sing me to sleep [wilbur soot]

07. MERRY CHRISTMAS

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chapter seven:
third-person POV
Clay's parents house,
Orlando, Florida
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Nick and George's presence at the house had been overwhelmingly exciting. Gemma had been waiting what felt like forever to finally meet her cousins two best friends, and now they sat in the room adjacent to hers playing some sort of multiplayer split screen game. Gemma giggled softly at their cursing and arguing and every time a voice raised it reminded her of Clay's plans.

The cousins had started going down to the Miami beaches to reflect and talk together the day Gemma got her license. Even in the crowds the calm lull of the beach felt nice. So, tonight's plan was to bring the newcomers to their secret hideout after they ate their annual Christmas dinner. But first, Gemma had time to kill, and a certain British boy to kill it with.

"Hey, isn't it midnight for you, Wilbs?" Gemma says softly, toying with the cords shes desperately trying to plug in for the keyboard she'd gotten from her cousins as an early Christmas gift. It was really supposed to be a nice surprise, but Nick screaming "Gemma's gift is here!" had ruined that.

"Hey, isn't it midnight for you, Wilbs?" Gemma says softly, toying with the cords.

"Yeah, actually, just hit." Wilbur says softly, his voice a bit groggy and deeper than she was used to.

Gemma giggles, clapping her hands together, "Well, Merry first hours of Christmas!"

"Thank you Gemma." Wilbur chuckles, "Soon you'll be in Christmas with me."

"Yep... six hours behind feels so odd. I'm always eating dinner when you're going to bed. Ah, back on topic, I have a question; what do you want this Christmas? Non-material wise? Like some sort of new year's resolution but it's Christmas instead." Gemma rambles, pressing down on the keyboard and making a screwed up face when nothing comes out.

"Hm.." Wilbur hums, leaning back in his bedsheets and running a hand through his hair to hide his blush. He knew of Gemma saw his red cheeks and sly grin she'd ask, so here he was, playing it off like he's trying to think of what to say, "I guess, for someone to be mine?"

"God, you sound like a hopeless romantic." Gemma laughs, bringing a hand to her face to hide her own blush, "But it's alright, I am too."

Wilbur chuckles as he shifts onto his side, looking at Gemma who cheers as she finally gets the electric keyboard to work. With an excited grin she begins to explain, "My grandmother had an out of tune grand piano in her basement, so I took the time to learn something while we were there today."

"Ooo, what did you learn?" Wilbur asks, sitting up slightly as he tugs his pillow to his chest. The soft pillow chafes with the fabric of his shirt as it grates his chest. Without playing him any mind, Gemma messes around with the keys a bit, finding the right starting note, and then she starts playing the beginning of Jubilee Line from ear. Wilbur can't help the giddy smile that rises onto his face at the sight of her playing a song he'd written. She doesn't sing along, but hums, as she makes it through the first stanza successfully. As she presses down on the last note, she ends with a tiny bow and Wilbur laughs.

"Oh Gem! That was awesome!" Wilbur compliments, "I really only think you had one or two notes off in the beginning."

"Oh good! Hah, I tried learning that without sheet music and let me tell you, it's so much harder to do by ear." Gemma laughs, pulling up something on her phone, "but let me try it with the notes..."