The Perfect Harmony

♡ Chapter 21 ♡

"So how bout your story?" Ariana asked again. She knew that the man probably was never going to spill the beans, but she figured she might as well try.

Mr. Blue eyed the girl suspiciously. "Why are you so set on knowing my story, girl?"

Ariana thought about it for a moment. "Because I love stories, Mr. Blue. And I have a feeling that yours is a very interesting one."

"You're a reporter, aren't you?" the man asked. Ariana snickered and shook her head.

"Do I look like a reporter to you, sir?" she asked. Mr. Blue studied her for a little bit. And then he heaved a heavy sigh and shook his head.

"Guess not," he said. Ariana studied the man and saw that he had dark bags under his eyes that Ariana now noticed were a dark blue. They held a certain kind of sadness in them that Ariana wanted to understand.

"You can tell me, sir. I can keep a secret. You need to stop bottling this up." Ariana hoped that she sounded convincing. The man closed his eyes, and for a moment, Ariana thought he was going to kick her out or something. Instead, he started speaking.

"Eighteen years ago, I met a woman. She was lovely, beautiful. All I wanted to do was make her happy. We got married a year later. And a year after that, we had a son. For a while, we were all happy. Then the money problems started," he sighed. "You see kid, nothing good ever lasts for a very long time. My wife was a waitress, and I was a struggling musician, believe it or not."

Ariana couldn't help but let her eyes widen for a moment. And then she nodded, encouraging the man to go on. "So me, my wife, and my son, moved here. We were formerly from Tennessee." Ariana scrunched her eyebrows.

Why does this story seem familiar? she mentally asked herself.

"For a while, we did okay. I got some gigs and some gatherings and at restaurants, and my wife opened up a small business... and then we had another son." Mr. Blue's expression hardened. "So I told them that I would spend some time in Hollywood and get a record deal, earn money, and we'd be a happy family again," he shook his head.

I've heard this story before... Ariana figured, but from who?

"That plan didn't work out so well. It took me a few months, and my wife started getting angrier and angrier, telling me to come back to L.A and stop wasting my time in Hollywood. Until one day, she told me she hated me and that she was leaving me. I had just signed a recording contract then. And then I realized that she had tricked me to signing divorce papers."

Ariana looked down, suddenly sympathetic. "So I came back to L.A and saw that they were actually happy again. I didn't want to ruin their happiness. So I made A.M.O and... yeah." Ariana fit all the pieces together. And then she cleared her throat.

"Mr. Blue, do you mind telling me the name of your ex-wife?" she asked shakily. Mr. Blue sighed and let his shoulders sag.

"Emma. Her name was Emma Davis."

~~~ONE HOUR LATER~~~

Ariana had gone to Damian's shed after, figuring she needed a break. Damian had welcomed her in with a smile.

Ariana sat down in one of the chairs and watched him write a song. Surprisingly, she wasn't bored. She loved hearing Damian's angel voice. She loved seeing the way his eyebrows would furrow when he tried his best to hit a higher note.

Ariana smiled, looking down at her hands. After a while, Damian sat in front of her, pulling his chair closer to hers.

"Y-you alright?"