Sing to me

Sing to me: Chapter 2

He had been sitting there a while, his back to the group, eyes closed, head leaning against the rock when the girl stopped singing. The group started talking amongst themselves but he did not want to leave just yet. The strange peace that enveloped him when he sang was something he wanted to hold on to a moment longer. He had forgotten his mother was dying and that he needed to mend his relationship with his sister. He even forgot that he was emotionally and physically drained. 

Movement made him realize that the group was leaving. The sun had set, before light faded completely, he should head home too, he thought. 

As he moved to stand, he saw the girl was still sitting there, typing away on some kind of a tablet. He almost laughed out loud, the contrast of modern technology in her hand as compared to the raw earthy feeling her voice had given him was comical.

She looked up as he approached. He could see her face now, she was not drop dead gorgeous by any means but her large hazel eyes paired with her full lips gave her an attractiveness that was all her own.

He raised his hand as if in surrender “don’t freak out”.

“Why would I freak out?” she questioned confused.

“Because I am a stranger on a deserted stretch of beach and you are alone”. 

She laughed out loud, her eyes glinting, “are you always this cynical?”

He found himself smiling, “well…I suppose yes” and added “you have a beautiful voice” quickly before he lost the nerve.

Color rose in her cheeks and she almost looked embarrassed, “you heard me?” she said ducking her face.

“Yes, I have been sitting nearby for a while now…I am sorry if I wasn’t supposed to...” he trailed off uncertain. Why was she embarrassed at being heard?

“Oh it is a free country” she said, “I just don’t like to sing for people, but it was my best friend’s birthday”.

He nodded. Silence fell between them and they both stared at each other.

“I am Warda”, she finally stated.

“I am sorry, what?”

“Warda, my name? It’s Warda. I am introducing myself. You are supposed to extend your hand, tell me your name and may be smile?” her eyes danced with mischief and he found himself transfixed.

It was the expectant look on her face that made him realize that he was supposed to answer.

“Josh, I am Josh,” he said extending his hand, blushing. “You have an unusual name, unusual but beautiful, Warda”.

She cringed, “there is no war in my name, were as in werewolf and the as in the beach. Were-the not war-da. And it is Arabic, thus the fact that you find it unusual.”

He smiled at her indignation; she most probably made that little speech every time someone put a war in her name, as she said it. He could tell now that she had an accent and was most probably was from somewhere in the Middle East. What she was doing in Wales beat him.

“I am sorry Warda,” he said trying his best to make it sound like she did. He liked the way it rolled off of his tongue.

“Oh it’s okay.” She smiled again and then shivered.

“Have coffee with me” he blurted before he could stop and mentally slapped himself. You don’t even know her. She is most probably married or has an over protective boyfriend. Could be a lesbian too, a small voice in his brain said.

“And how do I know that you are not a crazy gun wielding psychopath since this is a deserted stretch of the beach, you are a stranger and I am alone?” She said, playfully saying his own words back to him.

He was uncomfortable now, never had he asked anyone out like that. Not in the 30 years of his existence and her confidence was making him nervous. He was usually a self assured person but she was pulling him apart.

“….but it is cold and I would love something hot. Tea, not coffee.” He was startled as he realized that she had just agreed. “Now can we go or are you going to have a mental battle with yourself?”

“I was not having a mental battle” he did not know why he felt the need to defend himself. She was getting under his skin with her intuitiveness and it made him uncomfortable.

“Hey I am sorry if I said something wrong, I was just joking.”

How did she know that she made him uncomfortable? He sighed inwardly; just go have coffee with her. You like her, his brain said.

“Umm….it’s okay, I think I should go, uh…it was nice meeting you, Warda.” Entirely forgetting that he had asked her for coffee, he re traced his steps and walked away without looking back leaving a very confused girl behind him.

Reaching his house, he sat down on the counter and slapped his forehead. Well you just made a complete fool of your self didn’t you, the little voice in his head asked.

“What’s wrong?”Anna’s voice filtered through his mental scolding.

“I just met a girl, asked her to have coffee with me, chocked and then ran away without a backward glance”, his exhaustion was back. He felt weary.

To her credit, Anna did not laugh. “Well you can’t be the smooth talking handsome Josh all the time”.

Smooth talking? She thought he was smooth talking?

The question in his eyes made her laugh, “You have always had one pretty girl after another on your arm”.

Yes he did, but he had never felt the need to ask them out. And he sure as hell had never acted like he did today. He was always sure of his abilities, never letting his guard down.

“Ugh damn it!” he said. “She is going to think I am teenage boy who just hit puberty and can’t even handle speaking to an attractive woman”.

“You might never see her again, so I suppose you are safe”.

He smiled at her half heartedly. They had a quiet dinner and it was when Josh went to bed that he realized, in the last 3 hours, he has not once worried about his mother.

That night Josh dreamed of Warda. Of beaches and melodies and the soft lapping of water.