In the Lyrics by Nacole Stayton

cheek. “Or how special you are, but trust me, Hensley, the world sees it, even if you don’t.”
    God must have spent a little more time on him, or they train their boys right in Texas. If I weren’t sitting, I know my knees would fail me. Without warning, he leans forward and kisses me. It’s a slow, sensual kiss, the one that little girls dream about. My mind doesn’t have time to react as one of his hands holds the side of my face and the other snakes around my neck. It’s like a kiss you see on TV. Where the alpha male is in charge of the situation and the inexperienced woman allows him to lead. It’s exactly how it is on TV, and strangely I don’t mind. Letting myself feel anything is foreign to me. I’ve kept up a wall so high no one could scale it and make me feel things, make me feel like this. But as his tongue parts my lips and enters, the warmth, the caring caresses of his hands in my hair, all of it makes me want to rent a bull dozer from Home Depot and tear down the damn wall myself. The reality is no one has ever tried to climb it. No one has ever stuck around and stood with their fingers crossed behind their backs, hoping that one day maybe I’d let my guard down. But Colby did just that. He’s called me out, given me hell right back, and now he’s basically standing there with his sledgehammer and an accomplished smile on his face.
    As I kiss him back, I lose the part of me that’s been scared to feel anything. Because surely if his kisses do this, make me feel like it’s okay to actually feel anything at all, the crumbled stone surrounding my feet is worth it.
    When his lips leave mine, I feel like I’ve just made the biggest decision of my life. I, Hensley Elaine Bradley, am going to live for today and not fear what tomorrow brings. Even if that means I’ll be stuck in this town, I find comfort in knowing that Colby will be here too. At least for the next two years as we both finish up our college education. I guess we’ll see what happens then.

 
     
     
    WE WALK TOWARDS the apartment door in silence, but I can see a small grin spreading on Hensley’s lips. It makes my heart beat a little faster knowing that I put it there. I don’t know what it is about this girl that draws me to her. Even before I knew she had a barrier taller than the Great Wall of China is long around her heart, I still felt like there was something else there. It wasn’t even the whole ‘you want what you can’t have’ thing, because I felt attracted to her way before I knew she was extremely guarded.
    It was in the moment that I saw her on the street corner, guitar perched on her lap, eyes so hungry with need to please her crowd. I knew then, in that very moment, that I had to have her despite the cost. Maybe it’s knowing that there is a woman out there that has my same ambitions, who shares my same dreams, or maybe it was her voice that sang out and touched me like no one’s voice ever has. Now that I am getting to know her, and from the little bits of information Dusty has told me, I know she wants out of this town. What I don’t know is why, and truthfully, after that kiss, I want to be the reason she stays. I don’t know how long I’ll be here. Hopefully I’ll get some record label to notice me, but until then, she’s the only one I want noticing me.
    Before we make it to the door, it swings open. Standing with his hands on his hips, Dusty gloats, “Well, I’m glad to see that you two are getting along better.”
    “Me too,” I whisper as I slide by him in the doorframe. Turning around discreetly, I see him stick his arm out, blocking Hensley’s way in. Deciding it’s best not to stick around and look like the nosy new roommate, I walk into my room and grab my shower stuff then head to the bathroom.
    Reaching, I turn on the faucet, and then bend to take off my boots and undress. Steam slowly starts to fill the small room as I push back the shower curtain and step inside. Running my hands