Breaking Loose [Original]

10

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Ten
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OREN KNEW.

It wasn't him being pompous or anything.

He just knew Asher was no ordinary girl.

Her grey eyes said it, the emotions they held, they told a story. One he wanted to be fascinated with.

Strange.

When he started to play, her eyes called out to him. He looked up in the instant and there she sat, stunned, to say the least.

Suddenly he felt his words were slicing through her, bone and marrow, piercing right through her heart, bringing something to life, zapping some nuts back to action.

That was the one thing people loved about him. His music was divine.

The room caged them both, and he felt she must've felt same from how she simply remained fixated on her spot, never blinking, not a muscle moving. He was ministering healing and her eyes like dark pools were sucking it in.

Maybe he should've broke his gaze, it did feel weird looking at just one person.

One person whose life made his curiosity grow.

--

He pushed open the doors that led into the coffee shop, a mix of cappuccino and scented candles hitting his nostrils. Plus, it's warmer air.

"Oren!" Harry had raised his head from wiping the counter, a smile on his face like everything was okay "Son, your drenched!" He chuckled

Only then did Oren look down at his clothes, he hadn't even noticed.

His mind had been preoccupied.

"Eh," he shrugged "Stood in the rain much"

"Was calling at you to take an umbrella but you mustn't have heard, how's she?"

Oren climbed onto a stool and crossed his arms over the cool marble. That didn't seem to bother the older man. He seemed more concerned about her.

"She... didn't want to talk?"

Harry sighed "It's all my fault now"

"Hey," Oren smiled "you don't have to blame yourself for anything that happened"

"But I do. I called her over, I made her come, I got you to play without even considering what she'd think! It's my fault!"

"Mr Moore" Oren let out a breath "She will be fine" he assured "It might just not have been her day"

Harry watched him as if he was weighing his words and Oren simply nodded. The older man mumbled something that meant he'd settled for what he'd told him.

That made things better.

"I have your case there" Harry nodded to a table by the side where his guitar case was.

"Thanks."

"I should thank you, son. For tonight. I had some old friends come up and tell me just how much they loved you"

"You did?" Oren feigned surprised as he slung his guitar case strap over his shoulder

"Ofcourse!" Harry grinned, obviously clueless.
" Will you be coming tomorrow night?"

"Um...well" Oren had that unsure look that made Harry frown "I should be someplace else. The Lord may need me to reach out somewhere else" he explained, half truthfully.

The other half that didn't make what he'd said fully true was, he didn't want to be the reason someone so dear to the owner of the shop stopped coming.

"Aw. You're probably right. It would be selfish of me keeping you here," Harry said with a mirthless laugh

Oren was glad he understood.

He had to be on his way, but couldn't help asking
"I seemed to notice some vandalism in your town"

" Oh. Yeah. It's been there for a while now, nobody knows the miscreants behind them but the authorities are doing the best they can"

" Oh?" Oren bit back a smile.

They bade each other farewells and he was into the rain again.

It wasn't as heavy as when he came back so he took his time.

He got out of his wet clothes the moment he was home. He feared for a fever, maybe a little.

When he freshened up and got into bed, his mind was a haze. All the thoughts of the day flooded in and created a mess before him.

He sighed into the air and whispered a prayer.

He needed to gather himself. He hadn't fully healed from Elise but he'd relied on the strength the Lord gave. Other than that he was just broken, miserable, possibly would've been indulging in drinks and weeds to numb the pain.

He truly felt bad for people who turned to drugs and alcohol when they hit a rock in life, or when the rock hit them.

In the long run, they never got anywhere, their health deteriorated, so did the zeal to live.

But indeed, life was hard.

Life was ruthless and reckless and put some people where they never expected; good or bad.

His phone vibrated beside his pillow and he picked it up to find a text from Jaden.

Jaden: Bro...can you come pick me up?

"What now?" Oren murmured to himself before replying,

Oren: Are you drunk?

Jaden: As hell. I will die if I try to drive myself.

Oren stared at the text, his heart aching for the fella.

He'd only lived with Jaden for barely month when he figured the dude battled a serious alcohol addiction.

Emphasis on serious.

Jaden: Yo...you comin' or what?

Oren sighed and got out of bed.

***