Thinking Out Loud

Time was dwindling as the new year approached, about 30 minutes left on the clock. And, as usual Sophie was spending it in the one place she’d rather be than anywhere else… Snuggled up on the couch watching the bands play at all the stages across the US. They would sing and dance as the music they enjoyed played, and chat during ones they didn’t much care for. It was fun and it was tradition- something Sophie wasn’t willing to give up even though they’d been invited out. She’d dressed nicely though- it wasn’t going out but it was still their own little party though. Mismatched stockings reached her knees - one light blue and the other white, both thigh highs that were hidden by a ruffled skirt that faded from white to blue. A black vest over a white blouse made the outfit. It wasn’t really all too elaborate, but it looked nice and Sophie thought it looked cute. Maybe a small part of her wanted to impress Davie too but she knew that ship had probably sailed long ago.

They had chips and had made their own pizza that night as well - but the part that had made them giggle a bit despite both being 22 now, was that the were sharing a bottle of sparkling cider. Yes, each had pictures of the other drinking from the bottle like it were wine. It was funny and neither were really big on drinking, despite the stereotype of the Scottish. Sophie flopped down on the couch next to him as a good band ended. Resting her head on his shoulder she grinned. She wasn’t tired, that much was obvious but she enjoyed the closeness. “Thirty more minutes!” Each year they were together on New Years she was worried it could be their last. Who knows when he’d get a girlfriend who’d rather spend the Holiday with him? So she intended to make the best of it each year, snuggled close to him and enjoying the music.

Though they'd been invited to parties, he was glad they'd opted to stay in. He was dressed casually but still nice. A plaid blue button down shirt and jeans. It was his style and yet he didn't feel like he wasn't making any effort in his appearance either, so it worked.

Of course, Sophie looked amazing and Davis had had a hard time not simply staring at her all night. Instead, he took a mental picture so he could remember this moment and everything about it.

He held her close and smiled at her words. "Yep. The new year is almost upon us." He murmured, softly. “And then we’ll see the big explosions.” He loved fireworks. 

“Of course~!” She chimed cheerfully as she dashed across the lawn to his side. “Is that as big as we’re doing?” It would probably suit best since the snow was layered enough the could make it- she just didn’t know how big they could make the snow man before they used all the snow on the lawn.

She’d ‘snuck’ out to scout a few shops in town to find Christmas gifts- planning on going shopping with Jacs later in the week when the snow had hit. She dashed home to drag Davie out to play in it. So what if she was twenty-two now? You can bet your sweet candy she was going to go out and play in it. 

“Soph...” He turned around to face her, a grin spreading across his face. “Of course. After all, it wouldn’t be a good snowman without my best friend’s help.” He reasoned. 

“We probably should… but we’ve got all day. We could stop by the music shop too… and maybe play in the park a bit? We got pretty good tips there last time and if we can’t get a job yet… it’s the best way to get money…” She tilted her head to the side gently and looked at him. He was her lucky charm. When he was around she could play for others too.

“When do you wanna leave?” He asked. He was quite comfortable laying in bed with her. Motivating himself to get up was not going to be an easy task, he knew that for certain.

“Are we job searching today?” She asked quietly, afraid if they continued on the conversation about staying there all day her thoughts might become harder to keep down. She might tell him how much she longed to stay there with him only so she would never lose him to whatever amazing girl he falls for. She didn’t want to get up yet- but she knew planning out their day properly might be good motivation to move eventually. Maybe they could stop by the music store.

“We can. I hadn’t really planned it out, honestly.” He knew they needed to motivate themselves to actually get up and get out of bed, but the idea of job hunting again was really unappealing to him. He was tired of trying, though he was far from ready to give up.

She shifted back just slightly to look at him, wanting to see something else in his face. Wanting to find the love she felt for him looking back at her. With words like that she could almost believe it wasn’t just her who felt the way she did. But- maybe he was good at masking it, or maybe she was blinded by the fact that she didn’t truly think he could feel that way… but instead she just grinned at him. “Me too… wouldn’t that be the best thing? Just a pause button. We could stay here forever.” Then she’d never have to find out if the day he left her behind was sooner or later.

But, he wouldn’t say anything. He wouldn’t deprive her of the chance to be happy one day, simply because it destroyed him. Sophie was far more important.

Jacque gave the ginger a funny look. She didn’t think he was being rude at all. Her eyes widened and she appeared as though she was about to laugh. “Uh…huh…” she paused, still very amused and offered her hand. “I’m Jacque, or Jacs. You’re Bunny’s- Sophie’s- best friend, right? About my height, beautiful blonde, pretty smile?” Oh, this was going to be fun. “If you’re not busy, wanna grab a bite and find a big tree so Bud here can rest?” No, she wasn’t ready to depart from her new furry friend.

