I see your grin in the rearview glass,
Hear your voice in the echo of my past.
Same, Charlie. Same.Every day she was gone.
Didn’t think you’d wait for me,
Didn’t know love was what you’d seen.
I made myself slow down on the chorus, savoring every beautiful word.
Hard to leave you when you were all I ever wanted,
Hard to pretend when my heart never stopped.
I was too scared to take your hand,
Didn’t think I’d get a chance.
And I’ve regretted it every day?—
But walking away never meant I didn’t want to stay.
Dang. She could write. Lyricsandmusic. The melody was equal to the words—full, rich, and evoking deep emotion. It evokedallof mine. My eyes burned and my chest filled with want. No,need. I needed to hold her. Needed to tell her she was all I’d ever wanted too.
I flipped the page, desperate for the rest of it.
Thought you deserved someone better than me,
Didn’t see that I was all you’d need.
Every song you sang felt just like home,
Even two thousand miles away, I wasn’t alone.
I wondered if she’d known back then that my songs were meant to do exactly that.
My eyes took in the stacked chords, the break in pattern, the way the measures opened up like a sharp inhale before the plunge. All a signal that the bridge—the best part—was here, waiting to knock the song off balance before bringing it home.
I dove back into her words, ready to drown in the weight of them.
That night in the water, when you kissed me slow,
I should've known you meant it, should’ve let it show.
Didn’t know then, but I know now?—
I should’ve stayed, should’ve figured it out.
I had regrets too. So many. But as my dad always said, ‘Don’t look back. You’re not going that way.’ Maybe, just maybe, I could take Charlie by the hand and prove to her that the best parts of our story weren’t behind us.
I held my breath as I came upon the outro. Would this be a happily ever after or a bittersweet ending? I closed my eyes, took a breath, and let myself find out.
So I’ll let you sing me home from afar,
But who I am now, doesn’t belong where you are.
You loved a dream, I woke up alone,
