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Each night, when she’d play her guitar, her legs dangling from her bedroom window, the stars would hold their fires to listen in. They couldn’t help but twinkle along to the same beat, each strum and pluck accented with a glimmer sent from above.
When they heard a soft voice match their celestial sounds from the next window down, even the heavens would swoon. So in sync, so effortlessly intertwined, so gentle in the way one would glance over to the other when she got lost in the sound; closing her eyes and letting her heart take the wheel.
Their nightly routine was the lullaby of the city. Only pouring rain could stop them - and when it did, they’d simply perform without their usual audience.
“Why did you start?”
Absentmindedly plucking at odd riffs she’d picked up over the years, she looked up to the young woman sat on her sofa. Her gaze was met with a look of pondering in ocean blue eyes. She tilted her head, a silent plea for clarification.
“Why’d you start singing with me?”
She unfolded her legs and reclined across the length of the soft sofa with a contemplative hum. Playing with the sleeve of her white sweater, she smiled to herself as she gave her response.
“I wanted to meet my new neighbour.”
The guitarist chuckled. “Is that all?”
“I was curious!”
“So your first idea for an introduction was to sing along with a stranger playing guitar?”
Xinyan narrowly dodged a pillow to the face as she heard her giggle a ‘shut up’ under her breath. For a moment, she just watched her; head tilted back in laughter, leaning lazily on her side as she smiled down at her on the ground. That look of innocent joy that could light up a night sky far more brightly than the moon. No matter how much time they’d spent together by now, Xinyan would never get over these small things that Barbara did that made her heart leap out from its cage.
Instead of retaliating against the attempted assault, Xinyan just smiled right back and placed her capo on the correct fret of her deep red, semi-acoustic guitar, adjusting some of the knobs on the amplifier it was connected to beside her. As she began plucking on strings with her black-painted fingernails, Barbara sat up once more, giggles subsiding. She slid down onto the fluffy rug where the guitarist sat and crawled around her, finally opting to lean their backs together and rest her head on Xinyan’s shoulder as she played. She didn’t mind the way her arm shifted with each note, and she didn’t mind the tufts of curly, black and gold hair stroking her face - in fact, she welcomed the feeling.
The movement was comfortingly rhythmic, perfectly in time with the song, and every time she looked up she got a perfect view of Xinyan’s side profile; her usually sharp eyes and brows for once softened, hair that was always up in twin puffs now free from ties and poking out in all directions. It was still the slightest bit damp after she’d washed it, and it smelled like licorice and coconut - scents that shouldn’t work well together but did, intoxicatingly so.
She just stared at her for a moment, admiring the look of passionate concentration on her features. The way she closed her eyes and scrunched up her pierced nose when she played vibrato notes made Barbara giggle, enamoured by the little things Xinyan didn’t even realise she did, that made her love’s heart soar.
“What’s so funny?” Xinyan glanced over her shoulder and asked quietly, never pausing her playing.
Barbara leaned up and rested her hand on the side of Xinyan’s neck, pulling her closer to kiss her ear before whispering against it, “You’re so pretty.”
Xinyan felt a blush creep up her cheeks. “Don’t be cute,” she responded, her obvious fluster eliciting another giggle from her girlfriend. They’d been together a few months now, their window performances serving as the spark that started it all, yet the guitarist couldn’t seem to hack the art of receiving flirtations and compliments - no matter how much Barbara loved to shower her in them.
“But it’s true,” Barbara whined, nestling her face into Xinyan’s neck, “You’re so gorgeous, I can’t stop looking at you.”
The guitarist felt a soft kiss to the base of her neck and chuckled lightly at her girlfriend’s antics. Through it all, she hadn’t stopped playing her guitar, not a single note missed despite the distractions. She sighed, amused. “You forget the words or something?”
“Of course not, it’s my favourite,” Barbara mumbled against Xinyan’s skin.
“I know it is, that’s why I’m playing it.”
“Mmm,” she hummed, dragging her face away. “Cute.”
As she began to play the second verse, Xinyan heard a voice so soft and so gentle begin to sing along beside her ear. No matter how many times she’d heard it, she swore she’d never ever get tired of Barbara’s voice.
‘Dumb conversations, we lose track of time
Have I told you lately, I’m grateful you’re mine?’
The blonde nuzzled up to her girlfriend’s neck as she sang to her, and Xinyan could feel her heart swell. She continued with the rest of the verse, but when the hook came along Xinyan joined her. She wasn’t a huge singer - she was a guitarist through and through - but she could more than hold a tune, and the end result was a harmony sweeter and smoother than honey.
‘We’re not making out on a boat in the rain,
Or in a house I painted blue
But there’s nothing, like doing nothing,
With you.’
The familiar sound of their voices accompanied by the flowing, warm tones of Xinyan’s guitar filled the small apartment until the very end of the song, embellished with a short flourish typical of the seasoned guitarist. Young as she was, Xinyan could make her instrument sing when she wanted it to, a testament to the countless hours she’d spent playing in her room through her adolescence.
