322Chapter Two: Only Ashes
He'd shown her the most amazing little shop she'd ever seen. She never would've given it a second glance if she'd been alone. Especially on the streets of New York. It was a vintage-book store. "We buy and sell rare and used books." The faded and slightly peeling sign advertised on the front window. The door opened with a quiet tingle of a rusty bell at the top of the frame.
Floor to ceiling books on every wall. Tables littered randomly throughout the shop with alphabetized authors sprawled across the top. He nodded at the owner and led her through the tables, pointing out old favorites, picking up books he hadn't seen before and reading the backs. He picked out a few but not as many as she did. She was in heaven. She was in the middle of a gold mine. This was the closest she'd come to happiness since her move. It was like…
"Oh my gosh." She exhaled slowly as her eyes widened. It was an old copy of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. "I love this book. I lost mine ages ago." She glanced up at him and he was wearing that almost smile again.
"So you like it here?" She laughed and he liked it.
"Like you need to ask." They bought their books and as they walked he told her about himself. He was 19, just finishing freshman year, going to NYU. He was a guitar player, was majoring in Music Theory and was working at a record store. He did small gigs at small clubs and bars but never anything serious. He was raised by his Mom and had never met his dad. He had an older brother named Nathan that lived in North Carolina. He was absolutely perfect.
She led him to her apartment building and knew that her mother wouldn't be home yet. "You wanna come in?" He nodded, but just slightly, that small smile flitting across his face. He followed her up the stairs and she was telling him about her life. Her mom now worked as a chairwoman at some major insurance company and her dad was a computer programmer. She had a little brother and sister but they lived with their dad and she wasn't very close to them at all.
She let them into the apartment and the first thing he noticed was how comfortable it was. All mellow tones and soft furniture. A few paintings and photos on the walls but otherwise very clean.
"Well this is it." She waved her hand around and then nodded towards her room. "Come 'ere." He followed her and when she opened her door he couldn't help but realize how different it was from the rest of the apartment. It was a mesh of everything that was her. Bookshelves lined one wall, all of them groaning under the weight of her most prized possessions. Another wall was a collage of pictures and posters and movie stubs. On another was a huge CD rack that spanned almost the length of the wall but wasn't quite full. A small guitar sat in the corner.
"Woah." He honed in on the guitar immediately, his fingers itching to pick it up already. She had a desk covered with open books and old coffee cups, notebooks with scribblings in them and a computer. She had a dirty clothes hamper in the corner and it was full of what looked like hoodies and jeans.
"This is my 'area', as my mom likes to say." He began to walk around the room, examining each item carefully, noting that she alphabetized her CDs. When he came to the guitar he couldn't help but give her a look.
"You didn't tell me you played." He picked it up and ran his fingers along the strings softly. It was a Gibson, fairly new.
"I don't, really." She gave a small laugh and once again, he noticed how much he liked it. "I only know a few chords." He sat down on the neatly made bed.
"Well get over here." He let out a small laugh as she sat gingerly on the bed next to him. "Alright, I'm going to teach you a song, okay?" She smiled and nodded, wiping her hair back from her face and studying him intently. He strummed a few notes, messed around with the tunings, and then turned to face her. "Okay, now, watch." He strummed out a simple G chord, which she could repeat easily. She was a quick learner, and she picked up the simple tune fairly fast. When she got to the tricky part and had stumbled for the fifth time, he shook his head.
"No, wait." Positioning himself behind her, he took her left hand in his, guiding her fingers to the right chord and then saying, "Now try." She was unnerved by the fact that he was so close to her, but she didn't let it show. He tried not to smell her hair but he couldn't help the fact that she was so intoxicating. His breath was hot on her ear and she played the note with perfection. He let go of her hand, but didn't move, and she didn't want him to. "Play it again." His voice was soft.
She did, and only stumbled once. She could've done better if he wasn't so close…
"So?" She smiled and he smiled back.
"You did good." She handed it to him.
"You play something." He gave her a thoughtful look, wondering why he was doing this. He was in a strange girl's room, talking with her as if he'd known her all his life. Now he was about to bare his soul to her, as he did with every person that listened to him play.
The chords started out slowly, melodically. His fingers strummed the strings expertly and she was mesmerized by it. When he started to sing, she started to melt.
How could it be so perfect?
His singing voice was different than his speaking voice. His singing voice was full of raw emotion and it was sharp and exposing.
Piece by piece and bit by bit
I'll break this down for you real slow
But I can't whisper all of this
And I can't seem to let this go…
So I watch the matches
Turn to ashes
I watch the matches
Turn to ashes…
It had started off slow and soft, but his voice was getting louder and his fingers were strumming harder. She felt her stomach tighten as he looked up at her, his eyes colliding with hers and she couldn't breathe, couldn't think.
But I can tell as you turn
I smell the sulfur so clear
And fire's a beautiful sound.
And the bridges you burn,
They turn to ashes my dear…
And ashes just fall
To the ground
They were only ashes…And then the music stopped and she was left staring. He was looking at her, as if he was waiting for her approval, but she had nothing to say. She couldn't say anything, really, her tongue was all heavy in her mouth.
"That was…" He put down the guitar and pushed the hair from his eyes.
"I've played better, really, I kind of-"
"Amazing." She finished. He bowed his head slightly.
"Thanks." She finally looked at the clock and saw her digital red numbers blaring up at her that it was almost seven o' clock. "Hey, listen, my mom's going to be home soon…" He stood, nodding.
"Okay." She was walking him to the door, but she grabbed him before he touched the handle. She was holding a sharpie and had pulled off the lid and had written something on the palm of his hand.
"Call me sometime. My cell." He glanced down and, sure enough, her phone number was splayed on his hand in neat, curly handwriting. He gave a nod, accompanied by that grin of his.
"'Kay." He hadn't realized they were standing so close, but he wasn't complaining. He bent down a little, his breath soft and light across her face. She felt his lips brush hers and butterflies erupted in her stomach and a desire so strong that she'd never felt for anything before burned her chest. He hadn't planned to kiss her, not really, but once his lips had touched hers he knew he couldn't stop. He grabbed her shoulders, pulling her to him. It was like paradise. His whole body was tense, her hands against his neck, on his shoulders. Desire so deep that he could barely think straight. He couldn't think straight. And then he pulled away and she was left breathless and so very hungry for more.
"I'll-I'll call you." He murmured, and knew that he had to go now or he wouldn't be able to. He felt lightheaded and dizzy and not quite all together.
"Wait. Don't go." She sounded desperate, so he paused. He shook his head. She licked her lips and he was gone. He devoured them again like they were oxygen, his hand finding her waist, then her hips, hers grasping his t-shirt and never wanting to let go. How did they only know each other less than a day and all of the sudden…?
And then she came to her senses and as hard as it was she had to separate herself from him. It took all of her will power, but she pushed him away, and he protested with a small groan.
"Dom, Dom, my mom's coming, you've gotta go." He nodded, breathless.
"Okay." He swallowed and began to back away. "I'll see you soon, Kate." And then he was gone
and she was staring after him in shock.
…
A/N: the lyrics don't belong to me. They belong to the wonderfully amazing Something Corporate