Page 11 of Our Final Encore

“Any good?”

“You’re amazing, Alex. How did you learn to play like that? Or sing like that?” I’m totally fangirling right now, but I don’t care. I’m truly impressed.

He looks down at the ground between us, and it’s too dark to tell but I think there may be a slight blush on his cheeks. “I don’t know. I just decided I wanted to play, so I learned.”

“You’re talented. You should start posting videos online or something. Who knows, maybe you could be the next big sensation.”

He laughs, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “I don’t know about that.”

“I’m serious. You should.”

“Maybe someday,” he says before setting the guitar on the grass beside him.

I drop the subject, sensing that it’s making him nervous. It’s nearly October now, so the air has a slight chill to it. It’s nice, I can finally wear long sleeves at night without sweating like crazy.

“Do you ever miss Colorado?” I ask, feeling the need to fill the silence.

He takes a second to answer. “Yeah, all the time, but I’m getting used to this place.”

“What was it like there?”

“Colder. And mountainous. We lived in the city, so there was always something to do and there were a lot more people. There was always traffic, and it was noisier.”

“I don’t know if I’d like that. More people sounds kind of awful.”

He grins and then leans back onto his elbows, kicking out his legs in front of him. “I don’t know, it kind of seems like the more people that are around, the less they care about what you’re doing. You just blend into the crowd. Here it’s different, people are more nosy. I don’t like that.”

I definitely understand what he means. Some people in this town can be very nosy, and also judgmental. “Yeah, I get that. Do you think you’d ever move back?”

He shrugs, his lip twitching. “Maybe. I kind of want to go somewhere bigger though. Maybe L.A., or New York.”

“Wow,” I whisper. Part of me feels disappointed, and I’m not sure why. It’s not like I have any reason to think he’d want to stay here. Hell, we may not even be friends a year from now. But for some reason, I really wish he would stay. The thought of him moving across the country almost…hurts.

“What about you? You wanna stay here?”

“Not really,” I shake my head. “I want to leave when I go to college. I just…I have no idea where I’d go.”

“You’re going to college?”

“Yeah,” I shrug. “Doesn’t everybody?”

He chuckles. “I don’t know, maybe.”

We sit in silence for a while, and at some point we both end up laying in the grass, looking up at the stars.

“Getting tired yet?” he asks.

I’m not, but I can tell he’s probably ready to go inside. I’m afraid to move, I feel like as soon as I leave this connection between us may go away. “Yeah, I guess I better try to get some sleep,” I lie.

“We should hang out again tomorrow,” he says as he pushes himself off the ground and dusts off his pants.

“Yeah?” My brow crinkles.

He nods, and then reaches his hand out for me to grab. I stare at it awkwardly for a second too long before grabbing it. What feels like an electric shock zaps my fingers. He lets go as soon as I’m on my feet, and I instantly miss his touch. I don’t know why.

He smirks as he picks up his guitar and slings it over his shoulder. “Goodnight, bluebird.”

SEVEN

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