I Only Have Eyes For You by The Flamingos
"I don't know if we're in a garden, or on a crowded venue. You are here, and so am I."
Wanna Be Yours by Arctic Monkeys
"You call the shots, babe. I just wanna be yours."
November 2014
The cold Chicago wind blew through Jade's bleach-blonde hair as she walked down the sidewalk. She placed a desperate grasp on Este's hand to regain the momentum she lost from the gust. "How are you walking so fast? You're wearing higher heels than I am and this wind is brutal," Jade said.
"I just know where I'm going," Este smirked. She kept walking as if the wind had no resistance to her. As if she was a part of it.
The air nipped at the skin showing through Jade's fishnet stockings, supplementing the chill of her nerves. "How much longer of a walk? I'm cold."
"Of course you are, Tenessee," Este smirked again, this time making sure the nickname landed. "Don't worry, it's just another block."
"Thank god!" Jade exclaimed as the two stopped at the crosswalk, "Do I look okay? The wind keeps blowing my hair into my makeup."
"You look beautiful," Este responded.
Jade smiled at the compliment. It was the first time that Este called her that and something about her tone made it feel like a rehearsed line. She debated internally if it was better to accept it or not. This unlabeled situation with Este was very new, almost non-existent. She didn't want to come across as desperate and she didn't want to come across as overly confident. She settled on, "You don't look too bad yourself." Perhaps this was a rehearsed line as well.
As the walk light turned white, Este smiled and giggled. It seemed like it was the polite thing to do after a compliment. She started to walk forward and Jade started to question her response. The rest of the block, they were quiet. Neither seemed to know where to go from that exchange.
They arrived at a brick townhouse. Although music was blaring through the windows, it was still silent between them. Este walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. Jade followed her lead. They only knew each other for a few days, but Este was always the lead. She thought about ending the silence and asking Este about the party's host, but the door opened before she could.
"Este! Hey! It's so good to see you!" one of her friends expressed. Este hugged her and walked into the house, suddenly wrapped up in a conversation. Before Jade was entirely in the place and could take her jacket off, Este vanished, the wind helping her float into the sea of people. The dynamic between the two left Jade questioning whether she should try and find her. Maybe the balloon floated too far into the sky. She didn't want to be clingy, appear like a lost puppy, or forcefully drag Este back down to earth. Trying not to overthink it, Jade decided to find a drink. Maybe with enough in her system, she could float away too.
She slinked her way through unknown bodies to fulfill her mission. Her eyes fell onto the kitchen counter, decorated with a plethora of plastic cups. It felt like an oasis of some kind. She had equated the feeling of not knowing anyone at this party to walking through the desert without water. Glances that were placed on her felt like the sun glaring into her eyes and burning her skin. Her hands wrapped around the cool glass bottle. She poured it into the cup and took a sip. The burn left her body and found its way to her throat, but at least her thirst was now quenched.
"You're drinking that straight up?" A voice spoke.
It took her a moment to realize that it was targeting her. She felt relief that someone wanted to initiate a conversation with her. The voice also brought her a little bit of comfort, low and warm like a hug.
YOU ARE READING
About You. (Matty Healy)
Romance"Well, I wrote a song about you." It had been a long time since she heard him say those words. Maybe she was relieved to hear him say them again. Maybe this is what she had been missing. #1 in mattyhealy on 4/23/23
