The Music Of Loving You

6. Gunshots and Kisses

After practice, Daphne and Quint came over.

"Hi!" Daphne chirped with a grin, bouncing on the heels of her feet, causing her dirty blonde curls to bounce with her. Her hair matched her brother's, but her eyes were a darker brown. So you like music?" She asked. I laughed.

"Are you kidding? I love music!" I said with a grin even bigger than Daphne's.

"Really? What do you play?" Daphne asked. Before I could answer a bang sounded through the air. We all froze. Another sounded and we heard glass shatter. Someone came up behind me and placed a hand over my mouth.

"Follow me, don't make a sound" Jackson whispered in my ear. I nodded. I followed Jackson up the steps, his hand intertwined with mine, and Daphne behind me. As we reached the top of the stairs, Jackson pointed to the second door. "Under the bed" he whispered. I walked into the room, careful to avoid the window, and crawled under the bed. A moment later, another gunshot went off, shattering another window. I heard muffled footsteps and the door opened. Quint and Jackson crept in.

"Another window was broken" they, well Jackson, explained as they crawled under the bed. Jackson was now in the middle with Quint on his right and me on his left.

After a few minutes, another gunshot exploded through the air.

"Why are they here?" I whispered to Jackson, trying to keep my voice steady. Jackson, sensing my fear, held my hand in his own, squeezing it. I hadn't realized how close we were until then. It made my stomach turn, but I was left feeling excited, not scared.

"Ocean's family is... Wealthy and powerful." Jackson explained.

"Oh" was all I could say. I was afraid to say more and make a complete fool of myself.

We sat in silence for another minute before we heard another gunshot. Then another bang and another. Afterword, came a moment of silence.

A bang was heard downstairs, but this was not a gunshot. It was the door crashing down. The loud sounds of boots echoed through the house. Jackson squeezed my hand tighter and I turned to him. He he looked over at me, trying to appear calm, but his eyes said otherwise. I leaned into him, feeling his warmth through his shirt.

The footsteps got louder and louder and soon they were coming up the steps. There were at least three pairs of feet coming up.

"You check the first" a voice grumbled. It was followed by the door next to ours opening.

"Check the second" the man said again. Ice seemed to run through my veins and I felt fear filling my stomach as well. The door opened and foot steps traveled the room. A drawer opened and papers flew out. I could see the mess through the tiny crack between the comforter and the carpet floor. This was one of those moments that, if this were a movie, I'd have to take a step back to remind myself to calm down.

The footsteps went around the room but didn't stop in front of the bed, luckily. After an eternity, they left. I turned to Jackson, his eyes as wide as mine; I peered over at Quint, who had his eyes squeezed shut, as if that could stop the men. I wished it could.

After a while, the footsteps left and the sound of a car racing away was heard. I let out a breath that hadn't realized I was holding.

"It's safe" Jackson said. Quint jumped out from under the bed and ran out the door. "He claustrophobic" Jackson explained. I nodded and started to crawl out when Jackson pulled back. His hand was still holding mine, I realized. He blushed in the darkness. I could feel his heart pounding in his chest. I could stay in that moment forever. The lyrics of a song came to mind.

Let's make this fleeting moment last forever.
So tell me what you're waiting for.
I'm gonna keep it frozen here forever.
There's no regretting anymore.

"Don't go yet" Jackson said, bringing me back to reality. Suddenly, he leaned in, brushing his lips against mine for a moment. I leaned in closer and he kissed me again. I pulled away, biting my lip in a failed attempt to hide my smile.

"Jackson!" A voice called from the hall. Jackson leaned away, regret in his eyes.

"I wish I could stay" he said sadly. I nodded and watched as he joined Ocean in the hallway. I stayed under the bed for a moment, the same stupid grin on my face, before I came out. I walked down the hall, hiding my mouth behind my sleeve in a hope to hide the radiant smile that gleamed upon my face.

"I'm so happy you're okay! It would suck if my new friend died in the same day I met her!" Daphne said, catapulting her arms around me.

"I'm so happy you're okay too! That was terrifying!" I said, hugging her back. Daphne pulled away after a moment.

"Wait- We were almost killed, what are you grinning about?" Daphne asked. Then a grin lit up her face as she examined my face. "What happened with Jackson?" She asked excited. I shushed her, bringing her back into the hall.

"He kissed me" I squealed quietly. Daphne squealed with me, bouncing up and down with me.

"He kissed you?" Ocean yelped, anger in her eyes.