Strings Of Time

XI

My eyes suddenly opened when I heard Olly's voice, "Ely, c'mon. Let's go home." He looks really irritated while eyeing Alex. "C'mon! Grandma's waiting for you!"

I turned to Alex and smiled at her, "I have to go. Thanks for sharing your music." She didn't react, she just reached her hand to me to get the other half of her headphone. I then gave it to her and smiled again and waved goodbye.

"Thank your baroness or housekeeper for me for calling about Elise." Said Olly to Alex but then again the young master didn't react. She just sat there. Oliver felt awkward and signaled me to go.

Olly and I were getting closer to our house when I suddenly realized something, "That spoiled brat has a phone!!! And... and she was using it to listen to her music earlier. She said she didn't have a cellphone last night! She could have called anyone to unlock us! But she didn't! That good for nothing prick!!! Ugh!!! That ruckus earlier was her way of telling me she has a phone and she tricked me! Oh God! I'm gonna get her sooooo bad..." I irritably stormed inside our house and went straight to my bedroom to change. I didn't even greeted Cindy on my way in. I was so mad at that bickering chump. She thinks she's so charming and handsome? Well she's not! Ugh! I hate her!

Later on, I told Cindy what happened last night and apologize for worrying them. It wasn't my intention to stay there at the first place. I just wanted my job back and apologize to that good for nothing, spoiled, manipulative, insensitive, two faced, blue eyed prick!!

"Calm down, Ely!" said Cindy while holding up her hand in shock of my anger, "Maybe she left her phone at the mansion as well. You said she woke up earlier than you. She might have got it later?"

"Yeah... and why would she spend the night with you in that grimy old place?" asked Oliver who's walking back and forth with a pissed look on his face. "A-and you said... you don't like each other. I mean, based on your story. For sure... she uh... she doesn't like you." Oliver sure is choked up about it, but he's right. From the moment we met, it was like thunder and lightning. No, there's no spark between us but rather two individuals who are destined to hate each other. Besides, I have no interest in being with a woman weather she looks like Christopher or not.

Cindy reached her hand on my back and said, "Maybe you should take a day off, sweetie. Just call your boss and tell him you got the flu or something, okay?"

I followed Cindy's advice and just stayed at the house. Mr. Mathews called me on the phone later that day just to say he was already home. I told him I wasn't going to work because I was feeling a little bit sick and I needed rest. He wasn't happy about it but I assured him that I'll be back tomorrow for work. The phone conversation ended and I was back to laze around the house. Olly and Cindy already left for work so what is there to do but to read books or watch the television.

The next few days was busy as ever. Mr. Mathews and I were going back and forth from the Music Hall to the mansion. There were a lot of revisions that we had to go through to finish a piece we were working on. It was stressful and intense sometimes. Some days I have to work over night for another revision of a script that needs to be applied on a musical score. Mr. Mathews said that it was an important piece. However, my boss wanted more depth to the lyrics. He said I needed to tap in with my deepest emotions with being unwanted and used by someone near and dear to my heart. But I couldn't think of any. I never felt unwanted and used by anyone. I never felt unloved or unappreciated.

Until one night at the Hadleigh Hall Mansion, I suddenly knew how.

I was drinking my coffee while looking at the revised lyrics. I was very tired and felt that the coffee wasn't helping with my sleepiness, especially with the lampshade illuminating this whole room. I know I already exerted my effort in forming this emotional music but still there was something missing. I then groaned and covered myself with my folded arms. I was ready to give up and call it a night. But all of a sudden, I felt a blanket covering my back. When I looked up, it was the young master. I blinked my eyes to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.

"Alex, what are you doing here? You should be sleeping." I said in my sleepy voice.

Her hand roamed on the papers on my desk and tried to count them, "You should be sleeping too." She pivoted her body going to a couch and laid there. "What are you doing anyway? You should be at home... with your family. I can't sleep with all your whining and tinkling with the piano keys."

I yawned and slumped my head again in my folded arms, "Your father wanted this done for tomorrow. We need to rehearse it in time for the upcoming festival."

She smirked and crossed her arms, "You mean the Festival of Lights? That's a lame excuse to hurry up a damsel like you."

I looked at her and frowned at her arrogance, "This is an important piece."

"I bet it is..." she answered in a hushed tone with eyes closed. She then turned around and faced the backrest of the couch.

"You can't sleep here. You have to go back to your room." She didn't answer so I just let her be for as long as she wouldn't bother me with my work. Once again, I looked at the lyrics and saw all those erasures and tried to figure out how to tell a story about being unwanted or how to go back to the past and rewrite your own ending. I sighed as my eyes suddenly redirected at Alex. "Have you ever felt unwanted? Or... unappreciated?"

She didn't answer for a while but then she sat up and rested her head back, "I once made someone feel unwanted." she made a deep breath then pursed her lips. The expression of her face changed into something more heart aching. "I was asked to change but all I gave was empty words and promises. Promises I couldn't keep. All I did was to wall up... and that made me lose everything. I made that person broken, she felt she's not perfect for me. She thought she's not worth any of my attention nor my time, usually she's hard on herself whenever she failed... that's because I wasn't there to tell her it's okay. I made the kindest girl lonely..." she paused for a bit then scrunched her eyebrows, "Now she's gone..."

We were both quiet. I felt it... I felt her pain. I thought it was her father at first but then she unveiled someone else. My perception for this person intensified. Behind those unseeing beautiful eyes was misery. I uncloaked myself and walked towards Alex. She laid down and closed her eyes. I placed her blanket over her body and left her to sleep.

I went back to my desk and got a blank piece of paper and started writing the new lyrics for this emotional song.