Melissa

That night she wasn’t able to sleep. Everytime she had trouble sleeping she would go to her rooftop and listen to some music. She would put on Sinatra or Paul Anka; her friends always were telling her to listen to music that could be played in the festivals or bars, but she never listened to them. No wonder she never liked bars. There wasn’t one night she wouldn’t find it difficult to close her eyes. She would stay up till 3 am alone, looking up at the stars writing or thinking. That was the thing she liked the most; thinking. Melissa felt as if she wasn’t from this planet. When it rained, she would tiptoe through the streets and play as if she were a little girl. When it was sunny, she would gaze at the sky and smile. Melissa never understood the sky nor the universe. Why do humans want to kiss each other when they are in love? Why do they have the need to put their lips against each other? Isn’t that weird? Or, even worse, why do humans fall in love? She has never fallen in love. But Harry, her best friend, had. He was the most adorable and melancolic boy she had ever met. He would fall in love with any living species walking in the streets. It didn’t matter if it was a boy or a girl, if they were tall or short, with blue eyes or with brown ones. Melissa always fantasized about meeting someone and rambling whenever they were bored; with going to the cinema and thinking about that person when a love scene came. She never knew what was to be thinking about someone when she played a love song.

When she noticed that listening to some music wouldn’t help her to sleep, she decided to go for a walk. She took her headphones and put on some Elvis. Can’t help falling in love started playing. The streets were completely empty. She looked at the streetlights; they looked sad, sorrowful, miserable. Her town was a little one in Virginia. No one would ever go there for the holidays. No one would ever want to move there, but she always liked it. She liked the quiet, she liked knowing everyone. And liked it enough to call it a home. She was in her twenties and never pictured a future outside her state; her father always tried to convince her to move out. ‘You will be trapped here, you need to go’. She knew he only said this for her own good, but she always went mad whenever she listened to this argument.

Her ringtone started playing; it was Harry.

-Harry! Is 4 in the morning, are you okay?

-Yes, sorry, everything’s okay. I just…I can’t find the perfect ending for my story and my deadline is tomorrow. Could you please come and help me? I mean, I know it’s late but-

Melissa touched her forehead relieved and interrupted him.

-Oh my god Harry, yes, I’ll be there. Text me next time, you scared the hell out of me.

Melissa went back home to get her bike. She was very fond of it. She had it since she was a little girl and it was her adventure companion. Harry lived fifteen minutes away and she always took those minutes to clear her mind, to think about nothing except for the cars and traffic.

When she finally got there, she knocked on his door and when he opened the door she hugged him. It was like their personal mark; hug each other anytime they saw each other.

-So tell me, what is this story about? -Melissa asked him while she opened the refrigerator. His house was hers too.

-Okay, listen. It’s weird. It’s about a group of friends that are on their prom night but instead of going to prom they go to the woods as a final adventure. But- Melissa interrupted him.

-Oh wait, I know this one. But instead of having fun they find a treasure and spend their night trying to discover what that treasure was and what it meant.

Harry loved science fiction and mystery. His favorite movie was Back To The Future, and every story he wrote had something to do with that. He worked for a comic company, and every week had to deliver a new story. Melissa liked his geek friend more than anything in the world and loved to help him whenever he needed a brainstorm.

-No, I said you had to listen. Instead of having fun, one of them decides to tell all of them that he is going to move out. Like, not from Virginia, but from the country. Away, far away. Like…never being able to see them again.

-This isn’t based on a true story, right? Because I would die right here if it were true. And, Harry, what’s up with this pizza, since when do you have it? It smells like-

-Ha ha ha, shut up. No. It’s not based on a true story. I wish. I mean, getting out of here; my dream.

-Oh no stop with that, don’t start now. Look, I know you hate it here, but I’m sure that once you move you’ll miss everything about our little town.

-You’re wrong. The only thing I would miss is you, silly.

Melissa never liked being cheesy. The only thing she would show was her love for Harry and music. She hated when things got too emotional; however Harry was the other way around. But as someone said, opposites attract each other.

They spent the whole night trying to find an attractive and thrilling ending to Harry’s story and chatting about their future. Harry would definitely get out of Virginia and Melissa would miss him as hell. When they both called it a night, Melissa stayed on the couch and Harry went up to his room. Nevertheless, she was able to sleep that night. She was tired and didn’t find any trouble sleeping. And that was rare for her. Maybe, it was the place. Maybe, it was the people. She realized that she hadn’t felt home in a long time. Melissa always thought that she would live with that condition forever; not being able to sleep quickly. It wasn’t that big of a deal. But it wasn’t a condition, she wasn’t determined. She realized that everything she needed was a couple of pizzas and laughs; a hug from her friend, an uncomfortable couch while having a comfortable silence. That night, she understood that maybe what she always liked about Virginia was how it made her feel. Home. She didn’t like being alone in her room or on her rooftop. Maybe she enjoyed the feeling of having a place where she could be alone with her thoughts, but she realized that if she stayed on her rooftop her whole life she would stay trapped in her mind forever. And that night she comprehended that she didn’t want that. Sinatra, Elvis, or Anka wouldn’t make her less alone. They would distract her, but they wouldn’t do what being with Harry made her feel like. That moment was when she realized that maybe she didn’t fall in love with anyone because no one made her feel at home.

That night, Melissa longed to have an uncomfortable couch forever. And for the first time, realized that home wasn’t Virginia; home wasn’t a place, home was a feeling.