Lightsabers and Guitars Pt. 1

Your Pov: 

“Y/n, come get back in the water with us!” my friend Jasmine calls to me from the water. 

“Nah, I’m good, I just got dried off!” I yell back as I lay out my towel on the beach. 

“Oh, come on! You’re here to socialize!” she says and I sigh, standing up. 

“No. I’ve had enough socializing for one day…” I say as I cross my arms. 

“Come on!” she persists. “I know you have days that you're just done, but this is ridiculous! We’re with other people! Stop making it all about you!” She says with a dismissive wave of her hand. 

I roll my eyes and let out a huff of air, knowing she’s about to start a scene. She then fully gets out of the water and comes up closer to me. 

“I hate when you get all anti-social!” she complains. 

I knew I should have said no when she invited me. This is how it always goes with her. I should have just stayed home today…

“Look, I know you're a big social butterfly, but I’m not always social and you know that,” I say as tears start to cloud my vision, but I refuse to let them fall for this toxic friend. 

“Well maybe you should leave then and stop dampening all the fun,” she says and I sigh, giving her an annoyed look. 

“I can’t just leave, you're my ride! But maybe I should just find another way home!” I say as I start shaking in anger when she just shrugs. 

“Go ahead. I don’t want you in my car anyway. I’m going to try and get Javi back to my place,” she says with a smirk and I visibly get grossed out. 

“I think we shouldn’t be friends anymore…” I say quietly. 

“Fine with me. I was just pitying you, anyway,” she says with a shrug of her shoulders before walking off. 

I sniffle and wipe at my nose as I will the tears not to fall. I angrily pick up my bag and towel with a huff before walking off towards the pier. I walk for a while and enjoy the sand between my feet before coming to a stop. 

I look around for a quick moment and see that nobody else is around. With a sigh, I drop my bag down into the sand before dropping down next to it as the tears start. Shaking my head, I decide she’s not worth crying over and with another angry huff I pull my duel lightsabers out of my bag. 

I quickly connect them all back together and start to practice my twirling. Since I was the raw age of twelve, twirling these lightsabers has been the one thing that can take my anger away. After many years of practice, I have gotten very good at the art of what some call sword twirling. 

I twirl my lightsabers around for a good thirty minutes and my anger slowly washes away as I do. Once I finish my last move that I’ve been working on for a while, I’m out of breath. I stop and hold my sabers down at my side, panting as I look out over the water for a moment before deciding I should probably get some water.

I pull my water bottle out of my bag and take a few sips before looking out over the water again. As I sit and watch the waves, I hear a slow melody fill my ears. 

Seeing as I thought I was alone, I look around in confusion before I notice a very cute guy sitting by the water behind one of the pier pillars. He looks up at me and I gasp, but he just gives me a bright, breathtaking smile. He beckons me over and I shake my head before getting up to walk over to him. 

He continues to play an unfamiliar sweet melody as I sit down in the sand next to him. I watch his fingers move over the strings of the guitar for a moment. He gives me another wide smile after I’m fully seated and my stomach does flips as I give him a light smile back. It’s only when he starts to sing the lyrics of the song do I recognize it: Kiss Me by Ed Sheeran. 

♪ Settle down with me

Cover me up

Cuddle me in ♪

He sings and I watch in slight awe as his voice has a soft, velvety tone to it. 

♪ Lie down with me, yeah

And hold me in your arms ♪

He continues to sing while he smiles at me and I feel my cheeks heat up. I look down at the sand before looking back up at him. 

♪ And your heart's against my chest

Your lips pressed to my neck

I'm falling for your eyes

But they don't know me yet ♪

I now join in with him and his smile grows even more, if that’s even possible.

♪ And with a feeling I'll forget

I'm in love now ♪

We continue to harmonize together and his smile stays on his face as he plays his guitar. 

♪ Kiss me like you wanna be loved

You wanna be loved

You wanna be loved ♪

We sing together and our eyes seem to stay locked on one another as we do. I’m in awe as we sing and keep solid eye contact, his fingers still effortlessly playing the chords to the song. 

♪ This feels like falling in love

Falling in love

Falling in love ♪

We finish off the chorus and I stop singing to let him take over again. I sit and watch as he sings the next line with so much passion in his eyes. 

♪ Settle down with me

And I'll be your safety

You'll be my lady ♪

He continues to sing and I again feel myself blush when he throws me a smirk along with a eyebrow wiggle, making me giggle. 

