Sing For Me (2 page)

“You’re being ridiculous.”

“I miss you, and my brother misses you.” The blue in his tone darkened significantly.

Josh had always idolized Christopher, as many younger brothers did with their older brothers.

Something must be wrong with Christopher.

But that wasn’t her problem.

She hadn’t heard from him since that night she left for London with her family.

She wasn’t important enough for him to remember, not after he won the singing competition and became famous.

“Chlo? You there?”

“Yeah,” she said and cleared her throat. “I can’t, Josh. I’m … busy.”

“Oh, please.”

She could tell he was rolling his eyes.

“Don’t think I don’t know what a hotshot you are. Whatever you’re busy with, I’m sure you can get out of it.”

She wasn’t sure about the hotshot part, but Josh was partially right.

She chose to stay in Rome because no one knew her here. She needed peace to write her songs. They weren’t really her songs; she didn’t sing them. She just wrote them, and she had been successful enough for agents, singers, and producers to come bugging her for new songs and collaborations with new artists.

Here, no one would disturb her, and she wouldn’t be a bother to anyone.

“I’m sorry, Josh.” She didn’t want to go back, not to the old neighborhood.

“Don’t say no yet. Promise me you’ll think about it.”

She sighed softly at the pastel-blue bubble infused with yellow. She hated that color, that sadness filled with a tinge of hope. “Fine, I’ll think about it.”

“All right. Go work on your next hit song.”

“Bye.”

“It’ll mean everything to me if you show up at my party.”

“Don’t try to guilt me into going.”

Josh laughed. “I’ll see you there, then.”

“Bye,” she repeated and hung up the call.

She took another bite of her sandwich as she made her way back to her rented apartment.

She could always drop by L.A. and visit Josh there. There wasn’t a need for her to go back to the old neighborhood. Besides, she had already sent Josh his present anyway.

She patted her hand against one of the two large stone columns that stood in front of the entrance to her apartment building and watched as tiny light gray marbles bounced and vibrated toward the stone carvings above her.

“Chloe.”

She stopped and blinked. “Jason?”

Jason strode toward her in his black jacket that was zipped all the way up.

“What are you doing here?”

“I came to see you,” he said. “I thought you’d be happy to see me.”

She should be happy to see him. Besides their Skype sessions, they hadn’t seen each other in a couple of months. “I just know how much you hate winter, that’s all.” She cocked her head toward the stairs as he got to her side.

“I didn’t think it’d be this cold.”

Winter did come earlier this year. “When are you leaving?” she asked as she stepped onto the red carpet overlaying the beige marble flooring.

“I just got here and you’re chasing me away already?” he asked with a grin, without a hint of sadness.

“I was just asking. I know how packed your schedule is.”

He shrugged. “Making people famous isn’t easy.”

Her lips curled, then she stopped walking and froze.

“You just remembered.”

Her lower jaw dropped and she struggled to form a sentence. “I’m so sorry. I can’t believe I forgot our anniversary—again.” Two years in a row, and they had only dated for two years. She shook her head. “I’m so sorry.”

Jason grinned. “I forgot about it, too.”

She broke into a smile. “What’s today’s date?”

“It was a week ago. I guess this is what makes us a great couple.”

She laughed softly.

They entered the lift, and Jason pressed the button to the third floor and shrugged. “Maybe if we aren’t so far apart all the time, you’d think about me more often.”

“You know I love Rome. We’ve never been like normal couples who see each other on a weekly basis anyway.” Which was what she loved about their relationship; they gave each other space. “You said you like our arrangement.”

She opened the door to her apartment and stepped in with Jason right behind her.

“But I’ve been thinking, maybe I want more,” he said and closed the door behind her.

She took off her jacket. “More?” Her gaze followed the dull yellow word that was surrounded by a halo of black.

He took her hand and pulled her into the living room. “I want to see you more often. Why don’t you move back to the States? I’ll buy you a house if you want.” Different mixtures of colors rushed from his mouth.

She hated such situations.

