Smoothy

January 04, 20XX

Hey, it's been a long time. Too long, actually. Something happened unexpectedly that I've been thinking about for the past few days, and it still hasn't settled in.

Soul did something and it's been distracting me—a lot. It's all I've been thinking for the past days. I think I'm reading too much in between the lines but he used a song so maybe I'm supposed to...? I hate it when he acts all cool and mysterious and it gets to my head. Honestly, it feels weird to hold a pen now. But keeping it in my head doesn't clear up the fog. I need to see it clearly.

So, here it goes.

I remember we were on our way back to Death City after collecting another soul. We were at a station, waiting for our train to arrive.

Now that I think about it, the set up was really pretty. The sun was setting, the tracks were quiet, and it was just us two. As if in that moment, the world revolved around us.

Soul took out his earphones. He plugged them into his phone with a busted screen— even though I already told him multiple times to change it. He scrolled on it, picking a playlist to match the sunset.

Maybe it was the exhaustion, but I didn't want to be left out. So, curiously, I asked if he can lend me the other earplug.

"....you want to listen to music?" He said almost mockingly. I know I don't exactly understand music but I can still enjoy it...probably.

Either way, that comment annoyed me a little so I just yanked an earplug and listened with him.

First impression: what the hell am I listening to?

I think it is "rock"? I'm not entirely sure but it had a singer, guitars, and drums. At least that's what I could tell.

Anyways— I guess me analysing the music was obvious on my face, because this guy decided to change it into "something easier". As if the previous song was any difficult, I could vibe with it.

He changed the song into something recognizable. A type of song that everyone would've probably like. The tune might be a little difficult for me to describe but the lyrics is surprisingly romantic— in a sense that it's Soul choosing the song.

Does he actually listen to romantic songs?

I couldn't believe that he'd listen to this but I'll never forget that moment when I finally faced him.

He was looking at me.

I don't know how long he has been looking at me with that gaze. His eyes settled on me like I was fragile, like I would run away if he showed me that expression. It was surprising, yet also comforting. Had it begun with the song...

Or had it been there long before I ever noticed?

It was just like when he first introduced himself to me. "This is the kind of guy that I am," and played a song on the piano that I couldn't comprehend.

Except, this time, he didn't say a word.

Yet still, he let the song spoke what his courage never could.

I've read countless of books on music. Pages of theories and explanations, trying to understand what it is in hopes to understand him better.

But none of that could've prepared me for this.

Not Beethoven, nor Mozart, nor even Chopin could tell me what kind of a person Soul was.

For the way his eyes made my chest ache.

For the way the song unraveled something in me, words I've never thought of before.

In that moment I understood—

Music isn't in the books.

It's a feeling.

It's a reflection.