Melody's Muse ✓

6. Schubert - Wanderer Fantasy in C Major, Op.15.

She squints at it, skimming her eyes over the dense notes. "I'm not even going to pretend to understand what's going on here." If I recall correctly, Alyssa took piano lessons when we were kids. She lasted for a few months before getting bored and switching to the violin.

"That's alright," I laugh and pour the deep burgundy wine into two glasses and set them on the island.

Alyssa takes a long sip before giving me an excited smile, showing off her perfectly straight, pearly white teeth. "So how does going to a party tonight sound?"

I wrinkle my nose. "You know exactly how I think that sounds."

She laughs and rests her chin on her palm. "Come on, it's Friday night! You've been here for nearly two weeks now. Plus no one is going to know who you are, trust me." She rolls her eyes and takes another sip. "Classical music is definitely not this crowd's sort of thing."

I bite my lip. That does sound like a nice change of pace, after being surrounded by classical music fans for an entire year. Alyssa gets that sly smile on her face, the one where she knows she's close to getting me to cave. The same smile she gave me when she convinced me to join her in stealing extra cookies from grandma's cookie jar when we were four, or when she got me to help her put a fake spider in her brother's shoe when we were six.

After pondering for a moment, I shake my head. "I'm here to relax, Liss. I really need a break."

She gives me a sympathetic pat on my thigh. "I guess your life has been going forward in full force since we were kids," she says. "You didn't even get any real time to grieve for your dad before your mom took you away from us, huh."

I absentmindedly swirl my glass, watching the dark liquid create shimmery pink shadows against the white marble countertop. I push away any painful feelings her words bring back. "Yeah, I've really missed you, Liss." 

I'm an only child, and Alyssa is the youngest with three older brothers. We were born two days apart and nearly inseparable while growing up. It felt as if half of me was ripped away when I left. We spent most of our teenage years in contact, texting and calling all the time, but communication is a two way street. Our street gradually became full of potholes, broken traffic lights, and eventually blocked off. In the past couple of years, we grew up, and apart. 

Alyssa grins. "Ok, how about we go hang out at Michael's? It's chill there, he wanted me to go over anyway."

I grimace. "He's the editor-in-chief of the newspaper, right? The one who suggested interviewing me? You know how I feel about mixing my personal and professional lives."

Alyssa sighs and runs her hand through her hair. "As much as I love you, I still don't get why you do this, Mel. They stopped seven years ago!"

"Yeah, because that was when I started avoiding the public eye," I retort. It makes perfect sense to me, but no one else has been convinced.

She finishes the rest of her glass. I raise an eyebrow and glance down at mine, it's still nearly full. "Ok, ok, but Kappa Sigma's house is down the block from there, I'm sure the boys wouldn't mind some visitors," she says with a sly grin.

I can't imagine I'm going to like where this is going. "What's your point?" 

"Cole's in that fraternity," she says and gives me a wink.

I feel my face beginning to burn with an embarrassed heat at the sound of his name. "I don't want to see him." I scowl and cross my arms.

"Well the pink in your cheeks says otherwise," she teases as she refills her glass.