Christmas morning with the Girys was always a festive affair. It was never extravagant by any means—they were better off than Christine and her father had ever been, but they certainly weren't wealthy—but there were always gifts waiting under the tree, and Mrs. Giry would make a breakfast that would have been too big for the three of them even if they hadn't been picking at the Christmas cookies all morning. The same two Christmas albums were always playing quietly in the background as they ate and exchanged gifts, and there was always plenty of laughter.

The afternoons were when things eased into a quiet, peaceful lull. Meg put on a movie while Mrs. Giry went upstairs to take a nap, and Christine settled in on the couch beside Meg with the new book she had received that morning. Her thoughts began to drift back to her conversation with Raoul, though, and the words on the page failed to hold her attention. After a while she caught Meg glancing at her.

"What?"

"Are you okay?" Meg asked. "I'm pretty sure you haven't turned a page in like twenty minutes."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Christine replied. "Just thinking."

"About what Raoul said?"

"Yeah," she sighed.

"That's understandable—it's a pretty big thing."

"I just feel like…" Christine hesitated. "I feel like the idea of getting engaged is something I should be really excited about, but I'm just not quite getting there, and I don't really understand why. The life that he sees for us definitely isn't bad, and it's not like I have other plans. I kind of assumed we'd stay together anyway, so what would be the harm in getting engaged if he wants it so badly?"

"'What's the harm' probably isn't the level of enthusiasm you should have going into an engagement," Meg pointed out. "I think that if it was something you really wanted, you wouldn't have to convince yourself it's a good idea."

"But Raoul wants it, so I need to at least consider it." Christine sank back into the cushions. "I want to want it. Why don't I? Is there something wrong with me for not wanting to get engaged to my amazing boyfriend?"

"Of course not," Meg said. "There's nothing wrong with it. You don't have to want everything that he wants."

"This is a pretty big thing to disagree on."

Meg reached over and gave her hand a squeeze. "Don't worry about it too much. You have a whole semester before he wanted to get engaged anyway. Maybe by then you'll want to, or maybe he'll have changed his mind. You have plenty of time to think things over and talk about it with Raoul more."

Christine smiled a little. "Yeah, you're right."

Meg's brow furrowed. "Is there something else?"

Christine hesitated. "I know it's terrible, but I don't really want to go on this trip. If it was just the two of us, that'd be one thing. But it'll be with his whole family, and I have a hard time imaging any of them really want me there if they feel the same way his aunt does. At best, they'd be completely uninterested in me."

"Yeah, they don't exactly sound like a super welcoming bunch," Meg said with a sympathetic smile. "I still can't believe she said all that about you."

"I wasn't supposed to hear it."

"That doesn't mean it was okay for her to say it."

"And then on top of that, I feel like things could be a little weird between Raoul and me since we left things on a pretty uncertain note the other day," Christine continued. "It's definitely not a conversation I want to continue while on vacation with his family." She looked down, fidgeting with the edge of her sleeve. "When Raoul suggested this trip, I thought that maybe things wouldn't be as bad as I worried they might be. But, honestly, as it's gotten closer, I've started to dread it a little bit. How awful is that?"

"It's not bad," Meg said, pausing to choose her words carefully. "It might not be as bad as you think. It could be that the lunch that you had with his aunt was just an unpleasant anomaly and everyone else in the family will love you. But, on the other hand, Raoul hasn't exactly been saying that his aunt is the outlier, has he?"

Christine shook her head, remembering how Raoul had defended his aunt.

"You don't have to go if you don't want to," Meg told her. "I mean, if it's just going to be a week of people making you feel bad about yourself interspersed with a few nice moments with Raoul, maybe you shouldn't go."

"I've thought about it," Christine admitted. "But I said I would go. They're expecting me. It definitely wouldn't make them like me more if I canceled on them at the last minute."

"That's true. I just wish you weren't going to be spending a week trying to make a bunch of people who think you're inferior to them like you."

