Then There Was You(101)

“Wow… I almost forgot about this place,” he whispered.

“What do you mean?” I asked him as we approached the fountain.

Chris let go of my hand and ran his finger across the brick retaining wall of the fountain. “Two weeks after I got out of juvie, I turned eighteen. This is where I spent my birthday,” he said, his voice nostalgic.

“You sat on a fountain on your eighteenth birthday? By yourself?” The confused look on my face made Chris smile.

Shrugging, he said, “Yeah, basically.” He continued to walk around the fountain, grazing his fingers across each brick around its edge. “Here,” he said, stopping to point at a particular spot. “I sat here.”

Cocking an eyebrow, I asked, “Why?” I couldn’t imagine why he didn’t spend his birthday with his family or friends. It must have been lonely.

He turned and sat down on the exact spot he’d been pointing at. Looking out into the distance, he sighed wistfully, “I remember it like it was yesterday. Mom and I got into an argument that night. She wanted me to give up my music and get a real job. She said she needed my income to help make ends meet. I was willing to help out, but I wasn’t willing to give up my dream.” Chris looked at me, motioning me to join him on the fountain. “So, that night I grabbed my guitar and came out here. Years ago, this place was hopping. I sat on this wall and played my heart out. People walked by, tossing money in my guitar case while I sang. It was my first taste of fame. There wasn’t a better feeling than sitting right here on these bricks in the chilled air, playing for the people around me. Such a rush.”

I nodded. “I’m sure it was.” It was also the first of many lonely nights, playing for strangers who enjoyed his music, but never stopped long enough to really know him.

Chris looked at me, and I was reminded of the day he looked at the guitar I handed him and hoped he would earn it. What I didn’t tell him and what I should have told him was that he didn’t have to do anything to earn it. He just had to be the man I knew he could be. Kind. Compassionate. Empathetic. Strong. Knowing the man I knew now, he had definitely earned it.

Looking down at his feet, Chris continued, “Salem, you were the only person who ever encouraged me. You were the one to give me the push I needed to make my dreams a reality. So, I spent that night here, singing, while rich men dropped bills at my feet. In some ways, it was one of the greatest nights of my life.” He glanced back up, self-conscious about having shared such an intimate memory.

Leaning into him and laying my head on his shoulder, I murmured, “It was your first step on the way to the top.”

Together, we sat silently in the drizzling rain for several minutes, lost in our own thoughts.

Chris broke the silence. “There’s one more thing.”

I pulled my head away from his shoulder, waiting expectantly.

“That night, I took all the money I earned and spent it,” he grinned, pleased with himself. “Money well spent.”

I smiled at him. “What did you spend it on?”

His smile grew wider, and his dimple deepened. “You’re sittin’ on it,” he said, gazing down at the brick retaining wall we were sitting on.

“Huh?” I tilted my head, giving him a puzzled look. Confused, I stood and turned around to look. There, on the bricks, I saw an engraved dedication:





My hand immediately flew to my mouth, covering my look of shock. “Oh, Chris…”

His eyes were vulnerable and hoping. “Just like you told me, remember?”

Chris stood to his feet and wrapped his arms around me. Holding me close, he whispered, “This is where it all started… that night… on my eighteenth birthday. You helped me believe in myself.”

I didn’t know what to say. Tears slid down my cheeks, masked by the falling raindrops. It was everything I’d hoped for all those years ago when it seemed like my job was the only shred of happiness I had. Every day I’d hoped that I’d made a difference in the lives of those guys. And there, carved into the bricks, was living proof. “Thank you, Chris,” I said softly, burying my head in his chest. “You don’t know what this means to me.”

Chris grasped the back of my head, gently swaying back and forth in the cool, damp air. Softly, he sang the words to a song I’d never heard.



And then there was you

Amidst raindrops and street lights

And in my eyes

You were the center of it all

You were her

You were her

You were her

The one that I’ve been waiting for

The light within my shadowy world



Cupping my face in his hands, he leaned down and gently kissed my lips. The soft rush of heat spread throughout my body. Caressing the seam of my lips with his tongue, he prodded my mouth open. Our tongues snaked and circled around each other, relishing the moment.