When I finished playing, he was shaking his head slightly.
“What?” I asked.
“You must be some kind of kick-ass chick, huh.” He beamed at me. “That was beautiful. I didn’t expect that you would know how to play—and really, really well. I haven’t met a girl who could play as good as you do. Most girls I knew would rather paint their nails, not break them by playing the guitar. Now, I’m challenged.”
I laughed. “Okay, Rockstar. Let’s see what you got.”
If before, he was reluctant to play the guitar again, now I could see the excitement on his face. He took the guitar from me and started feeling the strings, making sure he got all of them located. And then he started plucking the strings to play a familiar song.
‘Sweet Child O’ Mine.’
It was my turn to be dumbfounded. He may be blind now, and he feels like he has nothing left going for him… but his heart and his hands never forgot how to live. His guitar skills were beyond amazing.
I was smiling when he finished playing. He inclined his head to mine, turning his ear to me, as if he was waiting for something.
“What?” I asked, laughing. I know what he wanted and somehow, I wanted him to wait for it just a little while longer.
“Oh come on!” he groaned in frustration.
Finally, I stood up from my seat and started clapping. I even put my fingers in my mouth to whistle. Yes, he was that good. He deserved an applause.
He stood up from his seat, too, and then he bowed. “Thank you, thank you!” After that, we both laughed… genuinely and heartily… like we both didn’t think we would still be able to play the guitar again.
He sat back on the bench and played another song. It was something that I knew as well. A smile crept into my face. I closed my eyes, and before I knew it, I was singing, “You got a fast car… I want a ticket to anywhere. Maybe we make a deal, maybe together we can get somewhere…”
That song touched me in many ways. I knew Hunter felt the same way too. At first, I thought it was quite ironic for him to play a song called ‘Fast Car’ when he lost so much in a car accident. But then again… that was a good sign, wasn’t it? Acceptance was always the first step to moving forward. Like playing ‘Cats in The Cradle’ was a form of acceptance on my part that things were never going back to the way they used to be, but that didn’t mean I won’t find happiness again.
When we finished, he turned to me. “You could make a career in show business, you know?”
“Why is that?”
“A kick-ass chick who can play the guitar and sing as well as you? Darned, you’re going places!” he praised.
“Well, so long as I don’t make live performances.”
“And why not?”
“I’m Scarface, remember?”
He set his guitar aside and reached up his hand to touch my cheek gently. “Hey…” he whispered. “I swear, someday, you will play and sing in front of a crowd and you will wow every single one of them.”
“Well, I hope you’ll be one of them.”
He nodded. “I may not be able to see you, but I sure would hear you.”
I sighed sadly when I pulled away from him. How I wish that would be true. That I wouldn’t be scared to show my scars in public and Hunter would be able to see me play.
It was almost five o’clock when we headed out of the woods. Meredith was coming to pick me up soon.
“Well, it was indeed a lovely day,” I said to Hunter. “I don’t think I’ve smiled more in the last couple of months.”
“Me too,” Hunter agreed. I stared up at him. He was looking at my face, although I know he couldn’t really see me behind his sunglasses.
“What’s the color of your eyes?” I suddenly got curious.
He didn’t answer. Instead, he slowly touched his sunglasses and perched it up his head. He stared down at me in probably the most mesmerizing blue eyes I had ever seen. They were expressive… as if they were meant to see through my soul. And they were framed with long dark lashes I didn’t think possible for boys at all.
Perhaps, if people would look closely, they would see that his eyes were cloudy due to the damage in his cornea. But from afar, no one would be able to tell that those beautiful, bright blue eyes… could see nothing but darkness.
“Blue,” I breathed.
I think I forgot how to breathe as I stared up at him. Hunter is... beautiful. Even without his eyesight… he was perfect.
“Allison…” he started. And I thought he sounded nervous. “Could you… I mean… tomorrow… umm… could you come back tomorrow? Spend… the day with me again?”
I blinked back and then I decided to tease him, “Hunter Vaughn… are you asking me out on a date?”
I really didn’t think he was. Because… how could he? He was beautiful even though he was blind. I’m not blind so I could see the monstrous-looking scars my stepfather left me. There was no way he’d be interested in me…
“Yes,” he replied. “Yes, I am.”
I stopped short, not really expecting that answer. “Umm… do you even know how I look like? I look horrendous,” I said. That was a lie. I didn’t really look horrendous if one could manage to look past my scar. I had long, dark brown hair and long dark lashes surrounded my hazel green eyes. Okay, maybe I didn’t look as bad as I wanted him to think, but with my scars, I was definitely no Barbie doll.
Hunter shook his head. “I may be blind, Allison. But believe me when I say that… I see you.” His voice was serious… sincere. “And you… look unbelievably beautiful to me. Like an angel sent down from heaven.”
I bit my lip because I didn’t want to cry. I didn’t get many compliments these days. So, when I did… it really touched me.
“Thank you,” I murmured.
He smiled. “So… is that a yes?”
“It’s an… ‘I’ll think about it,’” I teased. “Goodbye, Hunter.” I turned and headed to the parking lot where Meredith was watching me curiously.