The Twists and Turns of Love

It all happened too quickly. First, Tim had said that Claire was on her way to the show. Claire, of all people. Both the last person he never wanted to see again and the one he couldn’t stop thinking of.

He couldn’t forget all the time he had spent with Claire but he couldn’t deny that some part of his heart, as small as it could be, still belonged to Sarah. It was crazy and stupid. He didn’t know her. He had barely even spoken to her.

When they entered, Eric hadn’t noticed. He was checking some things on his guitar and, with the noise of everyone there, it was easy to miss someone.

“Eric…” he said, with a strange expression on his face.

He looked up at the entrance, almost as if he knew that they had arrived. At first, he didn’t even notice Sarah. It was enough of an impact to see Claire. And then he saw her. She was so different.

“Eric, we have to go on in five minutes.”

Claire glanced at him for a second and cast her eyes downward. He wondered if Sarah knew what had happened between them. When Sarah finally looked him in the eyes, they both just stay staring at each other, their faces expressionless.

“We have to play already; the crowd’s getting impatient,” Tim persisted.

Eric picked up his guitar mechnically and played the first half of the show absently. He felt Clarie’s and Sarah’s eyes firmly on him. He even made a few errors, something he never did during a show.

They took a 15 minute break, like usual. As he descended the stage steps, he saw Claire and Sarah approaching him.

“Hi,” Claire said.

“Hi. How are you two doing?”

“We’re fine… Do you have a moment?” Claire continued speaking, while Sarah just remained quiet.

“Yeah. But not too much. I have to get back to the show.”

“I know. It’ll be quick.”

The three of them exited the building, with great effort due to the crowd, and reunited on the sidewalk.

“I just came here to accompany Sarah, really. She’s the one that wants to talk to you. I’ll see you around,” Claire said, and evaporated back into the crowd.

She had announced it so fast that they hadn’t even noticed she was leaving until the awkward silence resonated in ther ears.

“Hi,” he said, trying to break the tense situation.

“Hi.”

“You look- so different…”

“Yeah. I just outgrew that stage of my life.”

“It’s just that, well, it really seemed to fit you and now you look like… Claire.”

Ha hadn’t meant for it to come out how it did, but once it was said there was nothing he could do about it.

“What?”

“I mean, you just used to be so different.”

“Well, I’ve changed. Last time I checked it was my life. And if I’m like Claire I’m very glad because she’s an amazing person.”

“Yeah, but where’s the real you now? Because I don’t see her under all the makeup and ruffles.”

“The real me is right here. You can’t see her because you don’t know her. You‘ve never known her. If you think talking to me a few times and knowing what I look like is knowing someone you‘re very wrong.”

“You’re not the same girl. I know that much.”

“Oh, so you want that other girl back, the one who had zero self esteem, the one who never thought a guy could even look her way or the girl who hated to look at her refelction in a mirror? No, I don’t want that girl back and if you don’t like me for who I am today, I most definitely do not need you in my life.”

He just stared at her. This new Sarah irritated him.

“You know, I used to be crazy about you. The mere thought of seeing you again always made me smile. I don’t know why I liked you so much when I don’t know who you are.”

“For the record, I liked you too.”

“Yeah, but there has to be more to it than liking how a person looks. That’s pretty much all I knew, and still know, about you. And I guess that’s what you knew about me. And now that that’s changed, you feel like you don’t know me, but you never did.”

Eric got a sinking feeling that she was right.

“I thought seeing you again would make me happy but… I’m just confused. I think I’m finally ready to end this story for good.”

“We can still be friends, can’t we? Because I want to get to know you more.”

“Yeah. I’d like that.”

“Good luck… with everything.”

“Thanks. You too. Hope to see that band of yours going places.”

He laughed.

For a second, that moment when they were sharing a simple laugh, everything felt just the way it should be.

“Take care of yourself,” he said, before disappearing back into the crowd to finish his show.

“You too,” Sarah whispered long after he had left.

They both breathed out, almost as if they had been holding their breath that whole time.