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~Lying beside you here in the dark, feeling your heartbeat with mine.~
Trent's POV
"You sleeping?" I asked, nudging Gwen.
I watched Gwen slowly toss and turn. She had fallen asleep while we were watching a movie. Her makeup was ruined, but I didn't care. The room was pitch black, the light from the TV being the one thing that helped us see each other. Gwen shook her head, sat up to look at me.
"Well, I'm not anymore," she teased. "Wait, what part of the movie is this?"
"To be honest, no clue," I replied.
Gwen gave a small chuckle and lay back down. This time, her head lay on my chest. I felt my heart rapidly beating. I wanted Gwen to know my heart only beat for her. Reaching for the remote, I muted the TV; the only sound that filled the room was two beating hearts.
~Softly, you whisper. You're so sincere. How could our love be so blind?~
Gwen's POV
My head was on Trent's chest as he slowly stroked my hair. It felt like no feeling I could ever experience. His heart beat quicker with every little glance I gave him. I could not have been more relieved to reach out to him and say something. Thanks to the advice of some friends, Trent and I had managed to patch things up.
"Are you going to put the movie back on?" I asked.
Trent laughed and unmuted the TV. In the movie, two characters had found each other after quite some time. Similar to my own experiences, the two characters felt they were better off with each other.
"Look familiar?" Trent whispered, giving me a little nudge.
"Yup," I chuckled.
~We sailed on together, we drifted apart, and here you are by my side.~
Trent's POV
Gwen was so focused on the movie. I allowed myself to zone out. Memories filled my head, from meeting this awesome girl to slowly losing each other's trust. Then it went from us dating to being over for good. Or so I thought.
I admit, I was the reason for our relationship's downfall in the first place. I never understood why my OCD made me the way I was at the time. I could never answer that question had somebody held a gun to my head.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" was all that played in my mind.
All that was over. Gwen and I went from friends to lovers to exes to friends again. Finally, we were lovers once again. Not too long ago, I got a really expensive ring from a guy who lost his girlfriend in a freak accident. This stranger claimed he got the ring from - in his words - a scrawny, brown nerd with a big forehead who ended a three-year long relationship.
~So now I come to you with open arms. Nothing to hide; believe what I say.~
Gwen's POV
Trent was lost in thought. I slowly drifted away into a place of my own thoughts. After being encouraged by some friends, I reached out to Trent. Sure, we danced for a bit at some reunion party, but I thought it was no big deal. After I found out that two of my friends - who liked each other for some time - had a date tonight, I knew I wanted Trent back.
The entire conversation played in my head on repeat. The confession was awkward, but hey, I got to where I was, right?
Gwen: Trent, it's Gwen. I hope this isn't so sudden, but do you want to come over tonight?
Trent: Wow, really? Yeah, of course. Send me the address and I'll be on my merry way.
Gwen: Awesome. See you then.
Thinking about it, I was so glad I had my friends' support. I grew more reminiscent of our fondest memories. I thought of still, lonely nights on the dock.
~So, here I am with open arms. Hoping you'll see what your love means to me. Open arms.~
Trent's POV
At last, I snapped out of it. I turned to see Gwen staring at the wall. She had zoned out to a place of her own. Unbeknownst to her surroundings, her body began swaying. I feared she would fall over, so I reached out to catch her. Gwen shook her head, looking up at me while in my arms.
"Welcome back," I whispered.
She gave a small chuckle. A chuckle became a smaller laugh as Gwen got up to pour two glasses of wine. Messy hair and makeup tied in with an oversized t-shirt and a purple thong. How did I get so lucky to be back with her again?
"Red or white?" Gwen asked.
"Red if you have it," I replied.
Gwen reached for the top shelf and pulled down a full bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. She popped the cork off the bottle, the cork rolling under the counter. She awkwardly smiled at me as she filled up two glasses. We clinked glasses to rekindling a once broken relationship.
"Cheers," we both said in unison.
~Living without you, living alone. This empty house seems so cold.~
Gwen's POV
I took a small sip of red wine before walking away from the couch. This time, it was to mess around with the thermostat. I adjusted the thermostat to about 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
"Could you make the room any hotter?" Trent called.
"Shut up," I chuckled.
