Of (Heart)Beats and Bylines [Completed]

Chapter 12

RJ and his best friend's band are on their third and final set now.

I had no idea he could strum the guitar that well. He is good enough to be in a band professionally, I deemed as I sing along and eye him with admiration.

His best friend Ethan - the same guy who approached him earlier tonight - was the lead singer and he isn't too bad himself. He has a deep, rich voice with the right amount of edginess that suits the alternative rock genre they play.

After the final chords of their current song ended, Ethan announced that the next one was their final tune for the night. He thanked the audience for being appreciative. He also thanked RJ for taking over their resident guitarist, who had to bail out tonight for an emergency situation.

In a surprising move, he gestured for RJ to switch places with him. "Dude, let's sing one of your favorites as our parting song for tonight." He nodded towards the rest of the band members and they all seem to understand one another.

A few seconds later, the intro of the song I know by heart poured out of the speakers. It was Yellow by my absolute favorite band, Cold Play.

"Look at the stars

Look how they shine for you."

RJ is playing the guitar and singing. His voice is nothing spectacular but it is soothing and the way he is delivering every lyric is heartfelt.

I'm melting.

"I came along

I wrote a song for you

And all the things you do..."

I'm melting at the moment.

"I swam across

I jumped to cross for you..."

I'm melting into a puddle that's being sucked into an abyss and it feels like there is no turning around.

"I drew a line

I drew a line for you

Oh what a thing to do

And it was all yellow"

"Your skin

Oh yeah your skin and bones

Turn into something beautiful

Do you know

For you I'd bleed myself dry

For you I'd bleed myself dry."

Sigh.

~~~~~

We are all bidding our goodbyes and our two groups are already planning to have another meet-up here in the Bric-A-Brac.

I stood up from our table, waiting on RJ to personally thank him for inviting us here. He stepped down from the stage but instead of heading to our table, he walked to the other side of the bar to seemingly approach another group of people.

Amy.

I felt my heart drop to my toes. The smile on my lips instantly fell to form a frown. So, he invited her as well. Why do I feel let down? Nakikipagkaibigan lang sya sa yo, uy. Wag kang ano. At ganun ka din naman. Remember you told yourself to watch out for him in case he plans on getting in the way of your job.

Well, it doesn't seem that way. RJ is an amiable guy who knows what he wants and works hard on obtaining it. I'm beginning to see that now.

And it looks like he is interested in someone else.

I watch him part ways with Amy and walk to our direction.

This moment is a juxtaposition of two emotions. Everyone is feeling light after a fun night with friends amidst the booze and invigorating music. And here I am... feeling crestfallen over what I mistakenly thought is the beginnings of a real romantic interest.

Still, I decided to play it cool.

"Hey RJ. Thank you for inviting me and my friends," I said as I forced a smile.

"Thank you too. I hope you enjoyed tonight."

"I did," I said formally. "See you around."

With a nod, I turned around and made my way to the exit together with my friends.

Sam and Chrissy both live in the south, so I booked my ride separately from theirs.

Their ride arrived first, so when RJ made his way out of the bar, he saw me fiddling on my phone.

"Where's your car, Maine?"

Without looking up, I answered. "I don't have one. I just borrow my mother's. She's retired, so I get to drive it most of the time. But she had to use it today."

"Why didn't you say something earlier? I could have just picked you up. Let's go to the parking lot, I'll drive you home," he offered earnestly.

"It's okay, I live nearby. Like, 15 minutes away without traffic."

"All the more I should drive you home," he argued.

I was kind of tired and I can feel the day's events catching up on me. Feeling that it was useless to protest, I agreed.

Apart from the directions I was giving RJ, I was pretty much quiet on the way home. When we reached my village entrance, I exclaimed. "Here! You can drop me off here!"

He suddenly hit the brakes. "Huh? Why?" He looked at me with surprise and curiosity.

"I miss walking around the village." The truth is I drank two bottles of beer and I feel tipsy and emotional. I feel that walking around will help clear my head.

"How far is your place from the guard house?"

"Less than a kilometer. Probably about 800, 900 meters."

He swerved the car to park by the sidewalk. He proceeded to turn the engine off and to my surprise, he released his seat belt.

"I'll walk with you."

"Wait. What? There is really no need to do that," I asserted.

"But it's past midnight," he reasoned, his voiced laced with frustration .

"I grew up here. It's safe."

"Ok. I'll wait in the car until you send me a text that you've gotten home."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes," he answered with a hint of stubborness.

"Fine!" I said curtly. "Walk with me then."