Her voice was tight with a whispered sentimentality for the moment she was currently in.
It could last forever, though. Or at least, this—us—could last. I sat up and turned to her, hoping for clarification. Her smile was genuine but tinged with sadness. Why did she say it like this was the beginning of the end instead of just a great moment of many to be had?
I was about to pull her to the side when the doorbell rang. This time, all of us looked at one another in confusion.
“I don’t think my heart can take any more surprises,” I said as I got up.
I opened the front door with a blast of cool air to find Cath in a black beanie and only a hoodie despite the winter night.
“Hey.” I smiled.
She waved back, sleeves pulled down over her hands. “Hi. Sorry to show up unannounced like a weirdo.”
“More like a Christmas miracle,” I said with the over-the-top enthusiasm that she pretended annoyed her.
“Don’t make this any weirder than it is,” she said in her usual deadpan tone.
“Come in?” I thumbed behind me to the warm house, where laughter rang out.
“Nah. We gotta head up to my grandparents’ in Merryville,” she said. I bent forward to wave at her parents parked in the street, and they waved back. “I just wanted to give you this. And say Merry Christmas and thanks and all that.” She rushed and mumbled the words.
My heart felt like it might explode out of my chest with glitter and rainbows. But expressing any of that would definitely make it weird.
“Aw.” I reached for the gift excitedly, not making eye contact with her to ensure she didn’t crawl out of her skin. “It’s almost like you like me or something.”
She scoffed. “Just stop talking.”
“You like me,” I said in a singsong. “You’re glad I teach you.”
“I regret all of this.”
I ripped open the packaging and stared down at a cheap pair of drumsticks with writing on them.
“I know you have like a million,” Cath explained, “but I signed these ones. So you know, when I’m super famous and stuff, you can be like ‘I knew her when...’” She affected an old-timey grandpa voice for the last bit. “I just thought, since I was your first student, or whatever, it’ll make you seem legit to the next kids you tutor.”
I sniffled a laugh, but the truth was the emotion had made my throat too tight to speak or even swallow. My next student? It hadn’t even occurred to me.
“Man, you’re making it weird,” she said. She tugged her hat down with both hands, almost covering her eyes as she groaned.
I cleared my throat. “You think I should tutor more drummers?”
“I guess I just assumed you’d want to keep going since you’re actually pretty good at it.”
“I thought I sucked.”
“You’re all right. Just don’t let it go to your head.”
We stood a moment in silence before I held up my fist for her to bump. “Thanks, Cath. I will treasure this forever,” I said sincerely as she bumped my knuckles.
“Yup. No biggie.” She flushed and kicked at the ground.
“Actually, I have something for you too,” I said with excitement.
Her eyebrows shot up. I turned around to yell into the house. “Yo, Vander. Come here.”
When I looked back, Cath’s eyes were wide, and she was completely still. “Don’t mess with me.”
I chuckled as, a second later, Vander came to the door.
