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“C’mon,’ he said suddenly, grabbing my hand and pulling me off the log. He dragged me in the direction of our barn. “I want to show you something.”
I groaned and trudged along behind him. All I wanted was a huge glass of water and my bed. Neither of which I had access to in the barn.
“Considering you’re at a loose end, I figure now is as good a time as any.” Luke quietly pulled open the barn door, attempting not to disturb the horses.
The sun was rising and everything in the barn was glowing brilliant shades of orange and yellow in the morning rays of light.
I gasped when I spotted it. In the pile of hay, where Luke and I would sit every day playing our songs, lay the most beautiful guitar I had ever seen. It wore a classic sunburst design, as if it had absorbed all the colours of a Fairleigh sunrise. It was magnificent. I was too scared to touch it, afraid I would wake up from a perfect dream.
“Oh…my…god,” I whispered in astonishment. I turned to Luke in a haze and met his sparkling blue eyes. “Luke…” I choked, too speechless to say anything else.
He smiled and nudged me towards the guitar. “Well, you’re not going to get famous playing Nate’s piece of shit.”
I picked it up as if it were the most precious and delicate object in the world. My hands ran over its body, in awe of its beauty, but paused over a rough outline on the back of its usually smooth neck. I tilted the guitar forward to see what my fingers had discovered and drew in my breath. Delicately carved into the back of the neck piece was a flying bluebird.
My heart raced, and I struggled to breathe through all the emotions flooding my body. I placed the guitar back onto the hay pile and turned to Luke in wonderment.
It was like seeing him for the first time. Not as the boy who grew up across the road or as my brother’s best friend, but a man who radiated humility, integrity and passion. I was utterly overwhelmed by the beauty of his soul.
Before my tears had chance to escape, I ran to Luke and threw my arms around him.
“Thank you.” I squeezed him tighter.
He returned the warmth I gave two-fold. I moved to kiss his cheek, as he moved to kiss mine and our lips collided unexpectedly. Electricity sparked between us and we jumped apart, gaping at each other.
“Whoa,” he uttered, with an awkward chuckle.
I touched my lips, still tingling from our brief encounter. “Um…I should go.” Panicked, I fled from the barn, leaving Luke and my guitar in the wake of my emotions.
* * *
Jake and Luke plagued my dreams as I slept through the day. The anxiety that followed our fleeting kiss, made my heart pound and head spin. I had feelings for him and I didn’t know what to do with them.
Although I hadn’t seen him in weeks, I was still with Jake. He said he loved me and I thought I loved him. Perhaps the time apart was messing with my brain, because the more time I spent with Luke, the more Jake felt like a distant memory.
I didn’t want to leave my room but Mum barged in and demanded I come down for dinner. Everyone assumed I was battling a nasty hangover and I wished it were the only reason.
I wanted to avoid Luke because I was afraid he would see the truth in my eyes. He practically lived at our house when my brother was in town and given that Nate was returning to Melbourne the next day, I assumed he would be joining us for dinner.
Opening my bedroom door a fraction, I poked my head out and quickly glanced down the hallway. Nate’s room was quiet, so the boys must have already ventured downstairs. My heart skipped when I spotted my beautiful gift leaning beside my door. I snatched up the guitar and slipped back into my bedroom.
Running my fingers over the intricate bluebird carving again, I sighed. What was I going to do? Everything felt different now, or perhaps I was just realising what I had felt all along.
Without Jake around, Luke had become my world.
* * *
I reached the top of the stairs and drew in a deep breath before my descent. To my relief, Luke was nowhere in sight. I reluctantly joined the rest of my family at the dinner table and quietly devoured Mum’s lamb roast. It was unusual for Luke to be a no show. He was almost always over for dinner on weekends, as his shifts started and finished later. But I didn’t dare ask. The last thing I needed was Nate clueing on to my sudden interest in Luke’s whereabouts.
I excused myself after dinner and took my guitar and notebook out to the barn. As I plucked and strummed the strings, my smile grew. It was amazing how crisp and perfect it sounded compared to Nate’s old guitar. This one sounded more like Luke’s. I played a few warm up melodies before opening my notebook to a blank page. Luke encouraged me to process my feelings through music, and that is what I planned to do.
Sitting in my usual spot in the barn, away from the cool winter draughts, I began humming and harmonising with my guitar, trying to find a tune to capture my mood.
“Hey.” Luke’s voice startled me from the open door.
“Oh, hey,” I replied, trying to act casual. “You missed dinner.”
“Ah, yeah. I had some stuff to do before work.”
