Limerence | I

07. Lesson 1

Class was almost over. Meaning, it was almost time for my first music lesson with Xavier. I was a little nervous because I didn't know what to expect. When he offered to teach me how to read music, I almost denied. I wanted to stay as far away from his as possible as I needed to find a way to remove the butterflies that fluttered in my stomach. But after analyzing the situation, there was no way that I couldn't take him up on that. I needed as much help as possible and if he was willing to do it, I was up for it.

"That's it for the day. I'll see you all on Wednesday." Huck dismissed the class and everyone filed out of the room. Huck was the last to leave. Xavier and I were now alone in the practice room. I sat at the grand piano at the center of the room, prepared to begin.

"Ready?" Xavier asked. I nodded my head and slid my body to the right side of the bench, clearing the spot beside me for him. "Good." He sat down next to me. I waited patiently for him to begin as he pulled out a white paper. It was sheet music. I noticed that his demeanor was different from Friday night on the rooftop. He wasn't as relaxed and playful. Instead, he was behaving just the way he did when I first heard him playing on the first day of class; serious as a heart attack.

"What am I learning first?" I asked him with my hands folded on my lap. He placed the sheet music on the stand in front of us. It didn't look too difficult -- thankfully.

"I have to make sure you at least have the basics down. Play me a C Major Chord." He demanded. I raised my eyebrows, worried as I stared blankly at the piano keys. How was I supposed to know that? We in silence for nearly 30 seconds, me staring at the keys and him staring at me before he spoke. "You're bullshitting me, right?" I took my bottom lip under my teeth and looked down at the floor. "It's fine. But how did you even learn to play in the first place?"

"I just listen to the music and play it. I guess I memorized almost every sound." I confessed. He was quiet as he nodded his head. My cheeks blushed lightly. I was folded with embarrassment. "It's weird, I know." I giggled as I played simple but unfamiliar notes.

"It's not actually. I think it's a talent in itself." He said, playing corresponding notes. My embarrassment faded away; I was getting more comfortable. He took a deep breath and motioned for me to move my hands. I did as I was told. He positioned his fingers over the keys and used his thumb to press down on the white key directly before the set of two black keys. "Do you know what that note is called?"

"Obviously if I knew what it was called, I wouldn't need you, Xavier." I laughed. His lips curled into a timid smile.

"That's middle C. And you can call me X."

"You don't like your government name?" I joked and he laughed. His boyish smile and low chuckle made my stomach turn. He was kind of perfect. I know perfection doesn't exist, but he was.

"It depends on who's using it. Usually it's only used by people I don't know very well... As it should be." He explained. In a way, I was excited that he considered me to be enough of a friend. "But I guess my mom uses it when she's reprimanding me almost everyday too."

I laughed at his humor. For two hours, we sat at the piano. The joking around didn't last long, as he soon got serious about our first lesson. I tried my hardest to pay attention but I wasn't catching on quickly. I could sense a bit of frustration but he was able to keep his composure. Every now and then I would get frustrated with myself.

"This is stupid." I pouted and rested my head on my hand. I didn't want to practice anymore after a while. I wasn't expecting to be an expert over night but I thought I would learn something before our first lesson was over.

"What's stupid is if you fail because you can't read a simple measure. But I won't let that happen." He said, grabbing his bag off of the ground. I blushed, avoiding eye contact. "You're blushing, Charli." He pointed out. My hands flew over my cheeks as he laughed at me.

"Sorry." I said timidly, standing from the bench. I wanted to run and hide. He placed his hands in his pocket and kept the same boyish smile on his face. And of course, my cheeks got even more red.

"Don't sweat it." He said kindly. Just then, Astrid walked in. She had the biggest smile on her face as she skipped toward Xavier. "You're late." Xavier said to her as he laced his arms around her waist. I stared at the ground, a little disappointed. I heard their lips connect for a brief second.

"I know. My class took forever. How was your first lesson, Charli?" She asked. My head snapped upward, making eye contact with her.

"It was good. Xavier is a great teacher." I said quietly. Astrid looked up at him approvingly. "I have to get going. I'll catch you guys later?" I started to make my way out of the practice room but I was stopped by Xavier's voice.

"Wednesday after class, alright?" He said.

"Sounds good." With that, I walked out.

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