HIP #2: Summer Of Love

Chapter 25

I can't help thinking about what Peter said earlier. That he goes to the bathroom and locks the door when his dad runs to him and tries to hit him. It's something I can't believe. He went to the point where he had to hide away so he won't get hurt.

Like the other nights that passed by, I'm doing the same thing: lying on my bed, air conditioning on, and staring at the empty ceiling, trying to fall asleep. I have no idea why, but I'm waiting for Peter to knock on the door. Perhaps because I'm bored right now and I need someone to talk to. I want to share my boredom with him. My eyes are about to shut, but I'm stopping them, so they won't.

Finally!

I smiled when I heard someone knocking several times on the door. It was not that loud, but enough for me to hear it. I stood from my bed and rushed to the knob, then opened it. I smiled when I was right with my prediction. It's him. I opened it wider for him to enter. He's hugging a big pillow while wearing a blue sweater and black pajamas. I think anything looks good on him. Even old ones or rugs.

I shut the door once when he is already inside. He sat on my bed, then placed his pillow beside mine. "You're going to sleep here?" He shook his head in disagreement about my question. I know he's going to say that. I just wanted to confirm through a question. "Okay." After I responded, I walked toward him and parked myself beside the pillow he placed.

My head is on my soft, cottony, and cozy pillow. My eyes are held on Peter while he's looking the other way. "What should we do?"

"I don't know either. That's why I came to you." He chuckles a little. "Earlier, I'm the one who suggested what we should do. Now it's your turn." He added.

Maybe let him think again? No. That's not fair. But what am I supposed to do? I don't know. I can't think of anything but him. Wait, what? I have him in my mind? Never mind.

"At night, my mind's empty. It's pretty obvious." I closed my eyes and put my hands on top of my belly.

"You're lying." I frowned but still kept my eyes shut.

"What do you mean?" I knew what he meant.

"Remember when you told me that your brain works better at night?" Darn, why did I tell him that?

"Come on! That was such a long time ago! I've changed." I haven't really changed at all. My brain still works better at night. I'm just not in the mood right now to think of something that could relieve our boredom. And what I said wasn't a long time ago yet. It was just like last year. Late December.

"What is 240 divided by 4?"

"That's obviously 60."

"See. Your brain is still working perfectly fine. Play fair! Think of something fun we should do." Darn it. Why the heck did I answer that question? But the response was very easy so I couldn't help but give him an answer. I thought he was seriously asking about something that he couldn't answer by himself so I gave him a reply. I didn't notice he was testing me. I should have opened my eyes.

"Okay. Fine." I opened my eyes and sat on the bed. I put the blankets on my feet and eyed him.

"I'm in the mood for singing," I complained.

"Seriously? Charlie, it's eleven in the evening. People are already sleeping." The mood is mood.

"I know. But it's either that we'll be bored until the morning or that we would wake them up. Besides, we won't sing a loud song. We'll sing silently and choose a calm song." Honestly, I know nothing about calm songs. I more often listen to screaming songs.

"Sing silently? How can you do that? You want me to sing through whispers?" Is he joking? Or complaining?

"What's wrong with that? Like Billie Eilish. Duh!" The expression duh to act a little like her.

"We're totally not singing a Billie song," so he doesn't like her? Sad.

"I'm not saying we are."

"Then what would we sing?"

"A song from the music industry." A smile grew on his face when I said that.

"Don't Blame Me."

"That's a very loud song."

"No! It's not. It's very chill."

"Have you sung the bridge part in karaoke? Because I did and I know how loud that is. And also the part where there would be a lot of backing vocals and we would scream oh-oh-Woah-Woah."

"Okay, fine. What about I Knew You Were Trouble?" Can he hear himself?

"That's even louder!"

"All Too Well 10-minute version?"

"Perfect!" I grabbed my phone from my pocket and the two pieces of Air Pods then gave one piece to him. He plugged it in his right ear and I plugged mine into the left side. "We'll use them so that we'll be the only ones to hear the music." He nodded then gently lay beside me.

The moment I tapped the round play button, the song began playing.

"We should scream together in the bridge part and act like we've both been in breakups." We chuckled.

As time passed, we sang along with the lyrics that hits deep, words that describe how Taylor felt when she wrote the song which we don't feel now because we haven't been in her position, and the rhythm that made us cry.

The bridge went on and we screamed in a melodic tone. "🎵Well maybe we got lost in translation maybe I asked for too much but maybe this thing was a masterpiece 'till you tore it all up, running scared, I was there, I remember it, all too well. And you called me up again just to break me like a promise. So casually cruel in the name of being honest I'm a crumpled up piece of paper lying here, cause I remember it all, all, all...🎵"

I almost lost my throat screaming that part while Peter seemed to do it so effortlessly. Still, he sounded ten times better than me. We kept singing until...

We stopped when we heard several knocks on the door. Though the song was still playing, we looked at each other. "Check it." I think we both know who that could be.

"You check it!" He grabbed the blanket and covered himself. I rolled my eyes and then had no choice but to open the door. I hope it's not who I think it is.

"Charlie, I'm so sorry to tell you this and to ruin your night but some guests have been complaining to us saying that you guys are bothering their sleep. Maybe you can save the songs for tomorrow? Because most of the people are already sleeping." I knew it. Amber.

I faked a smile and tried to give her my best expression showing my apology. "Oh my god! It's nothing to worry about. I'm the one who should say sorry. I'm really sorry about this."