Dedicated to @AnythingAnEverything ! you're comment was absolutely beautiful and made me smile <3 Thank you girl!
Song: Cold Coffee – Ed Sheeran
Before the chapter, I want to deeply apologize for the extremely long wait on this book. I’ve been going to so much these path two months and wow I’m surprised that I survived. I hope you all still love this book as much as I do because it’s only going to get better from here.
eleven |a new symphony
Sophia.
I closed my eyes and tried to shut out the noise being emitted from downstairs. Their laughing and chattering was sickening to my ears. The more I tried to blank out the sounds, the louder it became. I don’t know if they were arguing or just being extremely obnoxious, but either way, I felt anger pulse through my body.
I kept my eyes shut and began to do something I learned from my dad. He once told me to do this whenever I felt overwhelmed by the world.
I took three deep breaths and then held the fourth one as I tried to think of a memory from my past that caused me to calm down.
Usually the memory consisted of my father twirling me in the air, or him letting me dance on his toes, but this time the only thing that came across my mind was me laughing at an extremely corny joke. That is what I focused on.
“You are deep; deep like the ocean.”
I laughed to myself as I let out the breath. Maybe Liam was a major asshole, but I couldn’t lie to myself, he was a pretty cool dude when he wasn’t being all stuck up.
It sucks that I put a portion of me into him even though I barely knew him. I feel like I should plain out laugh at myself because I put my trust into someone who wasn’t there through it all. The only reason I once thought that he could believe in me was because of the day we met. He was modest and showed it by helping me. I was completely broken and he literally helped me find my way back home. That day means nothing anymore.
It feels so close yet so far.
That day made me realize that we all have our walls that we’ve built with each struggle we’ve underwent. It also made me realize that certain people have the natural effect on breaking those walls. Certain people would be the perfect fitting circle that fit right into the empty slot.
I honestly and wholeheartedly want you all to know that I know what I’m saying sounds like love, but it definitely isn’t.
It’s me being thankful, thankful for Liam being the person to break through. Although he isn’t the guy I thought he was, I know that even though I may be miles away, mentally, that someone could always bring me back.
I found my fingers mindlessly tracing a small pattern on the comforter I laid on. I shut my eyelids and felt my breathing even out. My body was slipping into a peaceful rest up until a shout from downstairs woke me up. It wasn’t directed to me, but I knew there was an argument of sorts going on down there. I was definitely not going, nor did I want to hear about it, but the intensity of it increased its sound.
“I just need to know, are you cheating on me?” He growled.
“Liam, please just listen to my side of the story?” The female voice pleaded.
Times like these are where I strongly dislike the fact that my four remaining senses are increased drastically. Due to the rise of my hearing, this dispute sounded like it’s going on two doors down. I know it isn’t actually because I heard the soft murmurs from other voices telling him to calm down.
“Don’t tell me to calm down! I want to know the truth okay? Dani, just tell me the truth and only that.”
I heard footsteps patter up the stairs but I paid no attention to it. I just wanted to cover my ears and not hear the end result of this argument. Liam was obviously mad, and I was glad that I couldn’t see his face. Well, I’ve never seen it before so… moving on.
The door to the room I was staying in opened and the person’s breath hitched. “Sophia?” A familiar voice said, “Sophia, from the Rec?” The male said referring to Birmingham’s Recreational Center. It was the name of the place my classes with Dr. Diane were held. “They told me that Liam was keeping a girl up here, but I definitely didn’t think that it’d be you.” The voice said with an awkward humor.
Oh god, what was he doing here. “Who are they? And why are you here?” I pulled my body up from lying down and laid my back on the headboard.
He chuckled softly, “Your friends downstairs, Liam and his pals. And I was actually going to the bathroom to release my bladder, thank you for asking.” His laugh hummed throughout the room, “Liam also said not to bother the spare room because someone else was staying in it,” The smirk in his voice was evident, “But you know, I couldn’t resist the forces pulling me in here.”
I stared blankly into the darkness, “Actually I don’t know, so now, it’s time you learn how to resist those forces.” I said with my best narcissistic asshole voice ever.
He made a sound that involved hissing and a slight laugh, “Well aren’t you a happy camper?” He said sarcastically. His body weight dipped the bed lower as he sat. I scooted my body further near the headboard and hugged my knees. He scoffed, “I’m not a disease you know.”
I muttered a quick sure. “How did you get inside the house? I know you said my ‘pals’ down there let you use the bathroom, but surely they don’t strangers just use their bathroom. If they do, that’s really an unsafe process.” I furrowed my eyebrows together. How did he know where I was staying? Is he a stalker? I completely forgot his name, so even if he is a stalker how will I describe him, as the guy from therapy with the deep velvet voice?
“Calm down Sophia, I’m not a stalker.” He said and answered my thoughts completely. Well hopefully he isn’t lying. “And Liam and his friends, who I’m assuming are your friends as well, are mates of mine. I was invited over by Harry to throw a couple of chords around with the guys.”
