Between Us

Chapter 16

No matter how hard I tried, I wouldn't be hot. I wasn't going to be someone's type. I did everything, stupidly enough, to be confident and to impress a guy that didn't even want to be impressed by me.

I sat on the front porch, silently, not wanting to make noise in case my parents came outside.

We hadn't even ended up watching the movie. I made up a lame excuse about having a stomach bug and came back. Only to sit here and cry like a baby—after making sure Jordan was inside his house, of course. Otherwise, that would be even more humiliating than having dressed up and gone to so much trouble for a guy.

That was my first big mistake. Knowing that I tried to change myself for someone else. I should have listened to Sai. Caden had even offered for me to back out multiple times. Maybe not in the genuine, sincere way Sai had said, but still, it was there.

I sat there, wiping my eyes for what seemed like hours, crickets chirping and the wind blowing against my warm skin. The revving of the engine from far away came to a loud buzz as it stopped right opposite Caden's house. I didn't look up to see if he was getting out or getting in.

I didn't care.

Gosh, I'm such a baby, I thought. I heard the sound of a car door being slammed shut then a few minutes later, the sound of footsteps heading this way.

Lifting my head up from my lap, Caden unlocked my front gate and sauntered over to me. He sat down on the middle step and put his guitar case down by his feet, leaning back with his elbows one step above.

"The date was a disaster." He didn't even pose it as a question. As if he knew it had been horrible.

It made sense that Paris had told him. Those words made my face bunch up and I buried my head into my lap again. My shoulders shook as I tried my best to keep the tears running as silently as I could. Some sniffling here and there filled the quiet night of the suburban neighbourhood.

I heard some shuffling and the click of something unlocking. Then all of a sudden, there was a strum of gentle, melodious strings. Like someone playing an instrument.

Of someone playing the guitar. Peeking a glance at Caden, he sat forward now, his electric guitar on his lap, cradled against him a bit. He tuned it before he began to pick at the strings on the bridge, his left hand fretting the strings on the neck, moving up and down.

It was Blackbird by The Beatles.

Which he was beginning to sing.

And I nearly cried, my chin quivering. The message was said through song and I was grateful. It was strange—this guy whom was difficult and as intimidating as they came, cheering me up in a way that was so thoughtful hit me hard.

What dried up my tears in an instant wasn't just this incredibly sweet move on his part. But his ethereal, soft voice, that was unlike all the hard, cold expressions he'd had permanently etched on his face. It was like witnessing a completely different person.

He was immersed, and I was enthralled. Not just the way the wind caressed his curls away from his thick, dark eyebrows and allowing me to see face all relaxed. But in the way his normally deep voice was so soft, so melodic—like a violin.

It wasn't until the very end, when he began to pick slowly at the strings and let the sound fade away into the darkness that I blew out a deep breath that I didn't even know I was holding in.

"You ready to talk now?" asked Caden with a tilt of his head. He looked at me from under his curls that now flopped into his eyes.

I nodded, whispering, "You're really good at singing."

"I know."

"Do you write your own songs as well?"

"I do." Short and crisp answers, but his presence, his action, was uplifting. That was all I needed.

"Thank you for that." I swallowed thickly, trying not to think about Jordan. Technically, it was a good thing...I mean, I didn't want this to go anywhere in the first place.

So why was I whining about it now? Because the thought of trying to lose myself over a guy was too much? Or was it because in the end he hadn't noticed me for the right reason? The wind raked itself through Caden's dark hair again, blowing it up. He didn't even blink. "I shouldn't have tried to change for him."

"No, you shouldn't have." I hadn't been expecting him to agree.

"I'm an idiot for going crazy over a guy like that, aren't I?"

"You did prove yourself to be a nutcase early on."

I let out a laugh under my breath, wanting to shove him like I did with Sai but not wanting to cross boundaries. I didn't understand why he was here.

"He likes Sai," I admitted. My throat was thick with shame. The shame of confessing the truth about the guy I had gone to great lengths to impress.

Caden hummed. He didn't sound shocked. I wondered why. The sound of his hum rumbled within his chest, echoing in the night sky like the faded strumming of the guitar that still resonated in my ears.

"You learnt something, didn't you?" I didn't respond. What did he mean? "The motivation to learn to dress a little more fashionably, speak confidently, in the end, it was all for you. That should be something you can take away." I rolled my bottom lip in, trying to keep the sniffle at bay. "And don't forget the most important lesson."

"Which is?"

A shadow clouded over his now dark expression, boring into my soul. He didn't say anything for what felt like a long time. "That you can't trust anyone."

It was said with so much conviction, so much hatred that it shocked me into letting my lips go from the attack of my teeth. I didn't know what to say to that. I hadn't ever heard someone say that to me before.

What could I say?

Before I could think of something, the front door opened and my dad squinted out into the dead of night. He fixed his glasses before he bent his head down a little. "Oh, it's you, Shyla! I thought I heard people speaking. What're you doing out here?" He turned to Caden who had begun to put his guitar back in his case. "Oh, hello. Are you her friend?"

"Neighbour," he corrected. Without even greeting himself or saying goodbye, he turned and went back down the pebbled path toward the fence. Even as I headed inside, away from the biting cold that I hadn't even felt until the toasty warmth of my house washed over me, I couldn't help but wonder.

What had happened to Caden for him to say something like that?