Sail

He wanted an honest opinion. He'd been struck by this melody as soon as he stormed out of his apartment. Inspired by yet another futile argument with his dad, Chandler took to strumming his guitar. Granted, a tunnel in a playground in the middle of a storm wasn't the best place for his acoustic, but he needed the fresh air and the tunnel provided at least a bit of refuge from the rain.

"It's beautiful."

"You're not lying?" Chandler looked down towards his feet and a pair of orange rain boots dangling above his.

"Do I have a reason to lie to a complete stranger?"

Chandler shrugged but forgot that she couldn't see him. He picked at a few strings absentmindedly. "You're getting completely soaked up there aren't you?"

"I'm not bothered by it."

"You'll get pneumonia." He waited for her response but realized after a few minutes that she wasn't going to give him one. He heard some commotion from on top of the tunnel and saw that she'd hopped down. He watched her legs begin to retreat and scurried out of his hiding spot, being sure to leave his guitar so it wouldn't get too wet. "Wait a second!"

The girl paused and turned to face him. Her face was covered mostly by the hood of her jacket but he read the name Steele stitched on it. "What?"

"Do you want to get some coffee or something?"

"I don't drink coffee."

A clever retort didn't come fast enough and soon the girl was walking away from him again. Chandler was tempted to go after her, to demand that she hear more of his music and give an honest stranger's opinion but her pace was fast and determined. She didn't want to be followed and he could understand that. He turned and tucked his guitar into his coat and made a careful dash to his car. He placed his guitar in the passenger seat and shook the wet hair from his forehead as he started the car.

Later, he rehashed the encounter with his roommate, band mate, and best friend extraordinaire. Byron was convinced that Chandler had not only met a potential die hard fan but also, possibly, his soul mate.

"A guy and a girl don't just meet in bizarre places like that without some kind of destiny awaiting them," Byron explained.

"You've been watching Lifetime again haven't you?"

Byron shook his head and left his friend alone. Chandler went to his room to check his phone. There were twelve missed calls, and three voice mails, all from his mother. He appreciated that she was concerned enough to make sure he was okay after the most recent argument with Forrest Wilson but why couldn't she understand when he wanted to be left alone? Out of his parents and his four other siblings, only the family dog seemed to have a hold on when to leave Chandler alone and when it was okay to invade his space. If he hadn't moved out two years ago, he'd be certifiable by now.

As he stretched out on his bed, he pulled his bedroom acoustic onto his stomach. As he strummed the same chords as he had in the park, he couldn't get that stranger's voice out of his head. Her statement "I don't drink coffee" brought a small smile to his lips for an inexplicable reason. He would find her again, he concluded.