Page 104 of Yours, Finally

Pushed and crushed

Now diamonds take their place

My throat tightened. I took a deep breath but it didn't help. If I let myself believe this song was about us and his feelings for me, this was a moment that I had waited years for.

And if I could hear it, Lina would, too. Perhaps even my brother would.

I gulped. Gabe shook his leg, his eyes locked on his best friend. I pushed the concern aside. I had much more important matters at hand, like the fact Jake had taken a leap and was singing his music for a hundred people for the first time. Besides, Gabe didn't know about us, and this could be about Jake loving someone else.

Fuck that.I clenched my jaw, my chest close to weeping.

I'm not Darcy but my feelings are unchanged

A word from you would silence me forever

But this love burns on

On and on and on

So let me give you every part of me you'll keep

On and on and on

One day we'll look back

In a treasure chest we'll find

The keepsakes of our love

They're all bathed in gold

In gold, gold

Jake pressed his lips together after the last word, his brow deeply furrowed. A few chords later he dropped his head and continued to play the guitar. He showed no problem keeping up with the complex movements, like the instrument was an extension of his mind itself. The melody intensified, carrying the lyrics forward now as pure notes and plucks and rakes of all strings.

The tune sweetened and slowed down— the change prepared us for it to end. I clung to the sounds, wanting the song to last forever, but it ended in a sustained final note.

People around us broke into applause; a couple of cheers added to it. Gabe, Lina, and I stayed frozen in our spots, each lost to our own feelings and interpretations.

Jake lifted his head again to the crowd. He got up from the stool with a smile on his face, and gave everyone a simple head bow in thanks. The guitar hung from his big hand, fingers wrapped around the bridge, and a staff member took it fromhim. It spurred Jake to give everyone a final head bow, before walking away into the wings.

People around us turned back to their own tables, chatting with each other as if life had not changed for them the way it had for me. Potentially, for the three of us squirming on our high stools.

Gabe turned away from the stage and put both elbows on the table. His head hung low on his shoulders, just like Jake's had when I had arrived. I didn't get to ask what was wrong, because Lina drew my attention with a hand on my arm.

"Vi, seriously," she said. "Did you hear that?"

Gabe lifted his eyes— and only his eyes— at me. His gaze, half-hidden by the ridge of his eyebrows, inspected me at length. Deeply. A reflex took over my arms, a desire to cover myself and block the view. Like he knew I hid evidence under my blouse. Like he wanted to find it.

"I did." I gave Lina a shy smile. "It was beautiful."

"Was it?" Jake appeared next to us.

"It was beautiful, absolutely." I put a hand on Jake's arm and squeezed. It was all I could do at the time, and it left a bitter taste on my tongue. I let it erase the nerves Gabe's look had left me with.

A corner of his lip curled in a gesture that mirrored my own feelings. He put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed, too. "Thank you, Violeta."

Gabe straightened on his stool and crossed his arms. "That was a powerful song. Definitely the kind to leave an impression. You're wonderfully talented, my friend."