Maestro

by Auden Dar

“I want you to see me.” “I do see you.” “I mean really see me. As a girl who’s more than your best friend. A girl you want to kiss. Right now. Period. No yets, no buts.” I’ve laid out my heart for the boy in front of me, and I have no regrets. Long, silent, painful seconds pass as we stare at my heart lying on the floor between us. My empty chest screams, begging to get the hell out of here and away from these unrequited feelings. “That girl is all I see, Aurelia,” Chad says. “The girl with the most expressive eyes I’ve ever seen. The cellist whose talent never ceases to amaze me. The generous soul who always gives spare change to people in need or spends Sunday mornings at the church’s food shelter. The girl who still treks to Forest Hills a few times a month to play for senior citizens. The girl I’ve wanted to kiss since the first time I met her. “I want to be with you all the time,” he continues, and I’m putty. “When I’m out and about, all I can think of is you. In the middle of practice, I stop and wonder what you’re doing. Every piece I play, I want to play with you. Every book I read, I want to read with you.”