14 Days Until
“Tried and tried again
But the pain still shows
In this cage you call a chest
In this rage you call love.”
The girl jumped up and down letting the music encompass her whole-heartedly. She opened her eyes and tried locking eyes with him. The boy. The boy she had known yet not ever really known. She could see into his eyes and know what he was saying.
“Nothing is better than standing here with the lights blinding my eyes from the loving crowd in front of me.” The boy said through his blazing, blue-fire eyes.
She pulled herself up from tripping and tried to find the boy’s eyes but he was already back into his own world. Hiding away behind his choppy black hair.
The girl worked her way up to the front trying to jam her way up where he would see her. She needed to find his eyes. That’s why she came to these concerts. To have a true conversation with someone who understood her. No need for being verbal.
“The Merciless Opinions” blared away on their guitars. The singer continued to jump but she laid eyes only on the bass player standing by the drummer seeming content. The girl had always liked their first name better, “Stellar Zombies.” It seemed more fitting to the grinding, distorted guitars that seemed to engulf all of their seven songs.
Beside her, people were trying to fling themselves at the rhythm guitarist and singer. The girl tried not to pay attention to the obnoxious group of girls.
“Okay guys! This is one is a favorite of ours!” The singer had to scream into the microphone to talk over the hoots and hollers emanating from the audience. The girl looked up at the boy as he fiddled with his amp on stage. He seemed so timid and shy. The girl wanted to hug him and never let go.
“When I was a young boy
My father
Took me into the city
To see a marching band.”
The girl threw her hands to her mouth and screamed helplessly. This was her all-time favorite song ever. The girl took her Zippo lighter out of her pocket and could feel the sweat of it being in her pocket drip onto her hands. She flipped it open and swayed to the beat of the music. “The Merciless Opinions”, or “Stellar Magic” (whichever you prefer), played the acoustic version of the song that had always played in her heart.
The girl saw nothing, heard nothing, felt only the song course through her soul, her body, her whole. Nothing could beat the feeling of what music felt like. She never heard music. The girl only felt music. Nothing more than the beat and the words that encompassed her blood and mind.
The song ended abruptly and the girl could barely realize it was done. She glanced around and saw everyone’s lighters were already away. She quickly flicked off her lighter and made her way out the club. She heard the singer speak into the microphone and then heard a voice. A voice that made her tingle and shiver with glee. Something that had never happened to her before.
The girl turned around to see the boy up at the microphone. He looked out towards the crowd and raised his hands high. She longingly looked at the boy and for a moment thought their eyes met again. He looked at her in the back and she read from his eyes, “The best feeling in the world is the heat of this moment when I look at the world between headlights.”
The girl smiled and exited the club as he exited the stage. A silent love drawn between them.
7 Days Until
The boy got ready to make his way onstage. He wanted to read into the eyes of the unknown girl in the audience at their performances. Didn’t think anyone could love “The Merciless Opinions” that much. Maybe she’s been a fan since the “Stellar Zombies” era. The boy wondered blowing a strand of black tinted hair out of his eyes. The strand landed right where it was the moment before and the boy rolled his eyes.
The boy walked out onstage following his best friend. The boy plugged himself into his amp. He cracked his knuckles and waited for the band to begin. He scanned the club for any sign of the girl. He wanted to have a conversation with her. These were the best conversations he had with anyone. On these nights with her.
The boy felt adrenaline rush through him as the lights dimmed but brightened on his silhouette. His heart beat faster and saw her out in the crowd. Eyes locking he read something through those hazel eyes of hers.
“Find me. Find me.”
The Day
The girl made her way into the makeshift club. The band tonight was someone new. She had heard of them before but had never seen them before.
As the show began to settle and start and as she pushed her way forward and back, forward and back her heart melted. The room parted into a thousand pieces as if the only thing she was supposed to see was him.
He stared out her, him in front, and her in back. They walked. Not slow motion like in movies. Awkwardly and cautiously. Finally meeting up the boy stood looking down on her. His five foot ten was no match for her five foot six.
The girl stared past his awkward black bangs and into his eyes. The boy stared into her hazel eyes looking past her choppy, brown hair.
“Hi.” She read.
“Hi.” He read.
“I’m Cade.” The boy extended his hand.
“I’m Kiara.” The girl met his hand.
The room went back to dancing and the two people no longer heard the music of the band, only the music of each other’s beating hearts.