All She Wanted (2) (20 page)

Briggs

After clean up—which I was excused from
on account of the sleeping baby in my arms—Lucina directed everyone to the
music den. Stacie took Kailynn from me, claiming she would be screaming in a
matter of minutes, demanding to be fed.

I saw Charlie trailing behind the group
at a very slow pace. She had smoothed out the front of her wrinkle-free dress a
dozen times in the last thirty seconds. I reached for her arm and pulled her
back a bit, out of earshot.

“Hey…you alright?” I asked, keeping my
voice low.

“Yeah, it’s just nerves, I guess.”

As dense as it might be, I was stunned
by her answer. I said as much.

“Nerves? You’re kidding me, right?”

She rolled her eyes and huffed, trying
to break away from my grasp. I didn’t budge.

“You wouldn’t understand—just let me
go.”

Nice
one, Briggs. Way to show your support.

“Hey, that’s not what I meant. I’m
sorry. It’s just surprising to me that someone with you kind of talent would still
get nervous. You’re brilliant, Charlie; don’t let yourself think any
differently, okay?” I said.

“My nerves are worse when I play for
smaller crowds. It just feels a lot more exposing to me than when I play at
larger venues.”

I realized then that I didn’t even know
half of what Charlie had done with her talent. We had talked quite a bit about
her schooling and scholarship details, but I knew very little about her future
dreams and goals regarding piano.

Why
hadn’t we talked about that?
I made
a mental note to ask her—soon.

I hugged her tight, pulling away to
rest my hand on her shoulder a few seconds later, “Whether you notice it or
not, it’s that exposure that draws us in when you play, Shortcake. It’s
captivating.”

Her eyes smiled at me as she bit her
bottom lip.
How can I not kiss her when
she looks at me like that?

As I leaned close, drawn in by some unforeseen
force, I heard the loud clearing of a throat behind me.

Kai.

“Sorry…but the natives are getting
restless in here,” Kai asked, avoiding my eyes, “We still on for the mini
concert, Charlie?”

“Yes, absolutely,” Charlie answered,
slipping out from under my arm.

I leaned my forehead against wall with
a thump, rededicating myself again to my previous resolve.

“Tuesday?” Kai asked, empathetically.

“Yeah…Tuesday,” I grumbled.

Kai chuckled and together we walked
into the music den.

Charlie

My palms were clammy as I rested them
on top of the cool keys.

This piano was a dream. It was a full
grand—ivory in color. It was unparalleled to any I had played before, including
those at the finest auditoriums and concert halls I had preformed in. This was
a rare gift—to play an instrument of this caliber. I took in a deep breath as I
saw Briggs walk into the room. My heart was instantly torn between elation and calm
at the sight of him. I mouthed the words
thank
you
, as our eyes met.

What he told me in the hallway I
wouldn’t soon forget.

I began.

The deep notes of the baseline announced
that something significant was about to commence, followed by the smooth
careful wanderings of the treble soon after. Then it was time for the unique
melody that would accompany the bride’s walk. I closed my eyes, focusing all my
passion, all my joy, all my heart into those last few measures. I could feel
the intensity of the room’s gaze on me, yet my nerves had all but disappeared. As
the last note resonated off the walls, I lifted my head and drew back my foot
from the sustain pedal. Richard stood from his seat on the sofa and started to
clap.

Within seconds, everyone was on their
feet, clapping. My face flushed at the response, but I couldn’t help but glance
at Tori. She was the opinion I valued most at the moment. From her eyes
streamed tears that she didn’t try to wipe away. Her smile was beautiful.
Before I could get up from the bench, she sat down next to me and put her arms
around my shoulders, hugging me tight.

“Thank you, Charlie. That was beyond
anything I could have hoped for.”

I felt my eyes grow damp at the joy in
her voice.

That was the only form of payment I
would ever need from my music:
Happiness
.

**********

After desert was served, the men went
out to the driving range while the women sat outside, soaking in the sunshine.
I was grateful for my short dress as I stretched my legs out, exposing them to
the glorious rays—it was heavenly.

Tori put a ban on all “wedding talk”
for the rest of the afternoon. Lucina and Stacie seemed at a loss for words at
first, but Tori kept right on talking as if it didn’t faze her in the
slightest. The more time I spent with her, the more I liked her.

“So, when are you planning to go back
to Austin?” Tori asked, adjusting her sunglasses while leaning back onto the
lounge chair.

“I am not exactly sure. The term ends
in a couple of weeks and I was originally thinking of doing some make-up work
over the summer—taking a few classes at least, but I’m not sure now.”

The truth was I didn’t want to go back
early anymore. I didn’t know what was going to happen with Briggs and I, but I wasn’t
looking forward to leaving him. He had quickly become my closest friend.

“Hmm...
that
wouldn’t have anything to do
with a certain fireman would it? Because if so, you should know that he’s currently
making his way over here,” Stacie cooed.

