Love Is Symphony |✓

| 32 |

We found ourselves back at your apartment sat across from each other in your battered living room with gazes down and empty of words. It had been an hour since we arrived. Our shoulders were hunched down with the weight of the evening resting on them, but no one dared to speak up.

The air-conditioning was broken. It had been spitting out warm air since yesterday, you told me. The temperature have turned humid and warm, and you had to take out a small fan to cool us both. It didn't help a bit. Because the true heat came from deep within me, from the fire that burned from my anger, from my frustration and my stupidity.

"It's true."

My head rose at the sound of your tired voice. It sounded far different from the unrelenting and determined tone you had earlier on. As I looked at you, taking in your tired eyes and crumpled shirt, all I could think about was how I wanted to scream. So now, you wanted to speak? So now, finally, you wanted to tell me everything?

When you caught me looking at you with fire in my eyes, I quickly averted my gaze. I didn't think I was ready to see you look at me yet. Not now.

"She was the reason I had to work so hard for my career. The beginning of this all," you continued, and words began to pour out of your mouth. "I was in college, in a band and working for four years at a diner when I met Jason and Phoebe. They weren't together that time yet, so the next time that Phoebe dined, without Jason this time, I asked her out. She flat-out rejected me. Said she wasn't interested in going out with anyone soon. I respected that, but she had other ideas. She introduced me to her friend, instead. That friend was Cassidy."

I risked a glance at you when you paused. It was safe to say that I didn't know how to feel about hearing the beginning of the truth. Would the end justify the means? I worked hard to earn this, was I ready for it?

Your dark hair was sticking up in random places and your eyes were puffy. You tilted your head as if asking permission to go on. I could only manage a small nod.

"We hung-out for awhile, then soon enough we were dating. At first I wasn't sure about dating a high schooler. I was twenty-one and she just turned eighteen. Phoebe had been more mature than her, so I thought we were the right fix. I also wasn't aware that Phoebe was in high school when I asked her out. So Cassidy was a surprise. But Cassidy turned out to be better than I thought. Too better that our relationship quickly turned serious. All my time had been devoted to our relationship that I lost time for the band.

"They resented me for it because we missed a lot of opportunities. Kit... Kit punched me for being a dick when me missed an important show because I had dinner with my girlfriend's family. If it weren't for Trey and Ezra stopping him, we would've ended with broken noses. But they didn't understand. I was a graduating student, my dad wanted high grades and Cassidy had become clingy. I couldn't spare time for late-night gigs. My plate was full. Then I thought: why not bring my girlfriend to band practice and our shows? Hitting two birds with one stone. For awhile, things were perfectly okay. The band was back on its feet again, we were getting more attention and Cassidy was happy. After four years of just fooling around, our band finally got an offer to sign in with a label. I was over the moon." Your words broke with a sad chuckle and my heart squeezed, knowing that this was the part where everything would make a bad turn.

"Imagine—I'd finally get to prove my dad wrong. We were gonna get famous. We'd be living the life! We hosted a celebratory party. Everyone was invited. I was the center of the attention as the vocalist, but my eyes keep searching for one person. My girlfriend was missing. I looked for her everywhere, but I found her in the last place I'd search. She was at male's bathroom with her legs wrapped around Kit and her top off."

My eyes widened. Surely we weren't talking about the same Cassidy. The one I met would surely not cheat on her boyfriend, would she?

A sigh escaped your lips and you fell back into the ripped leather of your couch. Eyes trained on the stained ceiling and arms crossed across your broad chest. "Turns out she had been seeing him behind my back. I threatened to quit the band, but surprise-surprise: they've already ditched me. Kicked me out, instead. Turns out Kit could sing and his voice had this Indie-rock sound that matched the band's image more than my acoustic sounding one. Cassidy and I broke up. My dad mocked me, saying that he never doubted that something as lousy as a girl would be the reason why my barely-started career fell apart. He said he was right. There was a lot of I-told-you-so's. I fought with him. Punched him in the face. He disowned me, and now I'm here. Stuck in this dingy apartment since.