Chapter 2.
Brandon was nearly giddy with excitement as he rinsed his cereal bowl. A three-day weekend with Callie was too good to be true. It would just be the two of them. Him, and the girl of his dreams. He knew that she was wary about becoming too close to him, but maybe this weekend, he'd have the chance to romance her. He was putting the bowl in the sink, when she cleared her throat behind him. "Um, I'm gonna go take a shower." She turned, and headed toward the bathroom.
Brandon groaned internally, envisioning things he knew would break the "no fun of any kind" rule, until his guilt stopped him. He went to his keyboard, intending to practice his composition, but the sound of the shower running distracted him. He sat at the bench, staring into space until the black and white keys blurred. Finally, he heard Callie come into the room, and turned to face her. She was dressed in her usual outfit, a sweater and jeans, and her skin was dewy and blushed from the steamy water. "You're procrastinating," she smirked, as she rubbed her wet hair with a towel.
"No," he said. "I was just kind of waiting for you. Sit down and listen to my song for a minute, okay?"
Once Callie was seated, Brandon began to play the opening notes of his composition. She closed her eyes with appreciation as the melancholy notes filled the room. They were sad and lilting, but hinted at joy. When she opened her eyes, she saw Brandon, pounding the keys, his face stony with concentration. She thought he looked his cutest when he was playing the piano. He was definitely in his element. She could have listened to the song forever, but he stopped playing abruptly. "That's all I've got so far," he apologized. "What do you think?" He held his breath, waiting for her answer.
"Brandon," she sighed, impressed. "It's... beautiful. It's amazing!"
Brandon blushed deeply at her praise. "Thanks. I'm glad you like it, because... well, it's kind of about you." He almost refrained from admitting that last bit to her, but in the end, he decided to take a chance. This song was possibly his favorite that he'd ever written, and he was extremely proud of it. It was a love letter to Callie.
Callie sucked in her breath. He'd written a song about her? She inspired that gorgeous melody. She hardly dared believe it. "Really?" She asked.
"Sure," Brandon replied. "Look." He held out the music he'd written. Sure enough, it was titled Callie's Song. "The name isn't very original," he told her. "But it fits. You don't mind, do you?"
Callie shook her head. "No. I don't mind. I'm just... surprised. No one's ever... you know... done anything like that for me. And the song is so beautiful."
"Well," said Brandon, shyly. "It can only be as beautiful as the girl it's about." He gestured for her to join him on the bench, and she complied. "Let me show you." His fingers caressed the keys as he once again began his song. "This is the day you came here," he told her. The notes progressed in intensity, then mellowed out into something that reminded Callie of crying. "And this is when we went to rescue Jude." And this is me falling in love with you, Brandon thought, as the notes became sweet and gentle. When he reached the end of the piece, his eyes locked on Callie's, green gazing into brown. For a fleeting second, they leaned into each other, their lips inches apart. Brandon was poised to kiss her, when she threw her arms around him in a hug. "Thank you. For the song," she mumbled. "I love it." She stood up, and left the room.
To Be Continued