"I remember my life in fragments."
Jensen Parker, one of the most famous young musicians in the world, fell in love with Ellie Longo, a normal girl with an adorable crooked smile that Jensen just couldn't ignore. After four years of being together...
I stood close to her as she examined a bookshelf full of aging classics. She looked at me with a small smirk. "You know," she teased, "I've heard that if a writer falls in love with you, you'll never die." I wish I could've told her she'd live forever. I wish I would've congratulated her on her immortality. Instead, I stood beside her blushing like a fool and holding everything inside of me.
Day four, Ellie took me to a drive-in theater that I didn't know could still exist. We stayed through the showing of three movies, and even though she argued with me about it, I made sure to pay for the entire night. She had the same love for movies as she did for books and I discovered my love of observing her every chance I could. She had small mannerisms and habits that I loved discovering. I found new melodies silently floating through my mind whenever I would think of her.
Day five, I took her bowling and we both agreed we were more competitive with eating pizza than we were with the sport. I asked her about her favorite games growing up and she educated me on the best arcades in the area while I told her about my ruthless Monopoly strategies. She teased me for my bowling stance, and I picked on her for the cheese she dropped on her shirt. By the end of the night, she memorized what she described as my catchphrases and I memorized the curves of her face.
Day six, we drove around and invented new games to get ourselves purposefully lost and stumbled into a park where we watched planes fly over our heads. She asked me about the secrets I hide from the rest of the word and I confided in her, and the way her eyes lit up against the contrast of the golden hour sun reassured me that nothing would ever feel as right as that moment.
She stared at the sky, finding comfort in the planes over our heads, and I spoke without filtering my thoughts. "Come with me." It wasn't a question, and I didn't mean it as a demand. It was a statement that stopped her thoughts and caused her gaze to meet mine.
Her eyes filled with confusion as she asked, "What?"
"I leave in the morning." I stated promptly.
"I'm aware." She replied quickly.
"So come with me." She stared into my eyes, confusion still written all over her face. "Come with me," I pleaded again, desperation seeping through my words.
Her expression relaxed and she released a small, brief laugh. The corner of her thin lips twisted into a smile as she chuckled in response to my question. "No." She laughed.
The grin on my face disappeared as my eyebrows furrowed. "No?"
"No." She shook her head, still laughing.
"You're saying no?"
"I'm saying no."
"Why?"
Ellie shook her head slowly, shrugging her shoulders and releasing a small sigh. "You don't know me, Jensen." My heart sank hearing her words. "We're strangers."
"We're friends." I corrected her. My stomach twisted, and my ears began to ring.
"Acquaintances." She countered.
"Friends." I steadied.
"Friends." She gave in with another sigh. "But barely," she added. "A week ago, you didn't know I existed."
"So?"
"So I'm not going." She sent me a soft smile, and although it softened the pain in my chest, it didn't make it go away completely. "Jensen, I adore you. But I'm not going to just get on a plane and leave my life behind."
I took a moment to process the interaction – to think of a response. "Three months." Ellie's face twisted with confusion again. "I go on tour again in three months."
"Three months? You still have shows left on this tour."
"Only two." I shook my head, remembering the proposition I had wanted to make, "But I go back on tour in three months. I'm asking you to come with me then. But you don't have to decide until three months from now," I offered. "Until then, get to know me. Let me be a real friend. Let me convince you that you won't regret saying yes three months from now."
She broke her gaze with me and searched the horizon for assistance. The moments between my words and hers felt like they were pushing us further apart from one another and I wanted to take back everything I had said. She looked back at me, her eyes scanning my expression. She nodded and spoke with the softest voice she was capable of, "Okay." She straightened her back and I couldn't stop the grin playing on my face. "You have three months to convince me."
Day seven, I left. I gathered my belongings into one large duffle bag and boarded a plane back to Los Angeles. I was never one to be impulsive, but Ellie ignited something in me that I didn't know I had. I took chances around her and acted out of character in search of excuses to spend more time with her.
When you have a choice between acting on your feelings or doing nothing, go for it. Don't play what-if scenarios in your head. Just swallow your fears and speak up. I could've spoken up more – if I had known what I was feeling at the time. Asking her to drop everything and follow me across the country was my big scary risk. I took a chance, and if I hadn't, I would still be playing what-ifs through my mind until the day I die.
A week wasn't enough time with Ellie. I debated canceling my flight and staying forever. I had to force myself away from Ellie. I didn't want to leave her. I couldn't get enough of her no matter what I did. I was addicted to her.
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Chapter song: "Young Love" by Eli Lieb
Until next time, Aiden (:
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