♪ I was made to keep your body warm

But I'm cold as the wind blows so hold me in your arms♪

He continues to sing, but as he finishes the line he nods his head at me and I take a deep breath. 

♪ My heart's against your chest

Your lips pressed to my neck

I'm falling for your eyes

But they don't know me yet ♪

I join in with him again and we easily continue to harmonize with one another and he grins. 

♪ And with this feeling I'll forget

I'm in love now ♪

We continue to sing as he plays the guitar so effortlessly, holding eye contact. 

♪ Kiss me like you wanna be loved

You wanna be loved

You wanna be loved ♪

We continue with the chorus and I can’t help but feel butterflies with the way he keeps his eyes on mine. 

♪ This feels like falling in love

Falling in love

Falling in love ♪

I sing with him, but again stop and let him take over once again so I can just enjoy his beautiful voice. I close my eyes and just take in the peacefulness that comes from him. 

♪ Yeah I've been feeling everything

From hate to love

From love to lust

From lust to truth

I guess that's how I know you

So I hold you close to help you give it up ♪

I open my eyes again only to see a sweet smile on his lips. I take another deep breath before joining him on the chorus again. 

♪ So kiss me like you wanna be loved

You wanna be loved

You wanna be loved ♪

We sing the chorus once together before he nods for me to take over, so I do. 

♪ This feels like falling in love

Falling in love

Falling in love ♪

I sing the chorus once by myself and he smiles with a nod before he takes it over. 

♪ Kiss me like you wanna be loved

You wanna be loved

You wanna be loved ♪

He sings it alone this time and I can’t help but sway lightly in the sand to his voice. 

♪ This feels like falling in love

Falling in love

Falling in love ♪

We sing the last chorus together and it’s almost like time stops for a moment before we fully finish it off. 

“Damn! You're good!” he says as our singing comes to a full stop now and I blush again. 

“Not as good as you,” I say in a quiet voice and he chuckles. 

“Nah… I think you sounded better than me,” he says and I shake my head at him. 

“You're just saying that…” I say and he chuckles. 

“I promise you. I am not, but I am glad to see a smile on that pretty face. You looked so sad before,” he says and I let out a sigh as I looked away from him. 

”Umm, yeah… I just got into a fight with a… a friend who’s now no longer a friend…” I say with another sigh as I look away from him, but I quickly look up when I see his hand held out to me. 

“Well I’m Charles. Well, most call me Charlie. It’s nice to meet you-” he says but stops and goes quiet with a raised eyebrow. 

“Oh. Umm… I’m y/n,” I say as I grab his hand and he smiles, shaking my hand. 

“Well it’s good to meet you, y/n. I’ll gladly be the new good friend that replaces the toxic one,” he says with a grin and I smile up at him before I’m being tackled by a dog, making me giggle as my face gets relentless licks. 

“Koa! No! Down, buddy!” Charlie shouts as he pulls the dog away from me. 

“I am so sorry about that. He must like you,” Charlie says as he pets the dog's head. 

“It’s ok. Where’d he come from, though? I didn’t see him anywhere around…” I ask in confusion and Charlie chuckles. 

“He was over playing by the wall. Had my eyes on him the whole time. He likes messing with whatever he can dig up over there,” he says, pointing to the cement wall behind us and I nod with a smile. 

“Well, do I get a proper introduction?” I ask and Charlie grins. 

“Koa, buddy. This is y/n. Y/n, this is Koa…” he says as he lets go of his dog's collar and lets him come over to me. 

“Hi, Koa,” I say as I raise my hand for him to sniff and I giggle when it tickles. After smelling my hand, Koa immediately nuzzles into my lap and I giggle as Charlie grins. 

“He must really like you. I mean he cuddles with everyone he knows, but he’s sometimes a little nervous around new people. Judging by how he just curled up in your lap, I'd say he already loves you,” Charlie grins and I gasp before letting a smile take over my face. 

“Really? Well, I love him already too,” I say as I pet Koa’s head and Charlie chuckles. 

“Yeah, everyone loves him the moment they meet him,” Charlie says as he watches his dog close his eyes. 

“It’s because he’s just so adorable,” I say, but I have to hold back the thought I have: Just like his daddy…

“Yeah. You're probably right about that,” Charlie says with a chuckle. 

“By the way… you're a wonderful guitar player and I really like your voice,” I say as I continue to pet Koa.  

“Thank you. You're amazing at sword twirling,” he says and I blush again. 

“O…oh, you saw that. Sorry, I thought I was alone…” I say as he chuckles, shaking his head. 

