The Chronicles Of Luke Bryan and I (Part One) This Too Shall Pass

Getting To Know Chris

Chris had the music on low, because I had a headache. He turned the music off and stared at me from the corner of his eye.

"Why did you..."

He started singing center of my world. He knew it would cheer me up a little bit at least. I smiled, and he signaled for me to sing along.

Little beads of light were dancin’ off the wall
Reflectin’ off the spinning crystal ball
In a dance hall down in Texas, where time slowed to a crawl
Baby, it’s just you holdin’ on to me in the middle of it all

Oh girl, you’re the center of my world
That place in my universe
To me you’re every dream I dream
The air I breathe, my everything
A ray of sunlight shinin’ down
The point my life revolves around
It’s like I live to love you girl
You’re the center of my world

My whole life changed the moment I met you
And here we are like Heaven only knew
There could be ten thousand people fillin’ up this room
But in my mind, far as I’m concerned, it’s just me and you

Oh girl, you’re the center of my world
That place in my universe
To me you’re every dream I dream
The air I breathe, my everything
A ray of sunlight shinin’ down
The point my life revolves around
It’s like I live to love you girl
You’re the center of my world

A ray of sunlight shinin’ down
The point my life revolves around
It’s like I live to love you girl
You’re the center of my world

You’re the center of my world
That place in my universe
(Fade out)

I laughed as our voices fell silent. He looked at me, and as I looked at him... What the fuck! No! I mentally screamed at myself. This is my dad's friend! He's thirty, I'm seventeen, he's literally almost twice my age! I mean I would be eighteen in a month... No! Stop it you stupid girl!

"You okay? You seem a little confused."

"Yeah, I'm fine..." Liar. "Shut up brain!" "Shit, I said that out loud."

"You said that out loud too." Chris smiled. I sighed loudly and threw my head back and put my feet on the dashboard.

We stood outside of the house I grew up in. Just then I remembered more from that day... Chris looked over and saw the tears falling from my brown eyes.

"Hey, we don't have to go in yet..."

"Yes we do..." I wiped away my tears and opened the door.  The smell of blood was strong, the sight of the broken table, the chair that my mom was tied to. The blood, so much blood. I walked across the house to my room. I she'd a tear for every lost moment that I had here. I packed up all of my clothes and Chris helped. Then I packed all of my CDs, books, movies, everything. I got my mothers jewelry box, my mother's photo albums and all the pictures from the house. I walked over to a picture in a frame on the wall. It was a picture of us at the hospital. I had just been born and she was holding me. I was swaddled in a pink blanket and I had on a pink bonnet. My ears were too big for my head...

Chris looked over to me, I was sobbing, every tear that fell, was a physical pain. A sensation like a knife in my heart and soul. I ran out of the house, tripping on the stairs and falling on the brick walkway. I cried as I lay there. It wasn't the pain of falling that made me cry, it was the pain of loosing my mom.

Chris ran over and helped me up. He sat me on the bed of his truck. He took out a first aid kit and cleaned the cut on my knee, and placed a large bandage on it. He wiped away my tears, staring into my sad brown eyes. He thought for a moment, and smiled.

"Why don't we get lunch at that diner down the road. I'm sure you'd like something other than hospital food."

"I'm not really in the mood for food right now."

"Well I'll tell you what, when you are, it's on me for you and your dad and the boys."

"Thanks Chris. Look, can we go? I'm really tired."

"Sure thing."