Page 38 of The Scientist

“Are you crying?” Stuart asked, sounding horrified.

“No,” I said, sniffling.

“The people in New York must be really bad if all it takes is a little ice cream and you start sobbing like a baby.”

I swatted his arm with the back of my hand and turned to look for a garbage can to throw away the rest of the ice cream that I couldn’t finish. I cut across the alley when I spotted one on the corner, only to find a rare gem hiding in plain sight.

I squealed and ran straight toward it.

“Ouch! Eardrums, Hadley,” Stuart told me, covering his ears.

“Sorry, but look!” I pointed at my discovery.

“Are we looking at the same thing?” Stuart asked, perplexed. “It’s a well,” he said, pointing out the obvious. “What’s so great about a well?”

“Acoustics,” I told them, hanging over the side. “Come here.”

I gestured for them both to lean over the side with me. They indulged me, leaning over the edge apprehensively.

I was trying to decide what song I wanted to use to demonstrate the sound when a lightbulb went off.

“Do you believe in life after love?” I sang into the abyss and the effect was perfect. My voice echoed around, bouncing off the walls of the well in an eerily beautiful sort of way.“I can feel something inside me saying I really don’t think you’re strong enough, no.”

“Holy shit!” Stuart exclaimed, laughing. “You can fucking sing!”

I thought Lex might laugh or at least crack a smile at the song I’d chosen, but he didn’t say a word. He continued staring at me with the tiniest part between his lips.

His gaze was piercing.

“Great song choice.” Stuart looked over to Lex. “You know my guy here is a big fan.”

“Keep going,” Lex finally said in a low voice.

“More Cher tunes?” I asked lightheartedly, trying to distract from the intensity of his gaze.

“Anything,” he said.

I leaned over, staring into the well for a few moments, thinking about what I should sing next before looking up into those whiskey-colored eyes. Inspiration hit in the span of a single breath.

I chose“The Scientist”by Coldplay.

I closed my eyes through the beginning, trying to focus on remembering the lyrics.When I was about midway through, I opened them to see Lex’s impenetrable gaze was still trained on me. I felt ensnared by those eyes as they burned brightly with an almost overwhelming intensity. I continued to sing the heartbreaking words, unable to look away. We may as well have been the only two people there as the outside world seemed to fade away.

When I finished the last note, I heard clapping coming from behind us, breaking the spell.

“You drew a crowd, Hadley,” Stuart said, looking over his shoulder. “We should have put a cup out to try and get tips.”

“Yeah, we probably could have made a whole three bucks,” I said, walking toward the bay, trying to shake off the odd feeling I was having. I was always comfortable singing in front of people so I don’t know why this time just felt different.

We spent another hour walking along the bayside, checking out the local shops, and admiring the view. Lex didn’t say much the rest of the afternoon or even look my way, really.

I hated that I noticed.

Luckily, Stuart was great at filling the void in the conversation department. He chatted happily, and I chimed in enough to keep the conversation going. I wondered if that’s how they maintained such a great friendship over the years. Their personalities were so different. Complete opposites really, but it seemed to work for them.

We made it back home in the late evening, and I thanked them again for such a great afternoon.

“Let’s do it again,” Stuart said. “You didn’t even get to see half of what The Tech Interactive has to offer.”

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