Walking To the Moon

I

Winter had descended upon Toronto, covering the city in a soft blanket of snow. Bryant, a high school senior, couldn't help but feel the chill in the air as he made his way to a small neighbourhood bar on a Friday night. It was a routine he had come to cherish. It wasn't a grand venue by any means, but it held a special place in Bryant's heart.

Shawn, his best friend since childhood, was set to perform at the cozy bar, and Bryant had made it a point to attend every one of Shawn's concerts. The dimly lit, intimate setting was worlds apart from grand concert halls, but it was here that Bryant felt closest to Shawn and his music. Just a young guy with big dreams, and Bryant was more than certain that one day he would be witness to a stadium tour of his best friend.

As Shawn took the small stage, a spotlight illuminated him, and the few people in the bar hushed in anticipation. It was this group of people who came to appreciate Shawn's powerful voice, his passion, and the raw emotion he poured into every note.

Bryant couldn't help but get lost in the moment, caught in the undeniable pull of Shawn's music. He had always admired Shawn, yet in the midst of the song, a deeper, unfamiliar feeling began to stir within him. He watched Shawn with a sense of longing, though he couldn't quite explain what he felt. It might be the words coming out of his mouth, the fact that Bryant knew what Shawn had felt when he wrote that song and that he's been by his side at every step.

The winter night outside was cold and still, but inside the bar, the warmth of the music and the shared history between Bryant and Shawn created a cocoon of emotion. The beginning of the end of high school was just around the corner, and with it came the undeniable knowledge that their lives were about to take different directions. That made Bryant frown. It was almost like he was feeling sick. He could even see his life without the tall dark-haired boy.

After the concert, they stood in silence, at the table close to the stage where the owner brought them a hot chocolate, but the weight of unspoken words was heavy in the air. Both of them wanted to say something, to break the silence, though none of them did. They stayed there gazing at each other. Bryant couldn't help but notice the glittery sweat on Shawn's forehead and some hair strands soaked in it. A longer curly strand fell down, covering his eyebrow and part of his eye. As Bryant was staring at Shawn, he looked up to him straight in the eye. Bryant couldn't keep himself from pulling aside that hair strand. It was awkwardness that followed.

"So why didn't you sing that song you just wrote? I was looking forward to listening to it tonight." Bryant tried to draw Shawn's attention from what had just happened.

"I don't feel like it is ready yet. I should make some adjustments. And it's kind of personal in some way. I don't even know if I'm ever gonna sing it."

"You should. It's a great song. And every song you write feels personal. I mean... shouldn't they be? That's what makes people like them, because they get to know your heart."

"You may be right, but I don't feel like sharing it yet. Don't get me wrong. I'm glad you liked it," Shawn said in a way that made his eyes sparkle while looking at his friend.

Bryant flushed in the heat of the bar.

"Have you thought about what you'll do after graduating?" Shawn turned the page.

"Still no clue. I don't even want to talk about this."

"Then why don't we go for a walk?"

"Right now?"

"Yeah. Now."

"But it's cold."

"Come on, Bryant, we used to do this all the time. It's great outside. Snowing. What could be better?"

"Okay, fine." Bryant got up from the wooden chair, took the coat from the seat back, and put it on.

Shawn walked one step ahead of him until they left the bar. There, outside in the cool air, their boots crunching in harmony with the freshly fallen snow beneath them. Side by side they walked with a natural rhythm, balancing from one foot to another, hitting their shoulders to the other one's from time to time like they were drunk.

"Remember how cool it was when we did this as teens? We walked every night to forget about the issues in our lives. It wasn't cold then, was it?" Shawn broke the silence this time.

Bryant wished he could complain about being cold, however it wasn't at all. Shawn's eyes searching his and the warmth of his words falling in steam over his cheeks. Nothing could make him freeze at that moment.

"I'm still a teen," was the only thing that came to Bryant's mind to say.

"You know what I mean. We used to be younger. And I don't consider you a teen anymore," Shawn put his arm around his neck, pulling him closer to him.

"We haven't done this in a while."

"What? Walking?"

"No, I mean spending time together like this."

"We almost see each other daily, we're neighbours."

"Yeah, but it's not like it used to be. We don't talk like we used to. We don't share things like we used to."

"Come on, we do!" Shawn raised one eyebrow.

"I mean personal things, intimate. You know what I mean!" Bryant forced a laugh.

"Ask me anything."

"It's not how it works."

"Come on. I'll tell you whatever you want to know."

"Shawn, you can't tell me to ask you something and believe that I can find a question so easily. What I meant was that we don't have talks like we used to. And I get it. You're focusing on your music, I am graduating and who knows where I'll go when after that."

"Wherever you go, I'll be around. After all, we all live under the same stars. You'll always have me." Shawn's hand was going up and down on his friend's back.

A glimmer of hope appeared in Bryant's mind, whispering the possibility that he and Shawn might not have to say goodbye. As the stars twinkled in the winter night sky, a new, uncharted chapter in their lives beckoned.