“I’m sure we can find a tree somewhere close by where we can keep an eye on him.” He got the sense that she wasn’t ready to leave the god behind and he didn’t blame her.

Sophie didn’t realize any other implications to her imaginary circus job… blissfully unaware of the brief moment of inner turmoil she caused her best friend. Though, has she known… It would answer the burning question- and perhaps she wouldn’t feel so ashamed of herself when her thoughts slipped to less innocent ones. Though it was rare, it’d be a flat out lie to say she hadn’t considered certain situations. It was all too easy snuggled up in the morning before the move. Letting her mind wander.

“Yes, and we can learn face paint and juggling.” She grinned sleepily up at him. It was obvious she wasn’t going to get back to sleep now, so for the time being she would just enjoy cuddling with him until the need for breakfast pushed them to move. “Always. We’ll always be together.“ It was such an innocent statement, but it was Sophie’s way of just confirming his want to be there. With her. Even if it wasn’t the exact way a piece of her imagined, it was enough to be content. Happy with the idea that they were friends. They were travelling together. And they were going to achieve their dreams together. Shifting lightly she nuzzled her face against chest in response to his words. Glad she at least was able to say that. To tell him she loved him, no matter if she pretended it was differently or not.

He chuckled lightly and nodded. “I don’t think I’d be a very good juggler.” He said. “We should learn the trapeze too, and maybe lion taming.” He joked. When Sophie spoke again, Davis nodded. “Always, Soph. I promise.” He murmured. Though, rationally, he realized there may come a day when their lived took separate paths. However, he didn’t want to think of his life without Sophie being a constant daily presence.

His grip on her tightened as she nuzzled his chest. “Sometimes I just wish we could shut out the world, you know? Just stay forever in this moment. Because when everything else seems so wrong, being near you is the only thing that feels right.”

“Ooh can I come? I wanna be a snake charmer.” She said with a little giggle. Peeking at him with one eye, half her face still mushed into the pillow. “Maybe if music doesn’t work out we can join a circus.” Another sleepy giggle sounded from her as she looked over at him when he began to speak again. “I wouldn’t either. I’m glad we’re here. It’s an adventure. We will make it Davie. I know we will.” Slightly more alert now as she shifted, though not moving away from him.

She loved it, she loved him, both in the most innocent way possible,and more. Best friends since birth. She couldn’t imagine her life without him. She wouldn’t be here right now. That much was certain. In fact he was such a part of her life she wasn’t sure where she’d be at all without him. And it wasn’t something she wanted to think about. “I love you, Davie.” As far as he knew, she meant it in the average platonic way that friends did. Not that she meant so my much more those four words.

Davis felt his breath hitch when Sophie mentioned wanting to be a snake charmer. Shit! If she knew what he was thinking right now...He steadied his breathing, concentrating on thinking of anything but. Now was not the time to start having provocative thoughts about Sophie. Not when she was snuggled up to him.

He grinned. “Yeah, we’ll run away and join a traveling circus and be entertainers.” He joked. Looking down at her with a nod, he spoke. “I know we will, Soph. And we’ll do it together.” That was the best part of it all. Davis couldn’t imagine doing any of this alone. When she said her next words, he wished she meant them differently, but accepted them nonetheless. “I love you too, Soph.” He murmured, softly.

“Aren’t we all?” She shrugged feeling empathic towards those words. Living with a band wasn’t something she had planned, but God, how had that changed her ideas for the future. “Still it’s better than sitting down and waiting for things to come to you. Not that I’m an expert on the subject but at least that’s what I have decided to believed for the moment”

Althought believing was a word that fell short. Right now it was the power that moved her everyday to achieve that she was looking for.

“Catherine Hargrave, remember it for when it starts appearing in every single radio of the country” Or in this world, but United States was almost a synonym to that term. She patted the spot by her side as an invitation to join her for a moment and then turned to her guitar to rest her over her lap to make it more comfortable to chat for a while. “And… actually? Just in my first soing of the day. I’m thinking on a average of…” She gave a quick look to the sky in an attempt to calculate the time. “Another ten before taking my friend here to a guy I knew so he can keep it until tomorrow”

“Have you covered your share for the day or it’s time for your first shift of the night?”

“That’s definitely a good outlook.” He said, nodding. She was right. You definitely couldn’t sit back and wait for things to happen, you had to go out and make them happen. He smiled and committed the name to memory. “I’ll remember that.” He promised.

Moving towards her, Davis took the offered seat at her side. He nodded once more. “Well, I’ve been playing around town for a bit. Was gettin’ ready to head in for the night, but if you want some company, I wouldn’t mind hanging around for a little while.”

