Forbidden Melody

Minutes later he arrives with two lemonades. His hands look sloppy and messy. "You made this?" I take the glass from his hand.

"Those lemons were in the fridge. I just added ice and sugar and a pinch of salt. You know I come here once in a month...so there's nothing too much here."

"That's thoughtful of you to make this." I finish half of the glass in one go. "Umm... perfect blend."

My comment makes him stare at me in somewhat shock mixed with shyness. Woah...did she never compliment him before?

"Honestly this place is really soul soothing. I'd really love to compose a piece or two here. Shame... no piano here."

"Well... I can manage one here," he says nonchalantly.

Oh...are you still trying to win her affection Levi? Or the feelings dissipated over time? Why should the thought make me gloomy?

I force a smile. "Thanks...but I wouldn't bother you."

"Nonsense. You bothering me? You can never do that to me. Err...we are...friends after all."

What's with that hesitance? Is he... No. Don't get your hopes high Morana. Oops not again. It's Loretta now. Up this close—he's delicately frames. For some reason his presence calms me down. If Levi does have another side which he doesn't prefer showing anyone, not even me, and if that side is bad, I wouldn't mind embracing that too. We all have our demons.

"Uh...it's getting dark. We should head back," he suggests looking at the sky outside.

"Do we have to?"

"Not necessarily," he replies and I instantly regret my previous words. Uh-oh...a night out—here in the heart of this peaceful place—alone in this house with Levi... What can possibly go wrong?

But his next words eases my tension. "You know Loretta...I have never—we have never been out...together—in a place like this... It feels so calming and worry free. "

So he feels it too? He doesn't look like a guy harbouring bad intentions...not today at least. "What will we eat? I mean for dinner..." I cross my arms.

"Oh I will come up with some recipe."

"You can cook?! How often?" I can't help feeling surprised.

"Ah... I can. But not like a chef though. I made some egg bacon sandwiches and poke for me and Nero once. He licked the crumbs off his plate."

"And, where was I then?" I ask. I can gather some of her memories every now and then.

"You and Aiden went out for some work related things. Myria had a date with Nova. Your grandpa went for his checkup. And guess what? Sofia and the other attendees were all on leave that particular day," he grins tugging at the memories as if they're still so fresh in his mind.

"I feel an 'and' coming."

"And I joined Nero to this art exhibition he wanted to go so badly. You know him... Art-head. He did want to go with you, trust me."

He chuckles. "But since you already had plans—he asked me to go with him. That day... No one even cared telling us to eat outside. When we came home—nothing." He makes a zero using his index and thumb. "No lunch. We looked at each other in total dumb silence for a good two minutes. Then I made us lunch."

He shakes his head in dismissal. "All he is capable of is remembering the names of different oil paintings and colours and brush names and so on so on. And yeah, also he is capable of eating, like that Aiden."

From his casual talking I realise that Nero Aiden and Levi, these three have known each other and me for a long time. And them spending times with me, Loretta is no big deal. But still knowing how long she's known them would be really helpful for me.

We talk for some more then he goes to the kitchen. After a while of sitting wastefully I decide to help him, if he needs any. I tiptoe to the kitchen and sneak in behind him. But he gives a low chuckle. "Bored alone?"

"Just wanted to let you know that I can be of help if you need."

"Honestly? Just sit on that stool and give me company," he says it casually but it gives me an unusual feeling. But I oblige anyway. 

I steal a glance at his sleeve up toned forearms. The thin bluish veins on his wrist... Focus Morana! "I recorded the piece in my phone. Only Aiden heard it when he entered without knocking. Fortunately no one else have heard it yet," I state not implying anything in a specific way but wanting to get a reaction out of him.

He's now chopping the bell peppers. "He was very excited to hear that when you first decided to gift him a melody on his birthday. But you never ended up making it in time."

"Did that make me sad?" After asking this stupid question I felt like punching my own face.

"Maybe?" He says in a lowered voice. "You can never be the one who'd accept defeat easily."

"I hope he doesn't tell anyone about it... especially not Lloyd. Otherwise I wouldn't get this three week's break."

"You're tired of your concerts?" He asks while washing the vegetables.

"Is it too much to ask for? It's not just about that piece of melody or concerts... But once I release Death of a Nightingale, I'll have my head occupied with the same nasty restless question of What Next?"

"You know what... Now that I think about it—you do deserve a break. And I'm promising you, to not make a second dull while you still have time, with me."

I feel goosebumps all of a sudden. To make it go away I ask, "Would you like to hear it? For some reason I feel like I won't regret letting you be my second listener."

This time I notice some of his neck's hair stands on end and his jaw muscles twitch a little. He turns to me and nods.

