Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 124135 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 621(@200wpm)___ 497(@250wpm)___ 414(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124135 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 621(@200wpm)___ 497(@250wpm)___ 414(@300wpm)
I was sick of being me.
The street was getting busy, people out for dinner and drinks. I kept my head down as I passed some of the students from college.
Older people were walking toward the park. When I found myself on the edge of the park, I looked inside through the railings. Hundreds of people sat on the lawn, most on picnic blankets. I looked at what they were all facing. What looked like a fifty-piece orchestra was in the center of a stage. A burst of applause rang across the park. I squinted, trying to see through the trees blocking my view.
I could make out the conductor making his way onto the stage. My heart took off into a sprint as he brought his baton high and signaled the orchestra to prepare. Bows rested on strings, reeds were brought to mouths, and the pianist laid her hands on the keys.
A second later, they began, in perfect unison. Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony started the show. I pressed closer to the railings. I knew I should leave. I needed to leave. But instead I saw myself walking to the entrance. A ticket booth was there, a “Sold Out” sign hitched on the main gate.
Go home, Cromwell. I forced myself to cut through the path that ran alongside the park and back to campus. But with every new movement, the colors grew brighter and brighter in my mind. I stopped dead and squeezed my eyes shut. Leaning against the fence, I pressed the heels of my palms to my eyes. But the colors didn’t go.
Reds danced into triangles, shimmering and gliding into forest greens. Bright yellows flicked and shifted into peach; long-drawn-out sections of sunset oranges burst into the lightest of browns.
I dropped my hands, and my shoulders sagged in defeat. I turned and looked through the railings. The stage was in the distance now. I looked for security guards, but I didn’t find any. There was no one in sight. I hooked my feet into the fence and pulled myself over the top. I jumped to the floor, the branches from the bushes and trees scratching at my skin.
The dark that was building kept me hidden as I waded my way to the main area of the park. I slid through a gap in the trees and began walking toward where the music was playing. With every step the colors got brighter, until I did what I hadn’t done in three years, what I was too tired to fight anymore…
I let them free.
I tore off the leash that held them back and let them fly.
My hands itched at my sides as I took in the music, eyes closed and just drinking it in.
When the fourth movement came to a close, I opened my eyes and walked to the edge of the audience. I saw a tree to my left and moved to sit at it. I looked out at the stage as the next piece began…and not a few feet in front of me was a familiar brunette. My heart stuttered. After a week of not seeing her, the pale pink and lavender colors surrounding her seemed brighter. More vivid.
I couldn’t tear my eyes away.
Bonnie had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, and she sat on another, alone. It made me think of the blanket she’d put on me as I slept that night in Brighton.
She’d covered me with a blanket, even though I’d been a complete tosser to her. My heart squeezed again. I rocked on my feet to chase the feeling away.
I was over feeling so much.
Bonnie’s knees were bent, her arms resting on top. Even from where I was, I could see that her eyes were fixed on the musicians. She wasn’t missing a single beat.
I stayed watching her as they switched to one of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos. My hands clenched at my sides. Then when she moved her hand and wiped a stray tear off her cheek, they relaxed and I found myself moving to where she sat. I slumped to the grass beside her.
I could feel her eyes on me the minute she could bear to tear them away from the orchestra. I sat forward, arms hanging over my legs. She was watching me, a surprised expression on her face.
My teeth ground together as my pulse started to race. I pulled my Corona from my pocket and took a sip. I could still feel her looking, so I met her gaze. “Farraday.”
Bonnie blinked, and then her eyes snapped back to the orchestra. When the Bach finished, the interval began. The orchestra left the stage, and people moved toward the food and drink trucks. I lay back on the grass, resting on my elbow. I had no idea what I was doing here. Easton had just told me Bonnie didn’t even like me.