I was woken up by my sister's voice and the door slamming shut. Shuri was still holding me tightly looking down on me with a soft expression in her eyes. She pressed a quick kiss to my forehead before my sister entered the room, her cheeks and nose red from the cold. We listened to her rave about how she had learned to make a pirouette on the ice and how she wanted to become a professional ice skater now.
I helped my dad cook dinner while Shuri was occupied by my sister. We prepared a roast by our family's traditional recipe and some cooked vegetables. I had hoped that Shuri would get along with my family, but I didn't expect it to be like this. It felt like she was already part of the family, and I could see that she enjoyed it. She looked so carefree and vibrant playing with my sister laughing at all her jokes. I felt my dad's gaze on me as I was watching Shuri and Willow.
"Willow loves her..." He remarked observing the pair.
"Yeah, Shuri is great with her," I smiled fondly.
My dad chuckled, "It's great to see you this happy, you deserve it honey,"
"Thanks dad," I smiled, he was right I hadn't been this happy in quite a while.
My dad couldn't stop grinning as Shuri complimented his food with every bite she took, I acted offended as I wasn't getting any praise even though I helped cook too. Shuri laughed squeezing my leg under the table and as she looked at me, there was something in her gaze that I couldn't quite define. Her look was full of fondness and softness, but there was something else mixed with it.
My sister fell asleep on the couch exhausted of the active day she had, so my dad picked her up to bring her to bed, before going to his room to read for a while. Shuri and I put on one of my favourite movies cuddling up on the couch sipping on our hot chocolates.
****
The next morning, we were woken up by my sister again, she could barely contain her excitement. It was Christmas morning which meant that we would unwrap our presents now. She dragged us out of bed to the living room where my dad was already waiting rubbing his eyes and yawning.
My sister ran to her room to get her presents. She came back with her hand behind her back, starting with my dad. She passed him a colourful Christmas ornament which she had decorated herself in school. For me, she had made an adorable candle in my favourite colours, and a letter wishing me a merry Christmas and telling me how I was the best sister in the world. I pulled her to my chest to thank her pressing a kiss on her cheek. She had one last present behind her back, passing it to Shuri. It was a drawing showing the three of us in the garden with our snowman.
"Did you make this by yourself?" Shuri asked impressed, and I could see the genuine joy in her eyes.
"Yes!" my sister answered proudly smiling from ear to ear at Shuri's compliments.
My sister received her presents next. She was over the moon about Shuri's self-made toy, a robot dog which could basically do everything a real one could do too. I could see how impressed my dad was by Shuri's effort. He hugged her thanking her for the wine telling her how excited he was to try it.
I had bought a new boardgame for my sister that I found on some trip to California and a book for my dad.
I was surprised when Shuri handed me a small box wrapped with a red bow smiling secretively. It contained the most beautiful necklace I had ever seen, a golden chain with a glimmering black stone as a pendant. She explained that it was Vibranium and that in Wakanda it was worn as a protection against bad energy. I felt my heart swell at her gift, pulling her into my arms and pressing a quick kiss to her lips. Gladly I had a gift for her too.
"So, I don't know if you remember what we talked about the evening we met, but you told me about the sunsets in Wakanda and how I should visit you to paint them so that you could hang it over your bed..." I explained before handing her my gift.
"No, you didn't," Shuri said in disbelief carefully unwrapping it. Her face lit up as the wrapping paper revealed, the painting I had made of the sunset. She looked at me with that same look I had seen on her face earlier her mouth open with surprise.
"It's perfect," She smiled pulling me against her squeezing me tightly.
"I love it..." She whispered into my ear pressing a kiss on my lips. My dad smiled at us, and I could see how happy he was about Shuri and me. He had gotten her a small black notebook with golden details, for her research he explained. Now the only gift that was left, was my dad's gift to me. He stood up leaving the room and returning after a second with a big weirdly formed present.
I had no idea what to expect as I ripped the paper, but it definitely wasn't this. I recognized my mother's guitar case immediately tears filling my eyes. My dad was teary eyed too as I looked up at him with disbelief.
"She would've wanted you to have it... and I think it's time that someone uses it again..." He said his voice nearly breaking at the end. I stood up walking over to my dad to wrap my arms around him feeling the tears stream down my face.