It's an eleven minutes recording. I touch the play button and lean my head back on the wall. The eerily haunting melody starts reverberating through the wooden cabinets and the musky mossy air of the forest. Three minutes pass, the time now fluctuating—up and down, fast and slow. Ah...it's hauntingly beautiful. How this melody has such an effect on me? I created this, didn't I? My fingers composed it...and yet somehow I can't feel like taking the ownership of it. Never had I ever touched a piano in my previous life. Loretta, you were gifted.

When the recording comes to an end I smell a crispy spicy blend of scents shaking my thoughts. "Take a look at it. You can say Wow or amazing afterwards," he gives me a smug look.

"Hm...it does look good. It's almost 10p.m."

"Yeah. We shouldn't sit around or else it'll be cold."

Alone in a cottage in a secluded spot...having dinner with Levi—cooked by him feels...I don't know... I never knew what is love...neither I ever fell for someone before. But my mind is at peace, and I don't want to go back.

"Spacing out again huh? Let me set the table."

"Well...I will do that. After all you cooked for us." I place the dishes on the table. "Now let me serve."

He doesn't complain. I serve him first then take some for me. "Mhmm...these fritters are on next level." I munch on slowly.

"Can you tell what's in there?" He winks at me.

"Well... I can guess...broccoli?" Ah and this side tastes like green tomatoes?"

His brows arch up.

"And?" I continue eating.

"You should be throwing that away. You hated broccoli and green tomatoes. I kinda made it to tease you."

It makes me so awkward and unprepared that I accidentally bite on my tongue. Augh! She hated those? I love how it tastes! This tastes so good. I can't just stop eating just because she hated it and Levi said so. This life is now mine. I get to decide what I love.

I try to act indifferent. "I have decided to stop being picky I guess? Besides would you rather that I don't eat this thing that you've made for us—spending your valuable time?"

He seems taken aback by my reply. But he focuses on his plate again. A minute or two passes. "You were never this hard, Loretta."

"What?"

He lifts his head. "To be read."

"Huh?"

"You were tough yet easier...but never so hard. Now..." He fumbles at his words.

I can't help asking, "Now what?"

"Feels like a huge part of you was left unrecognised, undiscovered."

Ehh... Just how well did he know her? Will he see through me? But Loretta Knight is dead—officially in Arkan's Kingdom. So I don't suppose it will be a honey cake. I keep my thoughts to myself finishing the dinner quickly.

When I go to the bedroom which I chose earlier, I find it chilled yet cosy. A house in a forest area will always be cooler whether it's night or day. Levi's sleeping in his room beside mine. Earlier I feared that there is a possibility of something going wrong but now my head is assured of Levi's...um..good manners? But my subconscious really wants something to go wrong at this moment. Ugh...I can't sleep!

I notice that somehow I put my phone in silent mode. A call from Myria and two texts from Aiden. Aiden's text from 7.40p.m. says—"Where are you?" and the second text—"Tomorrow is the day we first met. Would you like to go out with me tomorrow evening?"

I turn off my phone again thrusting it under the pillow. Okay so, he's asking me out on a date. Did they used to do this...for I don't know—probably many years? Am I supposed to go? But I get weird vibes from that guy... Don't know why and how she got a liking to him. Fuck this! I need to clear my head. 

I come out of the room and stand out of the threshold looking vacantly at the veranda. Then I notice Levi's door is unlocked. I give a slight push to the handle and it opens allowing a little bit of light to come out and touch my toes. Is he not asleep? But he said he felt tired..?

"You can come in you know," his speaks with a clear voice from inside.

Uh oh... how did he? I enter awkwardly rubbing my forearm. 

"Having trouble sleeping in the middle of the woods? Thought so..." He makes the assumption.

"Not really the woods," I answer in a distracted manner.

He was turning pages of some old drawing notebook. Hearing me he shuts it and walks over. "Then what is it?" 

I could see the depth of his eyes and the thin lines beneath them in the flicker of the dim night lamp. "What are those?" I point my finger at the stack of notebooks, avoiding his question but he asks not further and goes to his bed telling me to sit. "These were his early youth's works," he replies opening them to me. Old drawings... watercolor paintings on the thick now yellowish 100% cotton papers. On them, various drawings—mostly of nature's.

"He was probably 15 then," he adds.

"Your art teacher?" I ask. "How do you know this?"

"He told me. Not to brag...but we were dear to him...specially me."

"We?"

"Me and Nero."

"So both of you learn from him?" Surprise wobbles from my face. "That means you're the oldest friend of Nero?" I ask hoping to find out how long do the guys know each other.

"Not really," he shrugs. "We both were his students. But we learnt separately. I didn't know him before. Nero probably told you before that we have only known each other for approx three and half years."

"Perhaps he told me...perhaps he didn't."

"Nero...that guy was a natural. He didn't need a teach

er really." His eyes long for old times. "Don't know what's wrong with him lately... For the last two years—he's been very absent-minded," he says wistfully.