Our Love (Advent Calendar 2015)

The 12th of December

He's been thinking about it since he woke up, and he still hasn't come up with an idea for Kristen's Christmas present. She needs something special. His family deserves more than bought objects, but Kristen... Kristen deserves the world. And that is why it is so hard for him to give her a Christmas present, because what do you give the person who means the most to you in your life? Or did at some point, at least.

He groans and tugs at his hair, frustrated. Clothes are out, those she likes to buy herself (or steal from him). Kitchen stuff, even if she tried to, she couldn't possibly fit more in her cupboards. Gift cards; he's not that kind of guy.

The first few tones of a song starts playing on the radio, and every thought in Rob's mind vanishes, replaced by one single memory.

He's on the couch, playing random chords on his guitar. She's on the floor, lying on her back, smoking a cigarette. Subconsciously, Rob starts playing a song and Kristen recognises it.

"That's Van Morrison," she says, lifting her head.

"Huh?" Rob mutters, looking in her direction.

"The song you're playing, it's Van Morrison," Kristen explains, putting the cigarette between her lips.

"Oh, yeah, I guess it is," Rob says, not really having noticed that he was playing an actual song. He continues.

"Sing it," Kristen requests when he's played the intro.

He looks up, and down at her. Their eyes meet. As he looks into her green eyes, he can't deny her anything.

So he starts singing it, the song he knows by heart.

"I'll be your man

I'll understand

I'll do my best to take good care of you

You'll be my queen

I'll be your king

And I'll be your lover too"

As he sings the song, Kristen looks at him and forgets everything but him; the burning cigarette, the movie, her boyfriend...

At one point, their eyes meet and both of them find themselves unable to look away. They feel like they're looking into the other's soul.

When Rob's played the outro, Kristen stubs her cigarette in the nearest ashtray and gets up from the floor. She walks slowly but determinedly over to Rob, grabs his guitar and puts it aside. She then straddles his lap, wraps her legs around him, grabs his face, and kisses him. He immediately kisses her back, slightly moaning. The kiss is tender and passionate, slow. Their first kiss.

"I'll be your lover too" by Van Morrison is their song, the one he planned to sing for her on their wedding night, the one she listened to every time they were apart because of work.

There are actually quite many songs that are "their" songs; music was a big part of their relationship, a big part of both of them.

And just like that, Rob gets an idea for a Christmas present for Kristen.

He leaves the kitchen and goes into the living room to find his laptop. Opening Safari, he goes to Apple's webstore and orders an iPod Touch. Then he opens a Word document and starts writing songs down. Songs they both love, songs they both hate, songs they've played and sung for each other, songs they've kissed to at Coachella, songs they've made love to on their anniversary, songs they've sung while cooking together, songs they've listened to on repeat on road trips, songs they love and know by heart because the songs are them, their love, their story.

'And then one surprise,' Rob thinks when he can't possibly come up with any more songs that can be defined as "theirs".

Grabbing his phone from his back pocket, he dials Marcus' number.

"Hey mate. I need your help. Are you in the studio this week? Super. I'll see you then, cheers."