Love Me by Christmas

by Silvia Rojas

  "Lightly breaded fish," River said, smiling back. "I can't remember what type it is exactly, but it's a white fish, I can tell you that much."

  "Oh, come on." Melanie gave River a teasing nudge. "How do you buy fish and not remember what it is?"

  "Fine, fine." River chuckled and gently nudged Melanie back. "It's catfish."

  "You know, Riv, you're kind of a nerd," Melanie said through a giggle.

  "Who are you calling a nerd? If your chat availability is any indication, you sure do spend an awful lot of time on the computer." River's smile remained steady.

  "Touche. But it's okay. I think I can call you my favorite nerd." Melanie felt her face go warm as she said that.

  "That's a position I feel honored to occupy." River took a few steps towards the kitchen. "Care to follow me? You can be my sous chef, if you'd like."

  "I'd be happy to help."

  Making dinner was a surprisingly focused affair. River's command over his kitchen was almost mechanically precise; the way he asked Melanie to pass various ingredients reminded her of a surgeon asking for a scalpel. The preparations felt like they finished quickly and soon, dinner was on the table. With a satisfied sigh, River plopped down in his chair and gestured for Melanie to do the same. "Well? Let's enjoy the fruit of our labors."

  "More like the fish of our labors," Melanie quipped, sitting down opposite River. As she did, she took a quick glance out a window. "It's still too bright for candles."

  "That's a shame, isn't it?" River cut a piece of fish and took a taste. "Perfect. I couldn't have done it without your help."

  "I'm glad I could actually help you. You're like a surgeon in the kitchen, I swear," Melanie said, taking a taste of her own fish. "Oh, wow, it is good."

  "See? Worth the effort, wouldn't you say?" River grinned. "At least I'm not a sturgeon in the kitchen."

  "Fish puns, oh no," Melanie said through a groan.

  "You say it like you've never heard a bad pun before," River said. "We're fond of them in the Riverflow Club."

  "Or are you pond of them?" Melanie replied, unable to keep a straight face.

  River laughed at the silly pun. "Yes, we're very pond of puns in the Riverflow Club."

  "You guys are fishy," Melanie said.

  "At least we're not... well..." River paused, then chuckled loudly. "I'm afraid you've schooled me in this pun battle, Melanie."

  "Couldn't resist a parting shot, could you?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "You know... fish... schooled..." Melanie made some vague gestures in an attempt to get her meaning across.

  "Aha! There we go. I think the best puns are the ones you don't even notice yourself." River took another bite of his fish, but his eyes were on Melanie.

  "You might even say that we're pun pals."

  "Not while I'm drinking!" River coughed, then grinned back at Melanie. "Aren't you going to eat your dinner? It won't be as good if it's cold."

  "Cold fish is only good when it's sushi," Melanie said through a sigh.

  Dinner continued like this, with witty banter spaced between bites. Neither of them were aware for how long they were gabbing over empty plates until it became much darker in the house.

  "What time is it?" River asked.

  "Where'd the sun go?" Melanie asked in turn.

  "I guess it got tired of listening to us talk and wandered off." River looked down at his plate. "Looks like the fish did too."

  "Too bad for the sun, the fish, and the sunfish," Melanie said.

  "Sunfish?" River shot Melanie a quizzical look. "Never mind. Did you have a good time?"

  "Yes, definitely," Melanie said with no hesitation.

  "I'm glad to hear that." For a moment, River's expression wrinkled guiltily, and there was an awkward pause where Melanie tried to figure out what was bothering him. “It must be very late… if you don’t feel like driving home, I’d be happy to let you stay here.”

  Melanie felt her cheeks warm. He was already inviting her to stay with him, and while it felt nice that he was that comfortable with her, she wasn’t quite sure she wanted to impose on him like that just yet. “Thank you for the offer, but I think I should go home. I’m ready for the drive.”

  River nodded. “If you say so. If you think you can make it, I’ll let you go.”

  “It sounds so sad when you put it that way,” Melanie said.

  "Don’t think about it that way. I have to let you go home sometime, don’t I? We all need to sleep sometime, and we have our own spaces for a reason." River scooted his chair back and stood up. "Don't worry about cleanup. I'll handle that. Do you mind if I walk you to your car?"

  "I don't mind at all," Melanie said, doing the same.

  The two were silent as River escorted Melanie to her car. "I had a wonderful time with you, too," he said, only breaking the silence once they were there. He seemed to be gazing after her, and Melanie had a feeling that he still had something left to say.

  "I'm glad, but... why are you looking at me like that?" Melanie asked.

  "Like what?"

  "Are you not telling me something?"

  "Well..." River hesitated before leaning forward. Melanie saw this coming from a mile away; when he kissed her, she didn't resist at all. When their lips parted, something seemed sad about River's smile. "Why should I have to tell you when I can show you?"

