Page 51 of The Lies Always Told

“Mm-hmm. This way, you can just listen. No obsessing over what comes next, no shuffling. It’s like surrendering to fate. Whatever song plays, that’s what you get.”

She waits a second, waiting quietly before saying, “Alright, but what if you get stuck with a song you don’t like?”

I shrug. “Isn’t that how life is too though? Life gives you moments you don’t like, and you can’t rewind to start them over. You can’t skip the painful and uncomfortable moments, no matter how much you want to do it. You can, however, choose a different path when the one you’re on is not what you wanted, and I could technically do the same. But if I just let the songs play the way they were intended to be heard…when I push through the uncomfortable feelings or the songs I don’t love, I find that it teaches me more than just listening to music. It feels like music speaks to me more this way than the other way around.”

She lowers the volume and then looks at me. “So you just play all these deep and cool ass songs, learn from them, and what? Just listen? You don’t even sing. You don’t move your body to their beat.”

I snort a laugh. “You don’t have to sing to show you enjoy music. You don’t even have to know the lyrics. That’s not what music is. It’s more than just the sound that fills the air. It’s the vibration that dances through our veins and reaches our heart, a rhythm that beats beneath our skin regardless of whether we’re dancing. Music is the echo in the back of your mind when you recall a moment. It’s the soundtrack to the chapters of your life.”

I look at her briefly, and her eyes are open wide, looking back at me. “Go on. That was so poetic,” she says.

With a grin, I murmur, “You don’t need tosing to know what the song is conveying. The heart sings louder than any lyrics could. Just like music goes beyond songs playing at any given time. It’s the whispers of melodies in the spaces between each breath, or the beat that moves us, even when we’re still, when we can’t or won’t move. You know the melody that lingers long after the last note fades? That’s the invisible force, pulling you closer to memories, to dreams, to lessons, to moments, to feelings that can’t quite be put into words but you can remember in music. We may speak in language, but we feel in songs.”

My words rest between us, letting the hum of the engine and the cars passing us by carry our conversation while Nellie stays quiet.

“I do sing sometimes, though.” I look her way and wink. She rolls her eyes as she sits up straight.

“Up there to the right.” Nellie points after clearing her throat, and I see a gate leading to a narrow and long driveway. I slow down, taking the turn and drive through pines on either side, their trunks slender and dark. The air is cooler, especially now that we’ve slowed down. It’s summer, so it’s still hot as shit, but it’s nicer than in Florida.

The further we go, the quieter it gets. The hum of the engine and the rustling of leaves are the only sounds. I can almost hear the whisper of the mountain itself, breathing in the silence. The peace that this place brings. In the distance, I catch glimpses of a valley, dotted with patches of grass.

Then, there it is, a small cabin at the end. “Is this where we’re going?” I ask Nellie and wait patiently for her reply.

“What’s your favorite place in the world, Gus?” she asks, not answering my question but looking straight ahead at the beautiful cabin tucked in between trees.

“I don’t have one, I don’t think.”

“Well, this is mine.”

I exit the car and open the passenger door for her, letting her step out and following her with the bag she made me packbefore we left. “Come with me.” I have her bag in my hand as I follow her.

The air is crisp against my face as I make my way up the winding trail toward the cabin. The ground is littered with fallen pine needles that crunch beneath my shoes. Nellie runs up the steps, opening the big wooden door. The cabin is rustic, made entirely of dark wood, blending seamlessly with the natural surroundings. A wrap-around porch stretches out from the front, old rocking chairs swaying in the breeze.

As I step through the front door, the scent of wood and earth greets me, a smiling Nellie standing right in the middle of a cozy living room warming my heart. Just looking at her makes me feel both at ease and at war—at ease knowing I might have found the girl who will bring me peace for the rest of my life, but at war because I can’t say the same about myself.

The walls are lined with wide, aged wooden planks, and the tall windows flood the room with natural light. The space feels expansive yet intimate, the high ceilings stretching above, making the cabin feel like it’s almost an extension of the outdoors. I can hear the creaking of the floorboards as I explore, imagining how many years this place has stood, weathering storms and sunshine, rough and calm days, and who knows how many couples or families. It’s timeless and beautiful.

“Is this your friend’s cabin?” I ask Nellie, placing our bags on top of the counter, and she nods. She walks around, opening windows and turning some lights on before turning to face me with a smile.

“So, what do you think?”

“I think it’s a stunning cabin. I can see why you like it here.”

“Let me show you the main bedroom. It has a tub.” She holds my hand and winks at me, giggling when I shake my head as she drags me down the long, dark hallway. Nellieturns on the lights as we walk past them. There are no overhead lights here, but lamps are carefully placed in different corners, illuminating the hallway in hushed tones.

We pass two rooms and head straight into the last one. She pushes the door open, and the large room covered in natural light brings a smile to my face. There’s a large bed in the middle, white linen covering the top, two nightstands made of cedar, and a large dresser to the right. This room has an open concept, letting me see part of the bathroom to the far left. The windows surround the entire room, floor to ceiling, with very little in between. It feels like you’re in the middle of the woods instead of inside a room, with no curtains or any privacy.

“This is?—”

“Breathtaking,” Nellie interrupts on a quiet whisper. She walks in, taking her shoes off as she strides toward the bathroom. She disappears from sight almost immediately, but when I step further into the room, I see her opening the valve on the faucet of a large, clawfoot tub.

“There are no curtains here,” I murmur.

“Nope, but you can’t see anything from outside. Plus, this is private property, so someone would be trespassing if they were here. Trust me, though, you can’t see anything.” She lets the water run in small trickles, almost as if she wants it to take a long time to fill up. She pours some bubble soap from the table behind it and then walks toward me with a big, bright smile and that ridiculously cute outfit. Her hands come up to my neck, and she kisses my lips quickly. “Are you going to join me in there? I can tell you all about why I love this place.”

“We won’t fit in there,” I state, pointing to the tub.

“We will have to get really snuggly.” She wiggles her eyebrows and lifts her fingers to her shirt, untying the little knots. Her shirt was loose to begin with, so the minute she unties it, it opens completely, held up only by her perky nipples. She smiles at me wickedly, her gaze roaming my chestbefore moving her hands to my shirt and unbuttoning it, one at a time.

---