Her name was Elena.

 

She had tan, freckled skin, with eyes so green you could plant and grow bountiful crops in that garden. Her hair was a river of coffee, always shining and long in a low ponytail, hair sticking out of all places. But it never looked messy; it worked for her.

 

She was everywhere I played.

 

I'd perform on my guitar at all kinds of venues and she'd always be at the front row, watching me play.

 

It was never really creepy, she seemed to really like me. 

 

But unlike everyone else, she'd never wait after the show to meet me. I would meet all kinds of people, but never spoke to her. 

 

I couldn't forget her. I felt like we had some kind of connection, but I couldn't figure it out. I had an urge. I needed to talk to her. 

 

Once, after my show as people were lining up to meet me, I got too curious and pushed all of my fans away and ran straight out the door into the lowly lit, bumpy sidewalk. She had already started walking. I kept running, screaming for her to stop. Abruptly, she turned around. I tried to slow down but I had too much adrenaline so I slammed into her. 

 

I quickly picked myself and stared at her for a good second before grabbing her arm and standing her up. 

 

"I'm so sorry!" I exclaimed. "I just...I wanted to...um. Hi." I blushed.

 

She looked at me with shock. Her eyes sparkled in the dark, like emeralds. 

 

"Hi."

 

We stared at each other for a while in the dark. I could only hear my quick heartbeat. 

 

"Why don't you ever stay after my shows?" I blurted out. I couldn't think of anything else to say other than my burning question.

 

She looked at me, confused, and then blushed, looking down at her feet. "I really like your music, but I didn't want to seem like a creep."

 

I turned red. I never took it as creepy. I loved it. Could I say that?

 

"Please, let me give you a CD or something," I said, also very suddenly. Instinctively, I took her hand. She was shocked, but I didn't notice.

 

I led her back to the venue where my fans were screaming for me by the door and my very angry organizer tried to stop them from trampling each other. He saw me and started fuming, asking me why in the world I left him with all these crazy people. I wasn't listening. I wanted to get this girl a CD. I pushed through them, holding her close to me. When we were in the clear, I rushed us to my makeshift dressing room. 

 

"Hold on," I said, as I rummaged through my terribly disorganized dressing room. She stood there, awkwardly. I swam up from the mess with a CD in hand. 

 

"Here!" I yelled, out of breath. I stood up, grabbed a random marker from my desk, and looked at her. "What's your name?"

 

"Elena. My name is Elena" 

 

Trying to hide my flustered face, I signed the CD cover out to her.

 

"I better see you after all my shows, Elena."

 

I gave her the CD. She looked at it, and looked up at me. Her freckles seemed to smile at me. "I will, I promise."

 

 

 

After that moment, she and I were inseparable. I asked her out one night after my shows after a month of her going to my shows. We'd eat out all the time, angering my manager. I would walk her home every night and wouldn't leave until I saw her lights turn on. I never wanted to leave.

 

 

 

One morning, I got a text from my manager saying that I got an offer to play at an influencer's birthday party that night. I was ecstatic, since this influencer was one of Elena's favorites. I immediately texted her the news. She didn't respond.

 

I figured she was asleep, so I went on about my day. I texted her again, telling her the time and location of the event, hoping that she would be there.

 

It was the evening and I was arriving at the location. Elena was nowhere to be found. I called her to see if she was coming, but I got no answer.

 

I was starting to panic. Where was she? I called everyone that she knew that was also in my contacts. That just made more people worry since they didn't know where she was either. I told my manager I needed to go to her house. He freaked out, telling me that I was going to miss an amazing opportunity. I disregarded his words and went for the car. He blocked me, telling me there was no way I was going to get in this car. I groaned, ran down the sidewalk while he yelled, and grabbed a Citi Bike. I biked as fast as I could, thinking of all the things that could have happened to her throughout the day, and how stupid I was to not check on her in person. When I arrived, her lights were off. I jumped off the bike and ran up the stairs of her brownstone. Just as I was about to knock, a lady came out of her house.

 

"Are you a friend of Elena's?"

 

"She's my girlfriend."

 

Her face dropped. "Oh my, I'm so sorry. They arrived to take her away this morning."

 

I stood still. "Take...her away?"

 

Her face softened and she walked towards me. "She's gone, honey. Someone broke in and...."

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't know what I did next. Maybe I cried, maybe I screamed. But everything went dark.

 

I awoke standing. I was standing on an empty stage with my guitar in hand. I looked around. It was the venue I performed at the day I met Elena. 

 

"Ollie."

 

I shuddered. A voice said my name. It sounded like Elena.

 

"Elena?" I said, about to turn.

 

She put her hand on my shoulder. "Don't look at me. I'm here."

 

"Take me home, Ollie"

 

She took her hand off. I don't know why she didn't want me to look at her, but I complied. I walked off the stage and out of the door. I walked the dark streets of Manhattan, slowly and quietly. Too quietly. I couldn't hear Elena. I kept walking, trying not to turn around, but I'm afraid. What if she's not behind me? What if I left her, all alone in that room? What if she's really gone?

 

I have to see her face. I need to know if she's there.

 

Against her wishes, I turned around to see if she was following me. 

 

There she was. Her long, flowing, coffee hair, her grassy eyes, her mosaic freckles. She was there. She was always there. Why wouldn't she be?

 

I wish I didn't turn around.

 

I woke up.