"You'll have to stay until the rain stops." Link says. "Call your Grams, she'll get worried." Right after paying the Yellowcard CD clouds filled the sky and a storm began to unravel. Well, not really a storm, but it did start to rain and I didn't bring an umbrella or anything. The obvious solution was for me to stay at Link's until it stopped raining.
"I will." I say taking my phone from my backpack. I search in Recent Calls and press on the contact: Grams <3. The phone rings a couple of times and Grams answers.
"Hello?" she asks through the phone as soon as she picks up.
"Hey Grams, it's June. I think I'll have to stay in Link's a little longer since it started to rain." I say.
"Oh, it's fine sweetheart. As long as you get home safe." says Grams. She's a great role model since my parents can't be here for the job, and I really love her. She understands me, she knows when to ask, when not to, she's almost perfect to me.
"Yep. I love you Grams, bye." I say.
"Love you too, bye." Grams repeats. Then I hang and face Link.
"I'll sit in the cafe until the rain's gone." I say to him grabbing my backpack from the ground.
"Sure." Link says and then I take off.
I walk through the shop and make my way to the cafe. When I get there I sit down at a table at the borders of it and place my backpack on top of the table. I open it and take out the book I'm currently reading. I'm pretty good at reading, it's like my second passion (the first one is music, kinda). And after three minutes of loneliness peace, someone comes near me.
"Hi." Noah says looking down at me with his deep brown eyes.
"Hi." I respond closing the book and looking up at him. He looks like a giant since I'm sitting down. But he still is good looking from my point of view.
"Is it occupied?" Noah asks pointing at the chair by my side.
"Nope. Take it if you want." I say opening back my book disappointed. I thought he was going to ask something else, I don't know.
"Cool." he says sitting down. Oh. I say to myself. So that's what he meant. I feel like an idiot. "Did the rain stop you?" he asks casually.
"Yep. What about you?" I ask closing my book again since I see that a conversation is actually beginning.
"Same." he answers. Then, another awkward silence fills the conversation. "So... June, tell me about yourself." Noah recommends. "What type of music do you listen to?"
"Oh, well..." I begin to feel strange. "I... Listen mostly to rock, or punk." I say a little embarrassed. People normally judge me for the type of music I listen to, so I'm not that open about it.
"That's cool! Me too." Noah smiles. I really kind of guessed that with his outfit but I stay silent. Then the song Welcome To My Life by Simple Plan starts sounding across the store.
Do you ever feel like breaking down?
Do you ever feel out of place,
Like somehow you just don't belong
And no one understands you?
We keep the small talk going for quite a time. Apparently Noah is 17 years old, a little taller than expected, and he has a band called The Bonfire. They've performed in different shows and things, and they get paid for it and everything. They play mainly punk or alternative rock. He's an only child, his mother is an architect, and his father is a doctor. He also lives not far away from Link's and he plays the guitar (acoustic and electric).
To be hurt
To feel lost
To be left out in the dark
He asks stuff about me too. I tell him that I'm 16 years old, with an average height, and that I love music but I don't really play any instruments. I talk about Grams and Emma, and how we live near Link's just as him.
"And what do your parents work in?" he asks me.
"Well... I..." The question hits me harder than I expected. I haven't really shared the story of my parents with anyone (except for Zack since we know each other for a long time), and I don't feel comfortable telling Noah. He sees the uneasiness on my eyes and changes the topic.
Do you wanna be somebody else?
Are you sick of feeling so left out?
Are you desperate to find something more
Before your life is over?
"Anyway, you look like a cool girl. We should hang out sometime." he says taking out his phone from his pocket. I don't know why, but the first time he asked about "hanging out" he sounded like a total punk. But right now, he actually sound like a very nice person. I think for a second and agree.
"Sure." I say smiling. He gives me his phone, which has an All Time Low wallpaper, and I dial my phone number. He, for some reason, doesn't look at the phone, but looks straight at me. It makes me uneasy and at the same time it makes me nervous. Not a bad type of nervous, but a good type. I press CALL and my cellphone starts ringing, then I save his number. "Umm, do you want something to drink?" I ask trying to avoid another awkward silence.
"Yeah, sure. I'm dying for..." he pauses for a second, turns around, and says smiling, "Colombian coffee." I laugh.
"Good one." I say standing up at the same time as he does. We walk over to the counter and I order a vanilla cappuccino and he orders a hot chocolate. While waiting for our drinks at the counter a woman walks beside us and by accident pushes me.
"Sorry." I hear from the woman, but the only thing I can focus on is that I am centimeters away from Noah. He kind of grabs me by the hips to prevent me from falling and the only thing I can see when I look up is his lips. I react quickly and move myself away from him.
"I'm sorry... I... Sorry." I say stuttering and looking at the ground totally blushed. I feel a void in my stomach. I've never been so close to a boy I barely knew. Of course I've had boyfriends and everything but nothing serious enough to actually tell my family. Anyway, I feel nervous and surprised and stunned and kind of blocked.
"It's okay." Noah says laughing. "Seriously, it's okay." He tries to calm me down by placing his hands on my shoulders. I'm not freaking out or anything, but I'm still a little... shocked. He stares at my eyes and says, "June, it's okay." Then he takes his hands away from my shoulders and smiles. I feel stable again and I laugh realizing how stupid I was. "Hey, look. Our drinks." Noah says taking both the vanilla cappuccino and the hot chocolate. We keep taking for a while, and when the rain stops (like at 2:15PM) I say goodbye and walk back to my house.
YOU ARE READING
Strings
RomanceJune always wanted to become a musician, but she didn't have the confidence to begin learning. Noah, on the other hand, has been playing the guitar for ages. One day they meet at a record store, where their paths cross together, maybe forever. A sto...