As the last note rang out, Xinyan sighed with a small, satisfied smile and peered over her shoulder to her girlfriend - only to meet soft blue eyes staring back at her, full of awe and adoration. She chuckled bashfully, turning her head to set her treasured guitar down on the rug they sat on, and as soon as she looked back Barbara’s hands were on either side of her face, her lips pressing softly against her own. Xinyan smiled into the surprise kiss while the other moved to sit in her lap, pushing her back slightly so that she leaned on one hand behind her, but not once breaking contact. She brought her free hand to Barbara’s waist while the blonde’s had lowered to her neck, tracing her jaw with her thumbs and her fingers brushing the curls at her nape. No matter how many times they did it, neither of them could get tired of this feeling - lips locked and in sync, slow and saying everything they had yet to say for them.
“Xinyan, I’m just gonna- woah, okay.”
They could, however, get tired of this feeling.
In the doorway stood Xinyan’s roommate, leaning against the frame with an annoying smirk on her face as she glanced between the two on the floor. As the guitarist reluctantly pulled her attention away from the girl literally on top of her, she shot a damn near murderous glare at the other one across the room. Unfortunately, though, it just made her laugh.
“Don’t worry,” she began, walking towards her room, “I’m staying at Xiangling’s tonight. Just came to grab some clothes.”
“Good. Don’t come back,” Xinyan groaned, only half joking. Barbara giggled and lightly slapped her on the shoulder as she moved to stand up, eliciting a small whine from her girlfriend - a whine that was quickly silenced by a peck to her lips.
“She doesn’t mean that. Have fun, Hu Tao!”
As if she was summoned, the short brunette skipped out from her room right as her name was mentioned, and made a beeline for the still open door with a red duffle bag slung over her shoulder. “You too~,” she called out, just her head poking out around the door, and winked to an irritated looking Xinyan before cackling and slamming it shut. She was likely skipping down the hallway, Xinyan thought, way too happy with being a little shit than she should be.
Barbara laughed lightly at the scowl on her face before taking Xinyan’s hand and pulling her up off of the ground, gesturing to sit on the sofa beside her.
“I’m gonna kill her one day,” she rolled her eyes & flopped down onto the cushions.
“You wouldn’t be able to afford rent without her.”
“Yeah, that’s the only reason I keep her around.”
Barbara giggled, snuggling up next to her girlfriend. “That and Xiangling would be sad if you did kill her.”
“Ehh, she’d get over it.”
Xinyan felt a soft hand brush her cheek, and without a moment of hesitation she was being pulled into another kiss. She melted into Barbara’s touch, and suddenly it was like the events of the last 5 minutes never even happened.
Reluctantly, she pulled away - a little too soon for Barbara’s liking as she was met with a small pout on the blonde’s lips. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind the other’s ear before whispering, their foreheads barely touching.
“Do you.. D’you wanna stay over tonight? Since Tao’s not here and all, we can- uh, I don't know, watch a movie? Or something.. O-only if you want to, obviously..“
The sound of Barbara’s laugh cut her nervous rambling off. How someone so confident, so unapologetic and extroverted, could transform into a shy, stuttering mess around her.. she found it quite endearing. Placing a kiss to the guitarist’s cheek, her words came out muffled against soft skin. “Of course, beautiful.”
Xinyan half-laughed, half-sighed in relief. “Alright, cool, cool.. Whaddya wanna watch?”
“You already know what I wanna watch.”
Of course. She rolled her eyes lightheartedly and grabbed the tv remote from beside her, switching it on while Barbara covered the two in a thick, fluffy red blanket. Flicking through the ‘Recently Watched’ section of the streaming service, Xinyan quickly found her girlfriend’s favourite movie. “Say Anything? Again?”
“Don’t act like you don’t love it,” came Barbara’s voice from beneath the blanket, eliciting a chuckle and yet another eye roll from her girlfriend. Her fingers slowly began to intertwine with the other’s as Xinyan pressed play, her free hand now claimed by her girlfriend. Barbara leaned into her side lazily, and as she did she felt a tattooed arm wrap around her back, enveloping her in a loving embrace as she was now held close to her girlfriend. Butterflies fluttered in her abdomen as she looked up at Xinyan through her eyelashes, her gaze dripping with mesmerisation as if she was the one who put the stars in the sky.
She was paying more attention to the scene playing than she’d likely ever admit. The sheer duality of this girl made Barbara smile - Xinyan was intimidating to anyone who didn’t know her, with her dark makeup & attire, her piercings and her tattoos; but she was kind. She’s loving, gentle, caring, selfless, all so evident in her actions even if her appearance betrayed her. Even tonight, having played Barbara’s favourite song for her and now watching her favourite movie together for the umpteenth time, it made the blonde feel something that she’d yet to put into words.
“Hey,” she began, tugging lightly on the hand she had in her grasp.
Xinyan tore her attention from the screen and met her girlfriend’s gaze, brows slightly furrowed and eyes seemingly searching for something in her own. “You okay? What happened to this being your favourite?” She chuckled, landing a kiss on the other’s forehead and squeezing her lightly.
