I Melt With You

Chapter 5: My Broken Bones

Sarah smiled. She pretended as if she didn't care about me loving the man she had once loved, but I knew that deep down, Sarah did care. And she only smiled so Brendon could smile. She was a hell of a lot more supportive than I was. And I knew in another world, Sarah and Brendon still would have met, but instead, Sarah would be Brendon's best friend, and I'd be Brendon's lover. But that was another world. And this was this world, a world where I had rejected his love, thrown it on the floor, cut it into pieces, and Brendon to tape it all together. I even took some parts of it with me, just so he could never have a full heart again. I was his sun and he was his moon. He stayed with me in the darkest times of my life and brightened it. And I anchored him. And we threw that away and became nameless celestial bodies in the endless void of space only to be reunited again with a stupid drunk call. Now I was here. In his home.

Sarah had left me alone to think. Brendon came back a little later, after fifteen minutes or so.

"Where's Sarah?" he asked. He looked tired, as if recording music had become more of a job instead of a vessel for expressing emotions. Maybe it had. I listened to his recent music, and it seemed force. Less real. Less like the Brendon I once knew. At first, I thought it was because over time a person changes, but I realized that season change, and people don't.

"She didn't say where she was going. I think she went out with a friend for something," I replied. "How was, um, work?" God, this was so fucking awkward. It was only awkward because I didn't expect to stay at their house for so long. It was now around 8:30 PM and I was still here. Why was I still here? "Uh, hey, I think I'll take off now. I was going to wait for Sarah to come back, but, uh, just tell her I said bye, or whatever. I don't--"

"No," he interrupted. I quirked an eyebrow. I saw him blush and he raised his hand to rub his nose. "Er, what I meant was, why don't you help me out in the studio, man? You're a fucking lyrical genius and a golden guitar god." I shook my head. No, bad idea. "Aww, c'mon man! I need you to check my shit! It'll just be like old times." Old times, when the only thing stopping us from slitting our wrists and tying that noose was music. I flashed him a skeptical look. "I'll even give you a private concert. Please?"

Rolling my eyes, I agreed and we entered his studio. I'll have to admit, I was a bit jealous. He had walls just full of guitars I'd just love to get my hands on. He had a keyboard in a corner and a drum kit in the other and a computer where I assumed he threw stuff together. I found myself seated and he wiggled his eyebrows in a taunting manner.

"Ready for the best concert of your life, Ross?" he asked, teasingly. And I nodded and simply crossed my arms and waited. He grabbed his guitar and I heard the first few chords and I looked at him in shock. He was giving me the biggest grin ever.

"C'mon, Ross, sing along now...She was acting pretty, thought she owned the city, someone should've told her, that pretty ain't a job..." That fucker was singing Change. I grinned at him, trying to fight back my laughter. I decided to join him.

"And now she begs for money, no one calls her honey, as she bothers shoppers, in the parking lot..." I sang, rolling my eyes as he beckoned for me to get up. He handed me a guitar and we started to play together.

We sang the chorus together, looking at each other with stupid grins on our faces, "Some people never change, they just stay the same way...."

"Are you ready for the change, Ross? One, two, three, four, is it still me that makes you sweat? Am I who you think about in bed?" He was wiggling his eyebrows once again and pretending to fill his eyes with lust. I played along.

I sang the verse after him with a mocking tone, "When the lights are dim, your hands are shaking as you're sliding off your..."

We were both practically giggling as his voice turned high pitch and he mimicked a drunk girl, "I've got more wit, a better kiss, hotter touch, a better fuck!" He put an extra emphasis on fuck as he hip thrusted against his guitar. I rolled my eyes, but I was grinning. I haven't had this much fun with music in a long, long time.