Christine gave her a small smile. "I appreciate that. Maybe you're right—maybe I should rethink it."

"Just sleep on it," Meg suggested. "See how you feel about it tomorrow, and if you decide not to go, call Raoul then. That would still give them a couple of days' notice. And if you're just honest with him, I'm sure he'd understand. He wouldn't want to make you go if you're just going to be uncomfortable and belittled."

Christine nodded, although she wasn't completely sure that that last part was true. That would only be the case if Raoul thought it was reasonable for her to feel that way. "You're a good advice-giver, you know that?" she said instead of voicing this concern.

"I get it from Mom."

Relaxing back into the cushions and trying to return her attention to her book, Christine felt a little better at least, even if the situation was still unsettled. She would push the matter out of her mind for now, she decided. She was on vacation, and it was Christmas, and she was home with her family; she wanted to enjoy it.

But then her fingers idly brushed the necklace she wore, and she thought with a pang of Erik. She was fortunate enough to be here sharing a nice Christmas day with the two people who mattered most to her in the world, but what about him? What if he was spending the day alone? Christine stood and reached for her phone, telling Meg she'd be right back before heading for her bedroom. When she was alone, she dialed Erik's number. He answered after a couple of rings.

"Christine." He sounded surprised, and she wondered for a moment if she shouldn't have called.

"Hi, Erik," she said. "I, um, just wanted to wish you a merry Christmas."

"Oh." There was a pause. "Thank you. Merry Christmas to you too." His voice was warm and familiar, and she breathed a sigh of relief that he didn't seem annoyed by the call.

"Did you say something, Erik?" a man's voice called from the background.

"Oh, sorry," Christine said quickly. "I didn't realize you had company. I can let you go if I'm interrupting."

"Believe me, Christine, your call is quite welcome. He's not so much company as someone who occasionally shows up at my home uninvited," Erik replied, raising his voice at the last sentence, presumably so the man could hear him.

"You wouldn't let him in if you really didn't want him there," Christine pointed out, smiling at the thought of what she imagined must be an odd relationship.

"He tends to come in on his own," Erik grumbled, clearly not ready to concede.

Christine laughed a little. "Well, I'm glad to hear that you have someone there. I was thinking about you."

"You were?"

She continued quickly, realizing how that must have sounded. "Yeah, I mean, it's no fun being by yourself on Christmas, and I know that you don't have family, and I guess I was just worried that you might be alone."

"You are kind to be concerned for me," Erik told her. "But I do not mind being alone. I've found that it's almost always preferable to the alternative."

"People aren't so bad."

"Not all of them." There was no mistaking the fondness in his voice as he said this, and Christine's smile grew. She hadn't realized how much she'd missed him. It was strange to go even a week without seeing him when she'd spent almost every morning with him for months, and there was something quite comforting about talking to him now.

"I'm wearing the necklace you gave me," she told him, touching the delicate pendant that had dipped just below the neckline of her sweater. "I love it."

She had neglected to mention the necklace to Raoul, but it wasn't like she'd had the chance to during their conversation the other day. And besides, she reasoned, there was really nothing to tell.

"I'm glad to hear that. I had hoped you would like it. And have you been practicing?"

"I have. Meg and Mrs. Giry are very impressed. I think you've won over Mrs. Giry without even meeting her, which is quite an accomplishment," Christine said with a laugh. She hesitated for a second before adding more softly, "I miss our lessons, though."

"I do too," Erik said.

"And I've been thinking about what you said before I left, about how it would be good to come back early and get in some extra practice before the semester starts," she continued, feeling the words start to leave her mouth before the thoughts had even fully formed in her mind. "I think that's a good idea, if it's still okay with you. I'm not completely sure if I'm coming back early or not, but I can let you know by tomorrow. If the offer still stands, of course."

"I'd be happy to work with you as much as you want," he told her. "But I thought you had travel plans."