The colors rushed by, bringing about a dizzy spell. She closed her eyes and rubbed her fingers against her forehead.

“Getting another headache?”

She took a deep breath and moved over to the couch. “What brought this on?”

“Nothing,” he said. “I just miss you, and I wish I can see you more often. I wish I didn’t have to take a nearly ten-hour flight just to see you.”

“We see each other when I’m in the States.”

“You’re not there enough,” he said and paused. “I have to leave in a while, but I want to do this first.”

“Do what?” She dropped her hand and opened her eyes.

Jason stood, reached into his pocket, then got down on one knee.

Chloe sprang to her feet. “What are you doing?”

Jason’s eyes flitted to the side for a second, then he looked back at her. “What do you think I’m doing?” he asked with a wry smile while holding a black box in his hand.

“Proposing?”

“Yeah, that’s about right.”

She took a step away from him. “We’ve only been dating for two years.”

“That’s long enough for me.”

Not for her. “No,” she said.

Jason stood and stuffed the box back into his pocket. “Why not?”

She opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn’t give him an answer. Sighing, she shook her head. “I don’t know. It’s too fast.”

“So it isn’t a no? It’s a I-need-to-think-about-it?”

She took a deep breath.

“Okay.” One of his shoulders twitched. “Think about it.” He took her hands. “I love you, and I want to be with you. I’ll do anything to be with you, except move to Rome,” he said and winked. “I have to be where the company is. I’m sure you understand.”

She wasn’t going to leave Rome.

“You can even stay in Rome if you want.”

She frowned. “Then why can’t we just remain the way we are?”

Jason didn’t feel that strongly about her. Whenever he talked about them, the color was never intense.

“Because I want more,” he said while checking the time on his watch.

The color of his words indicated otherwise.

She couldn’t tell him that, though. She had never told Jason about her condition, so she didn’t want to have to explain how she knew his feelings for her weren’t intense enough for him to want more.

“I have to go.” He walked toward the door. As he passed the dining table, he paused and picked up the black folder. “Working on songs that you won’t let anyone sing?”

She took the file from him.

“Are you keeping those songs for yourself? I can make it happen for you if you want,” he said and winked.

“They aren’t for me.”

He laughed softly. “All right.” He stopped right outside the door. “I’ll get myself to the airport. Remember to think about what I said.”

Jason leaned in to kiss her, but she turned away, and his kiss landed on her cheek.

“See you soon.”

She smiled and closed the door, leaning back against it.

Did he fly all the way here just to propose to her?
 

She sighed and looked down at the file she was hugging. She was supposed to think about Jason’s proposal, but all she could think of was her conversation with Josh.

What should she do?

A cool breeze swept across Chloe’s face as she got out of the taxi. The chill was more frosty in Dunsmuir. Even with the sun, the breeze tingled against her skin.

She stood with her suitcase in hand and gazed up at the house’s Alice-blue wooden panels as the taxi drove away.

She stared at the back of the taxi as it turned the bend, then returned her focus to the house in front of her.

The house used to be in another shade of blue, a darker, more whimsical shade; and the window frames used to be white. Now, the frames were dark gray, just like the roof.

She glanced around at the houses around her. The houses didn’t look as daunting; the trees didn’t appear as tall.

One thing still felt the same, the feeling of being the odd-one-out.

She still wasn’t sure what she was doing here.

Sighing, she gave her suitcase a tug and dragged it across the broad driveway, each side flanked by a row of emerald green arborvitae trees. There used to be only four of them on each side, shielding the garage door from prying eyes.

Now, the trees stretched all the way down the driveway and along the curve of the smaller walkway leading to the main door.

She loved the added trees, of course. There probably wasn’t anyone staring at her, but having the tall trees around her made her feel covered and safe.

When she got to the door, she hesitated for a moment. Her knuckles were almost touching the door, but she couldn’t bring herself to knock it.

She wasn’t sure how long she stood outside the door, but another wave of icy breeze brought back the common sense that seemed to have ditched her.