Barbara pursed her lips for a moment. Is this the right time?
The look of confliction on her girlfriend’s face confused Xinyan, and that confusion quickly turned to worry. Taking her hand away from Barbara’s, she reached for the remote again and paused the film, sitting up a little in her seat. “Did I do something wrong?”
The genuinity in her voice yanked Barbara from her thoughts. “Oh, no, sorry,” she scrambled for a response. “No, you didn’t-,” she laughed, realising the irony of Xinyan thinking she’d messed up somehow. “You didn’t do anything wrong, beautiful.”
Xinyan tilted her head, confused once more. “Then.. what’s up?”
“Nothing, I just..”
Ah, fuck, Barbara thought. She can’t just bail now. It’s now or never.
She cupped Xinyan’s face with one hand and kissed her cheek, her lips hovering just above her ear before finally whispering what’s been on her mind for far too long.
“I love you.”
Xinyan felt her face heat up at an exponential rate, her heartbeat speeding to match - and Barbara seemed to take notice as she leaned back to meet her wide open eyes. She giggled before a shy smile took its place on her lips, looking down to avoid eye contact. “If you’re not ready, you don’t have to say it bac-“
“I love you too.”
Her eyes snapped up as she heard the words roll from Xinyan’s lips. Barbara didn’t have much time to register the bright, beaming grin spread across her girlfriend’s face, though, because as soon as she looked up she was being tackled down in a hug, her back colliding with the sofa beneath them. She heard Xinyan laugh an honest, free kind of laugh before crashing their lips together, the blanket that once covered them tossed to the floor as she crawled on top of her. Surprised as she was, Barbara quickly reciprocated and threw her arms around Xinyan’s neck, pulling her closer and sinking her hands into her hair. She giggled as she felt her pull away and pepper her with soft, chaste kisses, starting from the base of her neck, up her jaw, all over her face and finishing on her nose - and in that moment she felt so, so loved.
Xinyan sat up and looked down at the girl below her, covering her deeply blushing face with her hands. The tables have turned , she thought to herself.
She took her by the hand and pulled her up, resuming their previous position as Barbara rested her weight on Xinyan’s body. That same tattooed arm wrapped around her waist, and the guitarist took her by the chin to meet her eyes, glancing down to Barbara’s softly parted lips and licking her own before she spoke.
“I’m so in love with you. You know that?”
The blonde swore she felt her head spin. She nodded slowly, the only response she could muster in that moment. Xinyan laughed at her girlfriend’s somewhat dopey smile, leaning down and kissing her quickly before picking up the discarded blanket and draping it over them once more. She felt Barbara’s head rest on her chest with a content sigh, and as she pressed play on the remote she helped untie her girlfriends’s wavy pigtails, combing her calloused fingers through contrastingly soft locks.
“You’re gonna make me fall asleep,” Barbara murmured. The slow sensation of her hair being played with, along with the sound of the film over light rain pattering on the windows, was awfully calming. Not to mention the gentle rhythm of another’s heartbeat in her ears, protective arms around her body, and that intoxicating smell of licorice and coconut - her senses were full of Xinyan , and she’d never felt safer in her life.
“During your favourite film? Fake fan,” the guitarist teased.
“You probably like it more than I do.”
She chuckled. Barbara hadn’t actually paid any attention to the film at all tonight, while Xinyan was fully invested until her attention was pulled away. “It’s not bad, I guess.”
“Don’t make me put on Dear John. You cried like a ba- Mmf!”
She was quickly cut off by Xinyan pulling her up on her body by her thighs and a palm over her mouth, silencing her. Looking down, she saw the guitarist with her bottom lip between her teeth, stifling a giggle as she brought Barbara’s face closer. Craning her neck upwards, she spoke lowly against her ear.
“What happened to not talking during movies?”
Her head spun again. Before Xinyan could see it, Barbara quickly dropped her entire weight back onto the girl below her and hid her now bright red face in the crook of her neck. Even if she was much smaller than her, Xinyan couldn’t help the small ‘oof’ that escaped her lungs as her girlfriend’s body collided with her own. She laughed for what seemed like the millionth time that evening as she heard and felt Barbara repeating ‘shut up’ into her neck over and over, until finally she stopped as she realised Xinyan’s focus had shifted back to the movie.
She lifted her head to look at her; eyes twinkling brighter than stars as she watched Lloyd Dobler awkwardly ask Diane Court out over the phone. Usually she’d be just as invested, but now? Why would she concentrate on a movie when she could be concentrating on the most beautiful girl she’d ever met?
She wanted so badly to tell her how in love with her she was, to sing out of the windows like they normally do on evenings like these, to kiss her and take all of her attention for herself.
But, that could wait. For now, doing nothing was enough.
As she settled on Xinyan’s chest, one hand intertwining absentmindedly with hers and the other wrapping around her waist, the lyrics of her own favourite song rang out in her head.
Because there’s nothing,
Like doing nothing,
With you.