BLACKTOP ACOUSTIC

"Where am I?"

"Miss Ellis I see you're finally awake"

Brittany Ellis sat up to see Zachary Detweiler standing in the doorframe of well....his bedroom. She had forgotten that he had brought her back to his place. Why the hell did she agree to that again?

"We didn't fuck did we?"

"We did not fuck"

"Oh"

"You sound disappointed" Zach teased her a little "did you want us to have sex?"

"No" she answered a little too quickly

Zach came over and sat down next to Brittany and she immediately turned away just like he figured she would.

"Look at me Brittany"

She hated when he did that but it was the only way he could get her to focus on him.

Her heart skipped a little as she finally did

"You know that I would have asked for your consent, right?"

".....yes"

"There's your answer then" Zach insisted "trust me if we did have sex you would know"

A smirk spread across his face and Brittany shoved him away trying not to laugh

"You're so full of yourself"

"You're the one who wants to be full of me though"

"Zach!"

"There's the Britt I remember"

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean" he said sincerely "I always liked making you laugh that's never changed"

A flash of warmth radiated under Brittany's cheeks and she thanked God for the umpteenth time that she was black otherwise her face would be beet red.

She looked down and remembered that she was still wearing Zach's spare clothes. His hockey shirt and sweatpants.

"Zach where's my dress?" she asked "I need to change so I can leave"

"What's the rush?"

"I have to go"

"Where are you going to go?" he asked "Terrance kicked you out"

Pain and embarrassment etched across Brittany's face ".... that's what I'm trying to figure out so I have to go. Where is my dress?"

"It's in the mudroom" Zach said "do you really want to wear that today?"

"That's not the point I have to leave"

"Who says you have to leave?" he challenged her "unlike Terrance I'm not kicking you out"

Brittany didn't know what to say to that at first.

"I....I can't just stay here forever"

"How do you know that?"

"Zach I'm serious"

"I'm serious too" he said "you could stay here forever if you want to Brittany"

There was silence between them.

"I'll get you another change of clothes" he said "there's somewhere I want to take you"

"Where?"

"You'll see"

"I look ridiculous"

"You look fine"

Brittany found herself in the passenger seat next to Zach in some of the clothes he let her borrow. She felt weird wearing an old pair of his jeans and yet another hockey top but this time it was a jacket with a long black sleeve shirt.

"Where were you planning to go anyway?" he asked

"Nowhere important" Brittany said "at least not to you anyway"

"Everything about you is important to me"

Brittany wasn't too inclined to fully believe that as it had been at least seven years since the last time she saw him.

"If Terrance loved you he wouldn't have made you go through so much shit" he said as if reading her mind

"I don't want to talk about him"

"Understandable"

"Besides if I'm so important to you how come you basically ghosted me?"

"Britt you know why" Zach said "we had just graduated and busy looking for careers and starting our real adult lives; I didn't do it on purpose we just grew apart a little"

"....I didn't like that" Brittany admitted "I was sad for a long time because of that"

Zach gave a quick glance over to her for a second and she turned her head away to look out the window again. He knew about Brittany's feelings towards him; she had always had a crush on him and didn't really do a good job of hiding it.

While Zach didn't necessarily feel the same about her at the time he was flattered. Growing up in a small-town moderate almost conservative leaning white family he was raised to only like or be attracted to white women. To eventually marry a white woman and start a family with her.

Meeting a young black woman like Brittany really turned his view on other races of women upside down. She was warm, loving, sensitive, creative, kind, sweet, the list of positive adjectives and attributes went on. A vibe that oddly enough Zach didn't really see in a lot of white women to be completely honest.

On the other hand Zach was probably willing to bet that he was the first white man that Brittany liked; since she was raised to only like or be attracted to black men and to eventually marry a black man and start a family with him. Which would explain why she got with Terrance; such a forced relationship in Zach's opinion.

"I'm here now Britt" he said gently and firmly "I'm sorry you felt that way I really am"

"....it's fine" she said lying "doesn't matter anymore I was twenty one and dumb"

"You weren't dumb you just tend to wear your heart on your shoulder that's all"

Brittany didn't response to that because she knew that there was some truth to that.

Terrance probably took advantage of that for sure without a doubt.

"Just need to get off this exit and we're here"

Brittany turned over slightly to see Zach was pulling them into a shopping complex.

Scanning the list of stores she tried to figure out what he had up his sleeve. In big bright glowing red letters read Sam Ash Music.

 "It will be Black Friday in 3 weeks so it's good that we're beating those crowds" Zach said pulling into a parking spot in front of the store.