My head shot up with a snap. The
movement startled Tori and she did the same. We both looked at each other and started
laughing. Tori shook her head at Stacie, as if to silence her. It worked.
Thank goodness
.

“Hey there, did you know it’s after
five already?” Briggs asked me.

No way!
Had we really been here all day?

“Oh my gosh! I had no idea it was so
late. I hope we haven’t overstayed-”

“Are you kidding? You’re a hoot,
Charlie. Please come back soon!” Stacie said.

“Yes, absolutely. I can’t tell you how
much we’ve enjoyed your company today, and also your talent,” Lucina said before
turning to Briggs, “And it’s always a pleasure when you’re around, Briggs.”

“You don’t know him that well then,
Mom,” Tori said, throwing her arms out instantly as if to block Brigg’s
retaliation. She slapped his hands away from her as he laughed.

Tori stood up from her chair a second
later as Kai walked over. He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind,
resting his head on her shoulder. “You gals enjoying yourselves out here?”

“Yes, it’s been a great day,” I
answered, as Briggs held his hand out to me, pulling me up from my comfortable sunbaked
coma.

“Please thank your husband again for
the excellent steaks, and thank you for your hospitality today Mrs. Sales,”
Briggs said to Lucina.

After our goodbyes were said, Tori
walked with me to the driveway, holding me back slightly as Briggs kept on
toward the truck.
       

“Charlie, I know I’ve said thank you a
hundred times today for the song, but truly I’m so touched that you wrote that
for me, and so is Kai. I also wanted to tell you,” she paused, as if hesitant
to continue, “if you ever find yourself in need of a friend—for however long
you’re here in Dallas, or even after you move back to Austin, I’d love the
chance to get to know you better.”

Her smile was so sincere, I felt as if
I might cry for the second time today because of her words to me. I knew she
meant them.

“Thank you, I’d love to get to know you
better, too. I could use a girlfriend,” I said.

“Good…then it’s settled. I’ll give you
a call this week. I’m sure I’ll need to escape the wedding planner twins in
there.”

I laughed, I’m sure she was right.

Briggs pulled his truck up. With one
last hug, I said goodbye to Tori. I could hardly remember a time my heart had
felt so full.

Briggs

“Do you need any help getting your
things out of the apartment?” Charlie asked.

 
“No,
I can handle it.”

The last thing I needed was to be alone
with Charlie in that apartment.

I’m
losing my ever-loving mind and we’re inside a three-thousand square foot house!

“Oh okay, well if you’re sure,” she
said, shrugging her shoulders.

“Yep, I’m good. Thanks.”

Her hair was up in some top-knot
looking thing, and she was in yet another pair of flannel pants again—those
irresistible
flannel pants. Charlie was
working on a list of what she needed to get from the store before her parents
arrived home tomorrow. She was expecting them around four in the afternoon,
coming directly from the airport. She opened and closed the fridge door
multiple times, comparing items on her list with those that were still in
stock. Each time she matched an item to her list, she made a clucking sound
with her tongue, before sliding back across the tile floor in her socks.

It was adorable.

Did I
seriously just think the word adorable?

Someone
needs to knock me out.

“Okay, Charlie. I should probably start
packing.”

“You’re not up for one more season of
The Office
?” she asked glancing up from
her list, smiling at me like some sort of she-devil.

“A
season
?”
I laughed, apologetically. “No, Shortcake. I can’t tonight. I need to go in
early before my shift starts tomorrow, I’m sure there are a lot of things that
need to be done before your dad gets back. Plus, I have a mound of laundry
waiting for me at my place.”

She stuck out her bottom lip and sighed.

You’re
killing me, Charlie.

“Alright…who knew you were such a
domestic bore?”

She couldn’t even get the phrase out
without busting-a-gut laughing.

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you that
laughing at your
own
joke
makes it way less funny?” I asked,
smirking at her.

“Didn’t anyone ever tell
you
that it’s a sour sport who can’t
take a joke?”

I laughed and headed toward the front
door.

“I’ll be back in a minute smarty pants.
I’m gonna go pack…
alone
!”

“As you wish Sour-Sport-Sam!” she
yelled.

I could still hear her laughing as I
closed the front door and headed up to my apartment.

No,
not my apartment anymore.

Charlie

I told myself I was fine—everything was
fine.

Briggs was only going to be a few miles
away. We were still going to see each other. We were friends—no matter what did
or did not develop between us, he had said so himself.

But I wasn’t fine.

I thought again about his declaration
today in the middle of farm town USA as we stood on the side of a highway.
Who said that kind of thing?
Wasn’t that
only supposed to happen in romantic comedies and chick-flicks?

I flushed again as I thought about his words,
“I have said it a thousand times in my head
Charlie, but I could say it all day long and it wouldn’t make it any less true.
You are beautiful.”

Not only did he say that I was
beautiful, but that he had thought about me—a lot. My stomach fluttered as that
realization sunk in. My mind and heart were so divided lately. I wanted to make
sense of our relationship so I could justify the feelings that were quickly overtaking
me, but I didn’t know how to do that.