She had forgotten she'd mentioned her plans with Raoul. Shrugging before realizing that Erik couldn't see the action over the phone, she said, "I'm not sure that's going to work out."

"I see." There was another pause. "Just let me know what you decide. I'll be here if you return early."

"Thanks, Erik. I appreciate it a lot. I can't believe that the audition in coming up so soon. It feels like we've been working for such a long time, but it didn't seem like it would actually get here."

"I hope you're not nervous, Christine," Erik said. "I've told you before, you're very well prepared. You could have auditioned weeks ago and done just fine."

"I don't want to do just fine, though," Christine sighed. "I want to do as well as I possibly can. I want to do great." She heard Erik chuckle a little, the beautiful sound of it filling her with warmth.

"I'm glad to hear you say that. It's what I want too. I wouldn't have continued our lessons if you wanted anything less."

"I hope I don't disappoint you," she said.

"You won't."

She smiled. "I should probably let you get back to your friend now."

"It was good to hear from you," Erik told her, the warmth of his voice making a blush rise to her cheeks.

"It was good talking with you," she said. "Merry Christmas."

She could hear the soft smile in his voice when he spoke. "Merry Christmas."

"Well?" Erik turned to find Nadir watching him expectantly as he hung up his phone.

"Well what, Daroga?"

"It's quite rude to take calls when you have a guest, you know," he replied, passing Erik one of the drinks he had gone to pour as he walked past him to the couch. "You could at least say what was so pressing that it required your attention."

"I hardly see how who I talk to is any of your business," Erik said, sitting down in an armchair across from Nadir. "But because I know that you are annoyingly persistent, I'll save us both some trouble and tell you that it was Christine. My student," he amended quickly, suddenly feeling that the casual way he'd said her name implied more than he wanted Nadir to know.

"Christine?" Nadir raised a brow.

"She had a question about a piece I gave her to practice."

"She called you on Christmas day because she had a question about a piece she's practicing?" Nadir said skeptically.

"Yes," Erik replied. He had managed to avoid the subject of Christine almost entirely since he'd first told Nadir. He told himself that he liked his privacy, especially when Nadir started asking questions, and this was nothing more than his usual guardedness. This felt different, though, and he knew it. As much as he tried to convince himself that there really wasn't anything worth concealing completely from Nadir, he knew that wasn't true. The proof was in the pleasant warmth that the sound of her voice had filled him with, the way his heart had started to race when he saw her number on the screen, the way that that hug hadn't left his thoughts for a moment in the past week. He did his best not to think about those feelings, not to name them, but he was at least sure that they were worth concealing.

"Erik, you know that it's alright to get along with someone," Nadir said. "If she called for reasons other than your lessons, that's fine."

"She wanted to wish me a merry Christmas," he admitted hesitantly after a moment.

"That was nice of her."

"It was. She's very nice."

"Do you enjoy teaching her?" Nadir asked, hoping that perhaps if he wasn't too direct he could get a sense of the situation.

Erik nodded. "She's dedicated and immensely talented. And I suppose we think alike, musically."

"You don't find it unpleasant being with her almost every day? You're not nervous about it at all?"

"No," Erik replied, his voice growing softer. "She's… she's kind and warm and… there's just something about her." Erik glanced up to find Nadir watching him and looked away again, shifting in his chair.

"It sounds like you like her." When Erik made no reply, he continued. "That's not a bad thing. Just… be careful, alright?"

"Be careful? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't get defensive, Erik. I only mean try not to expect too much from her. Even the best of people aren't perfect, and they're not always who we want them to be. Don't be too hard on her if she's not improving at the rate you want her to or if she does something you don't like, and keep in mind that just because she's kind to you doesn't mean—"

"Doesn't mean that she wants to be any closer to me," Erik finished, speaking the words as a simple statement and only feeling the slightest sting of bitterness as he did. "I am well aware of that, Daroga. I came to terms with my lot in life long ago. Honestly, it doesn't make sense to me that she would even want me to be her teacher."