There was nowhere else for her to go. She couldn’t possibly call a cab and wait outside like an idiot. It was freezing. Besides, though she didn’t want to admit aloud, she’d prefer to avoid Jason; at least until she knew what to say to him.

She knocked on the door and waited.

When the door opened, she found herself looking up into the deep-sea blue eyes she hadn’t seen in eight years.

Her heart rate picked up, and she forgot how to speak; she forgot how to breathe.

She hadn’t been this close to him for a long time, but she could still remember how it felt to be in his arms.

Whenever she was upset, whenever she didn’t know what to do with her pent-up frustration that grew too much for her to handle, she would go to him and he would always be there for her.

With one of his arms pressed against the doorframe and another on the door handle, she almost took the one step to close the distance between them and rest her head against her shoulder, just as she’d always done.

Licking her lips, she pressed her heel down while still staring at Christopher, and he looked right back at her, equally dumbfounded.

She closed her eyes for a moment. There wasn’t a need to be nervous. No, she should be frustrated—no, she should be nonchalant.

Adjusting her scarf, she cleared her throat. “Hi.”

His chin tipped a few times before he said, “Hi.”

“I didn’t know you’d be here.”

Christopher continued staring at her.

“I’m here for Josh’s birthday party.”

“He …” His chin tipped and jerked a few times. “He … went out … with his friends … to …”

His stuttering seems to have gotten worse.
Besides his eyes, everything about Christopher looked different. His hair was much longer than he’d ever kept it, and the growth around his jaws and cheeks aged him significantly. As she gazed into his eyes, she realized even his eyes were different. There was a sense of ruggedness, as if he were jaded with everything the world had to offer.

“To get … camping equipment.”

She gazed down at her scarf and fiddled with it. “Camping equipment? He invited me to his party.”

“And you came.”

She looked back at him. The three simple words sparked bright red. “He called and asked,” she returned in the same tone.

He nodded, stepped aside for her to enter, then headed up the stairs.

“Are you angry with me?” she asked when he was halfway up the stairs. He had no right to be; she should be the one sulking.

Christopher licked his lips and shook his head. “You … you came back … for his birthday just … just because he asked.”

“Yes, because he bothered to call and invite me. He bothered to pick up his phone and text or Skype me throughout the years.”

Christopher turned back to her with a frown. “Are
you …
angry with me?”

She threw her hands into the air. “Yes!” Bright red sparks popped into and disappeared from the living room.

She didn’t know she was until this moment, and she couldn’t believe they were having a fight after having zero contact with each other for eight years.

“You just left,” he said while he took two steps down. “You … just left.”

“No, I didn’t. You let fame get to your head. I waited, every day, for your call or letter or something.”

“Is everything all right?” Christopher’s mom, Mrs. Hunter, asked as she came down the stairs. “What’s going—Oh, Chlo! You’re back.” Mrs. Hunter shot him a glare, then gave her a tight hug.

Mrs. Hunter released her from the hug and stepped back with the widest grin. “Where are you staying?”

She hadn’t figured that out. “I’m sure there’s a hotel or bed and breakfast nearby.”

Mrs. Hunter waved it off. “I’ll get you the key to your parents’ house.”

“No,” she said. “I’d rather not. I don’t want to get you into trouble.” She knew Mrs. Hunter was keeping the key to her parents’ house, and her parents were paying her to make sure that the house stayed clean and to keep an eye on the tenants.

“They’ll never find out.” Mrs. Hunter winked at her.

“I don’t—”

“I’ll get the key.”

Christopher followed his mom up the stairs without another glance at her.

She exhaled heavily through her mouth and turned away. What an absolute disgrace she’d made of herself.

“Here you go.”

She smiled and took the keys. “Thanks, Mrs. Hunter.”

“You’re old enough to call me Amy,” she said and tilted her head to the side. “Are you all right? He’s been—”

“I’m fine.”

“I can’t believe you actually came back for Josh’s birthday. He told me about it, but I thought he was joking. Surely you knew he was joking.”