Sunlight on your face (Shuri x reader)

Chapter 19: those sad eyes

When I got back to my dorm, Mia was about to make pasta for dinner and offered to make some for me too. I sat down on the couch and took out my sketchbook.
It had been a while since the last time I drew something in it. Everything was just so stressful.

I flipped through the pages until I reached the drawing of Shuri in the light of the sunset. I felt my chest tighten, and Riri's words came to my mind. 

I couldn't give up on her yet.

****

The next two weeks were full of ups and downs. Sometimes I was sure that everything would be fine, and that Shuri and I could work things out. One hour later I was laying in my bed, tears streaming down my face. Most days I just felt numb, my mind was exhausted from trying to keep myself together.

My gig at the bar was tomorrow, and I wanted to throw up at just the thought of it.
Ava had to convince me hourly that it was a good idea and that it would be just fine.
I spent the whole evening rehearsing the songs and deciding on what to wear.

I was barely able to fall asleep because I was so nervous about the next day.

The classes the following day passed painfully slowly. I couldn't concentrate for even one second.

After school Ava came over to help me get ready for the gig and to prevent a nervous breakdown.
The outfit I had chosen consisted of a floral printed mini dress with a low cut neckline and my black Doc Martens. I put on my pearl necklace and rings and threw a coat on before I left.

Kiara had asked me to be there 30 minutes earlier so that I could set up my instruments and had enough time to prepare.
The place was slowly starting to fill up, and I was a nervous wreck. There was a small stage in the front where I had set up my guitar and the microphone.
I spotted Riri and Ava making their way through the small crowd.

"Hey, you look gorgeous!" Riri exclaimed, pulling me into a short hug.

"Thank you, I'm so nervous though," I answered, fidgeting with my rings.

They wished me luck and went to sit down when Kiara appeared on the stage.

"Hello everyone, I hope you are all doing well, and ready for today's live act. She is a newcomer from Brooklyn, and this is her first-ever live gig, so give her a warm welcome. This is y/N, enjoy!" She introduced me, as I walked up the small stairs to the stage. I waved to the audience, smiling shyly.

My hands were shaking when I picked up my guitar and adjusted the mic.

"Hello everyone, as Kiara already said, my name is y/N and I'm very excited to play for you this evening, so the first song I'm gonna play is called "Sofia"  and it was written by Clairo..." I announced before focusing on my guitar.

The crowd cheered after every song, and some people even danced.
I got more confident when I noticed that everyone was enjoying the music. The time flew by, and suddenly I only had one song left. Most of the people were sitting down at their tables sipping on their drinks and softly swaying to the music.
I was almost disappointed when I announced the last song.

"So, we've arrived at the end of my set, and I'm gonna play one last song for you, this is "Dancing With Your Ghost" by Sasha Alex Sloan."

I let my eyes skim over the audience as I played the first notes.
Just when I was about to sing the first line, I spotted a familiar face at the back of the room.

There she was, watching me with those dark sad eyes.

Shuri was standing next to the bar, her eyes fixed on mine as I started singing.

(Dancing With Your Ghost by Sasha Alex Sloan)

"Yelling at the sky

Screaming at the world

Baby, why'd you go away?

I'm still your girl

Holding on too tight

Head up in the clouds

Heaven only knows

Where you are now

How do I love

How do I love again?

How do I trust

How do I trust again?"

I put all my emotions into the song, blanking out the crowd.
It was just the two of us.
There were tears in her eyes, and we both knew that I was singing every word to her...

"I stay up all night

Tell myself I'm alright

Baby, you're just harder to see than most

I put the record on

Wait 'til I hear our song

Every night I'm dancing with your ghost

Every night I'm dancing with your ghost"

I barely registered the applause after the last note faded, my eyes still on Shuri's.
A loud whistle from the audience snapped me out of my state. The sound of everyone cheering rushed over me, forcing me to tear my eyes away from Shuri.

"Thank you all so much for coming, I hope you enjoyed the music... Now I wish everyone a good night and I'll hopefully see you soon!" I waved one last time before leaving the stage.

Ava and Riri pulled me into their arms and showered me with compliments. I thanked them absently, only thinking about those sad eyes.

A few people came up to me, telling me how they enjoyed the music and I started to get restless, fearing that she had already left.
I didn't want to be rude, so I talked to everyone, nodding and smiling politely.
A small crowd had gathered around me when I caught a glimpse of Shuri. She was still waiting at the bar, observing the scene from afar.
I lost sight of her for a quick moment and the next second, her chair was empty.
Panic overtook me, I couldn't let her leave like that, so I excused myself and pushed through the crowd.
She was walking out the door when I spotted her again. I ran after her, out into the cold night.

"Shuri, wait!" I yelled.

She stopped in her tracks, slowly turning around to look at me. My heart was racing, and my sight was blurry with tears.
For a moment we just stood there staring at one another.

The look on her face was full of pain and desire, as we started walking toward each other.
My pace quickened and I was almost running for the last few meters. 

Before she could say anything, I took her face in my hands and crushed our lips together.