It's been eight months since Henry's been working here, it honestly has been somewhat more fun and a little less stressful here at work. I can feel the excitement and energy of writing songs come back to me.

Me and Henry are now very close friends, he was an honest man who cared about me and I longed for the times to talk with him after work at the cafe. Ive tried to comfort him when I saw that Joey's arrogance has turned his bond with Henry more distance.

I've been spending time with my sister too, most times she's busy but she makes time for me whenever she gets a day off.

But I've realized something. Ever since Henry started working here I instantly wanted to be close to him and I did. He's listened me out at tough times which brought us even closer. Even as close friends I still want to be even closer. But I realize it's not just wanting to be friends, it's wanting something more than that.

"Strange, isn't it?" I muttered to no one.

So what if I feel that way? It would be odd for a man to like another man after all. But I can't deny it, I certainly love him. My life just consisted of running away from home and living as a loner but Henry was a turnaround for me.I know that a romantic relationship between will never happen, but just spending time with him is alright. If not a lover, then at least a good friend.

In fact I wrote a song for Henry overnight. It's called "Ballad of Arts", not actually much of a romance song but beautifully philosophical. The lyrics flow like my feelings. Even if I may never show him it anyway.

Many thoughts went through my head as I tapped my fingers on the sheet "Ballad of Arts" and the song for the new Bendy episode in front of me, on my desk.

"Sammy." Susie said, entering my office and snapping me out of my thoughts "Time to gather the band members, also I need a preview on that new song.". "Ah, right," I replied, getting up from my chair and headed to the recording room "The new song is on my desk.".

I went to the recording room to find all the band members in place, Henry was also leaning against the doorway as he smile at me. I waited for Susie to come but for some reason she was taking a long time previewing the new song. "What's taking her so long?" I muttered as I hastily walked back to my office.

As I got closer, I heard Susie's singing.

"Spinning 'round in a violet beam, upside down there's no gravity, in a shadow I'm losing grip,".

Wait, that's-

"I'm breathing in nowhere slowly, I'm riding a fictional cloud, a pilot of starship fables, and I am it's passenger now,"

I jogged to my office and looked through the window to find Susie singing my song "Ballad of Arts" as Wally leaning against the wall, smiling to the mesmerizing tune. I left that in my office as well...

"I'm diving in endless oceans, I'm chasing a tide in my mind, a bible of mermaid pictures, and I am It's painter by hand,"

"Susie!" I snapped, turning the door knob only to realize they locked it. "HEY!" shouted, rattling the knob.

They opened the door when Susie finished the last lyrics, like I said, it wasn't exactly a romance song for them to get any ideas but I still felt embarrassed.

"Beautiful song Sammy~," Susie chirped as I took the sheet from her hands and replaced them with the ones for the new episode "Who's it written for~?". "N-no one! It's just something philosophical!" I stuttered. "C'mon, don't be shy pal." Wally said. "I said it's for no one!" I repeated. "We're all friends here, you can tell us." he insisted. "What are you getting at here?" I asked, getting slightly annoyed. "We know you wrote that for Henry Stein." Susie replied as my entire face went red. "Wha...?".

"Norman told us, the projectionist knows everything." Wally said. "S-so what? It's a song for a good friend of mine!" I lied.

"A good friend huh? According to Norman, you have romantic feelings for Henry," Susie said "All these days you've spent with him, all the tough times you helped each other through and as long as I've known you, Henry seems to bring more smiles out of you than either me or Wally. Your not one to socialize very much with others, but whatever happened between you and him I don't know about. I'll get straight to the point, why don't you tell him how you feel?".

I didn't reply, every memory and feeling of Henry filled my head. "Whatever! So what if I do? So what if I love another man? It's something that will never happen...so now what? Are you going to taunt my about it now?!" I snapped as both my friends looked at me in disbelief.

