He waves his hand. “Don’t sweat it. I’m sure you’re phenomenal.”
“Uh…don’t make fun of my terrible singing.”
“Never.”
“I mean, I kind of deserve it because I keep making fun of your terrible British accent.”
He shakes his head. “I’d never make fun of your singing.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
I take another deep breath, and then I strum my guitar, starting with the intro which is only music, and then adding in the singing. I don’t look up at Kylen as I play and sing because I don’t want his expression to mess me up. I’ll be able to tell if he thinks the song is terrible or if I sound horrible. And I want to do the song justice by performing it the way I see it in my mind and feel it in my heart.
The room is so quiet as I play, and I feel a charge in the air. As though my words, my voice, and my music are somehow filling the room with all the good things in life.
When I’m done, I slowly raise my eyes to Kylen. He stares at me like he’s never heard anything more mesmerizing and beautiful before in his life.
“Raven,” he says, voice hoarse and full of emotion. He clears his throat. “I think I just fell into heaven.”
I laugh lightly.
“I’m serious. That was beyond amazing. And your voice is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard in my life. It was beyond breathtaking. It was…it was out of this world.”
I lower my eyes as I blush again, a smile tickling my lips. “Thanks.”
“Can you play it again?” He leaps off his chair and grabs his guitar that’s leaning on the wall. He slings it over his shoulder and plops back down in his seat.
As I start to play and sing, he joins me, adding harmony and making it sound ten times better than before. The last time we played together was a year and a half ago, but it feels like it was just yesterday. It’s like we’ve been transported to another world, where the only thing that matters is the two of us and our playing. Maybe heaven, like Kylen claimed. It definitely feels like paradise. The connection I have to him is so strong, as though he understands me in a way no one else does. As cliché as it sounds, it really does feel like we’re creating magic.
When we’re done, I hear three gasps. I quickly turn around and find Jasper, Leo, and Beck standing near the open door, their jaws practically sweeping the floor.
“What was that?” Leo asks as he steps further inside. “It sounded amazing.”
“It’s Raven’s song called ‘Better With You,’” Kylen tells them.
“Holy crap!” Beck exclaims. “I don’t think I’ve been so moved before. Feels like I want to cry or something. And I never cry.”
“It’s one of the best songs I’ve ever heard, Rave,” Jasper says, his voice a little choked up. “The guys will tease me for this, but it reflects exactly how I feel about them.”
“Same,” Kylen says. “It’s like her words were taken right out of my heart.”
They nod.
My face is so hot it feels like an inferno. “Thanks. I guess you guys feel about each other the same way I feel about my friends.”
“We’ve got to perform this,” Leo says. “If Raven’s cool with that.”
“The song is yours,” I tell them.
“Really?” Beck asks. “Nice!” He marches over and wraps his arms around me, squishing me and my guitar in the process. “You rock, Raven.”
“Rave, Rave, Rave!” Jasper cheers.
I laugh. “Thanks, guys. I can’t wait to hear you perform it. I know you’ll sound incredible.”
“This calls for a celebration,” Beck says. “Who wants pizza?”
“I’m game,” Kylen says. “And we should invite your friends, too, Raven.”
