My neighbour Rúben

Chapter 10

"So... Yeah. Thank you very much for coming, and like Julia says... Happy early Christmas!" Lucy said, lifting her glass.

"Happy early Christmas!" all the guests replied.

"And now, my very talented friend will delight us with some music" she said, looking for me among the crowd.

"Break a leg" Rúben said, kissing my hand. We had made it just in time, Lucy almost done with her toast.

"Oh, there she is!" she said, the crowd opening for me.

When I sat down in front of the piano, my hands were shaking. I had played this piece many times before, even with a crowd. Why was I nervous? Was it because I didn't want to ruin Lucy's night? Because Rúben was watching? Because of what we had been doing just a minute ago? But the moment my fingers touched the keys, it was just me and the piano. Me and the music.

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"That was... simply beautiful" Rúben said when I met him again. It had taken me a while to get to him, most of the guests coming to congratulate me, some of them asking me if I would also play at their parties.

"You liked it?"

"I loved it. Everything. The music, the way your fingers moved over the keys, how beautiful you looked while playing, how you were feeling the music. It was... Breathtaking."

"Thank you, Rúben" I said, feeling something weird on my chest. Weird, but nice. No one had ever complimented me like that, not even my family. Or my dad. Especially not him. If they had, it hadn't been this sincere, this honest.

"Should we get ourselves some champagne and celebrate your talent?" he said, offering me his hand. "When we are done we can continue where we left it earlier."

"Ok..." I said, my face definitely looking very red.

We were waiting for one of the waiters to pour us some champagne when Rúben heard his phone ringing.

"That's weird" he said, looking at the screen and picking up, moving away from the other guests. And I couldn't help but stare at him. Again.

He looked so handsome with that suit. So perfect. So... Worried? Something had happened. Whoever had called him was giving him bad news.

"Who was it?" I asked him, joining him and forgetting about the champagne.

"It was from the hospital. My brother was on a car accident."

"Oh my God" I gasped. "Is he alright?"

"I don't know, they just told me they took him there. I must go" he said, quickly walking towards the door.

"Rúben, wait" I said, following him. But he wasn't listening. "Rúben. Rúben!" I shouted once we were outside the apartment, grabbing him by the arm and making him look at me. "I'm coming with you."

"No, you are not."

"Yes, I am. Look at you. You are shaking!" I said, taking his hand on mine. "Let me go with you."

"Fine" he sighed.

Once we made it to the lobby downstairs, we called for a taxi. He didn't have his car keys with him and he couldn't drive while feeling like this, with his mind somewhere else.

"You are gonna freeze in that dress" he said, taking off his jacket and putting it over my shoulders. It looked huge on me.

"Thank you. But what about you?"

"I'll be fine, don't worry."

After what felt like an eternity, especially for Rúben, we finally made it to the hospital.