“Don’t be sorry! It was so cool,” he says again with that grin that gives me butterflies. 

“Well, thank you." I blush. "I’ve, uhh… been working on it since I was twelve,” I say as I look out over the water.

“I have a little question for you,” Charlie says and I giggle, shaking my head. 

“You’ve only known me, what? Not even twenty minutes and you have a question for me?” I say, shaking my head with a giggle and he chuckles. 

“Yup!” Is all he says and I shake my head, giggling. 

“Ok. Go ahead, ask it then…” I say, gesturing for him to go on.

“Can you teach me sword twirling? It looks hella fun,” he says and I burst out into giggles. 

“That’s all the question was?! I thought it’d be a deeper question,” I say and he chuckles, shaking his head. 

“So? Will you teach me then?” he asks like an excited puppy and I grin as Koa snuggles a little closer into my lap, like he knows I’m cold. 

Like father, like son, much? 

“Sure, but only if you teach me how to play guitar,” I say and he grins. 

“That I can do! Do you have one, or…?” he asks and I giggle. 

“Do you have dual lightsabers?” I ask in a sarcastic tone and he chuckles. 

“No. Can’t say that I do,” he says as he laughs. 

“I’m joking. Yeah, I have one. I got it when I was 10, but lost all interest when I started the twirling,” I say and he nods. 

“Ok. Give me your phone,” he says and I give him a confused look. 

“So I can put my number in, duh!” he says and I giggle before being careful of Koa as I pull it out of my pocket. 

“Here. Give me yours…” I say as I hand him mine and he chuckles, shaking his head. 

“Hold on. It’ll be easier if I just send myself a text,” he says as he finishes typing then passes both mine and his to me. 

“I sent the text, just put the information in,” he says and I smile at him. 

I shake my head as I take his phone and save my number into it. I hand him his phone back with a smile before again being careful of a sleeping Koa as I put mine back into my pocket. 

“So, we could meet here on Wednesdays and Fridays?” he asks and I giggle. 

“Yeah, okay. I can also bring you my old practice sabers,” I say and he nods with a smile. 

“Well I’ll see you Wednesday, then… I should find a ride home,” I say as I start to try and move Koa, who just whines.

As I move the cute dog off my lap, he starts to wake up and slowly moves over to Charlie. I smile lightly as Charlie gives Koa’s head a light pet before I fully get up off the ground. 

“I could take ya… I mean, only if you’d want me to,” he says in a bashful way as he scratches at his neck before looking up at me. 

“Uhh, sure… if it’s not too much trouble. I have work in like an hour,” I say and he grins as he puts all his stuff in his bag before getting up. 

“It’s no problem at all. Really,” he says as he puts the strap of his guitar around himself and pushes it onto his back. 

“Thanks. I’d drive myself, but uhh, I caught a ride here with that toxic friend I was telling you about. So… I really don’t have any other way except for the bus,” I say and he nods in an understanding kind of way. 

“Well you definitely don’t have to take the bus. Busses here aren't safe, I’ll just take you home,” he says and I nod with a light smile. 

“Thank you. Well, let me just grab my stuff and you can show me to your car,” I say with a light smile and he nods before I walk back up to my things. 

“Koa. Come on, buddy. Time to head home,” Charlie says in a light tone as he picks up a very tired looking Koa. 

Koa cuddles into him and seems to let out a light yawn before just falling right back to sleep in Charlie’s arms. I smile at the cute scene before me as Charlie holds his dog close to him. I quickly snap out of it before I grab my bag and throw my water bottle into it before taking my sabers apart. 

I put them in their safety case and into my bag. When I’m done I turn around again to find Charlie almost right next to me. He gives me a puppy look and I resist the urge to tell him just how adorable he looks as he holds his dog close. 

I just met him for goodness sake!! Calm down, y/n!! 

“Ready to go now?” he asks and I nod as I hold the strap of my bag. 

We start to walk towards the car park and about halfway there I start to laugh. Charlie gives me a confused look and again I have to stop myself from saying anything. 

“What?” he asks and I only giggle more. 

“Ya know I just met you, I should be scared to just hop in a car with you, yet I fully trust you. How is that even possible?” I ask and he chuckles, shaking his head. 

“I mean I understand what you mean, but I can promise you that no harm will come to you from these hands,” Charlie says as he holds one of his hands up as the other one still keeps a firm hold on Koa and I giggle. 

“Well thank you for the reassurance,” I say with a giggle and he chuckles, shaking his head. 