I nodded slowly. What does throwing chords around mean?
“Are you one of their girlfriends? There are five of them and four girls down there. Are you Niall’s lovely lady?”
His consistent talking formed a tiny headache near my temples which I ignored, “Definitely not dating one of them.” I confirmed quickly, “And Anna, the girl that should be with Harry, was my roommate slash care-taker. She would help me around new places and things like that.”
I felt the bed move slightly as he nodded, “Not to be rude, but why are you here then? Did she drag you along with her?”
I shook my head, “Long story short, there was an accident in our flat and we can’t go back for a few days. We had nowhere for me to go and I was pushed into Liam’s place because he had this room.”
“Well that’s unfortunate.” The bed rocked ever so slightly, “I hope you celebrate the day you leave this place because these guys are absolutely mad.” He chuckled.
I smiled a small smile before it faded and I drifted off into thought. “But aren’t we the psychotic ones?” I asked, mostly to myself, “We’re the ones in therapy, not them.” I put my thumb nail in my mouth and began biting on it.
I shuddered from the cold of his hands as he pulled my own from my lips. “That’s a really bad habit.” I nodded and mentally noted not to bite my nails in front of him, “And Sophia,” he added softly, “We may be psychos, but the world is ours.”
I cocked my head to the side and tried to figure out what he meant.
“It’s a song, haven’t you heard it?” He asked with his voice trailing off. I shook my head and I felt him nod again, “Well it’s by a little unknown singer down in America so yeah.” He said and quickly gave up. The bed tipped when his arms reached up for the air, “Can I be honest with you?”
I nodded.
“When I saw you in here and started talking to you, I thought you were going to be really quiet and ignore me.”
I shrugged with a smile playing on my lips, “Well you’re doing most of the talking.”
He chuckled, “I’m trying to get to know you, stop judging me.” He laughed and fell into a small silence. “Do you remember the first time we met? When you ran into me and just…well, cried?”
I took a quick intake of breath and nodded slowly, “That was you?” I screamed inwardly because he was the mystery person who held me, “Thank you for that by the way.”
He nodded, “Well back to what I was saying, because I’m more important,” He joked and I laughed a little with him, “How come you were so sad that day? You don’t have to go into details don’t worry. I know some things should be kept private, but ever since that day I’ve wanted to see you again just to know what could make someone so sad.”
I just shrugged, “I was probably overreacting.”
He shook his head, “No, overreacting doesn’t look like that. What you looked like was someone who has been broken too many times.”
I said nothing for a while and hoped that he would eventually give up on me answering.
He did. “Answer another question.”
“Only if I can, don’t ask me anything too deep, like you just did, because I don’t want to think too much.” My mind was a toxic place and I didn’t want to spend time inside racking for answers.
“How come you’re talking to me? You don’t really seem like a talker.”
I laughed to myself. So I guess people do notice that I like to stick to myself, well, selectively. “I usually avoid human interaction, or any interaction with living things.” I clarified and played with the fabric of my pants, “I actually don’t know why I’m talking to you. I like the quiet, yet I hate the silence. I like being alone, yet I hate being lonely, it’s just how I am. I’m a living contradiction.” I scratched the tip of my nose and continued, “I think it partially has to do with the fact that you walked in here like you were hot shit.”
He began laughing like a mad man and I soon joined in.
“I think you’re another one of the right sized circles.” I said to myself while referring to my previous thoughts.
He cleared his throat, “Was that a fat joke, because I am offended.”
I began laughing, yet again. Together, our laughs sounded like dying hyenas and I didn’t mind one bit. I wiped a tear that slipped out of my eye from my uncontrollable laughter.
After a few minutes, we both calmed down and I had a smile on my face. That was until he asked a certain question that I was never a fan of.
“How did you lose your eyesight?”
I cleared my throat and shook my head. That was one story I couldn’t share, one story that I couldn’t bear ever speaking of again.
“I’m really sorry, that was really stupid of me to ask.” I heard him slap and scold himself. A small smile threatened to form on my lips, but it didn’t. “I should tell you something tacky so you can smile again.” He added just below a whisper, “But since I’m bad with words, I’ll do the next best thing, sing. Or at least I can try to, I’m not very good.”
I smiled. I loved it when people sang to me, it instantly calmed me down.
He took a deep breath while standing up, “Hold on. I’m going to grab Liam’s acoustic. You need to feel it girl, feel that music.” He said and I laughed while he exited.
I still don’t remember his name, wow. Well, whatever his name was, he was actually really nice to hang out with.
A minute or two later he came back in and I felt his body sit on my bed again. His feet kicked my own when he tucked them into a pretzel position I suppose. “Okay, are you ready for my extremely cliché attempt of me trying to make you smile.”
I smiled and laughed a little, “But I’m already smiling.”
