It's been half a week. No texts, no calls, no nothing. I haven't heard from Noah since that night. Zack has done everything a best friend does to support me, but I'm not over Noah yet. I'm not listening to music anymore, it reminds me of him. I still have my hair dyed and I'm keeping it that way not because of him, but for me. I need to move on since I know he's not turning back, he won't apologize. I watch the ceiling while lying in bed. I'm imagining what could've been. Then my phone rings. Could it be him? I ask myself. It's Grams. "Hello?" I answer the phone.
"Hey sweetie. Just checking on you." Grams says. She knows about Noah and so does Emma, but they don't really know how devastated I am.
"I'm fine Grams, thanks." I answer the happiest possible. I don't want them to worry about me.
"That's good." I can imagine her smiling softly. "Would you like to order pizza when Emma and I get back home?" Grams asks.
"Sure, thanks. When do you come back?" I ask.
"At 8 PM, sweetheart." Grams answers. I make the calculations. I have 4 hours for myself today. I say to myself. I wish I had more, but 4 hours is okay.
"Okay, bye Grams. Love you." I say and hang up. I leave the phone on my nightstand and lie in bed once again. The ceiling feels closer to me than it should be. Then I fall asleep.
...
I'm awaken by a noise of my window being hit. I open my eyes, but I don't hear it again. I close my eyes and the sound comes back. I approach the window and open it. I look down, it's him. "Hey June." he says. My heart rate starts raising. He's been throwing little rocks at my window. How cliché. I say to myself. "Could you open the door?" he asks. Noah has his guitar case on his back and his skateboard on his right hand. This reminds me of when I first met him.
"Why?" I ask. I'm not letting the guy who broke my heart in my house just like that.
"June, I'm sorry." he says looking at the floor embarrassed. "I'm really sorry. I acted like a jerk, I know that. I made a mistake, I want to make it up to you." Noah says taking his guitar case off his back. He's about to take the guitar out of the case, but I stop him.
"Don't." I say, "I'll let you in." He smiles when he hears me. I walk down the stairs and open the main door. He walks in and takes my hand. I jerk away. "Let me hear your apology first." I say. Noah then starts walking up stairs to my room. I follow him. When we get to my room he leaves his skateboard leaning on the wall and takes his guitar out of the case. He doesn't talk, he just starts playing a song.
Been around the world and back this year
Told myself I wanna face this fear
But I don't think I can stand on my own
She's got eyes like spring, legs like the summer
Everybody says she looks just like her mother
But I think she wants that left alone
I know the song. It's Around the World and Back from State Champs. This song is a duet. I know it by heart.
There's too many ways to say goodbye
But it's quite the opposite this time
Sometimes I can't help but say
I'm falling in love and it's scaring me
It came to me in a dream
Now all that's left is our empathy
But this is just the life I ordered
One step back and two steps forward
Sometimes I can't help but say
We're making history
I look at Noah while he plays the guitar. He runs his fingers softly on the strings and his eyes are locked on the guitar's neck even though he can perfectly look anywhere else while playing. My heart starts beating way faster. It's my turn to sing. I say to myself. In the original song, a girl sings the second part. I continue the lyrics.
Been around the world and back this year
I never wanted to be so sincere
I'm not a hero or a saint
But don't push me away
When you believed in me it brought us together
Everybody says that it won't last forever
Close your eyes, don't cut the ties, it makes sense
There's too many ways to say goodbye
But it's quite the opposite this time
I can feel my face turning warmer and the knot in my throat disappears. Magic fills the air and I smile. Noah smiles back at me. Music makes everything better, even more if I'm singing with Noah. I can feel my eyes watering, but this time it's because I'm happy. Noah starts playing with more intensity and the second chorus starts. We sing together.
Sometimes I can't help but say
I'm falling in love and it's scaring me
It came to me in a dream
Now all that's left is our empathy
But this is just the life I ordered
One step back and two steps forward
Sometimes I can't help but say
We're making history
Our history
At this point we're singing with all our strength. Every breath, every heartbeat; I'm giving it my all.
You pulled me in like a tidal wave
And let ourselves just float away
With no direction, or a way to rewind
Yeah, you pulled me in like a tidal wave
Thought that it was my mistake
And we'd fall apart before I say goodbye
But it's quite the opposite this time
Sometimes I can't help but say
I'm falling in love and it's scaring me
It came to me in a dream
Now all that's left is our empathy
But this is just the life I ordered
One step back and two steps forward
Sometimes I can't help but say
We're making history
Our history
As the song ends my breathing goes back to normal, but my heart rate is as high as it can go. Singing with Noah makes me happier than ever. He leaves his guitar on my bed, stands up and takes something out of the guitar case.
"I believe this is your's." he says giving me a box. I open the box and inside there's a pair of black headphones. I laugh, I wasn't expecting him to replace my broken headphones. "Noah, I love you." I say forgiving him and placing the headphones on my desk. He then hugs me. His arms wrap me firmly and close to him. I can feel his breathing and his heart beat.
"I love you too, June." he whispers in my ear. I then look at him and kiss him. At first, our lips touch softly but the kiss starts to build-up and gets intense. My hands travel from the back of his neck to his back, and his hands travel from my back to my waist. I hesitate for a second, but then I relax.
"I'm ready." I say looking at Noah's eyes. And, as the song says, we made history.
THE END
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...
