The Brightest Star

Chapter 7

"Do you play?" She questioned, carefully running a hand over a set of guitars over in the corner.

"Me?" He replied, pointing at himself as his eyebrows knitted together in slight confusion. She giggled lightly in response, giving him a short nod before turning her attention back to the guitars.

"Well, uh, I've messed around on the drums a bit, but it's nothing fancy." He stated, scratching his cheek, as a sheepish smile took over his features, "Do you?"

"Mm, I've messed around a little bit, but nothing fancy." She replied, smiling back at him as she lifted one of the instruments and placed the strap over her neck. Her smile softened ever so slightly, as she gently strummed a few chords.

"You know Elvis?" He questioned, recognizing the slight melody from the records Mrs. Medda always had playing. She looked up at him in surprise, still nodding nonetheless.

"My dad used to sing it to my mom every night." She started, returning to strumming the sweet song. A quiet hum left her lips as she found the right notes, losing herself slightly in the music.

Crutchie watched on in silence, letting his eyes fall shut as the soothing sounds washed over him. The peaceful moment didn't last long though, his eyes snapping open just as quickly as a rather sour note rang out. He turned his attention back to the girl as she abruptly stopped. She stood frozen for a minute before practically ripping the strap off, hastily setting the instrument back down and hurrying out of the room, mumbling about having to finish the tour.

He stayed rooted to his spot, blinking in slight confusion at the sudden change in character. His mouth fell open, before closing once more, a frown etching it's way onto his features.

With a small shake of his head, he hurried his way out of the room, finding the girl a little ways out. He took note of the rapid tapping of her finger on her forearm, his gaze traveling up to her face as she bit down on her lip once more.

"Uh, Star?" He called out, slowly making his way over to her. He placed a careful hand on her shoulder, her head snapping up in response. She blinked slowly, her cheeks rapidly becoming redder as her actions began to sink in.

"Let's just keep going." She mumbled, bowing her head, wanting to escape his concerned gaze as she turned on her heel and continued down the hall.

"Hey wait a minute," He called once more, falling forward slightly when she moved out of his grasp. He tried to follow, barely being able to keep up with her long strides. "Star wait!"

She stopped, still keeping her back turned to him as she waited for him to catch up, immediately noticing the heavy breaths tumbling from his lips, as slight wave of guilt washed over her, a familiar weight settling on her chest.

"Why the hurry?" He questioned through his panting, offering her a small smile.

"I'm sorry," She mumbled, avoiding his gaze, "Can we just keep going?"

"Yeah, sure," He replied, pushing away the many, many questions brewing inside. He hesitated for a moment before gently taking her hand, "If you ever need to talk though, I'm all ears."

She blushed lightly at the contact, carefully looking up at him. He still wore that same smile, but she could see the concern swimming in his eyes. Eyes that seemed so familiar, yet so different. She shook her head, pushing away her thoughts and giving his hand a gentle squeeze, offering up a small smile of her own in return.

He gently tugged her along, rambling on about changing rooms and lighting. While she was grateful for the distraction, she couldn't help but allow her mind to wander, unwanted thoughts returning to plague her every step.