“Okay.” If he wasn’t going to make her move, well then Sophie had absolutely no intention of moving. She was content snuggled up to him. “You’ll stay right?” She asked, peeking over at him and smiling gently. It wasn’t any fun to sleep in if he wouldn’t lay there with her. Half the reason she didn’t want to move was because he was there, holding her. She could stay there all day if life and Davie would allow her.

She loved him, she had for as long as she could remember. But there were so many horror stories. So many tales of friendships lost when one friend fell in love with the other. When the other didn’t return the feelings. Sophie couldn’t bear the thought of losing Davie to something like that. She didn’t think he’d leave over something like her being in love with him. In fact a small part of her wondered if he knew. It wouldn’t be a hard thing to guess considering how they acted. Her only consolation was that they both were quite affectionate to the other and they’d been acting that way since they were children. So it just seemed natural for them.

As long as he was there with her… that was what mattered. She could hold in her feelings for now. She could deal with being unemployed. Living in a van with a bed in the back. None of that mattered when he was there with her.

“No. Actually, I was planning on running away and fulfilling my secret lifelong dream of joining a traveling circus to become a sword-swallower.” He quipped. He couldn’t resist. Of course he was kidding and he knew she’d know that. “Sophie, I’m glad we came out here. I know it’s not easy, but we’ll make it work. And we’re together. That’s what matters. I wouldn’t wanna be here with anyone else, you know.”

All of this, pursuing his dream, it was amazing. And if they succeeded? He’d be over the moon. But, if he didn’t have Sophie, then he really didn’t want any of it. None of it meant anything to him if he couldn’t share it with her. His victories and his failures, they were all part of the process. And he needed her there with him, sharing in the joys and the sorrows.

The moment the money entered her visual range was the very same that Catherine smirked with the air of a champion and took her eyes from the cold pavement to climb the silhouette of the man that had decided to join her in a late afternoon’s soiree.

And just when she thought that there was nothing new and fantastic to see in that bubbling city everyday more receiptive of some specimens hardly able to be recognized as part of the humankind. Did angels finally decided to allow Harmony one last visit until everyone here went straight down where they belonged?

Sure it must, if not there wasn’t reason for him to be standing right here.

What he missed in height sure he compensated with that pair of eyes took straight from some Caribbean ocean. Cute, adorable even. Not something she would melt for but definitely above the average she had saw lately. And with a good few dollars in his back.

“Fellow future superstar, I see” She purred, eyes on him while her hands contnued with the melody but not too long until she looked back down, changing chord before saying. “New in town or signed beforehand? Because I sure haven’t heard you or your little friend around”

“That’s the dream.” He said, chuckling.” He knew she could definitely relate. “Been here a couple months. My best friend and I came here to make it big but we’re still trying.” It wasn’t easy, the path to stardom. “Sorry, I can’t do more. I’m living in a van. Looking for a job.”

He and Sophie often found themselves on street corners much like Kat, playing for money. “I’m Davis, by the way. Davis Fletcher.” He replied with a smile.

“How long have you been out here playing?” He asked. It was getting late in the day and it would be dark soon. And while he knew Harmony had a very active night life, he wasn’t sure what those people were like.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Jacque sighed under her breath and slummed back on the bench. She dragged her free hand through her hair and took a deep breath. That was “it”. She was done trying to find the owner after waiting and pleading for close to or over an hour. It was past lunch time and really she ought to get to the studio to at least stretch before her muscles tensed up further.

Busy in her thought, she realized she possibly was ignoring someone in front of her and looked up. “Huh? He isn’t yours is he?” Jacque pouted her lower lip and then looked back down to the dog. “I’m about to take him to the no-kill shelter down town. Was kind of hoping the owner would show up.” She shrugged, “nada. They don’t deserve this baby’s love anyway.” Too bad she couldn’t keep him.

Davis shook his head. “Unfortunately, not. He’s a lovable one. Wish I could take him in. But, I’m living in a van and that’s not really an ideal place for a dog.” He explained with an apologetic shrug. “Maybe the shelter is the best place for him at this point.” At least they’d take care of him and hopefully find him a good home.

“Sorry, I’m being rude. I’m Davis Fletcher.” He said, introducing himself. “I’ve only been in town a few months, so I really don’t know a lot of people yet.” So far, though Harmony was a place he was really growing accustomed to. The people, the environment, even the air. There was just something about it that he really couldn’t explain.

         Clouded skyes left room for the dark veil of the night and the shy street lights with their warm glow started to dye the city with a nostalgic feeling. Just the preamble of the later explosion of music and life vibrating in every echoed laugh and shout. There wasn’t a lot of people around. This was the time for stores to start closing for the day and people heading home to rest or get ready. Some where going to say their goodbyes and get to bed for another hard day of work. Some are barely waking up to start a new adventure in a city that hardly sleeps.

