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💋 Chapter 4 — Sisters, Secrets, and Songs
Sunday evening hit like a hurricane.
Church had run long, Mom was in her "no distractions, no boys" mood 😤, and Sarah's three sisters were in rare form.
Kim (the oldest and self-appointed second mom) was ironing her work clothes.
Samantha (the dramatic one) was on FaceTime, doing fake British accents for her friends.
And Lily — the youngest — was eavesdropping like it was an Olympic sport. 👂😂
Sarah flopped onto her bed with a sigh.
> Kim: "Rough choir day?"
Sarah: "No. Just… long."
Samantha (without looking up): "Translation: she saw Eli again." 😏
Sarah: "Samantha! Don't start."
Lily: "Who's Eli?"
Kim: "No one."
Sarah: "Exactly. No one."
Lily squinted. "Then why are you blushing?"
> Sarah: "I'm not!"
Samantha: "You so are. Girl, your face looks like a Valentine's card." 💘
Sarah threw a pillow. "You guys are so annoying!"
> Kim: "Mm-hmm. Don't let Dad hear any of this 'Eli' business. You know how he gets."
Sarah (groaning): "I know."
And she did.
Her parents were loving, but strict strict — the type who said things like "No dating until college," and "Remember, the fear of God comes before the fear of boys."
That last one was basically her dad's slogan. 😩
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📱 Later That Night
When everyone finally went to bed, Sarah lay awake scrolling. Her phone buzzed.
Eli: You survived Sunday service?
Sarah: Barely. My mom kept giving me the side-eye during your drum solo.
Eli: Can you blame her? I was drumming for you 😎🥁
Sarah: You're ridiculous.
Eli: And yet… you're replying.
Sarah: It's called being polite.
Eli: It's called you like me.
Sarah: Goodnight, Eli.
Eli: Wait wait—before you go… help me with something?
Sarah: If it's another pickup line—
Eli: No! A song.
Sarah sat up, curiosity winning.
Sarah: A song? Like, for church?
Eli: Kinda. I've got the melody, but the words sound cheesy. You're the lyric girl, right?
Sarah: You mean the girl who rhymes "heart" with "apart" like everyone else? 😂
Eli: Exactly. You're perfect for it.
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🎶 The Song Scene
Fifteen minutes later, they were on a video call — both in hoodies, trying to whisper so no parents would hear.
Eli strummed his guitar softly (apparently he wasn't just a drummer — who knew?).
> Eli: "Okay, tell me if this sounds dumb…"
(sings softly)
"You're the calm in my chaos, the fire in my faith…"
> Sarah (smiling): "Not dumb. Just… too much fire. Try 'light in my faith.' Softer."
> Eli: "Ooh, poetic. I like it."
> Sarah: "Then change 'chaos' to 'storm.'"
> Eli: "You're bossy."
> Sarah: "You asked for help."
> Eli: "Fine, Miss Shakespeare. Sing it."
> Sarah: "What?"
> Eli: "Sing it. You said 'light in my faith' — I wanna hear it."
Sarah hesitated, cheeks pink even through the screen.
> Sarah (quietly):
"You're the calm in my storm, the light in my faith…"
Eli froze for a second. "Okay… that's insane. Your voice just—"
> Sarah: "Don't say something corny."
> Eli: "No seriously, that was beautiful."
> Sarah: "Stop."
> Eli: "You literally sound like the lyrics came from you."
> Sarah (trying not to smile): "Maybe they did."
They sat there, smiling like idiots — until a loud voice cut through.
> Mom (off-screen): "SARAH! It's 11:30! You better not be on that phone!" 😡
> Sarah (whispering fast): "Gotta go! Bye!"
> Eli: "Night, Choir Girl—"
She hung up mid-sentence, heart pounding but grinning ear to ear.
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🌙 Later
She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, earbuds still in.
A few seconds later, another message popped up:
Eli: Just recorded the version with your lyrics. I'm calling it "Light in My Faith." It's ours. 💫
Sarah smiled so wide it hurt.
She whispered to herself, "You're gonna get me in trouble, Eli."
But deep down, she already knew — she didn't really mind. 💕
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