Guardian Angel

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

    Ballet class that evening was slightly awkward. Joe and I sat on my usual table and talked. Well, I did most of the talking, I was trying to explain my idea for our performance but he didn’t even look like he was conscious. Let alone listening.

      “Hello? Joe? Anyone home?” I said, banging on the table with my knuckle to try and get his attention. “Have you been listening at all?” I asked frustrated, he laughed. He actually laughed at me.

    “What’s so funny?” I questioned, finding nothing funny through out the whole of me talking.

     He smiled at me, his green eyes shining mischievously, “I’m laughing at you” He leant forward and stared into my eyes “You already know what to do, so why don’t you show me what….you’re….made of.”

     And as my anger was over flowing I stood up and moved onto the dance floor, hearing him following behind. Turning around and freezing at the closeness. He was no more than a few inches from me, his lips very close, not that I was thinking of them. Whispering to me he said “How can you show me what you’ve got if we don’t have any music?”

     He was right. Why does he have to be right? “I…don’t have a song yet” I lied, hoping my eyes wouldn’t give me away.

     No such luck as I see him pull out my notebook “Then what’s this?” He asked, holding it up with his index finger hooked to it. “Because to me, it looks like a song” Raising an eyebrow he walked away.

     I was shocked. But before I could have a go at him for going into my bag he was talking to Claire. I watched them talk, it seemed he was asking her something, and with her nod she agreed.

      He left Claire’s side and I watched him head over to the store cupboard, I didn’t even know we had one, and when he went in I was NOT expecting him to come out with a piano and a guitar.

      Rushing to his side I hissed “Joe, what are you doing?” I looked around and was surprised to see my class stopping what they were doing and sitting in a group to the side.

      I looked to Claire for some answers but she had begun speaking to the class.

     “Well guys and gals we have a special performance today, as you know Angie and Joe have been asked to do a paired performance. For this performance they will have had chosen their own song. But in this case Angie has written one for them to dance too…” Claire continued to talk, but I was speechless.

      I turned to Joe, he smiled reassuringly. I began to shake with fear; I didn’t even feel Joe standing behind me. He placed his hands on my sides and whispered calmly “You’ll be fine, I’ve read the song and it’s good. Just look at me when you sing, it’ll just be us.” I could hear the smile in his voice, but all I felt was the calmness of his breathing as it moved in time to mine.

    “Are you guys ready?” Claire asked, she seemed worried that I would faint again. I smiled at her and nodded.

     Running my hands over the keys I took the seat at the piano. Looking at Joe, I began to play. The luscious notes and chords played as I ran my fingers on the keys. And then I heard it, a beautiful strumming, I hadn’t even realised that Joe had the guitar in his hands. He was playing along, but making it up as he went along. I smiled and when the final intro chord ended, I began to sing.

    “Mysterious stranger, my heart is in danger; it’s hard to know were we will be. When he turned and looked my way, my heart seemed to say, I don’t ever want to wake up from this dream.”

    Playing the little music interlude I couldn’t help but get lost in the strumming Joe played. As I got ready to sing the chorus, so did he.

    “There’s something I have to say,” we sang “something I have to do. Beautiful stranger, I think I’ve fallen for you. Ohh I hear a flitter in the aiiir and the breeze moves my hair. And soon I realize that I’m seeing an angel through my eyes.”

     My eyes connected with Joes, and it was as if I knew what to do. When the next verse came, it was only Joe who sang.

     “Dancing through the night,” His voice was like velvet, I felt myself melting into the words “with our love the shining light. Wings spread far and wide, forever by yoooour siiiide. You have my heart, but morning breaks so we must paaart.”

     As we play through the chorus again our eyes never parted, it was as if we were singing it to each other. Of course we weren’t, we seem to despise each other so much. Except for the weird occasions were we seem to have a…moment or something.

      I continue with the third and final verse, my fingers running slower along the keys.

      “Mysterious stranger, my heart is your saviour.” Joe backed it up by echoing the word ‘saviour’ and then singing the next line with me “forever we will be.” We pick up the pace with the notes as I sing “You turned and looked my way, and my heat does say…”

     The music stopped as we sang “This is my life forever more.”

      We play the chorus one last time, with as much passion as we can endure. And as the Outro comes to play we both sing quietly letting our instruments play out as we sing “I’m so glad there’s an Angel in my liiife.”

      As applause arose, I couldn’t help but think. Maybe Joe’s not that bad.

     Casey stayed over that night, it wasn’t exactly my choice, but she wanted to just so she could go on and on about how amazing the song was.

     “Ang, I can’t believe you didn’t tell me that you and Joe had paired up for the song. I’m your best friend how could you NOT tell me.” She sounded betrayed, of course completely acting.

    I smiled at her “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t know. He went into my bag found the notebook and asked Claire for us to perform.” I sighed “I was completely oblivious to the whole situation.”

    She began to laugh, I was confused, she noticed my confusion and so said “You may have been oblivious to it, but you should have seen the amount of passion you two were putting into that song.” She smiled mischievously “There was something else to, but you seem to want to forget it all so I won’t say.”

      Oh shit I thought this is going to be bad isn’t it? Did I mess up in the song? Or did I make a fool of myself? I began to beg her.

      “Case don’t be a bitch, tell me what happened?!” I yelled, seriously worried about what it was about. She smiled.

      It wasn’t mischievous or even with a hint of secrecy. It was calm and controlled sort of smile.

     “Well, if I must tell you.” She sighed completely over melodramatic, and closed her eyes. “During the performance…” she paused for effect, I wanted to kill her. She opened one eye “Joe couldn’t take his eyes off of you.”

      I was surprised.

      Not saying a word I lay back on my bed and wondered. I wondered what that meant. Wondered what I was to do. And then I wondered allowed…

     “What sort of person is Joe?”