Free Back to You by Sia Wales

start talking sense like this,” he smiles. “Now I’m regretting having spent cash on your second present. I left it in your room before we went out.”
    My smile widens, and Vuk brushes a lock of hair from my face. A shiver runs through me.
    “I told you not to spend money on a present for me.”
    “Well I did,” Vuk admits. “If you hadn’t moved to Medford, I would never have found happiness.” He hugs me closer to his chest.
    “Stay here at the bar with me tonight,” I say. I can’t bear the idea of him going off and wallowing in remorse.
    “Maybe it would be better if I went home soon.”
    “But it’s my party!”
    “I don’t get it. Do you want me to pretend or not that his is a special day for you?”
    “Well, now everybody knows!”
    “Come on, are you going to throw a fit now? You can’t! Decide which of the two it is.”
    “I don’t want you to pretend,” I mumble.
    “Then happy anniversary, Stella.” He bends slightly to brush his soft lips against my forehead.
    “Thanks.”
    Vuk releases his grip on me and dashes off toward the stage, returning in a flash wearing a blinding smile.
    He’s standing before me, his hands turning over a big gift wrapped in silver paper.
    A giggle escapes my lips, but then I give him a fake withering look. He holds his hands up in protest.
    “I kept my promise. I didn’t spend a dime.”
    “What is it?”
    He simply looks at me.
    “Give it to me.” I sigh, resigned.
    He takes my arm and guides it to the gift. I take it into my hands and he grabs me, spins me around, and pulls me close to him. I clumsily try to tear off the ribbon, but the dressing on my finger hampers me.
    “Here, let me do it.” Vuk takes the gift and tears off the silver paper with a single flourish. He hands me a box, the same shade of emerald as his eyes.
    “How sweet. Thanks, Vuk!”
    “The present is inside, Stella.”
    “Right.” The knot on the second bow is giving me some trouble, too. With a sigh, Vuk patiently places the silver paper on the floor, takes the green box out of my hands and pulls the right string to undo the bow.
    I hold out my palms to receive the gift. He opens the box and, laughing, pulls out another box, this one flatter and of the same color his eyes are now––a jade yellow.
    “Thanks,” I say. “What is it, some kind of Russian nesting boxes?”
    “Don’t worry, you’ve got the heart of the present.”
    I open the final box. It contains a flat, white case. It takes me a moment to understand what it is. It contains a shiny CD, with no writing on it. Despite the fact that I didn’t want any presents, I’m thrilled.
    “It’s my music,” Vuk explains, self-consciously, a shy smile on his face.
    “What a wonderful present, Vuk! Your songs! I can’t believe it. It’s the best present I could have hoped for.”
    “I figured you wouldn’t let me play my stuff for you at home anymore, now that your dad is back.”
    “Really incredible,” I whisper. “Did you really make this? How?”
    “I’ve set up a recording studio in my bedroom.”
    “Unbelievable.” I turn the shiny CD over in my hands.
    “Do you really like it? My music, I mean.”
    “Of course, it’s fantastic, Vuk.”
    “Will you listen to it?”
    “You bet!” I put the CD back in its case and place it on Scott’s desk.
    “How’s the cut?”
    “Fine, it’s nothing.” To be honest, I need ice, I can feel it burning under the dressing. All I really need to do is move it away from his hot hand, but this would give me away. His expression mirrors my own, but as we gaze into each other’s eyes, it mutates. He loosens his embrace and strokes my cheek with his free hand. I feel him shiver.
    “Donn seemed friendly tonight.”
    “I wonder what got into him.” I feign indifference.
    The cupboard in the corner catches my eye, and I spot the stereo through the open door. I never use it anymore, and had forgotten it was there, hidden under a thickening veil of dust. Vuk used