  "I see," Melanie said, trying to catch her breath and suppress that remarkable fluttery feeling inside her. "You're a sweetheart, you know that?"

  "You flatter me." River looked to Melanie's car. "Get some good sleep tonight. See you in the chatroom tomorrow?"

  "Of course. Thank you, River."

  Chapter 6

  It was time for another meeting for the Riverflow Club. This one was held at the same botanical garden as before, which was a slight relief to Melanie. At least she wouldn't have to stress too much about making sure she was in the right place, even if the meeting was being held in a different section of the garden from before. When she arrived, Fay and Erin were already there, as was River; Erin was waiting patiently in her seat, while Fay was chatting River up about something. Melanie approached River and Fay first. "Hey, guys."

  "Hi, Mel!" Fay smiled and waved. "Glad you could make it."

  "I'm glad as well," River said with a small smile. "I've got an interesting topic prepared for today, so I hope your mind is open for business."

  "As long as you don't blow my mind, I'm sure we'll be fine," Melanie said.

  "We'll see about that," River said. "Why don't you have a seat?"

  "All right. Guess I'll have to find out for myself what the topic is," Melanie said before taking a seat by Erin. "Hi, Erin."

  "Hiya." Erin seemed to be in better spirits than the last time. "River looks like he's got something on his mind today."

  "Who knows? He can be really mysterious sometimes." Melanie looked from Erin to River and then back.

  "Kind of dreamy, isn't it?" Erin asked, a mischievous smile on her lips.

  "Yeah, dreamy, let's go with that." Melanie chuckled nervously and wondered if River had told anyone else about the shared kiss.

  Not long after, Marissa wandered up to the group. "I made it!" she said.

  "You did indeed," River said. "Have a seat."

  Shortly after, Leo entered the area. "Sorry I'm late!" he called out before taking a seat.

  "You're right on time," River called back. Fay went to her seat and flashed Melanie a toothy grin. River took a seat in front of the group, his hands clasped. "Now that we're all here, who's ready to talk about something a little off the beaten path?" Various murmurs of assent came from the group, including Melanie's own agreement. "All right, here we go. When I say 'water,' what do you think of? We'll go from left to right. So... Fay, you're first."

  "When you say water, I think fire," Fay said. "It's a natural opposite, right? It makes sense that they're connected."

  "It does," Rive
r said. "Next, Leo?"

  "I think about how I could really use a drink," Leo said. "Alcoholic content semi-optional."

  River chuckled, "All right then. What about you, Marissa?"

  "I think of a big blue lake, and how nice it would be to swim in it," Marissa said.

  "That's a lovely image." River looked to the right. "Erin?"

  "I think of watering cans. Also about how I could use a drink too."

  "I guess we'll have to see about a bar meeting at some point," River mused aloud. "What about you, Melanie?"

  "I... well..." Honestly, Melanie hadn't put much thought into the topic. "I think of a glass of water." Calls for alcohol aside, she thought that everyone's responses were better than hers.

  "Your associations say a lot about you, but I'm not here to psychoanalyze," River said. "Instead, have any of you given any thought to the spiritual properties of water?"

  "Not recently, no," Leo replied.

  "Maybe," said Erin.

  "Sure," Marissa said.

  "Maybe?" Fay even tilted her head to indicate that she was trying to remember if she did.

  Melanie didn't say anything, because she thought it would be weird to give a flat "no."

  "Fair enough," River said. "The thing is, I've given it some thought to it myself. There's holy water, but not unholy water. There are sacred rivers around the world. Some say the sea is the origin of all life. It flows, but it can also become a solid or a gas. It's a bit hard to explain, but I've always felt a connection to water. How about you?"

  "I like the sound of waves on the beach, but I'd rather enjoy the sun," Fay said.

  "Me too, about the connection to water, I mean," Marissa said. "My parents always say that the second I was able to, I was swimming. That or spilling water on myself."

  Leo shrugged. "I've never thought about it much."

  Erin made a thoughtful noise. "Kinda, sorta, not really. Actually, round that down to 'not really."

  Once again, Melanie didn't say anything, because she had given absolutely zero thought to this line of questioning.

  "That's all right. We all have different connections to nature's elements. Some people are better with the earth, others with the wind. Even if you don't know your affinity at this point, you'll most likely notice it eventually. It's a subtle influence on your attitude towards the world and what you do. When someone calls someone else a 'fiery person,' that person's affinity may indeed be fire. Of course, it could also be lightning; you'd need to know more about the person to be able to judge, and even then, you may not be a hundred percent right. I think the best person to keep track of your affinity is you, yourself." River's monologue seemed to go over well; Melanie noticed the others nodding. She was trying to take in all River's words in hopes of grasping whatever mystical meaning he was getting at, but it wasn't clicking. She hoped her own lack of nodding wasn't too noticeable.

