Romance With My Nemesis

CHAPTER 1: BEAUTIFUL MELODY

It was a scorching summer day. I was in the midst of writing a journal entry about our school trip. I was deeply engrossed in recalling what to write when I suddenly heard a beautiful piano melody filling the air. I left my room and descended the stairs, following the enchanting music to its source. Upon entering the music room, I caught a glimpse of a striking young man with blonde hazelnut hair, brown eyes shimmering in the sunlight, and his complexion lent an air of elegance to his appearance. His hands gracefully danced across the piano keys. Even from his side view, I instantly recognized him—it was Altair.

Without hesitation, I rushed toward him, wrapping my arms around him in a tight embrace, my heart racing with excitement at seeing him after so many months. Altair paused in his piano playing, returning the embrace with warmth and a smile. As I held him close, I caught a whiff of his favorite CK perfume, a blend of bergamot, pineapple, Mandarin orange, cardamom, with cedar and sandalwood base notes.

"I missed you so much, Al. What took you so long?" I whispered as I clung to him. He gently released me from his embrace and gazed into my eyes.

"I'm sorry for keeping you waiting, T. You understand how busy your brother can be, right? Have you seen my commercials on TV?" He ruffled my hair and gave me a tender smile.

"Yes, yes! I watch your commercials all the time, and I play your songs whenever I miss you. Will you stay with me now?" I struggled to hold back tears as I looked at him with longing in my eyes."

Altair then returned to playing the piano. However, this time, it wasn't a beautiful melody; he was literally smashing the piano while his soft, long hands were bleeding.

"Al! Your hands are bleeding. What are you doing?" I shouted at him, but I was slowly being pulled away.

Al twisted his head and looked at me, his warm brown eyes filled with tears of blood as he gazed in my direction. He whispered gently, "Help me, T."

"Al! No! Al, don't leave me!" I shouted his name as I continued to be pulled away. Then, I suddenly jolted awake from my nightmare. Sweating and crying at the same time, I struggled to compose myself. Every night, I struggled to sleep soundly, haunted by nightmares of my brother Al after his death.

As I inhaled and exhaled to compose myself, I suddenly heard my alarm clock ticking incessantly, so I glanced at my bedside table and pushed the button to silence it. Seeing my alarm clock had gone off, I promptly climbed out of bed to prepare for my morning class, 'Media and Information Literacy.' I hurriedly made my way to the bathroom. After taking a shower and drying my hair, I pressed the bell inside my room to summon Leonor, my female servant.

"Just leave it there, Leonor. You can go now," I instructed her, focused on the task of blow-drying my hair.

"No, T. Your mother instructed me to help you get dressed," Leonor insisted.

"I've told you to stop calling me 'T,' haven't I?" I exclaimed upon hearing her use the nickname. My emotions got the better of me, and I halted my blow-drying, slamming the dryer onto the table.

"I apologize, Tina. I suppose I'm getting too old to remember," Leonor replied with a composed and poker face, looking at me and gently bowed.

I took three deep breaths, feeling guilty. Leonor was more like a mother to me than my own mother. She used to take care of me and Al when we were little. As soon as I realized my mistake, I rushed toward her and hugged her tightly, whispering, "I... I'm sorry, Leonor. You know how sensitive I can be, especially when it comes to Al. He used to call me 'T.'"

Leonor hugged me back and said, "It's alright, my dear. You don't have to apologize. I understand what you've been through. Are you still having trouble sleeping? Are those nightmares persisting?" She spoke in a hushed tone.

I gently released my embrace, saying, "No, I keep seeing Al in my nightmares. But you don't need to worry. I'm doing fine." I smiled at her as I returned to my bed, retrieved my uniform, and began changing out of my nightgown.

"You've been experiencing this for many years, Tina. Why don't you confide in your father?" Leonor sounded concerned, standing by my door.

"Please don't mention this to my father, especially not to Mom. I don't want them to worry," I implored as I quickly dressed.

"Alright, I won't breathe a word of it to anyone. But if you ever need anything, don't hesitate, alright?" Leonor said as she walked over, picking up my nightgown.

"Alright, Leonor. I will," I replied, turning to her with a smile.

Leonor bowed and slowly left the room. I approached the full-length mirror, which stood near the bedroom closet. The mirror was pristine, reflecting every detail with remarkable clarity. In the mirror, I saw my own reflection staring back at me. I glared at my reflection, a storm of emotions brewing inside me. I wanted to scream, to get angry, to cry, but time was running short.

"I'll make sure to get my revenge soon, Al. I'll uncover the truth," I muttered to my reflection as I finished preparing for school and grabbed my backpack.