So Now, Run

I turned around and was surprised, semi, to see Nick standing there in all of his 6 foot tall and scruffy glory. He noted the alarm on my face and walked around the front of the chair and sat at the end. I gracefully pulled my legs from being stretched out in front of me, to sitting on them crossed. It’s hard sitting in a scrunched position in a skirt while trying to be graceful.

Once I was settled, he began the conversation. “So, Charlie right?”

God he had a great memory. “Uh, yeah. I-it is. And you’re…Nick?” I didn’t want to sound as if I’d been thinking about him almost every waking second since we talked the night before. I mean, I had, most of the time, but he didn’t have to know that.

“Haha yeah, I’m Nick. So if you don’t mind my asking, how did you manage to get an invite here? I mean, not that these guys aren’t great, but usually their same group of friends come, granted I’m part of a one-time exception.”

“Well, my brother is one of the main reasons for that.”

“Wait, your brother is Halvo?”

“Haha hell no. Would I be so normal if he was? Haha. Just kidding. No, Garrett is my brother.”

“You’re shitting me.”

“No. I’m serious. He’s just a little over a year older than me.”

“I would’ve never guessed that…though now that you mention it, I can kind of see the resemblance. I mean, you guys have the same-ish colored hair, and your faces look kind of alike. Actually, you could almost pass as fraternal twins. Wow. Why didn’t I pick up on this before? You guys actually look identical now that I think about it.”

“I get that a lot, though neither of us have ever seen the physical resemblance. We’re more alike in personality and interests.”

“So is he the reason you heard about us?”

“Surprisingly no. Your ticket to this party is.”

“Halvo?”

“Yeah. Funny how that happened actually considering I haven’t spoken to him in ages.”

“Enlighten me.”

“Well, I was randomly checking Instagram one day, and he had posted a video of part of one of your songs when he was at your show. I listened to what clips he played and was intrigued. I looked you guys up and quite enjoyed what I heard.”

“That’s nice to know. Did you also enjoy what you saw?” He asked in a mock seductive voice whilst raising his eyebrows suggestively.

I laughed and blushed. I couldn’t think of how to respond, but luckily Pat had come back by this point with our water bottles and resumed sitting in his previous chair. He leaned over and handed me my water bottle. I smiled in thanks.

Nick then piped up. “Wait, water? Really? You’re not drinking?”

“Haha no. Um, Pat” I motioned to him, “and I don’t really like to drink, and we are typically the only sober ones at these parties. Someone’s gotta make sure no one kills themselves! Not to mention, it’s hilarious to watch our friends act like idiots and wake up the next morning with unexplained minor injuries from the stupid stunts they pulled the night before. We have the fun job of telling them what actually happened the night before when they were drunk off their asses, so I think not drinking makes a pretty good tradeoff.”

We all laughed and Pat tipped his water bottle to mine in a toast-like fashion. “So Char, who’s this? Is this one of the guys from one of the bands Halvo invited over?”

“Yeah. Pat, this is Nick. Nick, Pat.”

They greeted each other with a nod of the head.

“So did you just meet Nick tonight?”

“Funny story. I actually met him last night. I went to their show and talked to him after.”

Realization filled his features and without missing a beat said, “Oh! I uh, f-forgot. I’ve uh, I’ve uh, gotta g-go inside. I uh, for-forgot s-something.” He then quickly got up and walked inside.

Laughing at his lack of subtlety, I use my free hand to cover my face from laughing, subconsciously wishing he would have just stayed so I could continue to talk to my best friend. Nick then reaches for that hand and pulls it off my face.

“Why are you covering your face for? There’s no need!”

If I wasn’t blushing before, I definitely was now. Why did he have to be so damn charming? God, I’m pathetic. I really need Pat back here.

“Well…thanks.”

He then stood up and offered his hand to help me up. I got up and still holding my hand, he led me inside. The rowdy part of the crowd had pretty much sequestered themselves outside by this point. We made our way to the living room where there were still a decent amount of people, but they were much more chilled out than those outside. The music was still blaring through the speakers and there was still a good crowd in the middle of the room attempting to dance. He led me to the “dance floor” to dance with him. Some upbeat, hip-hop song that I didn’t know was playing and I was attempting to dance to it with him, but he noticed I was struggling a bit; not quite finding my groove in the song.
He leans in and whispers in my ear, “Not really your decade huh?”

I nervously laugh and shake my head.

He nodded and added, “I figured as much. That’s why I rigged up something.”

It was like he planned this. I leaned back and looked at him in confusion. He just laughs, makes eye contact with the guy in charge of music, and the music changes. As soon as the first couple chords were played, all I could do was laugh.

“Really? You had to choose this song?”

He laughed back, “What? Stairway to Heaven is a classic song!”

“I can’t argue with you there, but really? That had to be your clichéd first song choice?”

“Hey now, it was either that or Free Bird…”

“Gosh that’s so predictable though!”

“Well then you won’t be disappointed with my next song choice then. C’mon, dance with me! Even if it’s a cliché classic rock song. I love this song.”

He then grabbed my hands, and spun me closer to him until we were standing chest to chest dancing. My left hand in his right, becoming the only thing physically separating our bodies, and my right hand in his left out by our shoulders. He then moves our hands from between us, and guides my left hand to his right shoulder as he put his right hand on my waist. I look up at him and bit my lip slightly as I move my head to rest my chin slightly on his right shoulder. Even though he chose a classic, yet cliché song to dance to, the moment was perfect. The song ended and faded into one of my favorite songs, unbeknownst to him. Once the song started, I just held on to him tighter and hummed along, occasionally softly singing the words as I laid my head completely on his shoulder and began to close my eyes, completely taking in the perfection of this moment.

He briefly interrupted the perfection of the moment by asking, “So, you really like this song huh?”

“Yeah, it’s actually my favorite song.”

“Wild Horses? Really now…”

“Ha. Yes. Is it really that hard to believe?”

“No…I just never pegged you as a Stones girl…I pegged you more as a Beatles girl.”

“Can’t I be both?”

“I guess, but most people are very defensive in the Stones vs. Beatles debate.”

“I mean, if I had to choose, I am a Beatles girl at heart. I was a fan of them long before the Stones, but that doesn’t mean that I hate the Stones or love every song of The Beatles either…”

“Sounds like you are a bit defensive about it huh?”

I looked up at him and he was giving me an amused shit-eating grin. I just rolled my eyes, laughing, and resumed my position of lying on his shoulder. He caught me off guard when he began softly singing the words to me, “Wild horses, couldn’t drag me away," almost as if it were a promise.

Even though I had just met the guy last night, I was already starting to fall for him, and was excited to get to know him better. Things were beginning to look up. He was the guy I always dreamed of meeting since I was a little girl.

Or so I thought five years ago. A lesson I would soon learn the hard way; looks are deceiving. People aren’t always who they say they are, or maybe they are, but we aren’t paying close enough attention to notice when they’re being truthful.