Music in a bottle (Completed)

4. The acoustic soul

             ***Ocean's POV***

           I'm lying on my bed staring at the ceiling.  Part of me wants to stay for my dad. Part of me wants to stay because they're the only family I have left. Part of me wants to leave for myself.  But part of me wants to stay for myself as well.

            Why do I keep staying at a place I started to hate?  As I remember it, I stood up and took my laptop and my jacket. I strolled down the beach and sat on a log by the corner. Tonight, the moon is full. I stared at it remembering how happy I was back then. Even I miss myself.

           I checked out other photos, during vacation, school time, Christmas time. It's been weeks after Christmas. Not even a Christmas tree in my house or my step mom would have ended up selling it for cash. Is my life that tragic?

          As I was wiping my tears, I noticed something buried on the snow, near the water, a few steps away from me. I stood up and walker closer. As soon as I realized what I was, I ran towards it.

"The bottle came back. It came back." I said happily.

          I guess that's how it feels when you put your faith on a bottle. But just like everyone else, this bottle wasn't suppose to come back. But it did.

       Part of me wants to believe that I want to stay for whoever wrote the note on this bottle.

          I opened it and held it upside down.  There's no note. No message in a bottle. This time, just a USB flash drive. I just laughed to myself. Well, long time ago, message in a bottle was a thing.  Now, it's the 20th century. Maybe it's supposed to change.

          I went back to where I was sitting earlier, placed the laptop on my lap and used the USB flash drive from the bottle. The file says Tuesday.  Today is Wednesday. Does it mean we're on a different timezone? I took a deep breath before I opened it.

" Oh a video. What does the  Mystery guy look like?" I said almost a little too excited.

        Why am I assuming this person is a guy anyway? Well... I clicked play but there's no video. All I could see was the static video, just snowy. I was about to turn it off when I heard someone singing from the video.

      "Oceans apart day after day and I slowly go insane
         I hear your voice on line but it doesn't stop the pain.

         If I see you next to never, How can we say forever.

         Where ever you go, whatever you do
          I will be right here waiting for you
         Whatever it takes, or how my heart breaks
         I will be right here waiting for you"

           My brother has a band, but their music is rock. I've always been interested in all times of music, but there's one in particular that I keep looking for. I always listen to their soul when they sing. But wow, this mystery guy can sing. How can I describe it?

        While I'm listening, I could almost feel him behind me. I could almost get a glimpse of how special his soul is.  I couldn't help but killed the replay button especially the first word he said.."Ocean".

         I sat on the sand, leaned backwards on the log. I played the song one more time and closed my eyes. I couldn't help but smile. I couldn't help but fall in love with the voice that has no face.

          I put my hands inside the jacket pocket because they're freezing. As soon as I put my right hand in, I noticed there's a crumpled paper inside. I took it out and opened it. Only one word was written.

         Jade.   

        Is this his name? The owner of this jacket? Beautiful name, beautiful face, bad first day of meeting.  I stared back at the bottle.

"Oh.. No note? Just a song?" I noticed.

          I could see clearly on the bottle that there's no note. Just the song. But the song was enough for me to feel better. There's something about this person's voice that's so addicting. 

           I wanted to stay longer but it was getting colder so I stood up and went back to my room. I sat down on my chair and placed a pen and paper in front of me. I couldn't think of anything to write. So I decided to put down the pen and maybe write later.

     My daytime job starts at 8am, and now, it's half past three. A few more hours to dream of something good. I added Kaye's song on my playlist.. The name of my playlist is...."Music in a bottle".

       I crawled back to my single size bed, played the song on repeat and immediately fell asleep. For the first time in so many years, I slept peacefully.

             ****Kaye's POV****

           After I recorded the song, I thought about what to say.  I've never had this sudden connection to someone before. So, I really wanted to meet her. I have got to meet her, I decided.

          While I was filming it, I mentioned that I'd wait tomorrow. This town is small, not a lot of people, not a lot of places to go to. So, I decided to pick the only decent bar. I mean, I'm 27, not that I'm a heavy drinker, but I think it's embarrassing to meet someplace else.

"I'll wait for you at Charlie's bar. Do yo know the place? I think maybe you know. Or I'm assuming you live near here. I don't think the bottle must have landed anywhere else.  I'll be there at 6pm..I'll be wearing blue faded jeans,"  I added.on my video.

       Paused the video and stood up. I looked inside my closet first and picked some clothes. After my battle with myself, I finally decided what to wear.

" Blue faded jeans, black shirt with a gray jacket.  Well, how do I look? Well, you can see me in the video so, you'll probably recognize me. See you Ocean." I continued.

          I clicked the stop button and looked a the clock, it's almost 10 pm. She might not see this but since it's time to put my faith on someone else as well, I should give it a try. 

         I placed the flash drive inside the bottle. Who says message in a bottle can't be upgraded? I took my jacket, put it on and went out.

"Oh my God, it's cold."  I said as the door swinged opened.

     I shivered when the wind blew on me.  I stared at the ocean in front of me. Everything else is covered in snow. Of course except for this. I brought a long stick, placed the bottle slowly on the water to float and used the stick to move it forward.

        As I watch bottle slowly disappear, I realized one thing and placed my hand on my heart.  Why do I feel like this to someone I hardly knew?  How could a bottle take me to you without a reason?

         When I couldn't see the bottle anymore, I picked up the stick and walked back home. I was smiling to myself. Ocean, see you tomorrow.

          When morning finally came, I was smiling the moment I remember her name.  Is it possible to fall in love with someone whose face you've never seen? Is it possible for feelings to grow deeper by just a single name? Ocean.

        I ran downstairs to make some breakfast.  But grandad already beat me to it. Scrambled eggs, toast and daily dose of coffee. I noticed, he placed three plates. It's been almost a week. But I don't think he is ready to accept it yet.

        I mean, when you lose someone, how long does it usually take for someone to move on?  If a week, does it mean it's too short? If years, does it mean it's too long?  Can love be measured by the length of time you moved on? If I say, never. I'll never move on, what would that make me?