That One Summer...

Alternate Ending

He started gently strumming his guitar and began singing with his angel voice, “Over, I can’t believe it’s over. I can’t believe the love I lived to show some other day. Listen, I hope that you can hear me as I kneel down and pray with the love I meant to say.” I closed my eyes, trying to convince myself that the song wasn’t written for me. He continued with, “Shadows, you took away the shadows before your life was black and white. Though, tonight, the room’s gone gray. Golden, all the love you gave was golden. Golden, I would gladly pay to show the love I meant to say.” I opened my eyes and saw him squeeze his eyes shut as the song reached its climax. “Oh, music, you made me hear such music. Without you here to guide me, I feel as though I’ll fly away.” He opened his eyes and searched for me in the crowd. His eyes locked with mine, and his voice broke as he sang, “Sorry, that’s the word I want to sing to you. The other word is stay to hear the love I meant to say.”

A single tear fell from my eye. Liam wrote a song for me. Liam still loved me. Liam didn’t want to just be friends again. Liam wanted me back.

What scared me the most was that I had a feeling I wanted the same from him.

Sage put her hand on my back, knowing as well as almost everyone there that the song was for me. “We should talk later,” she whispered.

Aden heard her from the other side of me and nodded. “Before we get on that boat.”

“What boat?” Sage asked.

Aden and I glanced at each other and laughed.

“You’ll see,” Aden said as she took a sip of wine.

My stomach was uneasy. I wasn’t sure I would be able to last on the boat rocking back and forth, this way and that way, up and down. I took another swig of my beer to try and relax my nerves.

I could feel eyes penetrating me, and I tried so hard not to look over at the guys. If it was Liam, I didn’t want to be reminded of how he felt for me. If it was Greg, I didn’t want to see him hurt.

Aden took her turn up at the microphone, and Harry joined her as they sang some Indie song by some Indie band I had never heard of.

I excused myself to go to the bathroom and instead went back to my room. I needed some time to collect myself before I got on that boat.

I was putting my keycard into the door when I heard someone call my name. I hesitated as I turned, not sure whether I wanted to see who wanted my attention.

My heart jumped and fell in both excitement and disappointment when I saw Liam walking my way.

He stopped a safe distance away from me and smiled shyly.

As much as tried to stop myself, I couldn’t help but smile at him. Tears started brimming in my eyes as I reflected on Liam’s way of apology. “That was…That was beautiful, Liam.”

The corners of his mouth twitched up. “I guess you know that it was written for you.”