Amaryllis Lexington
****
I left the room immediately Maya walked in. Kayla and I were having a conversation about dresses and baby names once I got over the initial shock of finding out what kind of relationship existed between her and Allison.
I didn't want to put her in an awkward position where she would have to deal with not talking to me just because she didn't want to upset Maya. Although I couldn't understand why she was dealing with such unnecessary drama, it wasn't in my place to tell her what to do. I wouldn't the evil witch who ruined their friendship, but I hoped Kayla would see the light and make the right decision.
Once I got out into the fresh air, I inhaled deeply. The sweet freshness that filled my lungs made me want to run into the woods with arms stretched out. Nature has to be the most beautiful thing in the universe. It's simply divine and captivating.
I kept walking and enjoying the fresh breeze when I saw Allison plucking flowers. She looked very upset and she was taking out the petals of the flowers with anger. Flower murderer.
I was about to walk away when she stopped me, "You don't have to run away. I'm not gonna kill you. At least, not out in the open." How sweet and friendly.
"Why are you murdering these poor flowers? Jealous of their beauty?" An unattractive snort escaped from her, but I could see the small smile playing around her lips.
"I'm imagining the flower is your face." A devilish grin appeared on her face, then dropped the flower and squashed it under feet. My hands instinctively flew to my face and I was glad to find that it was still intact and smooth. Thank Goodness!
"Either that or you're venting out your frustration on those pretty things. You know, the best way to relieve frustrating is to kick something, right? Preferably the person who did it to you. Works everytime." She looked like she was contemplating it, then she shook her head.
"Her baby will get hurt." She said in a low voice and I had an 'awww' moment in my head. I knew she would never do anything to hurt Kayla. Maybe not entirely for Kayla's sake but for her baby's.
I was dying to know what happened between them, but I couldn't ask any one. I couldn't ask Kayla because I didn't even know her that well and I didn't want to probe. I couldn't ask Allison because, well, she's Allison. That's enough to scare any sane person away. However, I decided to push my luck.
"What happened between you both?" The question made her eyes widen, but she quickly masked her surprise and put her poker face back on.
"She didn't tell you?"
I rolled my eyes. "I believe I wouldn't be asking you if she did." Way to go in getting classified information, Amari the great. She narrowed her eyes at me and I shuddered. Damn, she's evil.
"You really wanna know?" I nodded.
"You really really wanna know?" I nodded again.
"You badly wanna know?" Oh, come on! I sighed and nodded again, hoping we don't get to the point where my head falls off my neck. That would be grossly unattractive and fatal.
"How badly do you wanna know?" I could tell she was enjoying my misery from the self satisfied smirk on her face. It was a far cry from the annoyed look she had earlier so I decided to humour her.
"I wanna know so bad I would be sad if I don't get to hear about it." I hope that works. She looks at me for a second then shrugged.
"I like seeing you sad. So, no telling. _Adios_" She said and walked away. I wished I had telekinesis so I could throw her against a tree!
"You're the worst!" I yelled after her but all she did was laugh at me. Although what she did was very annoying, I couldn't bring myself to get mad at her. Instead, I had a small smile on her face. I had to admit I enjoyed bickering with her.
I plugged in my earphones and vibed to one of James Arthur's album as I started my no-destination-in-particular journey. All I knew was that I wasted to explore the beauty and serenity of this place.
I turned in any direction I saw and I walked till my legs started feeling sleepy. I turned to leave then I realized I had absolutely no idea which way to turn. I had been so engrossed in the song I was listening to while admiring tress and flowers.
I unplugged my earphones from my ear as if the sound of the song was the reason for my lack of direction. When I unplugged the earphones, I didn't get a sense of direction, but I did hear something beautiful. Someone was playing a guitar, and boy, could the person play!
I followed the direction of the sound and walked till I arrived at a lake. I had no idea there was lake here. Could this place get any more amazing and mindblowing? As if the lake wasn't gorgeous enough, my gaze landed on the culprit and I had a hard time breathing.
Right in front of me was Carlson, sitting with a guitar in his laps, his hands delicately moving against the strings in the most dignified manner I had ever seen. Even his breathing was perfect, even though I couldn't hear or feel it. I had no idea why his breathing popped into my head, but it did anyway. I guess my brain was just trying to tell me everything about him was perfect! At least my brain was good at understanding stuff like this, even if algebra was very hard to decode. The only thing I could relate with in Algebra were the last three alphabets, and that's just because I wear it everyday.
The song he was playing didn't sound familiar but it was so beautiful. I stayed still and watched him play, not daring to move an inch so I wouldn't interrupt his moment. Unfortunately, that didn't work out well, because I felt something land on my legs and I screamed bloody murder.
