Page 67 of Quarantine Crush
Wants to let you be my everything
All you gotta do is ask for it
I'll try to do my best to confess
But it's easier to let you take a guess or to jest
But you wanna hear what lives in my brain
And my heart, if you ask for it, it’s yours for choosing
And yours for using, possibly refusing
Please consider me
Doo doo, doo doo doo doo
Doo doo, doo doo doo doo
Doo doo doo doo
Emy, please consider me.
The last chords of the song ring across the night, followed by silence as the gathered crowd waits to hear how this will all end. Knox takes off his guitar and reaches for a bullhorn I didn’t notice at his feet.
“Embry Hess,” he says into it, and I cover my ears at the high pitched sound that it emits.
Knox gives me a sheepish look before continuing.
“When I was twelve, a new kid moved in next door to me. I remember being so excited that I waited up all night to meet him. In fact, I waited up so long that I fell asleep right before the moving truck got there. I was convinced my new neighbor was going to be my best friend. In my head, I made up all kinds of scenarios where we’d play all summer long–staying out until dark, riding bikes, going swimming in the lake behind our house, playing video games, and tormenting my little brother.”
“Real nice,” Christian mutters at my back.
“So imagine my surprise when I finally knocked on the door and found you. A girl. My dream of having a best friend who lived next door came crashing down as I stood there looking at you with your long blonde hair, pink shorts, and Hannah Montana t-shirt.”
I laugh and cover my face in embarrassment.
The people on the closest balconies laugh too.
“I introduced myself because I could see my mom watching us through the window, then turned to storm back to my house. You chased after me and asked if I wanted to go swimming,” he says, giving me a wry grin.
My heart beats wildly as I listen to how he saw the day we first met.
“It was the first time I ever rejected you.” His voice is sad like he’s just now realizing the weight of all our baggage between us. “Thankfully, you were smarter than me, and instead of getting mad, you shrugged and said I probably wasn’t a very good swimmer anyway and I’d only slow you down. Then, you turned and raced off toward the dock.” He chuckles and shakes his head at the memory.
“That was the first time I ever chased after you,” he says with a grin. “And every day since then, it seems like it’s been a never-ending game of tag with you. One of us always chasing after the other.
“Emy, chasing after you has been one adventure after another. And being chased by you–” He breaks off and shakes his head as he reaches for my hand. “Well, that’s been the biggest thrill of all.”
He steps closer, the bullhorn falling to his side as he cups my cheek and runs his fingers through my hair.
“We can’t hear you,” someone screams from a neighboring balcony. My cheeks heat as Christian steps forward, grabbing the bullhorn.
“Got your back, bro,” he says, holding it up near our faces with the hand that’s not recording.
Knox presses his forehead to mine, drawing me back into the moment and making the weird crowd that’s gathered fade away.
“Even though chasing each other has been one of the greatest games we’ve ever played, I think it’s time to admit that you caught me.”