"I've always found that people usually don't make much sense," Nadir said. "If she says she wants you to be her teacher, then believe her. I just… I would be careful about getting your hopes up for anything beyond that."

Of course Nadir was right. He didn't know that Erik had spent time with her outside of their lessons, that they had developed a friendship. But as far as Erik was concerned, Nadir didn't need to know. Such knowledge would undoubtedly only lead to more suspicion and scrutiny, which were not altogether lacking as it was. The last thing that Nadir needed was more cause to be concerned about Erik, and Erik didn't exactly relish the thought of Nadir seeing just how weak he'd become. Besides, if Nadir knew that they were already friends, perhaps he would also see that his warning to Erik had come too late.

He should not have bought her that necklace. He knew that; it was clearly an inappropriate gift to give to her as his student and was even outside the bounds of their burgeoning friendship. But when he had seen it, the first thought that had entered his mind was how the simple beauty of it would suit Christine perfectly. And then all he could imagine was the subtle glint of the chain around her neck and the tiny diamond pendant that would settle so perfectly in the hollow of her throat. He would simply put it in a different box so she didn't know just how excessive a gift it actually was. It had been an impulsive purchase—he had still been debating whether or not to give it to her during that last lesson—and it gave him an inordinate amount of satisfaction to know that she liked it that she was wearing it now.

And when she had hugged him he thought his heart had stopped. She was so small and warm, and he could feel the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. It had left him lightheaded, but in a pleasant way. It had taken all day for his heart to return to its normal pace, and just the thought of that moment had made it race again. He was in over his head. It wasn't supposed to be like this. When he had asked Christine to let him teach her, the absolute best-case scenario he had imagined was one in which they got along just well enough to work together—they would be compatible musically, but there would be nothing beyond that to complicate the situation. It hadn't even occurred to him that he might possibly desire more than that—not friendship, not more than friendship, not even polite but distant acquaintanceship.

But here he was, thinking of her constantly, looking forward to seeing her next, thinking that he would give anything to feel her arms around him again. If he had any sense of self-preservation, or even any sense, he thought, he would tell her that it was impossible for him to continue teaching her. He would put as much distance between them as possible and hope that she would move on with her life and forget him entirely. There was no way that this could be headed for anything but disaster. It was only a question of how long it would take to get there.

He hated when Nadir was right.

It wasn't long after Nadir had left for the night that Erik's phone rang again. He had retired to the music room and almost didn't hear the ringing over the piano. Glancing at the caller ID, he was surprised to see the name that hadn't left his mind all evening.

"Christine."

"Hi Erik," she replied, sounding a little shy this time. "Sorry for calling and interrupting your night again."

"You're not interrupting anything," he told her.

"I, um, just wanted to let you know that I'm coming back early."

It took a second for her words to sink in, and a smile formed on his lips. He'd get to see her again sooner than expected. They could, conceivably, work for as long as they wanted rather than being constrained by her busy schedule. Suddenly the empty days ahead of him seemed much brighter.

"I'm glad to hear that," he said.

"You are?"

"Not that your travel plans didn't work out, of course," he continued quickly, hoping that he hadn't offended her. "But I do think you'll feel better about the audition with the extra practice time. And I enjoy our lessons."

"I enjoy them too," Christine said, and his heart beat a little faster. "I'm planning on coming back on New Year's Eve, so I'll be free any time after that. Or we could even get together that day. Whatever works best for you is fine with me."

"We can meet that day. As long as you're coming back early, we might as well make the most of the time."

"That sounds great to me. Thanks again for offering to work with me like this. It'll be nice not to have to end the lesson abruptly so I can run off to work, even if it's only for a week."

"I'm looking forward to that as well," Erik agreed.

"Well, I'll let you go," Christine said. "I just wanted to let you know what I decided. I'll see you soon."

Erik wasn't sure that a statement had ever made him so happy. "See you soon."