Chapter Six

"How about John and Anna?" John suggested. They had been discussing possible names to release the music they created under. "Or our initials, JA Band maybe?"

"We're not Sonny and Cher, John," Anna rejected his suggestion with a laugh, "We can't just go by our first names and expect people to know who we are. We need a proper band name."

"Okay, fine," John acquiesced with a slight chuckle, "Well, how about this, give me one word that describes how music, our music, makes you feel?"

"Free," Anna said, closing her eyes for a moment as she explained more, "Free to love you exactly the way I want to love you. Free to be happy. Free to be sad. Like…like I'm allowed to mourn. It's a weird kind of freedom..that feeling when you finally allow yourself to connect with your true feelings.. to express them, too."

"Like a connection to your innermost self," John summarized.

"Yes," Anna agreed, "Like no matter what is happening in our lives, we have something to cling to. We have someplace where we can go and just be." John nodded. He understood that feeling in a deep way. Anna went on, "You know, when my dad died, I used to go to his garden and look at all the flowers he tended. The magnolias were my favorite, and so I'd often find myself just staring at them and thinking about him. I'd feel a whole range of emotions: gratitude for the time we had together, anger that it was cut short, happiness when I thought about our memories together. And all those emotions, and so much more, is what I express when I sing or write music, especially when I do so with you, John."

"I love making music with you, Anna," he said, leaning down to kiss her soundly. When they parted, he decided to voice an idea that had just come to him, "How about Magnolia Breeze? Magnolia to symbolize our experiences with mourning and how music helps up through that. And Breeze to symbolize that feeling of freedom we were talking about."

"Oh, John, that's so lovely," Anna said, small tears forming in her eyes. "Yes, we're Magnolia Breeze. That's our name."

"I love it," John said, tilting his chin in towards his girlfriend so they could kiss once more. "I love you," he whispered breathily before their lips met once more. With that, their relationship and partnership was solidified. They were going to make music together. They were going to feel free together. And they were going to love one another. No matter what came their way.

A few days passed. Anna and John set up a YouTube and Spotify channel for their music under the name Magnolia Breeze, and they had released a demo of "Calming Storm" just to see if they would get any traction or feedback. They were still working their regular jobs in addition to working on their music and going on dates, and that routine seemed to be working well.

Today, they were going to eat dinner at John's place and work on their music yet again. That was becoming quite the norm since John was the one who had all the musical equipment. Anna often ended up staying over since they would be up late making music, and she was glad she felt so comfortable in John's flat and in his arms at night. While she knew things were moving fast, she was very confident it was how things were meant to be. She was meant to be with John.

As they began working on their music that night, John strummed a soft rhythm on his guitar and began humming a melody to go along with it. Anna placed her hand on John's shoulder tenderly, encouraging him to continue. He smiled over at her and some lyrics came to his mind. He settled on a key to try and play it in and began to strum and sing. All you have to do is touch my hand to show me you understand. And something happens to me that's some kind of wonderful.

Anna smiled at his words. She knew how heartfelt they were, and she was touched. She felt the same exact way, and she wanted to make that clear to him. She began humming as the gears turned in her mind and she figured out a set of lyrics that could follow. Soon, she was singing too, adding her own perspective into the song. Any time my little world is blue, I just have to look at you. And everything seems to be some kind of wonderful.

John set the guitar down and set up a loop of his rhythm to play through the speakers. Then, he got up and wrapped his arms around Anna and began to sway slightly from side to side. Anna leaned into his chest, enjoying this feeling of swaying with her partner. She closed her eyes and relished in the lovely feeling of John's arms as he began to quietly sing again. I know I can't express this feeling of tenderness. There's so much I wanna say. But the right words just don't come my way.

Anna cuddled into him even more and placed a hand on his chest as they continued swaying lightly. She quietly sang words that perfectly encapsulated what her heart was feeling in this moment. I just know when I'm in your embrace, this world is a happy place.

John kissed her crown and they continued to move together slowly, looking at each other with an abundance of love for one another clearly present in their eyes. They smiled as they seemed to both have the same thought and began harmonizing together, singing what they were both feeling about the specialness of this moment and all their moments together. And something happens to me that's some kind of wonderful.

"I love you," John said, whispering in her ear, making her shiver slightly.

"I love you too," Anna murmured against John's chest. She was so comfortable in his arms, and it was quickly becoming her favorite place on this Earth. She knew she could conquer anything if John was there to be by her side and wrap his arms around her at the end of the day. And she couldn't wait to see what life would have in store for the two of them in the future.