Chapter 10 The Song of Nora and Raul #4
“I really like the song,” I said, rolling up the cord and stowing it away.
“We joked the entire evening about now being in a band, but…” I lifted my legs up and crossed them on the bench.
“I can’t deny that I’m interested in him in another way too, and maybe that’s clouding my judgment.
Give it to me straight, guys. Am I just thinking with my dick here? ”
“I think it’s quite romantic,” Nora replied. “You can both like the guy and his music.”
“But his concerns are real. I get it,” Raul countered. “They only met once and immediately… clicked?”
“Yes, because they’re made for each other. Why else would Sebastian’s voice fit the song so well? It’s obvious that they’re connected both physically and spiritually.”
“How would you know? You haven’t even met the guy.” Raul pulled his arm away from Nora’s shoulder. “We don’t even know his name.”
“It’s Alex,” I threw in, but they were already so engrossed in their conversation that they didn’t seem to hear me.
“Because I can feel it? Anyone with eyes and a soul can see that Seb’s holding on to this because he knows there could be more.”
Raul sighed. “I’m not sure about that.”
“Excuse me?” Nora rocked three inches away from him and twisted her upper body so far to look at him that she resembled a corkscrew. “Who are you, and what have you done with Raul?”
“I just don’t want him to rush into things.”
“Says the guy who slept with me the first night he met me, and basically every night since?”
“That was different, guapa.”
“Please enlighten us.” Nora glanced at me, her mouth agape, as if she wanted me to pick a side.
“We weren’t talking about forming a band after making love once, guapa.”
“It was twice, actually,” I threw in, regretting my words the second they left my mouth. “But I don’t want to get pedantic about it,” I added, leaning back to stay on the sidelines.
“Okay, they spent one night together,” Raul argued.
“They don’t even live close to each other.
How’s that supposed to work? To form a band, you have to meet and rehearse regularly.
Not once or twice a year. Let alone a relationship!
How’s that going to work with thousands of kilometers between them? ”
“If they truly want it, they’ll find a way,” Nora countered. “We’re not living in the 1990s anymore when the best form of long-distance communication was a lousy landline. But even with that, my parents made it work.”
My phone lit up again, this time with the video Nora had taken of me, which had finally finished sending. While Nora and Raul argued as if they were discussing their own future, I clicked on the video.
It started halfway through the first verse.
I held my phone close to my ear. The recording quality wasn’t studio-grade, but it was good enough to get a sense of the song.
As the chorus set in, my chest felt lighter.
Singing it was one thing, but listening to it was something else.
Even without proper equipment, it sounded like something I wanted to sing a thousand times.
So, no matter how stupid it might be to think about keeping in touch with Alex, I couldn’t lose anything by trying, no matter what direction it might take.
I opened the chat with Alex and sent him the video.
This video couldn’t be any worse.
You might still like it, though.
I also sent him a tongue-out emoji.
“It’s good for marketing,” Nora yelled. Her head was red, as was Raul’s. “People love stories like that.”
“One-night stand turned into a musical sensation?” Raul teased.
“More like: music helped their love blossom despite the challenges.”
“See, that’s the problem. How can you talk about love? What they have is not even a—what do you guys call it—a fling?”
“I’m telling you, if I post this video online, it’ll go viral in less than twenty-four hours.”
“Guys, guys!” I interrupted before Nora could jump at Raul’s throat. “Please don’t post the video anywhere.”
“What do you think of me? I wasn’t going to post it without your consent,” Nora yelled.
“I know.” I raised my arms before me as if I were a conductor trying to get a choir to stop chattering, and the conversation finally quieted down. “Thank you for all the input.”
Nora sat up. “Well—”
“It’s okay,” I interrupted her before she could get riled up again.
“I see that you have very different opinions, and I think you’re both somewhat right.
” I glanced at Raul. “I’m not going to rush into things, but…
” I turned my head toward Nora. “I’m not going to let this opportunity slip away, either. ”
“Thank you,” Nora yelled, slapping Raul’s shoulders as if I had completely taken her side.
“Now, you two apologize to each other,” I ordered. “This isn’t a topic worth getting so worked up over. I don’t want to be at fault for your first lovers’ quarrel.”
“Not the first one, I promise,” Nora said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. She puffed out her cheeks and clenched her jaw as she glanced at Raul. “But I’m willing to let it go.”
Raul glared at her, the fire still sparkling in his eyes. Then a smile appeared on his face. “I’m sorry, guapa.”
“Me too.”
They hugged, and before I knew it, their tongues continued their fight in a different way.
I glanced at my phone, mostly so I wouldn’t have to watch their make-out session, and my heart skipped a beat when I noticed new messages from Alex.
Sebastian… this is phenomenal!
I know it might sound silly, but I want to make music with you.
I love your voice.
Damn, that came out wrong.
I like you, too.
Ugh. That sounds just as weird.
I’m going to stop typing now.
Please, don’t get the wrong idea.
You know what I meant, don’t you?
I could have teased him. I had so many comebacks on my mind. But this wasn’t the time. There was only one thing I could write back to truly capture what I wanted to tell him.
I want to make music with you, too.