She could have went out a thousand hours earlier but the sun was too bright and too strong for her and her mood to deal with passers not even looking at her brilliant effort to get some money to buy fries at the gas station or -if lady luck was on her side- to find a good place to fall asleep for a change. But no. She wasn’t even going to try to annihilate the desire to punch someone in the goddamn face when they decided to stand there and listen wthout giving her a single coin.

At least afternoons and the absence of the hot balloon in the sky made her a little more patient.

A little

Let’s say enough.

Guitar in hand and well seated on the corner of a street she reached for the hat she usually placed to receive her payment, but only to discover she had left the damn thing forgot God knows where.

Ugh this was just perfect.

She looked at herself. Not a lot on but her shorts, boots, shirt and…

Ha.

Well at least she was going to drag some attention now. She took her bra out without lifting her shirt and placed it in the ground with a message wrote with chalk so people knew -if it wasn’t obvious already- that she wanted their pretty bucks inside her tiny black bra.

Now it was showtime.

Though he’d been in Harmony, California for awhile now, Davis found that the city constantly surprised him. He always seemed to find some new part of it each day. He liked that about the place. There never seemed to be a dull moment.

Harmony seemed to always be buzzing. Someone was always awake, going somewhere, doing something. It was comforting in a way. The hour was late and the sun was beginning to set. Davis had been exploring the city, guitar in hand, but as he headed back to the van, he stopped short when he saw a blonde seated on a street corner, playing the guitar. Next to her was a black bra with a chalk written message. He had to chuckle a bit at her creativity.

As he listened to her play, he realized she was pretty talented. He had a little bit to spare, so he pulled out his wallet and pulled out a ten dollar bill. It wasn’t much but it was what he could give. He tossed it into her makeshift container and stood back, continuing to listen to her play.

“Excuse me-” Jacque called out as loudly as she could as she stayed seated on the bench outside a bakery. “HEY! Excuse me! Discúlpeme!” She gruffed in aggravation. The dog at her side whined while adjusting their head on Jacque’s lap. “I know…life’s not fair, buddy. Who’d leave you wrapped around a tree for so long?” Unfortunately while freeing the loved animal from the shadeless tree, the leash snapped completely. Leaving Jacque to keep her fingers hooked around the collar to save from the furry friend running off. 

“Discúlpeme!!” she waved her arm wildly about as she tried to flag someone down. “Excuse me! Hi! Have you…” Her head turned as her voice trailed off, watching yet another person run by and pretend like she didn’t exist. She sighed, “lost your dog?”

It was another sunny day in Harmony, California. And another day where Davis Fletcher was looking for a job. He had decided to go to some of the local businesses and ask for applications. He’d sit and fill them out all day if he needed to. He knew it didn’t really help that he didn’t have a resume’. Also, there was the fact that he wasn’t actually born in the U.S. That kind of put a damper on things. 

It was hard but not impossible. He had just spotted a local bakery and decided he’d try and apply there. After all, he loved food. He had helped his mother bake when he was a kid, so really how hard could it be? As he approached the building he heard a woman calling out. He observed the situation and noticed the dog and that everyone kept walking by. Frowning, he walked over to her. “Did someone abandon this little guy?” He asked.

Sophie was sleeping quite contently, snuggled up to her best friend. Sure they were sleeping in the back of his van. Sure they’d been here a few months and neither of them had jobs yet. Sure it wasn’t exactly going as planned. But they were making enough off playing music together to live. That was what was important. They would get jobs soon. It was just hard with all the new musicians scrambling for jobs. 

She stirred. She had a funny feeling Davie was awake but she knew if she opened her eyes he’d she was too and that they’d get up soon. Finally though she peeked her eyes open to look at him. Whining softly when she realized he was indeed awake… “No… go back to sleep.” She giggled slightly and pulled the covers up over their faces and buried her own in the pillow.

There was nothing that made Davis feel more content than being snuggled up to Sophie. Of course the fact that it was completely and totally platonic was at the forefront of his mind. He had yet to work up the nerve to tell Sophie how he felt about her. Maybe he never would. One thing he knew for sure, this was not what either of them had planned. Living in a van, being unemployed. But, they were together, and they were playing music. And that was what mattered.

Davis often woke up before Sophie did. He’d pretend he was still sleeping, so he could have an opportunity to hold her for a bit longer. Maybe it wasn’t the most honest thing, but he doubted Sophie minded. In fact, he had a feeling she knew he was awake most of the time. 

When she opened her eyes to look at him, he chuckled lightly. “Soph, we don’t have to wake up.” He murmured.