Colour

The following day we didn’t have music it was the only day a week we didn’t have class. So Josh cornered me in the library again at lunch. First he insulted me about my lack of friends and I insulted him about the sluts hanging off his arms. He then proceeded to ask me if I wanted to get together after school to work on our assignment. I said no. And from then the day ran smoothly or so I thought.

I got home and immediately changed into a leotard slipping on my ballet slippers and some leg warmers. I put a Florence & The Machine cd in the player and cleared everything from the floor of my room. I didn’t have an actual class after school today but it dint matter I came home every afternoon and just danced for hours on end. When we bought this house my parents made sure my room was large enough and that the floors were suitable, I made a few adjustments myself and now I had my own practice space.

This was the one place I felt free, liberated was when I danced. It was the only place I was confident.

After dancing for a few hours I didn’t even realize when my bedroom door opened, and I don’t know how long he was watching me before I spun around and realized that he was standing there staring at me mouth agape.

“What the fuck are you doing here.” I yelled at him.

“Your mum let me in.” He sounded shy and I finally realized exactly what I was wearing and ran to grab a pair of shorts that lay on my bed.

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you its rude to stare?”

Josh’s POV

I had been standing here for at least a minute, just watching her. The way her body moved, her body alone was amazing. Her eyes closed, I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

For the two weeks that I had known her, she was always very quiet, but very sharp. And here dancing in front of me she seemed nothing but the opposite she was not shy at all, and every move she made was soft.

As soon as she opened her eyes and spun around, on only one foot she started yelling at me. But my eyes were still locked on her. This time her eyes that always seemed guarded were now open to the world or at least me, just for a moment. Before they became guarded again.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” She yelled and I had to smile. She was so beautiful and elegant but sometimes she had the mouth of a sailor.

“Your mum let me in.” I replied and she scurried off to find more clothes. It was the first time I could tell just how little her body was, her height alone gave away how small she was but here wearing almost nothing, she was tiny and looked almost vulnerable.

“How do you know where I live?” She questioned sitting crossed legged on her bed, I took that as an invitation to sit down.

“I may or may not have sweet talked the office lady.” I smiled and she smiled back although I could tell she was trying to hide it.

“Smile,” I ordered, “You know you want to, you’re not really mad at me, plus you have really cute dimples.”

This time she did smile; she also blushed turning her head away from me.

“Hhhmmm…. so the lady of mystery has a tattoo does she?” I chuckled and a hand instantly went to the back of her neck. “Show me.”

She turned so her back was facing me and I ran my fingers over the word scrolled across her neck. “Believe”. I felt her shiver at my touch.

“What are you doing here Josh?” She asked turning around to me

“We have two and a half weeks to write a song, put music to it and then perform it. That’s why I’m here.”

“Fine” she stood up and moved over to a desk in the corner of her room.

“I can’t believe you have a tattoo.” I chuckled

“Believe I have more then one.” She laughed

“Show me.”

“Nope, and it’s not one you will find easily.” She chuckled making me even more curious.

She returned with some paper and two pens.
“Brainstorm your ideas… I don’t know how else to go about doing this, then if we put our own ideas down and then bring them together” she said and I had to agree with that.

So we laid there me at one end of her bed and she at the other where my feet were and for a while there was nothing but silence.

Nina’s POV

I had a few ideas in mind for this song a lot of them coming from past relationships, mistakes and the memories back home. So I put it all down. Hoping that when Josh read them that he wouldn’t ask questions, because I didn’t want to tell him any of it.

My phone started ringing it was near Josh’s head on my bedside table he went to pick it up.

“Just leave it.” I told him and he looked at me a little puzzled

“I don’t want to answer it.” I told him

“How do you even know who it is?” He asked

“It’s Neil.” I told him who it was and he nodded “Just leave it there he will get the message eventually.” He nodded

But after the phone had rung out four times and was well on its way to making it a fifth Josh piped up.

“Is this the guy who was calling you the first day we met?” He asked and I nodded
“Is he from Australia?” He asked and I nodded again “Why won’t he leave you alone Nina?” He was full of questions.

“He is my ex and that’s it.” I cut him off

“Can I pick it up?” He asked

“No Josh you can’t.” I yelled at him

“There is more to it then that isn’t there, you didn’t just break up.” The way he looked at me was as though he could see right into my soul; see everything I was trying to hide from him. “You have this whole other life before you moved here that your not telling anyone about aren’t you?”

It was silent for a moment before my phone off again and he picked it up off the table.

“Josh?” I yelled at him, a little panicked.

“I just turned it off its okay.” He replied. “Are you ever going to tell me what happened, why you’re so guarded?”

I simply shook my head no and he sighed loudly collapsing back onto my bed as I did the same.

I was getting uncomfortable there was too much silence; so I stuck my toe is Josh’s ear. I mean my feet were near his head anyway. He flicked my foot away from him grunting in the process. I continued to do it making him squirm before he sat up.

“Are you trying to have fun with me Miss Davis, or maybe this is your attempt to flirt.” he laughed sitting up

“No Josh don’t flatter yourself.” Maybe it came out harsher then I intended for it to.

“Whenever things are good, you snap its like you can’t let yourself have any fun.” He said, slipping off my ballet slippers that I had left on.

Noticing the scars and cuts, one toe had been badly bleeding, though I couldn’t feel it. Once he had slipped them both off he gently started to massage them and I let out a slight sigh of pleasure.

“Will you do something for me?” He asked “My band is playing this little pub in a couple night time, will you come?” He asked.

“No, Josh I can’t.” I sighed

“I swear to god I wont let anything happen to you, I wont let anyone touch you, my sister is coming she’s a year older then us ill make sure she is with you at all times.” He was trying to justify it.

“It’s just, pubs, clubs not really my scene you know I would rather just stay home, I can’t Josh.”

“Please, you don’t have to drink, I’ll keep you safe I just want you to be there.” He said sitting up to look at me.

He thought that I was scared of someone trying to start something with me, like they did at that party but that wasn’t it. That wasn’t it at all. And I couldn’t tell him why I hated being in such environments, and I knew it was going to be a challenge.

“I’m not drinking, I’m not taking anything else and if one guy lays his sleazy hands on me…”

“You are a sweetheart you know that, even if you try to hide it.” He laughed.