  River continued, "It's as simple as knowing yourself. It's why we meditate, to best understand our actions and reactions. Self-diagnosis is hard, but if you become aware of why you react in certain ways to certain things, you get a better perception of your relationship to the world." He paused, then went on some more. "In any case, elemental affinities are very present in our sort of outlook. They're even present in tarot cards."

  River's speech only got more arcane as time went on, and Melanie felt herself glaze over every now and then. The second he started going on about the ebb and flow of the human condition (understandable on its own, but not the way he was going about it), she started to wonder why everyone was swallowing this mysticism so readily. There didn't seem to be a hint of skepticism or disagreement in the group; when someone else did speak, they seemed to offer alternate perspectives but no outright contradiction. She felt like everyone was in on a secret that she hadn't even scraped the surface of, and it was starting to get kind of irritating.

  As frustrating as it was to feel so out of the loop, Melanie still put all her efforts into listening to what everyone had to say. Even if she hadn’t considered much about spirituality before, the way everyone respected this doctrine made her want to look further into it. Even if thinking so far out of the box was not easy for her, this alternative way of looking at the world seemed to make life more enjoyable for those that took part in it, and she knew well that even little things like a change in perspective could enrich a person’s life. Though the mechanics River was describing flew over her head, she felt that she got a vague gist of the philosophy. Still, Melanie wanted to know the origin of this way of thinking; perhaps that would help her understand what was going on.

  Eventually, the mysterious discussion came to an end and everyone went their separate ways.Melanie, however, did not follow the others out. Instead, she approached River. "Do you have a moment, or do you need to leave quickly?"

  "I've got plenty of time," River said. "Do you need something?"

  "Don't take this personally, but... where do you get these ideas from? They're so detailed and woven together that I feel like they're not just something you're pulling out of thin air. And no one ever seems to question them." Melanie put one hand on her hip, trying to give him a probing look. "It feels like I'm missing some key information."

  River's face fell, and he paused and looked away before he spoke, "Would you be willing to visit my house again? It's a story that's best told there, I think."

  Melanie stopped to consider the pros and cons of another meeting at River's house, but decided to go for it anyway. Maybe he had an old book at his house that he wasn't going to carry around. "All right, fine. What time and day?"

  "How about I give you my phone number? It feels like the one thing we're missing. I think we talk enough online that that extra link wouldn't hurt, would it?" River fished out his phone and was already getting set up to enter Melanie in his contacts.

  "That's fine, but I'd like to have the meeting set up before I leave." Sighing, Melanie took out her phone as well, and the two exchanged numbers and discussed a time and date.

  "I hope to see you then," River said.

  "I'll be there." With any luck, Melanie would get to the bottom of River's secret.

  Chapter 7

  A week later, Melanie received a text on her phone from River:

  Don't forget to come by today. Also, bring a swimsuit if you can.

  The mention of the swimsuit made her raise an eyebrow, but she decided to humor him. She chose a tasteful red and white two piece, a "tankini" as it was sometimes called, and got ready to pay him a visit. There was almost definitely going to be something big at the end of this journey. There had to be, if River's being cagey was any indication.

  When she arrived at River's house, she saw that he was sunning himself on the deck, shirtless and already in his swim trunks. Her eyes remained fixed on him as she got out of her car, and as she got closer, she found herself reflecting on his looks a bit. He really was a handsome man, almost elegantly built. Not dainty, but leanly muscular. Solid without being too bulky.

  A voice broke Melanie out of her reverie. "Enjoying the view?"

  Melanie must have done the hardest blink in her life right then. "Huh, what? Um."

  River just chuckled and patted Melanie on the shoulder. "I'll take that as a yes. Did you find this place all right this time?"

  "Yeah, I did," Melanie replied, relieved that River let her move on from the previous topic. "Thanks to the miracle of the modern GPS."

  "Technology really is amazing," River remarked. He tilted his head towards the deck door and said, "Would you like to come in?"

  "Of course."

  River started for the inside of the house, and Melanie followed him.

  After sitting down on an armchair, River clasped his hands. "Would you like anything to eat or drink? Or..." Here his hands unclasped, and his face fell serious. "Would you rather just get down to business?"

  Melanie made a thoughtful noise. "I'm fine. I guess we could 'get down to 'b
usiness' now. What are you going to show me? And, uh, why did I need a swimsuit?"

  "Just follow me," River said as he got up. Melanie did so, and the two went downstairs to a basement area, where he opened the door to reveal a very large swimming pool. Melanie goggled; this was not something she expected to find in a house as quaint as River’s. "Here we are."

  "Do I have to get in, or...?"

  "No. In fact, it's better if you don't." River’s gaze wavered as he spoke. “The concepts we discuss in our group meetings don’t come from thin air. The secret origin of these concepts is something I want to share with you, because I trust you enough to tell you the truth. However, first, I ask that you never tell anyone about what you’re about to see. These things are secret for a reason, and they’re not ready to be exposed to the world yet.”