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#powercouple
~Emily’s POV~
Andy was singing showtunes from classic black and white films on webcam. The way he flailed his fingers out as though he were catching a rainfall of rose petals while he sang, the way he turned his palm downward and danced his fingers around like a theatrical jellyfish, the way he could make himself 1000% absorbed in a character then return to his regular slightly intoxicated self was intriguing. I was so happy to spend time with him again.
We were back to spending hours online together after school. He took a week away from college which turned into a second week and I stopped asking about school after that. He was playing guitar more and singing to me all the time. Things were back to normal with us and at first it was comforting. At first it was all I’d wanted. But we weren’t in high school anymore.
“Why doesn’t he move here?” Josie asked. The cafeteria had the usual dinner crowd; some stressed out looking students were wearing pajamas, then there was Ashley donning a straw hat and aviators looking like he was fresh off the beach.
“Hellooooo?” Josie snapped her fingers in front of my face.
“Huh?” I wasn’t staring at Ashley.
Josie followed my line of sight and smirked. “You know they broke up.” She grinned mischievously and looked at Ashley. “Why don’t you join us, loner?” She called out.
“I’m working on something.” Ashley waved a pen and continued writing, ignoring her.
“Working on that tan.” I whispered.
“Right?” Josie giggled. “Like he was sooo busy this morning that he just couldn’t find the time to do up those top few shirt buttons.”
I sighed.
As though he heard us, he stood up and flip flopped his way to our table toting with him a guitar case that had seen better days. “It’s a song.” He beamed.
“I thought you were studying marketing.” The words came out stabbity.
“Everyone gets me to write the jingles for their product pitch.” He looked at me but he was still wearing his aviators so I couldn’t really tell where he was looking. “It’s been an odd source of income lately.”
“I’ll bet it has.” Josie flashed her million watt smile.
At random, Ashley struck a C to G chord and began singing, “He wakes you up in the morning, singing your favorite song.” He smiled at Josie and kept singing, ending the song on a G chord with, “He’s the last thing on your mind as you fall asleep at night.” He raised his aviators and looked into my eyes.
“Is that song about…” I began to say breathlessly, caught up in the moment.
“An alarm clock!” He chuckled. “I write these sort of shell songs about objects all the time, then when somebody needs a jingle I replace the words to make it work for them.”
“That right there is freakin’ brilliant.” Josie began. When they talked business my mind tended to wander off.
Ashley had mad hustle. He was always drawing people or designing clothing, writing or networking, creating music or leading bicycle tours throughout the valley. I’d never seen the man sleep even when his class hosted a 24 hour hackathon in a room next to the cafeteria. A group of us left campus for coffee one evening and when he noticed the coffee shop didn’t have a website he drew up a proposal on the spot to do it for them. He never ran out of steam and he didn’t burn out the way literally everyone else in school had. He was inspirational to be around and his girlfriend was equally zen about life. At first I kind of hated them, then I wanted to be them, and eventually I realized they were what I wanted in my life…but Andy and I weren’t exactly a power couple.
“I’m going to meditate on a new trail I spotted yesterday, I heard water in the distance and I think there might be a river there. You’re welcome to join me.” Ashley leaned closer.
“What?” I laughed. “You meditate by rivers now?”
Josie giggled. “Is there anything you don’t do?”
“Let me ask you something Emily.” He began to put the guitar away, glasses covering his eyes again. “Where do you go when you need to put things into perspective?”
Wow that wasn’t what I was expecting. “My room? I guess?”
“And where do you go when you need to get outside of yourself and reconnect with the universe?” He tilted his head to the side and raised his glasses again looking me dead in the eye; Calling me out on my bullshit without saying a word.
“Uh.” I stammered. “I guess I.” I sighed. “I don’t really do that. Ever.” I stared at him dumbfounded. The universe? What was this guy on?
“I can’t meditate, I’m a type A.” Josie said.
“Everyone can meditate; I don’t know how you guys have made it this far without it.” He shook his head. “I’ll text you later.” He said in my direction.
“He’s intense.” Josie said when he was out of earshot.
“Just when I thought that guy was built without an off switch.” I was still staring.
“So why doesn’t Andy move here?” Josie refocused. She seemed to notice that he didn’t matter as much when Ashley was around.
