No One Sings Like You Anymore

I sat on my couch, stuffing various types of junk food in my mouth.

Frankie threw a piece of popcorn at me, "you're stupid, Zoe."

I sighed, "you fail at BFF'ing, Frankie."

"Why can't you just give it a chance?"

I shrugged, "I don't know. It's like I'm happy, but as soon as the idea of a relationship comes up, I panic."

She sat up and looked at me, "Zoe, you're my best friend - "

My face contorted, "who said we were friends?"

She laughed and threw a pillow at me, "I'm serious. You're like my sister, and I would never lead you in the wrong direction. If I didn't think Brendon was completely worth your time, I wouldn't tell you to just take a chance."

I sighed and rubbed my eyes, "I'm going to bed. I can't think about this anymore."

"Just promise me you'll consider it, ok?"

I rolled my eyes, "Frankie, I told you. He said he was done. I've completely exhausted my chance."

She shook her head, "Brendon cares about you, Zoe. He's just saying that and you know it. Just sleep on it, ok?"

I nodded, "if it'll satisfy you."

I walked around my apartment cleaning since I had been too busy moping to do it in the past week.
As I was cleaning the counter, I came across the photos I had taken for Brendon.
I sighed and bit my lip, then gathered them together and walked across the hall.
I couldn't decide if I really wanted him to have the pictures, or if this was just an excuse to see him.

I knocked lightly on the door and waited. No answer.
His car was out front, so I assumed he was ignoring me. He had every right to.
I laid the pictures in front of his door and walked back across the breezeway.

I woke up the next morning around 8:00 and did something I hadn't done in awhile.
Got my cup of coffee, my book, and walked outside on the balcony.
As much as I tried to take my mind off of everything, it always reverted back to Brendon.
I missed him and I regretted everything I had said. I regretted hurting him.
I heard a faint scratching sound on the concrete.
I looked behind me and saw the last thing I had expected to see.

That paper airplane.

My heart raced and I realized I was holding my breath.
I hesitated, but picked it up, figuring he must've tossed it over sometime last night.
I slowly unfolded it and skimmed the notes we had written back and forth over the course of that week.
At the bottom, there was something new scribbled in black ink.

I miss this.

I smiled and tried to blink away tears.
I took a deep breath and walked quickly across the hallway, knocking on Brendon's door until my knuckles hurt.

He opened the door and looked at me, that same distressed expression on his face he had the last night I saw him, "hey."

I bit my lip, unable to come up with the words to fix everything I had done wrong.

He sighed, "I can't keep trying to make your decision for you. I need you to tell me what you want, Zoe."

I smiled as my eyes brimmed with tears, "you're one of the most amazing people I've ever met, Brendon. In the short time we've known each other, you've had such an incredible impact on my life. I can't think of anything I want more than you, B."

He snaked his arms around my waist and pulled me close, kissing me deeply, "took you long enough."