I'm not the one that you want, I'll only let you down.

 

“Blair! Listen to this! Do you hear his emotion?” Caleb called over to me against the blaring heater, and the soft ballad that is coming out of his car speakers. He taps his hands against the steering wheel, and begins to sing along louder, “I'm not the one that you want, I'll only let you down. And I'm pretty sure that you've caught on. And you can say that I'm... I'm just feeling sorry for myself."

I noiselessly shift my body to look at him, as I lay curled up in a ball half asleep. I looked up at his tousled medium length hair, and listened to his sweet voice fill the car with Craig Owens.

“Yes, I hear it,” I mumbled to him.

I roll back over to my window, and replay the day I had with Caleb and I begin to smile once more. I look out the window and watch the city lights of Hartford slowly pass by, and see the lights shine off of the tall buildings that stand still during this cold winter night.

            “Blair!” he screams with excitement rising in his voice.

“Yes?” I ask quietly. Not sure if he can hear me against the music.

            “This is the song I’ve been telling you about. It goes in slow for a couple minutes, and then it’s like they all pitch in to save the day!” he exclaimed while turning up the volume as high as it can go.

            I roll back over to the man who holds so much passion for music. I see the gleam in his dark brown eyes, and realize how much this music speaks to him. I finally understand why he loves the way Craig Owens sings and all the other bands that follow after. It’s also not just the singing. It’s the whole band. It’s the emotion in how they play their instruments. How they use certain notes to draw their fans in. It captivated Caleb, and they all stole my heart tonight.

            “It’s beautiful,” I whispered above the noise. 

He looks down at me curled up in a ball, and smiles. I wonder what he’s thinking as he looks at me for one small moment, and then back at the highway. I begin to close my eyes with a smile on my face as I drift off to sleep feeling safe and warm for the first time in months.

 

Reviews

[Scott Lynn]

It was a great read. I enjoyed the quiet and tired admiration Blair has for Caleb, which mixes well with Caleb's energetic exuberance. Well done.

[Casey A.]

Wow Chelsea! This is really good! I think you described the emotion of the situation really well. Your addition of details and your skill at describing the story was really impressive.

Casey