Andy was singing showtunes from classic black and white films on webcam. The way he flailed his fingers out as though he were catching a rainfall of rose petals while he sang, the way he turned his palm downward and danced his fingers around like a theatrical jellyfish, the way he could make himself 1000% absorbed in a character then return to his regular slightly intoxicated self was intriguing. I was so happy to spend time with him again.
We were back to spending hours online together after school. He took a week away from college which turned into a second week and I stopped asking about school after that. He was playing guitar more and singing to me all the time. Things were back to normal with us and at first it was comforting. At first it was all I’d wanted. But we weren’t in high school anymore.
“Why doesn’t he move here?” Josie asked. The cafeteria had the usual dinner crowd; some stressed out looking students were wearing pajamas, then there was Ashley donning a straw hat and aviators looking like he was fresh off the beach.
“Hellooooo?” Josie snapped her fingers in front of my face.
“Huh?” I wasn’t staring at Ashley.
Josie followed my line of sight and smirked. “You know they broke up.” She grinned mischievously and looked at Ashley. “Why don’t you join us, loner?” She called out.
“I’m working on something.” Ashley waved a pen and continued writing, ignoring her.
“Working on that tan.” I whispered.
“Right?” Josie giggled. “Like he was sooo busy this morning that he just couldn’t find the time to do up those top few shirt buttons.”
I sighed.
As though he heard us, he stood up and flip flopped his way to our table toting with him a guitar case that had seen better days. “It’s a song.” He beamed.
“I thought you were studying marketing.” The words came out stabbity.
“Everyone gets me to write the jingles for their product pitch.” He looked at me but he was still wearing his aviators so I couldn’t really tell where he was looking. “It’s been an odd source of income lately.”
“I’ll bet it has.” Josie flashed her million watt smile.
At random, Ashley struck a C to G chord and began singing, “He wakes you up in the morning, singing your favorite song.” He smiled at Josie and kept singing, ending the song on a G chord with, “He’s the last thing on your mind as you fall asleep at night.” He raised his aviators and looked into my eyes.
“Is that song about…” I began to say breathlessly, caught up in the moment.
“An alarm clock!” He chuckled. “I write these sort of shell songs about objects all the time, then when somebody needs a jingle I replace the words to make it work for them.”
“That right there is freakin’ brilliant.” Josie began. When they talked business my mind tended to wander off.
Ashley had mad hustle. He was always drawing people or designing clothing, writing or networking, creating music or leading bicycle tours throughout the valley. I’d never seen the man sleep even when his class hosted a 24 hour hackathon in a room next to the cafeteria. A group of us left campus for coffee one evening and when he noticed the coffee shop didn’t have a website he drew up a proposal on the spot to do it for them. He never ran out of steam and he didn’t burn out the way literally everyone else in school had. He was inspirational to be around and his girlfriend was equally zen about life. At first I kind of hated them, then I wanted to be them, and eventually I realized they were what I wanted in my life…but Andy and I weren’t exactly a power couple.
“I’m going to meditate on a new trail I spotted yesterday, I heard water in the distance and I think there might be a river there. You’re welcome to join me.” Ashley leaned closer.
“What?” I laughed. “You meditate by rivers now?”
Josie giggled. “Is there anything you don’t do?”
“Let me ask you something Emily.” He began to put the guitar away, glasses covering his eyes again. “Where do you go when you need to put things into perspective?”
Wow that wasn’t what I was expecting. “My room? I guess?”
“And where do you go when you need to get outside of yourself and reconnect with the universe?” He tilted his head to the side and raised his glasses again looking me dead in the eye; Calling me out on my bullshit without saying a word.
“Uh.” I stammered. “I guess I.” I sighed. “I don’t really do that. Ever.” I stared at him dumbfounded. The universe? What was this guy on?
“I can’t meditate, I’m a type A.” Josie said.
“Everyone can meditate; I don’t know how you guys have made it this far without it.” He shook his head. “I’ll text you later.” He said in my direction.
“He’s intense.” Josie said when he was out of earshot.
“Just when I thought that guy was built without an off switch.” I was still staring.
“So why doesn’t Andy move here?” Josie refocused. She seemed to notice that he didn’t matter as much when Ashley was around.
It me.
12/6/21