His cold hand slapped my arm jokingly, “Stop smiling I have to be cheesy.” He laughed and I heard his fingers pass over the strings of the guitar. It made a really pretty melody.
“You got it!” I saluted then pressed my lips into a thin line to hold back the smile.
He chuckled and began strumming a cute little song on the guitar then began singing.
“She’s like cold coffee in the morning,
I’m drunk off last night’s whiskey and coke.
She’ll make me shiver without warning,
And make me laugh as if I’m in on the joke.
And you can stay with me forever,
Well you can stay with me for now.” I couldn’t help but smiling as soon as he started singing. His voice was amazing. How was he not professional as yet? He is bloody great.
I missed a bit of what he sang after, but my grin widened at what I head.
“Tell me if you need a loving hand to help you fall asleep tonight,
Tell me if I know,
Tell me if I do,
Tell me how to fall in love, the way you want me to.”
If it was possible, my smile widened and my jaws felt like they were going to fall off. I opened my arms out for a hug and I instantly wrapped my arms around him when he came close.
He was really warm. While I hugged him, I admired how his stomach didn’t feel like a pile of rocks pressed against mine. His hair tickled my face and I laughed. A small grunt escaped his lips after I slapped the hair away and accidentally hit his face.
“Wow I sing you a song to make you smile and I get slapped in the face, okay that’s cool.” He said jokingly before pulling back. We both laughed.
“Thank you for that, um…” I trailed off, “What’s your name again?” I asked and felt my cheeks flare.
He laughed madly, “So this whole time you didn’t know my name?” He returned to laughing.
I shook my head and folded my arms, “Don’t laugh at me! You should be the one feeling embarrassed because you’re forgettable.” I teased and his laughing subsided.
“Hurtful, Sophia, hurtful.” He joked, “And I’m Ed, nice to meet you.”
I smiled and nodded, “And I’m Sophia, the pleasure is mine.”
The door flung open, “Ed what the hell are you doing in here?” Liam growled, “You said you were going to the toilets.”
I felt his weight lift off my bed, “Hey I just came in to see her, why are you so angry, calm down.”
“Don’t tell me what to do. Get out now, you don’t even know her so stop being a freak.” Liam snarled.
This is where I stepped in, “Actually I do know him. We both go to Rec.”
“Congratulations.” Liam said uninterestedly and I heard him slam the door. Ed had left along with him.
I could hear them from outside the door, they were currently arguing.
“What the hell is your problem Liam? We were just talking, why are you flipping out like this?” Ed’s voice said.
A small slam was heard and my body jumped. “She broke up with me Ed.” Liam’s, now vulnerable, voice said barely over a whisper. “She left.” His voice cracked and I felt my heart break.
They began having a heart-to-heart and I felt intrusive, so I began to do something to take my mind off of their conversation. Carefully, I let my hands explore the shape of the guitar. It was oddly shaped, seeing as I’ve never seen one before. I picked it up and let the face of it turn outward from me. I let my fingers graze against the strings that ran up the whole instrument.
A jolt of energy sprung through me as I strummed and the sound echoed the room. I used my left hands to hold down some of the strings, and my right to strum it, but a not so lovely song emitted from the guitar. I continued trying for what felt like hours and the smile never left my face as I made mistake after mistake.
I don’t know if you’ll understand, but doing this makes me feel something. No matter how badly I’m playing, I’m doing something a normal girl would do.
Even in the darkness, the sounds that I’mcreating sounds like a wonderful escape. Although I may always be in the dark, I feel as though I’m gliding through the light. No amount of money or no amount of people can compare to the happiness flooding through my body. The feeling is nothing I’ve ever felt in a really long time.
I lay back onto the bed with the guitar lying on my stomach. I found myself humming the song that Ed had played for me. It made me smile as I drifted off into a deep sleep.
Something so small as music made my whole aura change tonight. Sometimes, the smallest things are the biggest, and they can cause such a drastic change in a person. I found something that drastically changed my night.
A new symphony
A few clarifications: One, when Ed sang the song to Sophia, it wasn’t meant as if he loved her. That would make this story move way too fast and I hate stories that are really fast paced. I mean do you really want this story to go something like this,
“Hey.”
“Hey!”
“You’re blind, I love you.”
“Awz bby, ily2.”
That would be a horrible book!
Okay as for my explanation as to why I’ve been gone for about five months, well there has been so much drama going on.
Kik me if you want to talk @elmolovesyuu
Now it’s time to shamelessly advertise my other story, The Island of Misfits. It’s a book on outsiders, Inbetweeners, wallflowers, and those that are just mistreated. I love it and I hope you do too.
Please don’t forget to cote!
Did you all like Ed’s little song? Agh, my feels man.
Comment with your favorite lyrics of an Ed Sheeran, or One Direction song inside of these **
Better chance at a dedication <3
Okay I love you. Leave feedback!
-Khorena
Also huge thanks to @thisbemeh for the beautiful banner on the side!!
Edited