New York- Where Dreams are Made

Chapter 78- "Its muse."

"Hey Char we're gonna grab some coffee want to hop along?" Addie called, coming out of the dressing rooms with Diggs on her arm.

"Sure."

She smiled up at Daveed and let go of his hand. She wrapped her arm around my shoulder and called back to him, "Have fun third wheeling!"

He scoffed.

"Fine! I have Ramos!" He called back.

Addie chuckled.

"So let me try to remember your coffee order.." Addie paused. Her gears were turning and churning.

"Carmel Cap with cream right?" She questioned.

"Correct!" I said loudly.

"Strawberry Acia with coconut milk? Right?" I laughed at my own ignorance.

"Yep!"

We high fived and slid into our normal seats at Wings.

"It's good to be back." I say, taking a deep breath of coffee shop air.

"Amen sister."

__________

"Darren this is pointless. We've been working on this for hours."

He scoffs and plays a note on the piano.

"You are going to hit this note if I have to hit it for you."

I sigh.

"I'm still kinda new to all this Darren. What do you do when you get stumped?"

He grins and brushes a piece of hair that escaped my bun behind my ear.

"I think 'What would Charlotte do?'." He smiles evilly and plays another note on the piano.

"Can you give me a real answer?" His eyes light up.

"I just did. You're sorta like my moose."

I smile slightly.

"I believe it's...muse."

He nods playfully.

"I know. I just wanted to see you smile."

He plants a tiny kiss on my nose and turns around to play another note on the piano.

"Oh God I'm sick of this song! I didn't know it was possible to hear Burn too many times but it apparently is."

He puts a hand on my shoulder and pushes me into his piano chair.

"Fine. What song do you want to sing?"

I smile up at him.

"It's better sung as a duet."

He grins and sits next to me, our shoulders touching slightly.

I begin to play a soft melody.

The melody I hoped I wouldn't play again. It haunted me, but it also reminded me of how far I'd come. It reminded me that I can keep going.

"Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes. Five hundred twenty five thousand moments so dear. Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes. How do you measure-measure a year?"

He smiled and played the bass part on his side of the piano.

"In daylights? In sunsets? In midnights? In cups of coffee? In inches? In miles? In laughter? In strife? In five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes how do you measure a year in the life?"

"How about love?"

I smiled at him. He seemed to know this song well because he smiled widely.

I took it upon myself to sing the female solo. That kinda makes sense, ya know?

"Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes. Five hundred twenty five thousand journeys to plan. Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes. How do you measure the life of a woman of a man?"

He stopped playing for a moment and sang the male solo.

"In truths that she learned? Or in times that he cried? In bridges he burned? Or the way that she died?"

He continued to play his part and sign the chorus with me.

"It's time now, to sing out. Though the story never ends let's celebrate, remember a year in the life of friends. Remember the love."

I sang the female part while he harmonized under me.

"Oh, you've got to remember the love. You know that love is a gift from up above. Share love. Give love. Spread love. Measure-measure your life in love..."

We both let go of the keys on cue and laughed.

"I love it when you sing Charlotte. You're going places."

I felt my cheeks burn. This time it didn't stop. The burning went down my face, it seemed to spread across my body and in my soul.

"You're such a dork Darren."

He laughed, wrapping his scrawny arm around me.

"You are too, love. But you're cuter."

I kissed his cheek and laid my head on his shoulder.

"Te quiero charlotte."

I smiled.

"je t'aime aussi"