Guitar Strings

9

Chan
I couldn't help but feel like this whole thing with Felix and Lina was my fault. I don't know why I said what I did that day. Probably because my heart had just gotten smashed into pieces and I was being negative. But seeing as how I felt responsible, it was my job to fix them. I wasn't a hundred percent sure how I was going to do that exactly, but I was sure that I'd figure it out. First step of my plan? Talk to Lina, find out exactly what happened. I can't fix anything if I don't know exactly what needs fixing.

Phase 1 of Plan

I sat down on my bed and pulled out my phone. I'd gotten Lina's number from Felix's phone when he wasn't paying attention.

"Hello?" I heard her say from the other end of the line, she didn't sound like the Lina I'd known the last few months.

"Hey! It's Chan."

"Why are you calling me?" She asked confused.

"I was wondering if we could get together and talk about something? I owe you an apology." I heard her pause on the other end of the line, and I could tell she wasn't sure what to say.

"Lina?"

"If this is about Felix I-" she started.

"Please, just meet with me. I can explain everything. Then you can decide what you want. This whole thing is all my fault." I pleaded, hoping that she'd at least hear me out. She sighed loudly on the other end of the line before finally agreeing to meet up with me in a few hours at a cafe.

***
A couple hours later Lina was sitting across from me with both her hands around a cappucino. She looked tired, like she hadn't been sleeping well. It looked like she was just as miserable as Felix was. She stared down at her coffee intently.

"Felix bought me cappucino on our fist date" She mumbled. It broke my heart to see both of them so upset. I was supposed to protect my members, but instead I caused one of them to doubt himself and end his relationship with someone who I knew made him incredibly happy.

"I'm so sorry, Lina." I said leaning forward and putting my elbows on the table. "I said something to Felix back in Chicago, that I probably shouldn't have said. I had no idea he'd take it so seriously."

"I don't understand, why do you think Felix being a jerk is your fault?" She said still staring down at her coffee.

"I just got out a three year relationship, and it didn't end well. She kinda really broke my heart and I asked him how you guys were doing, and he said he missed you, and I went off into breakup land and may have possibly mentioned that first loves suck and they never last....I think he took me seriously..." I trailed off not sure what else to say. That was when she finally looked up at me in shock before shaking her head and looking out the front window of the cafe and wiping the tears that had slipped down her cheek.

"I want to help fix things with you two, but I don't know where to start." I said as she looked at me.

"We got in a huge fight when he came over that night. I was on the defensive already and I kept being a jerk and then he was being a jerk back and.....I miss him, Chan" She finally said hiding her face in her hands.

"You have no idea how miserable he is without you. He's usually this ball of sunshine, but the last couple weeks he's been more of a storm cloud."

"He keeps texting me and I just don't know what to say, and I end up just not saying anything at all and then I just feel worse." She put her head down on the table in frustration.

"I have a plan." I said as she popped her head back up slowly and looked at me. "He's in Australia right now, he went back home to see his family. I haven't been back home in quite a while, so I was thinking you could fly back with me and you two can talk everything out in person."

I could tell she was thinking about it while she played with a loose string on her sleeve. "I don't know, Chan. I can't exactly afford it right now...What if he doesn't want to see me?"

"Believe me. He wants to see you. Don't worry about it, I'm paying." I put a hand over hers and made her look at me. "Trust me, Lina. He's a really good guy who just let his brain tell him what his heart wants. I know it."

She swallowed hard and cleared her throat, "Ok. I'll go" She said finally looking back up at me.

"Ok, I'll send you all the flight info as soon as I can."

***
Lina
48 hours later I was sitting next to Chan on a plane bound for Sydney. I'd always wanted to go to Australia, but not under these circumstances. I hadn't slept at all last night. All I could think about was what I was going to say to him when I got there. Chan had a plan of course, but he couldn't plan for how talking to Felix was going to go. I missed him. I said a lot of things that night that I said out of hurt and anger, and never meant any of it. I had thought a lot about what I would have done differently if I could back and relive it.

"Can I ask you something?" I said looking over at Chan while he played a game on his phone.

"Shoot" He said looking up at me.

"You're sure he wants to see me?" My second thoughts were getting the better of me. The things he said that night really hurt. I didn't think I was being clingy, but did he really mean that or was he just saying that to me?

"100% sure" He said looking straight back at me. "You'll see"

I nodded my head looking away from him and put my head against the window. I trusted Chan, but I also didn't want to get my hopes up. What if Chan was wrong?