Afire Love// ed sheeran

First Day

A few weeks later, the sun flooded my room through the thin white curtains. I yawned, stretching my hands over my head and turning over. I sighed as I pressed my forehead to Ed's shoulder.

I heard him chuckle softly as he rubbed his hand against my shoulder. "Wake up sleepy head," he mumbled, pressing his lips to my temple. "It's your first day of school." He wrapped his fingers around mine gently and tugged, trying to pull me out of bed.

Exhausted, I stretched from my spot in my bed and sighed, rolling out from bed. "I'm up," I yawned, slowly getting up. Ed left the room was I grabbed my clothes from my closet and went to the bathroom for a shower.

***

I sat at the kitchen table, shoveling spoonfuls of cereal into my mouth. It had just hit me. Today was my first day at Julliard.

A grin spread across my faces, hands shaking, as I swallowed the last spoonful of cereal. I slid the white bowl into the sink and turned towards Ed and smiled. He was shirtless, the bright ink on his arms vibrant against pale flesh. He was looking out the window, his palms pressed to the white window ledge as he sipped his tea and sighed, content. I walked over to him, kissing the skin of his soft cheek as I wrapped my arms around his waist. He turned around, pressing his lips first to my forehead and then to my lips. His arms wrapped around me, my tiny body engulfed in a warm embrace. I wasn't nervous in his comforting arms but the lingering thought of Julliard made my toes tingle and my fingers shake.

Maybe the lingering anxiety wafted off of me like a perfume or maybe Ed just had a way of knowing how I felt because he pulled away from me, looking into my eyes with a small smile playing on the edges of his lips. He had a gleam in his eye, one I could not decipher the meaning of. He looked at the ground for a second then looked back up at me.

"This is going to sound really cheese," he mumbled, chuckling as he shook his head back and forth. "But, I'm so glad you are my girlfriend. I'm so proud of all you have accomplished. I know you're going to do absolutely wonderful at Julliard. I'll be there for every recital, any time you want me to hear you play... I'm right here, okay?"

I nodded shyly. I could warmth rise into my cheeks as Ed pulled me into another embrace, stuffing his head into my hair and laughed to himself. I had to admit, this boy made me so happy.

***

With a deep sigh, I stuffed the folders of sheet music and class information into my purse, tossing it over my shoulder as I packed my violin into its case nervously. Sweat pooled in the lines of my palms. I felt like a mess and probably looked like one to. I checked myself in the mirror once last time, eager to make a good first impression at Julliard. My lips were colored in with lipstick the color of roses. I was wearing black jeans, a striped t-shirt, and black boots. I could see my hands trembling despite all efforts to conceal the obnoxiously obvious anxiety flowing through my veins and fueling me. My hair had grown and was now skimming the edges of my cheeks in messy waves. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and turned to Ed.

"I'm going now," I said, trying to contain the obvious shakiness that made my voice crack.

Ed set his guitar down, getting up from the couch and walking to me. He planted his hands on my waist, pulling me to his chest. I let a deep breath out, one I hadn't realized I was holding in.

"You'll do wonderful. Don't be nervous," he whispered. "Every night before a show, I tell myself that the only thing that matters when I'm playing is the instrument in my hand, the microphone by my mouth, and the people I am playing for. There is nothing else to worry about- I don't care how I look or any of that superficial shit. I care that I can make someone feel something with my music because if you don't make people feel something when they listen to your music, it's pointless. Make those Julliard professors feel something."

He pressed his lips to mine for a few seconds and I wanted nothing more than to roll myself up into a little ball and hide away in my apartment with him forever and ever. Instead, I kissed his cheek, picked up my violin, flashed Ed a smile, and left the apartment.

Rushing down the steps, I dashed out the front door. I put one hand in the air and whistled, hailing a cab. As the cab stopped in front of me, I opened the door and slid in, setting my instrument onto the floor of the taxi. I pulled my ear plugs from my purse as I told the driver the address and as he pulled into traffic, I pushed my ear buds in and pressed play. Thinking Out Loud began to play and I opened up my folder of class information and began to look through the pages.

At 11 am, I had orientation with the other incoming freshmen. There, courses, majors, and extracurricular activities would be discussed. There would be an introduction to the school and then, from there, I would head over to my first class, music theory with Professor Antwinet.

The cab pulled into traffic and I looked out the window. How many of those people walking the streets were headed to a new job, off to a first date, to their first day of school? Did those people feel the same way I felt- stomach twisted into knots, palms sweating, heart racing, uncontrollable smile playing on their lips? Had Ed felt something like this before his first performance? I let out a weak laugh as I closed my eyes, pressed my face to the cold glass, and tried to relax as the cab zig-zagged through traffic.