Love & Lyrics (Editing)

Chapter 18

“Yeah,” he said with a sad half smile, “ever since the concert in Phoenix when Chris didn’t show.”

I was about to ask him to clarify what he meant when he continued, “You were fuming for about half an hour before the show and I’m pretty sure you might've scared some of your would-be fans off with the fierce aura you were exuding during the performance.” He gave a little chuckled despite the seriousness of the situation.

“After you introduced us to the crowd you wouldn’t have even made eye contact with me had I not slapped you on the butt.”

“I couldn’t believe you did that by the way.”

“Lies. Lies, you speak!”

“Alright, maybe I can believe you would do something like that, but not on stage!” I said with mock horror.

The tension eased a bit with our banter, but it soon returned when he continued with his realization.

“When we finished our set, I went to look for you to see what the matter was when I overheard your brother telling Powell you were pissed that Chris was a no-show. Powell replied that he couldn’t come because Mike was in the hospital. After I finally did see you, you seemed distracted, caught in your own thoughts. At first I thought it was because of Mike. Anyone could tell that Mike had a soft spot for you and you for him, but you stayed distracted. We spent time together, but you were never with me 100%, until today that is. For the first time in two weeks you were with me completely and I thought, for a moment maybe I had perceived wrong, but in the end I could feel your hesitance and I knew definitively that I was not for you.”

“I’m sorry.” I cried. “I’m so, so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“It’s okay Liz.” He murmured as he pulled me into his lap to comfort me. “Like I said, I was prepared for this. I enjoyed our time together and maybe, once I’m over you a bit more, we can go back to being friends.”

I sniffled and looked up at the night sky. Rain was no long coming in torrents and the sky was void of all rain clouds, leaving the starry heavens to be clearly viewed with only the lights of the city to detract from their beauty.

“Ready to head back? We need to dry off and warm up before either of us catch a cold.” Sam stood up and after wringing out both of our shirts handed me mine so we could get fully dressed, held out his hand for me to hold on the walk back.

**

We were two hours out from Los Angeles when the butterflies set in. An hour later my heart followed suit when it began to flutter. By time we were half an hour out, I had already lost my nerve and decided to go home first.

Crystal followed me into our apartment and inhaled deeply. “It feels so good to be home.”

I was surprised to discover that our mail was arranged in piles on the dining room table to form the Eiffel Tower and that there was Christmas lights lining the back wall above it. There was a white banner that was thumb-tacked slightly crooked onto the wall that read “WELCOME HOME.”

“Aww! Look at the little Eiffel Tower!” She exclaimed a little while later only just seeing it on her way to the kitchen. There was a single white envelope with my name written on it in an elegant hand, and I was instantly curious who the letter was from.

I carefully opened the envelope and as I pulled out the fancy piece of parchment enclosed inside, a magazine clipping fell out. Curious, I bent over and unfolded it only to be baffled when I discover that it was a picture of lasagna.

“What is it?” Crystal questioned.

“I have no idea.” I responded as I proceeded to open the envelope.

Liz,

I bet you never guessed that this letter was from me. The key to confusing you was finding someone with better hand writing than my chick scratch.

A glass shattered in the kitchen and interrupted my reading of the letter. Crystal was muttering profanities in the kitchen and she sounded more than a little frustrated.

“Are you alright Crys?”

“Umm, err…yeah? Yeah! I’m great; I guess I should’ve dried my hands before picking up my glass.”

“You need help in there?”

“No! The glass is everywhere and when I say everywhere I mean everywhere. Just give me a few minutes to clean up the kitchen. I don’t want you tracking glass all over the house.”

“Okay. Be careful in there.” I called to her as I turned back to the letter.

I’m pretty sure you already know that I can’t cook, especially something as complex as a lasagna, but I convinced Kate right after I got her to label the envelope, to make her famous lasagna that I have it on good authority that you like.

-Chris

My brow furrowed in confusion as I flipped the letter over and reexamined the magazine article to see if there were any additional messages anywhere, only to find that there were none.

“That’s it?” I said confusedly.

“Well basically long story short, I’m here to convince you to have dinner with me. Mike having his semi stroke really put things in perspective. I realized that I would hate myself forever if I lost you without a fight so I’m not leaving until you give me a second chance. Sam or no Sam.”

I stood there immobile, just staring at Chris with my mouth slightly ajar.

“Close your mouth Lizzie, we’re not codfish.”

My mouth snapped shut only to reopen to let out the laughter that bubbled up within me at my déjà vu. Kate had said almost the same exact thing to me the first day I had met her.

“Come on Liz. Have dinner with me. Just one harmless dinner. Kate and Mike would love to have you over again. They miss you. I…miss you.”

It’s funny how things work out. I had been brainstorming on how make it seem like I was still reluctant to give him a second chance. I’d been so worried about how it was going to play out that I had chickened out and come home first to gather my wits, only to have him here, waiting.

I tried my best to look hesitant, but one look in his eyes and knew there was no point pretending.

“When’s dinner?”

**So you're either really happy or really pissed at me right now. lol. Hopefully Sam and Liz's separation was semi-satisfying since it didn't end too badly. I truly hope you all understand why Liz chose Chris despite Sam being the better match. Love truly is irrational at its best and the heart is a fickle thing. You cannot tell it logically who to like, let alone who to love. Sam has his own story called Flight Risk that did a much better job at developing his character. I'd be extremely appreciative if you checked it out. Anywho, please vote/comment/fan and THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING!