The Piano Man

XXIX. Love is Love is Love

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XXIX. Love is Love is Love

After spending a Christmas Eve with Noah's family, Sophie felt terribly guilty for how she had spent it every other year, even when she still lived with her parents.

She usually spent it lying on the couch, gorging herself on sweets and watching awful Christmas romantic comedies. She liked watching carols and looking out the window for any glimpse of snow.

Her parents usually attended a formal Christmas party, and she had usually been forced to go. But even then, the evening was vapid and superficial.

She had spent the majority of her day at Joy Bentley's church, in a great room filled with boxes of toys. Volunteers from the congregation, including Joy's own family, were boxing food hampers for families in need, wrapping presents for under-privileged children, and coordinating donations from local businesses to go to those who needed it most.

Joy was in her element, and Sophie respected her deeply for it. She didn't need to be fearful of Joy. Sophie finally got it, understanding now that she would never be judged by Noah's mum.

Maddie coloured in the corner of the room, perfectly content by herself. She had been much calmer today, and there was no repeat of her meltdown from the night before. Sophie, in hindsight, should have seen it coming. Maddie had been so terribly quiet that she knew everything would eventually get to her.

It didn't stop the guilt though. Maddie couldn't communicate her emotions properly. She couldn't tell Sophie what she needed and that was why she had thrown a fit. Elaine had explained this to Sophie in an attempt to stop her from feeling guilty, but it worked quite the opposite.

Mothers, Sophie believed, always had something to feel guilty about.

Noah and his dad spent the day ferrying the hampers and gifts out into the community, so Sophie saw him sporadically throughout the day. It didn't stop him from smiling brilliantly at her every time he entered the church. It made her heart flutter over and over again.

He had told her that he loved her the night before. In so many words; Sophie had heard it. Nobody had ever said that to her before. Nobody had ever felt that way about Sophie. And Sophie had certainly never felt like this about anyone before.

God, how had she gotten so lucky? Surely nothing could stop this, ruin this.

Sophie wanted to tell Noah that she loved him, too. But having never said those words to anyone, the idea of them spilling out was quite daunting. It was as though she was taking her heart out of her chest and saying, "Here you go. Do with it what you will."

John and Noah were going for Chinese take away before the family would be heading to church in the evening. Sophie learned from last night's mistake to read through the menu with Maddie on Noah's phone, allowing her to make her choice beforehand.

Maddie was easy to please with fried rice and satay chicken. Sophie decided on the same.

They waited in the living room for the John and Noah to arrive with the food, and Sophie discovered that an enormous Christmas tree had been delivered during the day. Joy and her daughters fetched boxes of Christmas decorations from a cupboard and started unloading them, simultaneously playing Michael Bublé's Christmas album.