“Come on. My car is just two more spots over,” Charlie says with a nod of his head in the direction. 

We walk to his car and when I see it, it just screams Charlie (well, the Charlie I know so far…). I smile at the bright orange car before walking over to the passenger side as he opens the trunk. He unlocks it before putting his guitar into the case that sits in the back along with his bag. 

I smile as I slide into the passenger seat as he goes around to his side. He first opens the back door and puts Koa down on the seat, then closes the door before opening his door and sliding into the driver's seat. 

“Here. Put your address in,” he says as he hands me his unlocked phone and I giggle as I take it. 

“How do you trust me with your phone so easily?” I ask as I type my address in and he chuckles. 

“You don’t seem like someone to snoop,” he says with a light shrug and I giggle. 

“Well I suppose I should take that as a compliment,” I say with a shrug and he smiles as I hand him his phone. 

“As you should,” he says as he turns the car on. 

“Hey. This is only a few blocks down from me!” he says and my eyes widen. 

“Wait, really?” I say as I look at him and he nods. 

“Yup!” he says with a chuckle as he pulls out of the parking space. 

“That’s crazy. What are the odds we meet at the beach only to learn we live only a few blocks from each other?” I ask and he chuckles, shrugging. 

“The world is an amazing place,” he says and I giggle. 

“It really truly is…” I agree, smiling and looking out the window.

He continues to drive and before I know it he’s turning down my street. He pulls up outside of my little house and smiles. 

“Nice place,” he says as he looks over it. 

“Thanks. My friend Siana and I are renting it,” I say with a smile and he grins. 

“It’s cute,” he says and I giggle. 

“Well, thanks for the ride. I’ll see you on Wednesday? Same place?” I ask and he nods as he continues to grin. 

“You're very welcome. I’ll see you on Wednesday,” he confirms with a single nod. 

With one last smile at him I get out of the car and pull my keys from my bag. I walk though the little gate and to my front door. I unlock the door and walk in before turning back to see him still sitting there. 

I give a small wave as I stand just in the doorway and he gives one back before pulling away. Once he’s out of view, I close the door and lean against it with a sigh. 

“Well, who was that? You definitely didn’t leave with him,” Siana says and I jump, making her giggle.

“Geez, Ana, you just about gave me a heart attack!” I say as I hold my chest, my heart still pounding. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean too!” she says with a giggle and I shake my head at her. 

“Anyway, who was that?” she asks, bouncing her eyebrows.

“That was Charlie…” I say with a shrug as I kick off my flip flops and hang up my purse. 

“And Charlie is…” she asks with her arms crossed. 

“He’s just a new friend,” I say as nonchalantly as I can. 

“Ahhh! You were just blushing! You totally like him!” She pokes my cheek. 

“Don’t be silly. I just met him today,” I say and she gives me a ’really’ look as she leans on my door frame while I start to get ready to shower. 

“Just admit it. You like him,” she says in a sing-songy voice and I roll my eyes. 

“Ok maybe I like him a little bit. He’s sweet.” 

“Hmm…” she hums. “Where’s Jas? I thought she was giving you a ride home,” she continues and I shrug. 

“We got into a fight again and we kinda called our friendship quits,” I say and she sighs, shaking her head. 

“Awe babe, I’m so sorry. If she’s not your friend she’s not mine either,” she says and I smile at her. 

“That’s nice Si, but you don’t have to do that. I know you two get along…” I say and she sighs, shaking her head. 

“Babe, I’ve known you far longer. It’s ok if I’m not her friend anymore,” she says and I tear up. 

“Are you sure? You're always losing friends because of me…” I say as I sit on my bed and slump down. 

“Oh, honey! Really, I’m ok with it. You're the only friend I want to keep anyway,” she says as she comes over and gives me a hug. 

“To hell with all the toxic people that hate on you for being you,” she says and I smile at her. 

“Thank you…” I whisper out as I lay my head on her shoulder. 

“You’re welcome, sweetheart. Now get showered up, you’ll be late for work if ya don’t,” she says as she pulls me up and slaps my butt as she pushes me to the door of my room. 

“Hey!” I say as I spin around to look at her and she shrugs, giggling. 

“What would I do without you, Si?” I say with a giggle and she shrugs. 

“Die… never talk to the guys you like…” she says and I burst out into giggles. 

“I wouldn’t die…” I say and she raises an eyebrow at me. 

“Ok… maybe I would…” I say, making both her and myself giggle before I close the bathroom door. 

To Be Continued…