Why 70 degrees was hot for Trent was beyond me. I shrugged it off and turned it down a bit. I felt my body shiver as I made my way back to the couch.
~Wanting to hold you, wanting you near. How much I wanted you home.~
Trent's POV
Gwen messed around with the temperature before coming back to the couch. My arms were open, welcoming her warm embrace. I held her close to my beating heart. Slowly looking at her, all she could do was look back, a seldom-seen smile on her face.
"Thanks again for coming over," she whispered.
"Don't mention it," I said. "I feel like I'm home again."
My hands gently cupped Gwen's face. I pulled her in for a gentle kiss. She ran her nimble fingers through my hair, still tangled at the mouth. Gwen broke the kiss to answer the door, which had been knocking for a few seconds.
"Oh, I'm gonna use the bathroom real quick," I called.
"Yup," Gwen replied. "No problem.
~But now that you've come back - turned night into day - I need you to stay.~
Gwen's POV
Trent walked into the bathroom as I answered the door. In front of me stood a crying, shaken-up Noah. Wait, what happened?
"Oh, is this a bad time?" he asked.
I shook my head. "Nope. Trent's in the bathroom. I think he's going to be a bit. Come in."
I invited my friend into my apartment. His date turned out to be a disaster. The boy in question was someone I considered to be a little brother. As I looked back at the door, I was curious about Trent. What was he doing?
I let Noah get everything off his chest before I made him a suggestion. He started crying again. I had to admit, it was a side of Noah I had never seen. I wondered if Trent ever felt the same way about me.
~So now I come to you with open arms. Nothing to hide; believe what I say.~
Trent's POV
One ear on the bathroom door, I listened in on the conversation. From what I gathered, Noah had a shitty first date, and Gwen was helping him feel better. That was why I felt the way I did about her; her kind heart and willingness to help her friends.
Once the door shut, I slowly stepped out of the bathroom. It would've been awkward for a visitor to see me with no pants and a messy, white shirt. Noah had gone home, and Gwen had her laptop open. She opened a software to make a slideshow, her phone plugged into the machine.
"I can explain," she chuckled.
There was no better time than now. Sure, I may have been invited to Gwen's for what seemed like a meaningless fling, but I didn't think we were meaningless.
"Trent, what are you doing?" she asked.
"Okay, Gwen," I exhaled. "I need to ask you something."
With Gwen's hand in mine, I looked down at the floor, then back at her. She was sitting on a bar stool, so she appeared taller. Not by much.
"Gwen, I..."
Slowly, I got down on one knee. I took a ring from the breast pocket of my shirt and presented it to Gwen. Her eyes lit up like diamonds.
~So, here I am with open arms. Hoping you'll see what your love means to me. Open arms.~
Gwen's POV
I was distracted by my task for a moment. As I saw Trent kneel before me, I felt my heart race. My face turned pink before slowly sliding off the stool.
"Gwen," Trent said. "That phone call was the most satisfying thing I had received all week."
"Oh, Trent," I whispered.
"I got this ring from a guy whose girlfriend died in a freak accident," he continued. "He got it from - in his words - a scrawny, brown nerd with a big forehead who ended a three-year-long relationship."
Noah. He had a ring to propose to his ex-girlfriend with. Trent was holding what looked like the same ring. In shock, I covered my mouth.
"I can't hold back anymore. Gwendolyn Ingrid, will you do the honour of spending the rest of your life with me?"
"Oh, my gosh." I began tearing up. "Yes, of course!"
I ran into Trent's arms as he spun me in a circle. He kissed me with greater force than before. As he put me down, he slid the ring on my finger.
"So, uh, what was that about?" he chuckled.
"We got work to do," I replied. "Good thing you brought your guitar. We need to record a cover for a slideshow."
Trent nodded and walked over to the door. He took his guitar from the case and met me at the couch. I took my laptop over to the couch, gently placing it on the coffee table.
"What's the song?" Trent asked.
"It's 'Thirteen' by Big Star," I replied.
"Classic," he whispered.
Before I hit record, Trent began tuning his guitar. He slowly played the opening notes to the song until he tuned the guitar the way he wanted it.
"Action," I whispered as I hit the record button.