Studying was never fun, even when it was your own. But with the mood that had overtaken the apartment and the fact that Eisen couldn’t bring himself to smile no matter what she said. By the end of their study session, he was pretty confident that she had a fairly good grasp on everything - not that he expected any less or anything. So, they stopped and things went quiet while they started cleaning up her books and notebooks and putting them away.
She finally broke the awkward silence, suggesting that they exchange gifts now. Eisen was glad that he’d kept her gift in the living room, lying inconspicuously in metallic blue wrapping paper underneath a stack of Rolling Stone magazines. He accepted the box from her first and raised his head again, smiling at her as he pulled at the edge of the wrapping paper lightly. He hadn’t ever been one of those people who tore gifts open, at least not since he was a kid. Once the box was revealed, he finally gave off his first full, complete smile since the awkward tension-creating moment in the middle of dinner. “This is great, Lex,” he chuckled, turning his eyes up and looking at her finally, reaching with one hand down beneath the magazines to grab the box housing her gift. He’d found them at one of the little stores in town and his mind immediately wandered to the treble clef necklace she always wore.
As he offered the box down to her, he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek softly. “Thank you. You’re such a sweetheart.”