Fantasie-Impromptu

III. Old Friends

Fryderyk raises a brow, "What's with Franz?" he asks. Thoughts and ears perked. Why the sudden question? - were the words said in the silence of his mind. Fryderyk had only met the boy but a query like he had done something grave was raised, and this made him a bit confused.

"Well, nothing really. How's your music coming along?" evaded 'smoothly' was what Hector thought he did, but,

"Wait, no. You can't just ask me something then ignore it," Fryderyk replies and, "What's with Franz?" he asks again.

This makes Hector sigh at Fryderyk's seemingly clueless state. Perhaps the answer wasn't obvious, or perhaps Hector was just seeing too much into a small while of interaction between the new co-worker (Franz) and his old friend (Fryderyk), who knows?

But Hector had known Fryderyk for ages - since they were young teenagers at the conservatoire library, meeting for the first time: Fryderyk studying composition as Hector would skip his anatomy classes to read all about music as well - two young men at the peak of their youth, deciding what ultimately might lead them to where and what they are now.

Fryderyk - is now a pianist-composer struggling to publish a single piece once again - and Hector, who missed his chance at the medical field as his father had originally desired - is now on break from working at a coffee shop, sitting across an old pal.

Two friends who just might know each other a bit too well, and Hector, well he wasn't going to tell Fryderyk what he saw right then and there, no siree - the way Fryderyk's eyes sparkled in the least bit similar to how it would've used to as he'd finish a home recital, resounding applause making its way from the small audience of a family, and the tiny smile he'd form before taking his bow.

Or the way he'd let his emotions show a bit too quickly, laughing along and actually engaging in conversation with the new employee - Hector hadn't seen Fryderyk smile like that in years! And to think that this shy dainty boy who would frown at anything, who was constantly encased in his dark intrusive thoughts of helplessness, always loathing on his own music, his looks, his very being, his everything - would have laughed at a joke so easily like it was just made just to be laughed at by Fryderyk.

A joke so carelessly brought about by a stranger named "Franz Liszt".

Hector had speculated a little fondness in somebody's heart somewhere, but it's not like he could blame Fryderyk, really. Franz was a lovable guy! Friendly and charming was what he was, but even he'd never thought Franz would step up to Fryderyk's intimidating appeal so easily like that.

Despite the seemingly overly contrastive charismas of the two, they somehow made their way to a level of comfortable speech, Fryderyk even calling Franz by his first name, little flirtatious quotes from Franz at the counter earlier, graced with some laughter here and there and all that, like they were meant to from the second they had met.

There was undoubtedly a pull of some sort between the two, like magnetic poles of north against south, or the way the tides would change as the moon's phase did - they were affecting each other and if that doesn't scream the idea that there's gotta be something between those two, then Hector doesn't know what will.

They were like stars - constellations meant to line up and form pictures of scenes and reminiscences of stories. Like fishes that are meant to live underwater and birds that are meant to soar the skies - they were fact. Two beings that could do things only to each other without either of the two questioning anything, bringing back smiles that had hidden away for years and feelings of excitement that had slept for too long.

There was definitely a 'spark' perhaps, somewhere, as small as it may be now, but Hector was as sure as the sun would rise the next day that there was indeed at the very least, something.