Remind Me « Chase Elliott »

Chapter Three // Looking At Stars

March 2015

"Are you sure about this, Chase? This doesn't look like the right place."
"Positive, Blaney, according to her Twitter this is where she's performing tonight."
"Wait," Ryan stopped us in the middle of the rundown section of Nashville, the streetlights flickered and there was nobody in sight. I could see the sign for Bottom's Up down the street hanging off its hinges and the smell of stale beer filled the air. I wouldn't even come here during the day. It's just... I overheard a conversation about Sadie and how she's barely getting by living in Nashville, so I had to check for myself that she was okay. "You got this information from Twitter? And not from her?"

"If I would have told you that before we left would you have came?" Ryan just gave me this aspirated look that told me he thought I was crazy. "I just have to make sure she's okay," I gave in.

"That's what phones were invented for, ya know, to call... to text!" I never told him the real reason why we broke up and how a phone conversation could never happen.

"C'mon, you owe me." Ryan just rolled his eyes and continued down the deserted sidewalk towards the bar.

Surprisingly, it wasn't so bad. The bar set up a stage outside on their patio which made it easier for me to hide out in the shadows. I pulled my ballcap down hoping it would hide my mess of curls. Sadie always told me she could find me in a crowd so easily because I could never tame them. I just hope she was wrong.

"Hi, I'm Sadie Mae, and I'll be singing a few songs for ya'll tonight." I smiled at the use of her nickname I gave her. She hates her middle name Anne, and even worse, her last name, Hendrick. She wanted no association with her father's name if she could help it.

"My first song is called 'Looking at Stars'. I wrote it after spending the night with the first boy I ever fell in love with."

The night is young and so are we, so you what you say

We go and see it all for ourselves?

Yeah, yeah

There's a spot I know down the road we can go

Only me and you and no one else

Yeah, yeah

I ain't looking for a crowd
Another night on the town

I want a one way ticket where the creaking crickets

Are the only sound

So baby, pick me up, I'll be in the drive

Take me where the moon's hanging in the sky

We can park it by the river, get out and throw the tailgate down down down

You can steal a kiss, maybe even two

Only the track and the tree's gonna see what we do

All I wanna be is wrapped in your arms, laying in the dark,

Looking at stars

We can rename constellations while we're making wishes

Don't it make you feel so small?

Yeah, yeah

We can talk about forever for a minute, maybe never,

Just kiss and say nothing at all

Yeah, yeah

Baby, hurry up and get here

So we can disappear

The clouds are breaking, don't keep me waiting

Never seeing a night this clear

So baby, pick me up, I'll be in the drive

Take me where the moon's hanging in the sky

We can park it by the river, get out and throw the tailgate down down down

You can steal a kiss, maybe even two

Only the track and the tree's gonna see what we do

All I wanna be is wrapped in your arms, laying in the dark,

Looking at stars

I ain't looking for a crowd

Another night on the town

I want a one way ticket where the creaking crickets

Are the only sound

So baby, pick me up, I'll be in the drive

Take me where the moon's hanging in the sky

We can park it by the river, get out and throw the tailgate down down down

You can steal a kiss, maybe even two

Only the track and the tree's gonna see what we do

All I wanna be is wrapped in your arms, laying in the dark,

Looking at stars

Oh, yeah

Oh, yeah

Just looking at stars

I stood still, chills running up my spine as she began to sing the song. I remember that night vividly; our first kiss, the first night we spent together - which was a mistake on my part. We both fell asleep and my cell phone died before the alarm went off to get her home before her parents woke up. I thought for sure she would have been banned from seeing me after that, but she showed up at my race the next day with a secret smile on her face.

After that night, I never wanted to stop kissing her, and to this day, I still wanted to.

The small crowd cheered and the smile on her face was good enough for me to know that she was okay. "Let's go, Blaney."
"You're not going to talk to her?" I looked at her, and I swear she could see me standing here. She stuttered playing her guitar, her mouth opening and closing like she was trying to say something but couldn't - and her blue eyes locking with mine in an instant before she closed them. When she opened them again, I wouldn't be here.

It was better that way.