The shouts from the audience as Charlie tried to focus on their breathing. In. And out. In. And out. Yet, the feeling of an empty stomach did not settle in their stomach. They looked at the clock and saw they were supposed to go on in 3 minutes, and felt the drops of sweat collecting on their forehead. Charlie looked over to their band mates as Lila was using her drumsticks on her knees to practice some of our songs before we took the stage. Figuring that was a good idea, Charlie started to do the same. They closed my eyes and began to hum the melody of  a song, gripping their guitar tightly as if it were their life line. This was not the band’s first show, nor was it going to be our last. However, the dread and anxiety always reached Charlie anyway. 

“Come on Charlie, let’s go!”  Mia said to me, jumping up and down. They all went on stage. The audience cheered even louder as they made our way on stage. Charlie looked over to Evan, our other guitarist, and he met their gaze before smiling. The air of confidence that he gave off motivated Charlie to shake off their nerves as well. With that, the band began playing. 

“That was amazing!” screamed Lila as we made our way off stage. Charlie  nodded in agreement. 

“Definitely! Our sound was on point!” Charlie replied happily.  The triumphant air surrounded the group as they went over their favorite moments on stage. 

“So which of y’all are going to the after party today?” Mia, the other guitarist asked. They all looked around at each other and proceeded to nod their heads when they were the ones focused on.

“I guess we’re all going then!” Charlie announced, and the others whooped cheerfully. 

The after party took place at the same club we performed at, but a couple hours laters so there weren’t as many people there. The overwhelming smell of alcohol and body odor overtook Charlie’s nose as they walked through the door.  There was a small group of people dancing in the area near where another band was playing, and a couple people sitting at the bar. Charlie went to sit by the bar as the other went to check out the other band. While Charlie was sitting at the bar sipping a drink a stranger approached. With dark blonde shaggy hair, multiple rings on his fingers, and multiple tattoos on his arms the stranger gave off an ominous aura. However, what struck Charlie wasn’t any of those things, but rather, the two-toned color of his eyes. One eye was a mild green, while the other one was a bright blue. The kind of blue that you only saw when children drew water in a picture.  

“Hey, I saw you perform. You all were amazing!” the stranger complimented. Charlie didn’t really know how to feel about this stranger that approached. They seemed friendly enough, but how could Charlie be sure? 

“Thank you! There is nothing quite comparable to the feeling of performing,” Charlie replies, turning to face this stranger. 

“Harris,” he says sticking his hand out. 

“Charlie,” they reply, reaching out and shaking their hand. Harris’ hand was warm, and his shake was firm. His hand had the steadiness of years of practiced hand shakes. They talked for a while after that. Charlie named everyone in the band while Harris asked questions about their band’s history. As the conversation pushed towards more mundane topics (favorite color, hobbies, careers), Charlie found themself more and more entranced by Harris. Harris spent his childhood alone in a mansion, never really getting along with his friends, instead practicing to take over the family business. It was like it was out of a book. 

“So, I was wondering if I could get your number, Charlie.” Charlie couldn’t decide whether it was the interesting nature of this man’s life, or the genuine interest in them, but they decided to give Harris their phone number. However, there was one conversation that they hadn’t had yet. Charlie’s gender. When Charlie was a child, the title of female or male never really fit them. They didn’t feel comfortable when someone called them a she or a he. It all felt wrong. Eventually, after years of research, Charlie stumbled apon an answer, non-binary. However, this less talked about gender typically blocked Charlie from having the normal experiences others had. Like, falling in love. So, of course, the prospect of this interesting stranger who wanted their number seemed like a once in a lifetime opportunity. 

“I would love to give you my number. However, there’s one thing we haven’t talked about yet,” Charlie replied, with an obvious note of hesitation in their voice. 

“Oh yeah? What’s that?”

“I’m non-binary,” they paused, “so, I use they, them pronouns.” The previous smirk on Harris’ face dropped.

“Oh,” Harris muttered. Charlie’s face dropped, and their mind immediately went the many many times when they’d be ostracized because of their gender. Countless times when people learned their pronouns and then stopped talking to them in total. The hours and hours of tears caused by being lonely and misunderstood. It hurts, especially in these moments, when you could see someone processing it right in front of you. Charlie’s eyes met the floor as they prepared themself for yet another disappointment. Harris brought their hand up to their face, scratching it continuously. This 30 second span of time felt like hours to Charlie. “I’m sorry,” Harris started, “I’m not quite sure exactly what non-binary is. Could you explain it more to me?” Charlie picked up their eyes off the floor. Their heart beated in disbelief. Charlie had only experienced this one other time in their life before, with their bandmates. Charlie started at Harris with eyes of surprise. “What?”

“I just, there’s not many people that react like that.” Charlie replied. 

“So, I can have your number then?” Harris asked once again, with his signature smirk. 

“Absolutely!” Harris and Charlie both grew up knowing the sadness that comes with loneliness. Even if it was entirely different situations, the feelings of growing up without that one true friend or partner was one they had grown accustomed to. However, Harris and Charlie did not need to feel that loneliness any longer, for they had each other. A little spoiler alert, Harris and Charlie live on to be each other's happily ever after. 

The End.