Chapter Fifty-Four

Juliet shut the TV off a few minutes ago but my jaw is still hanging open. I can feel Juliet's and Dad's eyes on me, but neither of them say anything. They just let me sit in complete silence.

She went on TV. She sang a love song about me. She said she made a mistake. She loves me. That last one is the one that keeps really taking control of my mind. She loves me. She loves me. She loves me.

I quickly stand up off the couch. "I have to talk to her!" I state as I start heading towards the stairs.

Juliet launches herself on the couch and jumps up on my back. "No!" she shouts in my ear.

"What? Why not?" I freeze with her hanging off my back.

She crawls back down to the couch but stays on the cushion so that we're eye to eye. "You can't just call or text her after that," she says sticking her tongue out in disgust. "That was a grand gesture she just made there!" she screams pointing to the screen.

"Yes, I understand that, but I want her to know how I'm feeling."

"And how exactly are you feeling?" my dad interrupts.

"I'm feeling . . . like I love her and I need her in my life. Forever if she'll let me."

Juliet and Dad both break out into simultaneous grins.

"Oh, come on, you can't tell me that you guys didn't know that was going to be my answer."

"Oh, we did," Dad says.

"But it's nice to see your dorky grin again," Juliet finishes.

"You know," I point my finger at them, "I think I kind of hate you guys."

"Nah, you love us. But not as much as you love Aaaaalison," Juliet teases.

"That's it. Come here!" I say as I dive for Juliet.

Within half a second, she's across the room and hiding behind Dad.

"Do you really have time to torment me right now? Don't you think you have something more important to do?" She raises her eyebrows at me.

"Good point." I sit back down on the couch. "So you were saying that this grand gesture of hers can't be answered by a text or call?"

"Nope," she shakes her head as she climbs into the armchair next to him.

"So, what you're saying is, I need to meet her grand gesture with a grand gesture then?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

"And, if I'm not mistaken, you may have had a little something to do with her grand gesture."

"You would be correct."

"So, then, you'd be willing to help me with my grand gesture."

"I thought you'd never ask." Juliet's eyes light up.

"Nothing feels right!" I all but shout as I slam my fists down on the kitchen table. The glass full of pop wobbles in front of me.

"Dude, you need to stop doing that. Our furniture isn't going to survive many more of your whiny tantrums," Juliet points out as she steadies the glass on the table.

"Sorry," I say as I scratch the side of my head. "It's just nothing seems right. Nothing seems big enough. I want her to understand how much she means to me, too. I mean she did something big. I want to do that, too."

"And you will," my dad says. "I think we're thinking into everything too much."

"It has to be perfect." I run my hand down my face. "Perfect, just like her."

"Yuck," Juliet sticks her tongue out. "You have to stop doing that. You're making me nauseous. I'm glad you're happy and in love but, bro, save some of it for her."

"Okay, okay. Sorry, you're right. Let's go over the ideas we have so far."

Juliet grabs the list and starts reading the ideas we wrote down.

"Taking her out on a special date."

"Too mainstream," I point out.

"Writing her a love note," Juliet keeps reading.

"Too cliché."

"Going to her room and telling her how you feel."

"Not big enough."

"Getting a private jet to pick her up and fly her to Ireland and you wait until she gets there to profess your love."

"Too big. Too expensive. And honestly, I don't think I could pull that one off too well."

"Changing the lyrics to one of your songs saying something about her being the one you want to come home to."

"I don't know. Doesn't feel right."

"No, wait," Dad points out. "I think there's something there. She professed her love to you in a song."

"You guys met over your music," Juliet adds.

"It only makes sense that I respond through music. But not just with a lyric change." I turn my head to the side in thought.

"It needs to be bigger," Juliet agrees.

"I need to write a song in response to her song. End this the way that we started it."

"That's it!" Juliet shouts.

"Full circle," Dad nods.

"How do I play it for her though?" I ask.

"Can't be on a TV show, that's too much like hers."

"I could just go to her and sing it, but that doesn't feel big enough."

"I agree," Dad says crossing his arms. "It needs to say more."

We all sit there for a few seconds, trying to figure it out. Finally, it hits me.

"We said it's going to be full circle right? How did Alison's people find out about me? A viral YouTube video. That's what I have to do. I need to make sure that she doesn't see the video until it goes viral. But also, I want to be with her when she hears it. I think we're going to need a lot of help from Willow."

Juliet stands up on her chair and starts doing a little dance. "This is going to be perfect."

I run over and give her a big hug, then start to join in on her dancing. Dad eventually jumps in, too.

I put my arms up to stop them. "Okay, we have a lot of work to do. Dad, can you call Stephen and fill him in? Juliet, can you take care of Willow? I have some writing to do."