What I did know was
simple,
Briggs was everything Alex was not, which I was learning, was everything I truly
wanted.

 
When
I heard the slam of a truck door, a panic ripped through me, shocking me into
action from the pensive stupor I was in. I had no thought; I just started moving—sliding
actually—down the hall toward the front door, in my socks. I threw it open,
barreling into the driveway, straight into the blackness of the night. My eyes
had not fully adjusted to the dark when I hit something hard, briefly knocking me
back.

“Dear Lord, Charlie. What on earth are
you doing?” Briggs asked as he tried to steady us both. Apparently, I had
collided smack into the center of his chest. He pulled his arms away after a
second, breathing heavily from the impact.

I was breathing heavily too, but not
from that.

“I thought…I thought you were leaving,”
I said sheepishly as I looked at the closed tailgate on his truck—the one we
were standing right next to.
Oh, that’s
embarrassing.
His bags were inside, already loaded. I guess I hadn’t heard
the driver’s side door after all, but it didn’t make the sight any easier to
take in.
 

He chuckled softly, yet there was no
humor in it to detect. “And what? Not tell you I was going—really?”

I felt stupid. “My mistake?” I looked
up at his face in the moonlight.

Wow, what
a face it was, too.

We both fell silent as several seconds ticked
by.

“So…” I began.

“So…” he repeated.

I didn’t know why I did it exactly, but
I regretted it instantly. My hand shot out in front of me, as if to
shake
goodbye. He looked down, staring
at it like I had rabies. I pulled it back to my side again, awkwardly.

“It’s been a good month, Manny. Thanks
for everything.” I was careful not to make eye contact. My throat felt tight as
the burning sensation behind my eyes increased, I did my best to ignore them
both.

Do not
cry. Do not cry. Do not cry.

I’m being
stupid!

I could feel his eyes on me, their
intensity unrelenting. I bit the insides of my cheeks. Only once did I peek up
at his face, and my suspicion was confirmed: I couldn’t handle it.

Don’t
look.

 
“Shortcake,
this
isn’t
goodbye.”

He made no move to touch me, yet I could
feel the warmth radiating off of his body. It was as if his very nearness could
smite any chill that tried to come for me. I needed that warmth; I needed him.

“Then, why does it feel like the family
dog just died?” I asked.

He laughed, this time finding me funny.
I knew the difference.

“Nothing has died, I can promise you
that.”

I smiled as I looked up at him again,
internally scolding myself the instant our gazes locked, but this time I didn’t
pull my eyes away. This time, I was fairly sure it was physically impossible to
do so.

Stupid.
Stupid. Stupid.

“Maybe I can come by the station this
week—bring you lunch sometime?”

“I’d like that,” he said, “I always
like to see you, Charlie.”

My stomach was going insane, the dips
and dives and flips and flops. It didn’t even feel attached to my body anymore.
It was its own entity now.

I took a deep breath. I had to get the
words out quickly, or else the tears would come and I would never be able to
say them. I had missed out on too many important goodbyes in my life, and I
wasn’t going to let this one slip through my fingers as well. So, I just began
talking—quickly.

“Thank you for everything, Briggs, I
mean it. You’ve been such a good friend to me and I didn’t even know how much I
needed that—a true friend, I mean. After Alex, I didn’t think I’d ever be able
to stop hurting, much less trust someone again. But you…”

I couldn’t finish. The swollen lump in
my throat inhibited the words that were trapped somewhere behind it. I
swallowed again, trying to push the tightness away.

“Charlie…
breathe
.
I’m not exiting your life, I’m just moving to the other side of Lincoln
street…
this is
not
goodbye. There are no last words you need to say tonight.”

His hand gripped my arm lightly and I
wanted to lean into it—to lean into him, but I didn’t.

“Okay,” I said.

“Okay.”

“Can I…can I give you a hug as long as
I don’t say goodbye?”

He laughed and pulled me into his body,
which turned everything inside me to mush. But in a moment that came much too soon,
he pushed me back gently. Surprisingly, my bones and muscles could still
support the weight of my body. His hands found my face as he leaned in to press
his lips to my forehead, lingering there for only a couple of heartbeats.

As he backed away toward the driver’s
door, a look crossed his face that I hadn’t seen before.

“Charlie…it would be best if you never
tell me Alex’s last name.”

A nervous bubble of laughter escaped my
throat, but his look did not change.

“Oh. You’re serious.”

“As a heart attack.”

“Right, got it.”

 
“Good,
now go inside and lock the door behind you, please. I’ll text you in a bit to
say goodnight, but please promise me you’ll call if you need anything.”

I smiled, crossing my heart with my
finger. “I promise.”

He nodded in silent approval before I
turned and walked back inside the house, fighting the urge to chase after his
truck when I saw his taillights reflecting in the windows.

Instead, I watched him drive away, a
tortured smile planted on my face as I saw him turn off my street.

This
isn’t goodbye.