Drowning

Chapter 28:

When I woke up, the TV was still on and some girl was screaming at the camera. Mark and Aiden were both snoring over the roar of the television. I guess we all had a long night. The clock said it was only 2:00 AM, which was early for us. I gently moved Aiden's arm off me to stand up. I looked down and realized I was still in my uncomfortable concert outfit. I really wanted to change and figure out exactly where I was sleeping tonight.

I tried to shake Aiden awake first and he wouldn't budge. Mark had horrible hygiene and I didn't want to borrow anything from him. JD and Anna were both out because I did not want to go interrupt whatever they were doing up there.

I was out of options, well, except for one. I sighed and started up the stairs to find radio silence Ezra. When I got to the top of the steps, I could see his door was cracked open. I tapped lightly and got no response. I tried again a little harder and still nothing. I gathered my nerves and pushed the door open. Ezra's room was empty. I wondered where he was if he wasn't up here. I didn't remember if I saw his car outside when we got back. Maybe he left because he didn't want to see me.

I decided it would be better to ask him if I could borrow something rather than dig in his drawers without permission. If you asked me a few hours ago, I would have said he wouldn't mind letting me borrow something to wear. I didn't know where we stood now and I wasn't going to press my luck.

I walked past the bathroom and decided to go check myself in the mirror. My hair was falling from my puffs and I decided it was time to take them down for the night. They were too tight in some spots anyway. I pulled out the bobby pins and let my hair fall on my shoulders. The large waves Anna created still looked good. She swore up and down I would love them and it was worth the time. I used my fingers as a brush and removed some of the tangles. Anna was right about the hair. I will have to try to remember how she did it.

I turned the bathroom light off and gave up my Ezra search. I came back down the stairs and headed towards the kitchen when I saw the light was on. Maybe JD or Anna came back downstairs while I was in the bathroom. There was no one in the kitchen when I went in, but the basement door was cracked open. A soft, sweet melody rose up out of the basement. Ezra was here, after all. He was downstairs playing. I pulled the door open far enough to fit through and slowly pushed it closed until it latched.

I took the steps carefully, trying not to make any noise. It was tough to do in the boots. I wanted to listen to what he was playing a bit longer. The melody was beautiful and hung in the air enveloping all of my senses. He was really talented. I could hear him humming to the melody, trying to figure out how to place lyrics to it. I wondered how his voice sounded when he sang. His humming sent ripples down my body, which meant his voice would probably drown me.

When I reached the bottom, I saw Ezra standing with his acoustic guitar strapped to his bare chest. He couldn't see me from the angle I was at and he continued to play. His hard muscles moved with every chord change. His fingers expertly picked out the melody on the strings. I knew what those fingers could do and watching them drove me wild. It was impossible to take my eyes off him.

"Fuck" He cursed and strummed one loud chord in frustration. His dark hair fell into his eyes and he stopped playing long enough to move it back from his face.

He looked up with his hand still in his hair and noticed me watching him. His eyes were light when they met mine. His eyebrow rings reflected the light from the small lamp in the corner of the room. He removed the guitar and placed it on the stand next to him. He seemed surprised that I found him down here. My eyes traced his body, finding the tattoo on his chest and then the one that peeked out just above his shorts. The music notes taunted me, wanting me to come put my fingers on them. I bit my bottom lip and looked back up to his eyes.