“Mine. I have a TV now and I want to use it.”
He laughs. “You won’t be watching any TV tonight. The only thing you’ll be doing involves me, you, and your bed.”
“We’re both unemployed. Does that mean we can sleep in tomorrow and you’ll cook me whatever all that stuff is in my fridge?”
“You can have whatever you want.”
“What if I want you to get me out of this dress?”
He ponders it for a second. “If I have to, I suppose.”
I wrap my arm in his and he kisses me on the forehead. “As long as you’re with me, I don’t care where I am, but home is a good place to start.”
I wake up in his arms. The soft rays of light through the slits in my blinds tell me it’s almost morning. I slip out of bed to get a drink of water. Once I’m in the kitchen, I fill a glass and walk toward the couch. Stella is facing the window and waiting for the sun to nourish her.
I pour a bit of my water into her pot and sit next to her on the chair. Gently, I touch the strings that are holding her up and it makes me smile.
Who knew all it took were a few strings to make everything okay? Strings... That word means so many things.
At first, Mercer and I made a deal with invisible ones. Then I was attached to Sebastian by them in the form of a promise. Later, I was listening to him play them. Now my friend is being brought back to life with their help. How fitting. Strings brought me back to life too. I smile when I remember Amy calling him Strings. I wonder if he knows he has a code name.
I stare out the window as I think about Sebastian and how far we’ve come. I was a fish on his line from the start and he pulled me in. He couldn’t help it. Yet another string.
I guess when it comes down to it, they’re everywhere and nowhere all at once. Some strings attach us to family even if we don’t want to be. Some attach us to our past. Then there are others that bind us in friendship or romantic love. Over time, any one of those strings can get stronger, completely break in half, or simply disappear.
But the ones that mean the most are the ones that start out weak and frail. They are the ones we build on through laughter and tears, ups and downs, fights and make-ups. Those strings get stronger as we add on layers of love and memories. Before you know it, they aren’t only a string. They’re a connection. And the connection always remains. You can feel it running between you like a current. Those threads are as real as the veins in your body. Without either of them, you’d never survive.
How did I survive without Sebastian? I almost can’t remember my life before him. Maybe I just don’t want to. The truth is, my life really started when I met him. Maybe our string was always meant to be.
“Hey, are you alright?”
I grin and lean my chin on my hand as a sleepy Sebastian rubs his eyes and tries to focus on me.
“I’m more than alright. I’m yours.”
“Yes you are. But can you be mine back in bed? I’m not ready to get up. I want to hold you for a little while longer before we start our day.”
I place my empty glass next to Stella. I stare at her strings once more, then I go back to bed with my own personal string—the one that holdsmeup and keepsmesafe. I never knew real love until I met him, and now that I have him, I’ll never let go.
The End
Three months later
“Are you still unpacking?” Sebastian asks as he sips his coffee.
“Yes. I’ve accumulated a lot of stuff since I met you. Moving in together is a big step and I want to make sure I put everything in its forever spot.”
He snickers and sits on the couch as I unpack my last box.
After we both quit the Sym, Sebastian started spending more time at the center. He was thrilled by the donations from the Gala, and he and Mr. Ackerman became fast friends. Sebastian received thirty offers to teach, but he ended up choosing a University close to home. He sold the building he owned and put the money in investments. It turns out he and I do just fine with his teaching salary and the commission I make for booking bands for a venue in the city.
Bordo kept his word and gave me a stunning letter of recommendation. It seems the Sym’s investors were moved by seeing the children perform and hearing Sebastian play. My Gala raised more money than ever before, and Bordo gave me all the credit.
Bordo is now the CEO and Amy was promoted to Events Manager. Amy and I talk all the time. She’s getting married in June of next year, and I’ll be her maid of honor. She deserves all the happiness in the world. Aside from Sebastian, she’s my biggest cheerleader. I never knew what I missing until I had real friends. Everyone needs friends.
I meet Cherese for dinner every couple of weeks. She’s always happy for a decent meal. She and Bella mended some fences and have become friends. Bella and I are civil, but I don’t think we could ever really be friends. There’s too much water under that bridge. But nonetheless, it makes me happy that everyone is doing well.
Sebastian gets invited to return as a guest performer at the Sym every single month. He says never, but deep down inside, I believe he’ll return one day. Talent like his needs be shared with the world. And the next time he plays for a symphony, it’ll be on his terms. He said I changed that in him. He says that he and I were both living lives other people wanted for us. Knowing I took the leap to change my life made him ready to do the same.
