true blue, ᶜʰʳⁱˢ ˢᵗᵘʳⁿⁱᵒˡᵒ

₁₇

real life, april 2023 

20 days.

that was the amount of time chris had to:

A. get kylie to really forgive him

B. get things back to the way they were in december 

C. further things

and chris was internally freaking out. the past month of being back from tour and spending time with kylie reminded chris why he was so drawn to her in the first place. they two had made progress, they could share a conversation alone. 

when chris looked at the girl, he felt this pit of emptiness within him. a feeling of regret, and shame. he regrets that night, his reaction, his criticism on her album. he wishes he could take it all back. but he can't.

and christopher sturniolo will spend the rest of his life thinking about december.

*

"so i need to pick my setlist, but all my music is so special to me, i don't know."

"start with motion sickness, i think that will really fuck the crowd." nick said, sitting at the table. kylie had all her friends over, she desperately needed help.

"vouch," yelled joey. joey and nick had grown quite fond of each other as the two friend groups merged. maybe there was something there, maybe not. they both agreed; they liked each other's company.

"i have some unreleased stuff too, maybe i can rotate one in each show. i just don't know how people would react to it. "

"kylie, they eat up every song you put out. i mean you could yell for 20 minutes and people would die," leo added as eli agreed.

"okay so i'll start with motion sickness, and then i'm feeling vampire. i just think the beat of the two will start with some good energy. and then i'll sing a sadder one, a surprise one, and then i'll end with back to december?"

chris was quiet as she watched the girl worry so much about her setlist. he kept quiet.

"i think it's a good mix, maybe some tolerate it? and then in toronto you'll have to play calgary, since its so canadian of you." said eliza.

"maybe skip i hate boston," chris said as he scrolled on his phone.

suddenly there was a pause, no one knew what chris had felt. until kylie burst out laughing, "yeah that will not be showcased in that city. good idea." kylie wrote this down, scanning over her projected set list. "i'll be right back." she said as she disappeared down a hallway. chris noticed the anxiety in her voice, but gave her space she needed. 

kylie found herself alone in her bedroom, standing in front of her guitar. she was so overwhelmed with emotion. feeling like she was going to disappoint everyone, and tears suddenly fell down her face. she needed an escape, and started to play unfamiliar chords

she had been writing this song for a while.

"same lips red, same eyes blue

same white shirt, couple more tattoos.

but it's not you and it's not me.

tastes so sweet looks so real

sounds like something that i used to feel

but i can't touch what i see

we're not who we used to be

not who we used to be

we're just two ghosts standing in the place of you and me

trying to remember how it feels to have a heart beat."

kylie strummed the guitar as she continued, her face now stained. unknown to her, chris stood quietly in the door way. he carefully absorbed every word she sang, every note change, and every single chord. this song was about the two of them; they were two ghosts.

"we're not who we used to be

we're just two ghosts swimming in a glass half empty.

trying to remember how it feels to have a heart beat." 

suddenly, the guitar stopped, and kylie sighed. she placed it carefully on it's stand, and pulled out her journal. carefully writing her thoughts down. 

she savored the silence as she collapsed onto her bed. chris didn't know what to say or what to do.

"ky, you're incredible."

"how much of that did you hear? were you just watching me?" she jumped up, feeling off guard.

"sorry, i came to find you. you sounded anxious, and i came to check on you. but you were singing and i didn't want to interrupt you."

"i'm okay, thanks chris." she sat back down on her bed.

"can we talk?"

💌

700 words laterrrrr.