"No! That's not our intention! I'm okay with others being gay, even if this century refuses it! I'm being honest Sammy!" Susie panicked "I'm just a sucker for others love as you know, I understand that you can't help your feelings". "Both of us won't judge you for your sexuality, this will be a secret between us." Wally added. "Right..." I replied "But still...he probably has loving wife already, but I guess spending time with him is good enough for me.". "Ya never know, maybe good things'll come around between you two." Wally said.

Maybe it will I thought.

"Oh by the way, the orchestra in the recording room-". "Shit!" I yelled, remembering that I just forgot about the band. I dashed out of my office to the recording room as Susie sprinted behind me.

"Jeez, what took you two so long?" one of the band members asked, but neither of us replied back. I was glad to get everything done when we finished. I chatted with Susie in the break room, Wally was somewhere else. She insisted I tell Henry how I feel but I kept telling her that it would never happen. And a conversation I overheard while I left the studio had proved my point.

"Eight months in, and it's already gotten interesting," I hear Henry's voice down the hall at the animation level "Joey is a man of ideas...and only ideas...". "And a man quite obsessed with immortality." I heard Grant Cohen's voice add. "When I thought about this with him when we were little, I thought there'd be a little more give and take, instead I give...and he takes...I haven't seen Linda for days now...". "Linda? Your fiancé?" Grant asked.

Probably... I replied in my head as I walked out of the conversation's reach. I didn't need to listen in any longer to know the answer. I was far too late as I endured a sinking feeling washing over and didn't go away.

I talked to Henry at the cafe as usual. I wanted to ask who "Linda" was, even if I already knew but I stayed silent so he wouldn't think I had nothing else to do but eavesdrop and be nosy. One thing I could tell is that he was getting more stressed with work, and I want to be there for him at tough times.

When I was home, I played "Ballad of Arts" on the piano while singing the lyrics, singing those feelings as I recorded the entire song with a recorder.

"Hey Sam!" I heard my sisters voice call out as I went to open the door for her. "Say, how are you holding up these days?" Lillian asked as she stepped inside. "Pretty good," I replied "You want a cup of Earl Grey tea?". "Thanks, that would be nice.".

I went to the kitchen and prepared some tea in an kettle. Looking over my shoulder, I saw Lillian skim through music sheets, piled around Instruments, cluttered around my house. I never found the time to organize anything. But my sister seemed completely used to it since she's been here several times and seen it all before. Then Lillian finally reached the recorder labeled "Ballad of Arts".

"Is this a song you wrote?" she asked as I nodded in response. "May I play it?" Lillian asked again. "Sure." I replied. She clicked on the recorder as the melody filled the room and trickled through the halls.

"It sounds beautiful." Lillian complimented as I handed her a cup of tea. "Heh...thanks." I replied, sitting beside her. "You know, while I was walking home I ran into that Henry fellow. He said you seemed gloomy today so I came over just to see how you're doing," she said "So what happened today?".

I hesitated to answer, but this is my sister so I should feel comfortable just telling her. "Sam...?".

"I fell in love with I man," I finally replied "I wrote that song about my feelings for him, even if I may never play this for him, even if he already was engaged, I still love him.". "You mean Henry?" Lillian asked as I nodded. She just smiled and replied back "That man really was something to you, all those years from being alone and he was there for you. But hey, maybe things will turn around". "I don't know...".

Henry was only going to remain my friend and nothing more. That's just how things would most likely remain and tomorrow I would go through life's usual once again. Repeat my peaceful days with no corruption.

After that chat, Lillian went home and I headed to bed, waiting to start another day and for something to twist life's plot dramatically again. With a world far beyond my eyes hidden deep in the darkest night. On the moon is a secret path to windows of frosted ice. As celestial gleams of light without knowing of any return.

"...Can I get an amen?".

A. N: "Ballad of Arts", the name of this story and the song Sammy wrote. The video above is the actual song. The name of it is actually "Bible Of Mermaids" by Sofia Karlberg. But in this story, Sammy supposedly wrote it. I used this song because I think it sounds beautiful.