He was Singing our Song

Chapter 4: I was Always Noticed

       The weekend came and went, and I managed to dodge mom and dad as much as possible, and when I did have to confront them, I detoured from any questions about the festival. It still felt like a dream, there was no way Tyler Macon was that close to me, there was just no way, and all that work I had done at taking my heart back, it didn’t work, it was only a smoke screen, the boy had my heart, and now I knew I would never get it back.

      Monday morning came, and instead of heading to school, I decided to lay out and head to the barn instead. Just in case it was all real, I wasn’t ready to face anyone at school just yet. I had just finished feeding horses and mucking out stalls when I heard a throat clear behind me causing me to drop the wheel burrow and almost knock it over.

      I turned around to see my dad leaned against the door frame with his fresh cup of coffee steaming in his hand. “Lizzy why aren’t you in school?”

      I just rolled my eyes and pushed the wheel burrow to the side before grabbing the brushes and stepping in the stall with widow. He leaned into my hands as he ate, and I ran the brush through his mane.

    I finally sighed, knowing my dad wasn’t going anywhere, “I just couldn’t go daddy, I know you know what happened Saturday, I just couldn’t.” I let it all run out at once.

        “Lizzy, why? Honey, you are a talented young lady, beautiful young lady, why not let this town see who you really are?”

       “I am perfectly happy with who I am, and don’t care if anyone sees me or not.” I said as a matter of fact.

       “And Tyler?” I just raised a brow at him, “Lizzy, we all know how you feel about the boy. Why not show him you?”

       “He is way out of my league, and besides he isn’t staying in this town after school so why bother.” I just shrugged my shoulders, suddenly realizing that in 8 months high school would be over and he would walk out of my life forever.

       “I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” dad mumbled as he headed to his office. I don’t think he realized I heard him, but I did.

       I took my time combing and braiding Widow’s mane and tail while he stood perfectly still. I let my mind run free, while I sung to myself, like I always did, my shower walls and the horses had been the only ones to hear me sing, and in one night, the blink of an eye, and a wink, I let the whole town hear me.

       “He likes you,” a deep sultry voice echoed through the stall. I froze afraid to look up. Nope, I am hearing things. “Hey.” I looked up and there he stood, in all his perfectness, sporting a mossy oak ball cap today. He smiled and leaned against the stall, and I am pretty sure my heart stopped right there. “So, could you please tell me, why you are always running from me?”

      I tore my eyes from him and shook my head stepping out of the stall and setting the brushes back on the shelf. I dusted my hands on my pants and finally decided to face this head on. “Um, Tyler, I am not sure what you are talking about, you called me on stage in front of the whole town and scared the living day lights out of me.” He stepped toward me, and I stepped back placing my trembling hand in front of me to stop him. “Please don’t.” I took a deep breath, “Why are you here?”

      He grabbed my trembling hand and pulled me into his embrace while wrapping his arm around my waist and never breaking his eyes away from mine, “Please call me Tye, and I am here for you. You have been running for so long, it was the only way I could think to get your attention.”

       I furrowed my brows in confusion, I could see he meant what he said, his eyes showed only honesty, but I didn’t know what he was talking about. “I’m confused. My attention?”

      “Let’s take a walk.” He slowly released my waist but quickly grabbed my hand and led me out the back of the barn, and I let him. I knew where we were headed, it was one of my favorite places on the farm, but how did he know where it was.

       We were silent as we walked a little ways through the meadow before turning on the old worn path through the trees. The water rushing against the rocks was music to my ears as we stepped into the clearing next to the roaring creek. Tyler led us over to the rocks that layered the bank and took a seat pulling me down next to him, never releasing my hand. It was like he was afraid to let go, afraid I would run.

        “Okay so we walked, now what?” I nervously giggled. I still wasn’t sure if this was real or not, I was waiting to wake up any minute.

       “Did you know that I have liked you since the first day I walked in kindergarten, and you were sitting in the back with your little pig tails and kitty t-shirt?” I just stared at him blankly, did I just hear him right. “Don’t look at me like that, you had to know.”

       “Um, no, how would I know? We are like two kids from the opposite sides of the track so to speak.” I was proud of myself with that statement, it started a little shaky, but came out strong in the end."And we have never spoken."

       “My family might be wealthy, and I might come from old money, and your family might have had to work hard to earn every dime they have, but that doesn’t make us any different from one another. We aren’t our families.” I couldn’t really argue with that, I wasn’t my mother and father, nor was he his. “Lizzy, I have tried everything in the world to talk to you, to grab your attention, and when I get just a little close your quicker than a bolt of lightning darting away, darling.”

     "Tyler." He placed his hand to my mouth softly.      "Please, call me Tye."

     "Why?"

     "Because I believe this is the beginning of a beautiful thing and I want something unique to just you and I, no one else."

     I cradled my head in my free hand and tried to calm my racing heart, "Oh my gosh, Raina is going to kill me. I shouldn't even be talking to you."

     He laughed, "Worse mistake of my life right there. I thought I could make you jealous, make you see me, and well, it didn't work so I broke it off. I looked for you all summer in all the usual places, but you hid yourself away all summer."

     "Work as usual," I gestured around me, hoping he understood I was talking about the farm.

     "Yea, I figured. That's why I had my horse brought here. I figured one way or another I was going to talk to you this year. And then seeing Lola in class the other day was just a luck of the draw. I told her to make sure you were there Saturday, and well your mom fell right in, telling me all about your voice. Hell, I didn't care what you sounded like, I had you within my reach and I was going to run with it." He knocked my shoulder with his, "But for the record, you are pretty amazing. You should try a singing career."

     I shook my head and laughed, slowly feeling my heartbeat return to normal, "No way, I will leave that to the professionals, and continue to serenade the horses and my shower walls."

     He cleared his throat as he stood up and turned to face me placing himself between my knees with now both my hands in his and looking down at me, rather looking deep down into my soul. "So I am a gentleman, and I think there is a certain way to do things, but I am skipping a few steps here." He smiled down at me and my heart picked up it's pace again. "Lizzy would you do the honor of being my girlfriend. I don't want to waste another moment, chasing you, or you dodging me. Say yes, I promise I will back up and do all the gentlemanly things, I will take you on dates, I will make sure you are standing beside me and that the crowd knows you are with me, I will make it known at school, my girl. Just say yes, and let me show you a senior year full of memories and more, something to tell the grand kids one day."

      In that moment, my world stopped turning and I was still not sure if it was all real, could I get this lucky, could the boy I had loved for as long as I remember truly be standing here asking me to be his girlfriend. Promising that everyone would know I was his, and that he would make a ton of memories for the grand kids. My mind tried reasoning with my heart, it tried to tell me how bad this could all go, it tried to make my heart see reason, but my heart wanted no part in hearing what my mind had to say. With Tyler Macon standing in front of me, with his hands holding mine so affectionately, and speaking the words I had longed to hear, my heart was ready to jump in feet first and never look back. And so I did. Little did I know that, that would be the day my life changed, it would change in so many ways that I could never have even imagined. Love, heartbreak, life shattering decisions, I would face it all.