"Zach what are you---"

"We're almost at the surprise but I think you've got the hint so far"

If it was what she thought, it was there no way he was going to do this. Would he?

Getting out the truck and walking into the store Brittany just assumed she would now find out soon enough.

"Adam!"

"Zach! Where the hell have you been man?"

"Working" he said giving the store owner a high five "gotta keep that green coming in"

"Who do you have with you?"

"My friend Brittany she was lead guitarist in our band" Zach said "Brittany this is Adam"

"No way this is the infamous Britt I've been told about?"

"...um I don't know about lead" Brittany said trying to be modest as she shook Adam's hand "Alex and Danny did most of the time if I wasn't feeling my best"

"Those two didn't compare Britt you know that"

"Also just so you know he never brings ladies in here with him" Adam pointed out "so you must be a real gem for him to bring you in here"

"Speaking of a gem" Zach interrupted "we're here to get her a new guitar"

Jesus Christ.

So that's why they were here just like she suspected. She didn't know what to say. A brand-new guitar wasn't just something you buy at the drop of a hat it's pretty penny.

"Zachary....I don't need a new guitar right now"

"Anything wrong with the old one?" Adam asked trying to help them out

"No it's just that---"

"Her asshole of an ex-boyfriend made her sell it" Zach spoke up for her

"That's fucked up but I see why he's an ex then" Adam said "how much did you sell it for?"

"....nine hundred" Brittany admitted embarrassed now

"It was probably worth more than that" Adam said scrunching his nose at that price

"It was...my dad gave it to me for my eighteenth birthday, so I had it for almost ten years"

This was news to Zach. Brittany's guitar was gorgeous and very rare, and she took good care of it too but the sentimental value attached to it he had no idea. Especially considering that her father died right before they started their junior year.....and that bastard made her sell it?

Terrance really could go to hell for all he cared.

"Well let's see if we can find you another one that's just as special" Adam insisted.

The phone rang and he excused himself for a minute to answer leaving the two of them alone for a minute.

"You never told me your dad gave you that guitar" Zach said breaking the ice between them

"It didn't matter" Brittany insisted lying "you don't need to buy me a new guitar"

"I don't need to" he agreed "I want to though"

"Why?" she asked genuinely confused "I can't accept something like that from you I don't have anything to give back"

Zach couldn't forget the look on Brittany's face last night when she confessed that Terrance made her sell her most prized possession. He never wanted to see that look on her face again.

"You don't need to give anything back to me Brittany you know that"

"Sorry about that" Adam said "holiday season is right around the corner so we're getting a lot of calls right now about what's in stock. You two ready?"

"We're ready"

For the next two hours or so both Adam and Zach had all the patience in the world for Brittany as they walked her up and down the aisles inspecting almost every guitar that was available.

At first she didn't really look because she was still adamant about Zach not getting her a guitar but as they went on she did begin to talk about the color and finishings she liked and what string patterns worked for her.

So gradually Brittany warmed up to the idea so much so that she didn't even look at the price tags of the guitars she was looking at. Zach didn't want her looking at the price tags though because whatever she picked he would buy no matter the price.

"Is it okay if I try this blacktop acoustic?" she asked

"The one you keep eyeballing?" Adam chuckled "it's a real beauty"

Brittany took a seat on the stool as Adam carefully handed her the gorgeous instrument.

"Pretty hefty for a little lady like you" Zach teased

"I got it" she insisted adjusting it on her lap and starting to fine tune the strings. Strumming her fingers along the strings the small area in the front of the store became a miniature concert as the music emitted all around them.

Zach immediately recognized the notes Brittany was playing was from her favorite song "Air of December" on the album Shooting Rubberbands At The Stars by Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians. He knew it anywhere because it was always her go to melody to strum whenever she was upset or needed comfort or even for warm up for the shows they used to do.

"You're a real natural" Adam said "when's the last time you played?"

".....a little over a year ago"

"And you were able to pick back up just like that? Impressive"

"Thanks"

The minute Zach was able to see that glow on Brittany's face it was settled.

"We'll take it"

"Zach---"

"How much?"

"Twelve hundred" Adam said looking at the tag tied to the head of the guitar. Brittany watched as Zach took out his wallet with no hesitation and fish out a Visa Mastercard.

"Believe it or not this one is actually one of the more reasonably priced ones" he said going behind the counter to swipe the card and process the transaction "and you got it way before a Black Friday shopper too; I'll throw in the case too"

"Zach...I---"

"Do you like it?"

"I love it"

"That's all that matters" he said sincerely "you still play very well too; very talented"

Brittany bashfully hid her smile, but it was too late Zach had already seen it and that's all he needed to see.

He saw the old college friend he used to know.