A Melodic Chance

I saw her again. This is the third time we’ve seen each other. Walking in opposite directions on the escalator. She goes down towards the exit while I slowly move inside the train station. All three times she sees me move to my favorite All-Rock band, Discourage. The girls in that band hold a special place in my heart. Anyway, she saw me as I shook my head a bit to their song, “Broken Paradise .” 

These escalators used to be empty. It gave me some time to bob my head to my favorite group. Now, it’s always accompanied by someone I can't seem to forget. Though I want to see her, I feel so embarrassed whenever she catches me moving to the beat. Even the lyrics remind me of her, 

“Her caramel skin can touch the sky,

her love is like a broken paradise.”

Our journeys go in separate ways, and I don’t even know her name. 

-----

He’s so cute whenever I see him dance to whatever music he’s listening to. It’s been two weeks since we saw glimpses of each other as we went towards different places. I would love to know his name. 

Yesterday, Thursday, he seemed more comfortable around me. Shaking a bit while I smiled at his silly moves. It’s a routine I’ve come to enjoy. He stretched his arms as we crossed paths. But this time he whispered something to me. It’s the first time I’ve heard his voice. And he was singing. I could have sworn it was a lyric from the band Discourage. 

I can’t shake him away from my thoughts. So, it’s decided. I will wait for him. I told my roommate, Claire, to pick me up later, by 6:00pm. I can still hear her words as I sit on this train... You stay on your corner, doing nothing about your feelings. You can’t build a relationship on just stares and awkward dance moves. 

-----

I don’t see her. She wasn’t on the escalator as I ascended to the top of the pigeon infested train Station… Wait, I think that’s her. She’s sitting by the window. Maybe she is going to the San Francisco stop as well. Should I sit next to her? 

My heart beats alongside the Discourage song, “A Fallen Angel.” I take a deep breath and walk inside. The chairs are mostly empty. Only two passengers on this section. An old lady sitting by a corner in the far end. Then, there’s her. I take a seat and try to not stare at her. I feel my face getting damped and as red as a pepper. I clear my throat and look at her. 

Her dark brown hair has light blonde highlights. I hadn’t noticed that before. I do remember her dark brown eyes. She is wearing a long blue dress, a leather jacket, and boots. Maybe she’s going on a date. I exhale a breath I didn’t know I was holding. 

“Is that Discourage you’re listening to?” She mentions with a shaky voice as she stares at the boots. 

“Yes, do you know them?” She looks at me with a soft smile. 

“I’ve heard about them. They were an alt-rock girl group, right?” 

“Yes. Jessica, Aurelia, and Eliana. You have to listen to their music. They only released one album, but it was amazing. My name is Diego, by the way,” I feel my hands tremble. 

“Sofia. That’s my name. So...is that the band you always listen to?” she touches her hair and twirls it around. 

“Yeah, almost always. Alt-Rock is one of my favorite genres. There are some great ones who sing in Spanish. However, Reggaeton is the only music that hits the charts these days.” A hair falls in front of her right eye. Without thinking, I push it back and as I touch the ends of her hair, heat rises to my face. I quickly pulled my hand away. “Sorry...” 

“It’s fine. Thanks,” she smiles warmly, and I begin to feel calm. 

We talk so much that I don’t even notice that my stop has passed until I hear the intercom say Hillrock. I guess I’m staying on this train until she gets off. Then, I’ll take the train back to my station. 

-----

Since that Friday, we have adopted a new routine. Everyday, Claire picks me up in Torrimar. Diego’s stop is in San Francisco, so we have plenty of time to talk. Ten stops to be exact. Plus, Claire's job is closer to Torrimar, so she picks me up there on our way home.

Though our drive has become longer, I don’t mind. Talking to Diego is the highlight of my day. However, I wonder why he hasn’t asked me out yet. We talked for about a month now. Sitting on this train waiting for his arrival, I remember how cute he looks whenever he gets nervous. His green eyes pop out whenever his face is as vibrant as a hibiscus.

I see him walk inside and wave my direction. I catch my breath as I see him in a navy blue suit instead of his typical jeans and t-shirt. My heart begins to beat fast as he sits next to me and gives me a hug. His scent of lavender makes my heart melt. 

“Are you going somewhere?” he must have noticed my unstable voice. I cleared my throat as I almost choked on my last word. 

“You ok?” he asks, concerned. 

“Oh yeah, I’m fine. So...what’s with the suit?” I say hastily, trying to disguise my jitters. 

“I don’t want to depress you, but I’m going to a funeral. Well, an anniversary. It’s hard to explain. Can I confess something?” 

“Go ahead.” I notice he carries in his hands an array of music sheets. 

“You know I have been talking nonstop about the band Discourage. Well, one of the band members was my younger sister. The one who was in the car accident. Though all the band members were in the car, only my sister and manager Eduardo didn’t make it.”

I recount all the conversations we had about Discourage. No wonder he knew so much about them. 

“Yes, I remember. It was all over the news. I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were her brother. I didn’t even know she had a brother. Five years ago, today?” 

“Yeah. I was in my last year of high school. That day, I was running late to their performance. Our last text was lyrics to a song she was working on. She was only 16 years old. Today is the anniversary of their passing. We have a little family gathering,” his eyes water and he blinks rapidly to prevent himself from crying. 

“Wow, I’m so sorry. Um...could I confess something too?” 

“Sure,” he wipes his eyes and smiles softly. 

“The day we first talked, I knew who Discourage was. It is one of my favorite bands. Their music helped me during a hard moment in my life. Then, when she had the accident, I couldn't bring myself to listen to their music without crying. It's been five years since I've listened to their songs and felt that excitement I would get will grooving to their music. I couldn't do that back then. It always brought me back to that dark moment in my life. Talking with you reminded me why I loved them so much.  

“That’s really something. Why didn’t you tell me?” 

“I enjoyed the way you told me all about them. I just thought you were a mega fan. You're so cute when you explain everything...I mean...” heat rises to my face, and I knew I was blushing profusely. 

“Would you like to go? To the anniversary I mean...” he smiles brightly which makes my face feel warmer. 

“I wouldn’t want to impose. Isn't it a private event?” 

“My mom won’t mind. Plus, we could eat dinner afterwards.” 

“Okay, sure. Let’s do it.”