Melody's Muse ✓

5. Music stands

I could be doing anything. Hanging out with friends, watching movies, playing games.

But no.

Here I am, hiding on my hands and knees within dozens of music stands pushed up against the wall of the room. My knees are killing me, and my hands are falling asleep from the way my arms are bent. From down here, it feels as if I'm hiding in a forest of metal poles.

The things I do for the sake of journalism.

I have no idea how long I've been here. Twenty minutes? Two hours? I couldn't tell you, the music stands are all pushed together so closely that I can't move my arm to reach my phone in my pocket. I'm just about ready to say screw it and leave before I suddenly hear the door open and the lights flicker on.

"Let me know if you need anything, Ms. Aria." I hear Mr. Carter's deep voice.

"Thanks Mr. Carter." I can't help but notice Melody's voice is much calmer when she speaks to him than it is when she speaks to me. It's a nice voice - very gentle and pleasing to listen to.

I hear quiet footsteps and then the piano bench sliding against the floor. I bend my neck a bit to peer in between the music stands, but all I can see are her brown boots tucked under the bench and the bottom half of her black jeans. A metronome starts clicking slowly. She takes a deep breath and begins playing.

It's a very calm and gentle song. I wish I could identify the piece but, obviously, I can't. I feel myself being brought into a trance-like state as I listen. It brings back memories of trips to the beach. The notes feel as if they're rolling over me in gentle waves, like the cool ocean running over my toes along the seashore. It's soft and enveloping, reminding me of lying under the warm sun on the sand. The fluttery trills remind me of the flocks of birds calling as we fed them breadcrumbs.

I'm so mesmerized that I nearly forget why I'm even here.

It's amazing how much she can express through her music, especially considering how shy she seems to be when communicating with actual words. 

Maybe I can figure out how to work around that. 

I strain my neck to try and take a peek at her. Her long blonde hair is in a loose braid down her back. The sleeves of her white sweater are rolled up to her elbows, exposing a small tattoo along her forearm I can't make out. The relaxed and confident expression in her light brown eyes makes her look inexplicably stunning and charming. There's just something about her that mysteriously draws me to her.

I zone out and my arms buckle, knocking over nearly all of the music stands like dominoes with an ear piercing medley of crashes. Melody jumps about ten feet in the air and rushes behind the other side of the piano. I manage to stand up within the pile of metal. Her eyes are as wide as saucers and her mouth drops the tiniest bit open when she sees me.

The door immediately opens and I dive behind the nearest shelf. Why didn't I hide here in the first place? "Ms. Aria? Is everything alright?" Mr. Carter's concerned voice asks.

Her eyes slightly dart to me and I quickly bring my pointed index finger to my lips in a shh motion. She bites her lip and furrows her eyebrows, hesitating. I clasp my hands together, please? I mouth. 

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," she murmurs.

He shuts the door after a short exchange with Melody where she has to assure him multiple times that she's alright. I stand up, stretching my incredibly stiff and cramped body. "Hey, thanks." I smile and walk over to her.

She warily steps around the piano and crosses her arms. "You realize he's going to see you leave, right?" Her tone is less nervous this time, probably more frustrated if anything. I may or may not be wearing down her patience by this point, knocking down those walls she's built around herself with a bulldozer.

"I'll climb out the window."

"We're on the fifth floor."

"I'll wait till you two leave."

"We're going to be here for hours."

"I'll use my cloak of invisibility."

Melody sighs and sits down on the bench, still facing me. She stares down at her suede boots and gently swings her legs back and forth. "I already told you, I don't want to be interviewed."

I take a couple cautious steps towards her, as if she's a deer that'll bolt at any sudden noises. "Why are you so shy?"

Her eyes flicker to mine for a moment, and she slightly raises a brow. "Why are you so annoying?"

I give her an amused smile. "I didn't expect you to be so snarky," I chuckle, "it's kind of cute."

She scowls, but I see a slight tint of pink flush her cheeks. She quickly turns around on the bench to face the piano. "I need to practice."

"I want to talk to you Melody," I lower my voice to a gentle whisper, "forget the newspaper, I honestly just think you're amazingly talented and would love to get to know you."

My inclination to finish my assignment is suddenly buried by a perplexing mix of emotions. I've never had music connect with me on such a deep level before. Melody is fascinating and I'm finding myself inexplicably drawn to her. 

I can see through the loose strands of her hair that her ears have turned pink. "I keep my music and personal life separate," she mumbles. "You're in both, I can't have that."

"But why not?" She's making no sense. Who wouldn't love to be famous?

She ignores me and walks to the door. "Mr. Carter? Could you please get me some water?" she asks softly after opening the door the slightest bit.

"Of course Ms. Aria." I hear his heavy footsteps walk down the hall.

Melody turns to me. Her lips are in a small pout and her eyebrows are furrowed. "That's your chance to leave." Without giving me a chance to speak, she sits down and begins playing again.

-----

I stop by Mark's bedroom on the way to my room down the hall. "Hey Mark?" I knock on the ajar door and peek in. I try to ignore the smell of the body spray, so strong that it makes my eyes water.

He looks up from his computer and takes his giant headphones off. I can hear the loud EDM music coming from them. "Sup Cole."

"Your girlfriend Cara, she plays piano right?"

"Uh, yeah I think so." He nods, quirking an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Any chance she'd be willing to teach me?"

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A/N:

I'd find it absolutely adorable if someone gave me a pun bear, how about you guys? 😂

Thanks for reading! :)