Lingering Melody

I nod. “Thanks,” I say quietly and hand his jacket back.

He starts walking away and I fumble to unlock my door. “Oh, hey,” he calls before he’s gone. I turn in surprise, and my heart thumps loudly as he gives a nice smile. “You take care of those knuckles, all right?”

My tongue sticks to my throat so I only nod and quickly enter my apartment. He’s really a nice guy and it’s nice to know I seem to have a… a friend now. I bite my lip, locking my door. Can I consider him a friend?

“I’ll always be here.” The memory sends a delightful shiver down my spine and give a small smile. I think it’s safe to say that. A new friend.

After a minute I go rummage through the bathroom and find some bandages and I wrap my knuckles, like he said I should. I stare at the wrappings for a while. Then I realize what I’ve been wearing the whole time- out there, and around Lait. A giggle escapes my lips and it surprises me but I don’t mind… I like it.

But soon enough, I have schoolwork to finish and I spend the rest of the day on it. Around seven, I recall that Horizon Line wants me to write a few songs for the tour and such. I groan, lying on the couch. But I have nothing else to do and I’ve gotten bored of being a couch potato. Dragging myself through to the room, I look in my past files, to see if there are any songs that I haven’t publicly sung that we could do together.

I bite my lip as I pull out ‘It’s Okay.’ Why hadn’t I put it on? I furrowed my brow and pull out my first album and look at the back. It would have fit in perfectly. It was all about the world, insecurity and becoming who I am. I grab the sheet music and everything, sit at my piano and I begin playing.

“If nobody likes you, Doesn’t mean you are wrong. It only, only means that everybody Doesn’t understand, they can’t see. It’s not your fault.” I hum a few bars and it goes on to the chorus. I’m beginning to remember why I didn’t put it on.

Because I don’t listen to my own advice. “Cause it’s, it’s, it’s okay. Okay, okay, okay. To be a little, to be a little strange.”

I give a dry chuckle once I finish. I never liked repeating the same words in songs, because it’s makes the singer… the song, seem shallow. But lately, I’m more comfortable with it. Not my favorite, but it tends to work and connect with the message, repeating words. And it fits the melody, more often than not.

I run it through again and begin making a few changes, here and there to fit it in more with what Horizon Line might play. Finally I decide it’s good enough and I walk out of the room to the dark living/family room. The moon’s already out and I check the time. It’s nearing ten and that surprises me.

Involuntarily a yawn arrives and I can’t stop it. But I don’t feel tired enough to go to bed. I walk lazily to my kitchen and scavenge for something that might taste good. Finally, I decide on the last of my baby carrots and a quart of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. Yum. I pull them both out- have to keep them balanced right? Then I sit at the table that I rarely use.

I finish the carrot and use my smallest spoon for the ice cream, to savor every mouthful. While I continue licking my spoon, I stare out of my window and into the city. My apartment isn’t in the very best of town, but it’s still really close, believe it or not. Therefore, I have a small but nice view of city lights.

“City lights shine in the night, but the stars will always be bright,” I hum to myself. I sigh, and walk to my window seat in the kitchen, to look more into the city. Sometimes I’ll catch a phrase or two of a melody, but it never continues, goes on, goes longer to form a real song. Sometimes, it’s okay but there are other times when it’s a real good note, but it doesn’t end up working in any song or such.

I stare into my ice cream and randomly begin wondering about the people who don’t like cookie dough ice cream. Honestly, come on! It’s the best out there! But noooo, a TON of people don’t like it. Stupid evil rubber duckies. Mhm. My mind wanders and wanders until I’m thoroughly exhausted.

I put away what’s left of my munchies and see it’s nearly midnight. Maybe I should have gone to bed earlier… nah, it’s the weekend. It doesn’t matter.

I change into some other pj’s and try to recall if Webster had said anything about tomorrow. I think I was free then, right? I hope so. It would be nice to go shopping, maybe at a few vintage shops? And there was some new Italian place nearby…

I fall asleep, still thinking on tomorrow.

The call comes right when I’m deciding whether to eat breakfast or not, around ten. “Yeees?” I mumble when I pick it up and I yawn. I’ve only been up for… six minutes. I should have stayed in bed a while longer.

“Are you ready?” Comes Webster’s voice.

My eyebrow goes up in confusion and caution. I look around slowly and down at my clothes. “Um, nooo?” I draw it out longer than it usually is said. “Why?” I ask, needing to know.

“Didn’t I tell you?” He asks me in surprise.

“Tell me what?”

“I thought I told you.”

“Eh, no.” I tell him again and pause. “So are you going to tell me?”

“But I thought you knew.”

I think he’s teasing me. I play with a long strand of hair. “Ha, ha. Seriously, Webster? I have no idea what you’re talking about. Tell me or hang up, kay?”

“What, you didn’t get enough sleep?” He teases.

I frown. “Obviously. Now before I climb back into bed, tell me. Or I will go back to bed, lock my doors and turn off my phone, meaning you’ll be totally out of my communication.”

He can’t beat that, so ha.