The Easiest

Sometimes she’s not the easiest to love.

She has bad days.

Days where it seems as if she’s carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. Days where she wants to be alone, and pushes me away; spending hours curled up under the covers. Days where she’s running on so little sleep that she lashes out at everyone and everything.

She gets anxious.

She silently buries herself in my arms till her pounding heart calms down. Her voice and body tremble with each shaky breath and she seems to need an endless supply of tissues. She bites her nails and chews on her lip - anything to keep her distracted from her racing thoughts.

She gets insecure.

Her mind gets filled with nothing but doubt. Doubting her skills, knowledge, and worth. She’ll need reassurance that she’s just as capable as she’s always been. Reassurance that I care about her. Reassurance that everything will be ok.

She-

“What are you looking at?” Melody glances up at me from her desk.

I realize I’ve been holding onto the same piece of tape and staring into space for god knows how long now. “Whoops, zoned out for a bit I guess.” I quickly stick a shipping label onto the tall cardboard box sitting in front of me on the floor.

Melody just laughs as she brings over another stack of books. Piano for beginners - Volume 3, all freshly autographed with her neat signature on the first page. Towers of books and boxes are piled around her office, filling the room with the woody scent of new books. The floor is barely even visible by this point.

She plops the stack of books onto the floor next to me, landing with a muffled thud onto the rug. “Yeah, I’m exhausted too,” she chuckles and shakes out her autographing hand. “Let’s take a break.”

-----

Melody comes out onto the balcony and hands me a cup of tea. She still refuses to let me help brew tea, ever since I accidentally broke her super fancy and expensive electric kettle. How was I supposed to know it wasn’t dishwasher safe?

I let the cup warm up my hands. The nights have slowly begun growing cooler and cooler as we shift towards autumn. Melody drapes a soft, fleece blanket over us as she sits down.

“Have I told you how proud I am of you?” I murmur and kiss her forehead.

“Only about a thousand times,” she grins.

“Three books in less than two years, Mel.” I shake my head in disbelief. The amount of passion, dedication, and diligence in her still never fails to amaze me.

Melody doesn’t say anything and takes a sip of tea, seemingly lost in her own thoughts. “They offered me another contract,” she begins slowly, staring out into the horizon, glittering with the lights of the city. “For an autobiography this time.”

“Oh...wow. That’s amazing news.” A book all about Melody. That’s one I’d definitely read.

She shakes her head lightly “I turned them down,” she says. “Things have finally settled down, and I get to just focus on my music. This is all I’ve ever wanted, Cole.”

I can’t say I’m surprised. It took nearly a year after the interview for Melody to fully come to terms with the fact that her identity was out in the world again. I can’t imagine her wanting to put herself in the spotlight again with book tours and whatnot.

She turns to me. I feel her fingers fidgeting with the blanket and she chews on her lip nervously. Almost as if she’s worried about my reaction. “Of course, it’s all up to you,” I reassure her softly.

“Maybe in a couple decades, but definitely not now,” she giggles. “I’m only twenty two, the best is still to come.” She rests her head against my shoulder. “I’m glad you’ll be here with me.”

A day doesn’t go by where I don’t realize how lucky I am to have Melody.

She’s kind.

She genuinely cares so much about people and will do everything she can to make the ones she loves happy. When you’re upset, she’s always the first one there with tissues and a shoulder to cry on. She listens to you and always knows the right things to say. She will always do what she believes is right and fair.

She’s humble

Her success is immeasurable. With what she has, she could have the world. Instead, she chooses to give piano lessons to kids. She chooses to donate most of the profits from her books to charity. She chose to start a music scholarship in honor of her dad’s name. She chooses to live her life as perfectly normal as possible.

She’s supportive.

You could be having the worst day and come home grumpy and tired. Even without asking for her support, she’ll be there to comfort you and cheer you up. She gives the best hugs. The world can be a terrifying place, but with her at your side, everything feels as if it’s going to be ok.

Sometimes she’s the easiest to love.