Where The Love Light Gleams

December 10th

Erik is her best friend. He really is. But when a person calls her and wakes her up when she's trying to sleep in, all hell breaks loose and a best friend is no exception.

"Good morning sunshine," he greets on the other end of the line and she wants to kill him. She really does.

"It's early," she groans. "This better be good."

"It's almost eleven."

Shin all but yanks her head from the pillow. "Liar."

Unfortunately for her, the clock says he's right. Holy what. She doesn't even remember the last time she slept this late.

"Late night?"

God, she hates him right now. "What's it to you, Erik?"

"Whoa there," Erik answers easily. "None of my business-"

"Exactly."

"Except Ian has looked pretty exhausted during rehearsals today. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

She buries her face in her pillow to muffle the ensuing groan but from Erik's chuckle floating over the phone, she knows it's a failure.

"You did not call this early to taunt me-"

"It's eleven, Shin," he reminds her again. "And no, I did not just call to taunt you about that budding romance of yours."

"So what do you want?"

"I have tickets."

Shin sits up, running a hand through her sleep-rumpled hair. Eleven is too late for her to be in bed, she realizes. "Thanks, Erik, but I don't do burlesque shows or strip clubs."

"To the orchestra concert, sassypants."

"Since when do you like pure orchestra concerts?"

"I am a man of music, Rachelle Ann."

She smiles. "Erik, you're my best friend, you don't have to get expensive tickets just to take me out."

"Then I'm glad I got ten and they happen to be the best seats in the house."

"What the hell are you going to do with ten tickets?"

"Call it a new kind of bonding."

"I'm sorry?"

"It's Philharmonic Orchestra's annual Christmas concert. Everyone is going."

"Wait, Mark likes orchestra concerts now? How long have I been gone?"

"Too long."

It's a moment of serious silence and she chews her lip through it. It's just long enough to have her heart clenching in her chest, to feel the guilt rising up to her mouth. But then he's clearing his throat. "Get up, Shin. We're painting the town red tonight."

===

They are the best dressed people in the theatre.

Not that Shin particularly cares. Their immersion in this type of culture has always involved fancy dresses and suits. None of them cares either because it's a great excuse to dress up and go out. Even if it means going to an orchestra.

But there is one difference between this time and the million others that they've been out as a group, well at least for the past years anyway.

Ian is touching her.

It sounds both ridiculous and dirty but she means neither of those definitions. It's just a bit strange, she thinks. His hands rub up her back, slides down her arm, hovers around her waist, and while it doesn't seem to change anything about the way the others interact, she can feel the way their eyes are drawn to these things. Hell, she can already hear the questions Sarah and Yeng would like to spew.

But it was Erik who manages to corner her while they wait for the others who are doing interviews.

"So I was right?"

Shin hums her acknowledgement of his presence.

"You're the reason Ian looked like death this morning."

She merely arches her eyebrow. She and Ian haven't talked about whom they're telling about this 'test" of theirs and she isn't about to give Erik gossip fodder now. So she doesn't answer his question.

"Hey" Erik says, catching her elbow gently. "It is a good thing."

"Is it?" she blurts. "I waffle between being baffled and being terrified. I'm on a countdown and that's no way to start a relationship."

"So you'd rather dance around it all for the next couple of weeks pretending those kinds of these are gone between you two? What was it you told me again when I told you over the phone that I might have found the one and I'm scared?"

She feels a smile spread across her face. "I'm pretty sure it was something about taking chances."

This time, it's Erik's turn to hum his acknowledgment. "Taking chances. Very you. And you never know, do you?"

She looks up into his smug face and rolls her eyes. "You get so smug when you're right."

"I know," he agrees. "It's part of my charm."