"Oh my God, I'm gonna die!" I yelled as I ran away from the spot I was standing on. I kept checking my leg from the light provided by the moonlight. When I finally allowed myself to believe I was safe and nothing was trying to eat my leg, I sighed with relief, only to hear Carlson laughing.
"Are you always this stupid or you just try extra hard whenever you're with me?" Idiot.
"Don't flatter yourself. I would never go extra miles for you, Hawthorne." His mouth formed an O, then a big grin appeared on his beautiful face. How? Just how could a boy be so beautiful? It felt unfair to the female generation.
"So it's safe to say you're naturally extremely stupid. That's good to know. Why are you here, Cielita? Stalking me now?" He smirked and I scrunched up my face in disgust. Barf.
"I heard you playing the guitar and I wanted to know who was making such horrible noises by this time of the night." I lied and the grin on his face told me he knew I was lying.
"Yeah, right. Come here." He said and I found myself walking over without any hesitation. He took his seat on a rock beside the lake, and patted the spot beside him, motioning for me to sit, which I did. It felt weird being close to him, and his body heat was a perfect contrast to the cold air from the lake. I should have worn something thicker than a cotton blouse.
"So, in other words, you were captivated by my guitar playing skills and now you want me to serenade you?" He picked up his guitar and nestled it in the perfect position.
"If I say yes, would you let me live it down?" Maybe it was his perfect cologne wafting into my nose and altering my senses, or his body heat that was providing just the right amount of heat needed to keep me alive, I couldn't tell, but I knew I just couldn't say no for the life of me.
His laughter mingled with the sounds of the crickets and it birthed a perfect symphony. "Well, I wouldn't be Carlson Hawthorne if I just let it go, would I?" Somehow, my hand made it to the back of his head and slapped it really hard.
He yelped, "Goodness, Amari. Are you trying to murder me?"
"Shut up and play me something nice, buffalo." Buffalo? Really? Amaryllis Lexington, really?
"I'm not your servant, little lady. I'll only play you something if you sing along." Oh, come on!
"Even crickets sounds better than me. I can't sing." He rewarded my honest complaints with a chuckle and I itched to hit him again. Not because I liked inflicting pain on him (Well, I do), but because I was just looking for an excuse to touch his soft hair again.
"I don't mind. You somehow manage to make everything beautiful." It was like everything froze in that moment, and the look on his face told me he didn't intend to let that slip. My heart was hammering within my rib cage and I was scared I might have a heart attack.
"So, what are you gonna sing? I can pretty much play anything, as long as I've heard it." He broke the awkward silence with his usual conceited attitude. I scoffed.
"Pride. Anyway, I'm a big fan of Ed Sheeran. So, I'll sing perfect." He nodded and started with the strings. It was a wonder how he managed to play it perfectly! Amazing guitar skills and a beautiful British accent? It felt like I was with Ed Sheeran Pro Max!
When I hit the first verse, Carlson erupted into laughter and held his hands up. Embarrassed became my new name.
"Girl, you were right. You can't sing to save your life." He said and I reached for the next thing I could find, which was a stone, and I threw it at him. If it hurt him, he didn't show. All he did was laugh.
"I hate you!" I pouted and for a moment, his gaze left my eyes and focused on my pouted lips, then slowly came back to my eyes. How come the breeze was blowing hot air? Is global warming really getting that bad?
"As long as my ears will continue to work in perfect condition, I don't mind if you hate me." He laughed and it made me smile. I already accepted that I couldn't sing years ago, so I didn't mind.
"Well, since you're musically unattractive, I'll have to step in. Since you like Sheeran, I think I have a song you'll like. Have you heard how would you feel?" I mentally checked through the Ed Sheeran songs in my head and I came up blank, so I shook my head, and he whispered something like perfect.
He started strumming the strings and all I could do was look at him, and thank my lucky stars for getting me lost. He cleared his throat lightly and I knew he was about to start, so I prepared myself, wondering what he would sound like.
"You are the one, girl.
You know that it's true." His eyes flickered to mine and the heart attack symptoms came back, thankfully he looked away again.
"I'm feeling younger, everytime that I'm alone with you.
We were sitting in a parked car, stealing kisses in a front yard.
We've got questions we should not ask...
But, how would you feel, if I told you I loved you.
This is just something that I want to do.
I'll be taking my time, spending my life, falling deeper in love with you." His gaze found mine again and I couldn't even put a name to what I was feeling.
"So tell me that you love me too." At that moment, I almost allowed myself to believe he wasn't just singing a song but passing a message. That was very scary, but the scariest part was that I just might be feeling the exact same way Ed felt when he put those words on paper.