Sing for me; I'll sing for you

I titled back and forth on my feet, looking every which way for a sign of him. I glanced at my watch, 7:45. He was 45 minutes late; He was so dead; He was lucky I was still waiting. A hand tapped on my shoulder. My head whipped around, expecting some random stranger looking for an easy lay. There he was, tall dark and handsome. 1

“Where is your boy tonight?” he said almost singing it. 2

My eyes glittered. I was still mad but I could see in his eyes that he had a good reason, “Hmm… I don’t know. Maybe you’ve seen him.” 3

“Maybe I have. What does he look like?” he asked.4

A grin spread across my face, “He’s got a decent voice, he’s got that crooked smile.” Unlike him I actually did sing.5

“You need him, I could be him.” He sang his voice just above a whisper. 6

His hands were clasped behind my back as he hugged me close to him. He left his mouth by my ear, making me feel like it was just the two of us standing on that sidewalk. I planted a soft kiss on his cheek and thought about what I could say next, going through all the songs I could remember. 7

“Hold on, you haven’t heard the best yet, he writes good story lines, he’s got those honest eyes.” 8

He laughed a little. I buried my face in his chest knowing I went off key on the last few notes. I was trying to sing higher then the song provided. 9

“Yeah, I’m him.” 10

“I won’t believe you until you sing it louder twist and shout.” I didn’t sing this time, not wanting to embarrass myself any further. 11

“You look so beautiful today; when you're sitting there it's hard for me to look away; so I try to find the words that I can say; I know distance doesn't matter but you feel so far away.” He sang louder then before. 12

I could feel a few stares but I didn’t care. I knew these moments we had together were limited. I would cherish them before all I can do is remembering them. 13

“Sing for me now.” He demanded pulling his head back to look me in the eyes.14

I stared back challenging him. In the end I lost to his beautiful blues, “What do you propose I sing?”15

“Anything at all, my love.” He said, kissing my nose. 16

“I…---I want to give you everything I'll give you my all; because you gave me, you gave me your lips a gentle kiss; the medicine to cure my pain.”17

The smile on his face grew with every word I sang, “No more singing on my part.” 18

“Awe, but I love your voice. It’s beautiful you know.” He said, nodding his head. 19

His cell phone rang at that moment and my heart stopped. I knew exactly what that meant but I pushed that thought away praying it was just a friend. His arms removed from around me and he answered. His expression didn’t change but I could see the sadness in his eyes. The tears started to well and I moved closer to him. He stepped back, closing his eyes and shaking his head. 20

“I—I’ll sing for you, everyday. I’ll never complain when you don’t call. I’ll do anything. Just please don’t leave me.” I wanted so badly to say that but I knew it would only make it worse for him. 21

He shut his phone and opened his eyes, “Baby just walk away; you know I can't stay; there's no easy way to say goodbye; so baby just say goodnight”22

“I love you.” I whispered as he disappeared into the crowd.