I need a partner, wanna come?"

He turned around.

"If I don't have to dress up like a Ken doll, I'm in."

"Cool." I smiled. "You recording today?"

He checked the clock on the computer.

"Yeah, I have to leave in an hour." He sighed.

"You should get ready." I pointed out.

"I know." He got up. "I'll move the last of my stuff in afterwards, okay?" He wrapped his arms around me in a quick hug before I left. "I'll get some of the guys to help."

"Okay, they can stay for dinner if they want." I called over my shoulder as I hurried out the door to the shoot for today. It wasn't anything too difficult, of course.

At around one, I got to leave. I had to take a call from the arts center about another ballet they had me co-composing. After speaking on my phone in my car for almost an hour, I decided to head home.

Until I realized I'd forgotten to buy anything to make for dinner and I had to turn around and head to the store.

I wandered around the strip the food store was located on after I'd gotten a few things.

It was a really pretty day and it was only two-thirty. CC wouldn't be remotely near the apartment until five or six, probably later. So, I'd taken a walk and wound up in the pet store.

I've always been a huge animal person, but after my bird passed away when I was in college, I never really found the time for a pet. I'd gotten my apartment hoping to get another small animal, as my building allowed pets, but I'd never really gotten around to it. Life's just been hectic.

"Oh my God, you're so cute!" I squeaked, passing a rat. I watched it for a bit before taking out my cellphone.

I bit my lip, hesitant on calling him when he was in the studio…

It rang twice.

"Hey. what's up?"

"Are you busy?" I asked quietly.

"No, I'm mostly done for the day. I might go back into the booth in a while, but for right now I'm done, why?" He sounded concerned.

"So, I'm at the pet shop."

"That never ends well." I heard my brother laugh. I was on speaker phone.

"What are you buying?" CC laughed too.

"Um, well there's this really cute rat…"

"You have the weirdest girlfriend…" Ashley chuckled.

"W-who's recording?" I asked, growing nervous now that I realized everyone was listening to me.

"Jake is right now…" CC looked up. "They're going to call him out in a bit, I think."

"Oh, well." I decided to hurry it up. "C-can I just…"

"Yeah." He sounded amused.

"Thanks." I smiled, hanging up before I realized something important.

I had to talk to someone who worked here…

***

"And welcome to your home." I introduced our new addition to the apartment. I'd gotten all of his little things and I just had to set them up.

Which I'd been doing as I heard the door unlock and people step through.

"Close it behind you." I warned them.

"The baby will escape. Everyone, close the door!" Andy teased.

"He will get out if you don't close it." I frowned, standing up and sliding the top onto his little enclosure.

I don't like saying "cage."

"Where is he?" CC laughed, coming over. I pointed at him.

"His name is Juvie." I told him.

"That's…" He paused. "Interesting?"

I smiled and nodded.

"What's for dinner?"

"Pasta is on the stove, I just have to heat the sauce." I sighed. "You moving stuff in?"

"Yeah, we're going to go get the last of it." He nodded, given me a quick kiss.

"Okay." I nodded my agreement. "I'll heat up the sauce."

"Sounds good." He smiled.

***

"Wynnie…" CC whispered, shifting himself closer to me as sunlight poured into the room. "The rat is squeaking."

"He's just hungry." I assured.

"He's really loud." He whined.

"He is not." I chuckled. "Go back to sleep, it's too early for this."

"I'm going to feed him, this is ridiculous." He got up and the bed shifted again. I snuggled into the blankets more before CC came back and dropped something on the bed far too heavy to be my rat.

I rolled over carefully and opened an eye to see a huge, wrapped present.

"What's this?" I looked up at him.

"Your birthday gift." He smiled. I frowned and sat up, grabbing my phone to check the date. "Oh, and this too." He handed me an envelope.

I took that and opened it first.

"You bought a house." I looked up at him. He smiled.

"Yeah, and we can move in by the end of the month, when our lease is up." He nodded.

I shook my head.

"Was it any of the ones I went to visit with you?" I asked, recalling the houses I'd been to see in the past month.

House buying in a month…this must honestly be a new record. It took me almost three times that to find an apartment.

"Yeah." He grinned.

My eyes widened.

"CC, you didn't."

"It was our favorite." He chuckled.

"It was fucking crazy expensive." I frowned.

"I can afford it, and I love it twice as much as you do, so it's worth it." He shrugged, still smiling. "And, all houses are expensive, Wynn. I just got one a little above average. It's not like I pay the entire check at once."

I sighed and shook my head.

"And you got me something on top of it?" I frowned.

"And I recommend you open it soon…" He looked nervous all of the sudden.

I frowned and did as he said, quickly unravelling the pathetically-tied bow and ripping open the paper.

"CC, there are holes in this box…" I looked up at him, jumping when something wet touched my hand from inside.

He sat down next to me.

"You going to open it?"

I looked at him, turning back to the box and taking off the lid I gasped.

"CC…" I trailed off.

"His name is Willy ." CC smiled. "But they said we could probably change his name. He's…well, he's deaf."

"CC, a puppy?" I laughed, picking up the little white pit bull.

"He's a deaf puppy." He whined.

I giggled and kissed him softly as the puppy looked at me, confusion written all over his face.

"Your sister-in-law couldn't stand him, he was chasing her cats all over." He laughed as I took the poor dog out of the box. "They kept him for a few days…" He smiled, reaching a hand out as Willy approached him. "So it'd be a surprise."

"You're a trouble maker." I laughed.

"Just let him sniff you and he'll be fine." He promised. "He's overly friendly, he won't ever be much of a guard dog--deaf or not."

I chuckled.

We moved to the floor to play with the new arrival.

"I've decided to teach him sign language." CC announced.

I burst into laughter.

"You don't even know sign language!"

"I can learn!" He frowned. "We have a deaf kid now and we, as parents, have to adjust!"

"He might eat our other kid." I commented.

"No, he won't, I have been working on teaching him that Juvie is friend, not food." He frowned.

"You've had him here…and I never realized it?" I frowned.

"When you were out, a few times these past few days." He nodded. "I had Jinxx bring him by and we got him used to the apartment." He smiled.

"Wow." I smiled, resting my head on his shoulder.

CC patted the ground and made some sort of motion with his hand and Willy came over.

"How'd you get his attention like that?" I turned to him as the puppy played with him, rolling over and nipping playfully.

"Pat the ground, he can feel it and he'll look over." CC smiled. "The adoption center taught me that."

I nodded.

"Welcome home, baby Willy." I smiled and I swear that dog grinned back. "He has your smile."

"Well…that's nice." CC laughed, "I smile like a dog, awesome!"

I giggled.

"Happy birthday, Wynnie." He smiled, ghosting his lips over mine.

"Thanks."