"Thank you, dad, I love you," I whispered squeezing him tighter. I opened the case revealing my mom's black guitar. Holding it in my hand brought back so many memories of me sitting in my mom's lap as she tried to show me some chords. I had learned to play my very first song on this guitar and my mom and me spent many hours making music together, I sang while she played this guitar. I felt my heart ache at the thought of my mom, but I wiped my tears away looking up to see Shuri and Willow looking at me both with big eyes not really knowing what to say.
"Play something," my dad demanded breaking the silence.
"I didn't know you could play the guitar," Shuri said with a cautious smile.
"I haven't played for years, I'm probably not even good at it anymore..." I muttered not knowing what to do.
"Oh, don't talk yourself down y/N, she can also sing..." my dad announced proudly.
"Can you play that song mom always played to me when I was a baby?" Willow asked looking at me expectantly. I couldn't resist those puppy eyes and I knew the song by heart. It was my mom's favourite song.
I started to pluck the strings, playing the famous melody completely focused on the music. I took a deep breath before singing the first line.
(Yesterday by the Beatles)
"Yesterday, all my trouble seemed so far away, now it looks as though they're here to stay
Oh, I believe in yesterday...
Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be, there's a shadow hanging over me
Oh, yesterday came suddenly...
Why she had to go I don't know, she wouldn't say
I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday...
Yesterday, love was such an easy game to play, now I need a place to hide away..."
When I played the last chords letting the sound fade out, I looked up noticing everyone's eyes on me. Shuri was the first one to break the silence.
"You are honestly the most talented person I know," she said with a sincere look on her face.
"Your mom would be proud of you..." My dad mumbled wiping away a small tear rolling down his cheek. Willow came up to me climbing on my lap.
"I wanna play too," She muttered picking a string.
"I can teach you sometime," I chuckled squeezing her close to me my eyes meeting Shuri's over Willows head. She was watching us with a nostalgic look on her face, and suddenly I felt horrible. Watching me with my family probably reminded her of her own family and how she couldn't be with them anymore. I felt my heart break for her, so I whispered into my sister's ear making her get up from my lap jumping onto Shuri squeezing her tightly.
****
We spent the rest of the day in our pyjamas drinking hot chocolate playing boardgames and watching the grinch. In the evening my dad and my sister went out to visit some friends of the family while Shuri and I stayed home.
"You should play more often," Shuri remarked as we were sitting on the couch, and I was admiring my mother's guitar.
"I thought about it a few times, but I just couldn't get myself to do it... I haven't really played since she passed away..." I mumbled feeling my heart getting heavy.
"I get that, but I think you should embrace the talent your mom gave you, she sounds like she would want you to," Shuri smiled squeezing my arm to comfort me.
"Yeah, she would, it just makes me miss her so much you know..." I said caressing the guitar with my hand.
"I understand that, my brother used to play the piano all the time. Icouldn't walk by his piano without thinking of him, so I covered it up," she mumbled making my heart hurt. This was the first time she talked about her brother without immediately closing up.
"You and T'Challa would've gotten along so well, and my mom would've loved you too," She continued her eyes getting teary. I scooted closer pulling her into my arms.
"I'm sure I would've loved them," I whispered squeezing her tightly. I heard her exhale a shaky breath against my neck.
"Times like these are the hardest, when everything reminds me of them. I can't think about them for too long, or I fall into a hole out of which I can't escape by myself," She whispered slowly pulling back with a sad expression on her face.
"I completely get that, but just so you know if you fall into a hole, I will be there to help you get out," I said catching her gaze. I wanted her to know that she wasn't alone.
"Thank you..." Shuri whispered before leaning in and pressing a long soft kiss on my lips.
"I wanna show you something," I announced getting up and taking her hand. I led her downstairs to the basement stopping in front of the door I hadn't opened in years.
"This was my mother's studio, she taught me everything I know about music in this room," I explained as I opened the door. I was overcome with nostalgia as I took in the room in front of me, everything was exactly as it was 5 years ago.
We spent the rest of the day in the studio, Shuri insisted that I played her some more songs, and we looked through a photo album I had found on a shelf. She wouldn't stop telling me that I should play more and that I really had potential which couldn't be wasted. I tried to teach her some chords on the guitar, which she actually mastered quite well, and I promised to show her some more another time.
I fell asleep in her arms with a warm feeling in my chest that evening.
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Heeyy, I hope you like this chapter, I know it's quite sentimental, but it's important for the story:) Thanks to everyone who voted for this story and commented, I get so excited reading your comments:*)