Forbidden Melody

Aiden booked this place for three hours?! What was he thinking? But I try not to be intimated by his words or his gestures. He shakes the Champagne bottle then opens it. I grab the bottle from his hand and savour the taste first. Smooth, rich, expensive. I only bought a nice champagne once in my life and that wasn't too lavishing either. Aiden looks a bit drifting. Oh his expression is what I aimed for.

"Um...why don't I pour it for you?" He suggests.

"Drinking it from the bottle directly...that's more fun Aiden." I bite my lower lip unintentionally. He hesitates a little then obliges. I feel a bit airy. I sit on the chair holding the armrest as I look at his face dreamily.

"Something wrong?" He asks.

"Just wondering what reason would it be that you booked this place for 3 hours." He lights up a heart shaped candle and puts it in the middle of the table. "Honestly I didn't really think about it. We have a lot to talk to I guess it's been long. Your piano, my songs, mom, concerts...life's been busy."

"All our lives are so different...all our lives are so different. Even if I try to blend in, there's no one to hold me," I sing the lines of his song that was released 2 years ago but it's recently in rage. Guess this year faced many heart broken people.

"You liked it?"

"It's pleasant to hear. I sing it alone sometimes. But a normie can't be better than the artist himself." I grasp his hand. "What do you say? Once for me?"

"You know Loretta...your voice is quite nice too. But if you want me to sing...then," he starts with his clear baritone voice. For the next 4 minutes my focus sticks to the mild notes of the ringing of his voice. He's talented. Loretta-this Loretta was surrounded by fame, something I could never achieve were I still in that old body.

"Your voice is even better without those autotunes-in open air like this." My admiration for him grows and I don't find that previous uneasiness.

He shrugs but I don't fail to notice the redness in his ears. "Loretta.."

"Yes?"

"You have never asked me to sing for you before."

"Consider yourself lucky then?" I chuckle. I didn't realise when the food disappeared while we were talking. An hour has passed. What are we gonna do now?

As if reading my mind he says, "A walk... can we?"

"Okay." Well I have come with him tonight to kill some time. Better enjoy it now... I have those contracts too to take care of. 

We have walked quite some distance away from the house and none of us has talked yet. The moon is half and the sky, cloudy. I steal a glance at Aiden and his serene expression urges me to ask, "Mind sharing the thing with your mother..? What's eating you?"

He thinks for a moment. "A lot of thing's been eating me lately. My mother is one of those."

"Well we have time."

"That we have. Now that we aren't as we used to be and after that incident..." He implies Loretta's suicide attempt and my recent decision to take a break from him to focus on myself. "She wants my engagement."

I wait for him to continue. "With this girl...my dad's trustworthy assistant's daughter."

"And?"

"Well...she's okay. She's beautiful, kind and we'll educated too"

Suddenly I feel a pang of jealousy. What's wrong with me? I don't even like Aiden.

"But she neither intrigues nor inspires me."

"I can't say anything about it cause I haven't met her but you can give her a bit of your time Aiden. Try to get to know her...only if you wish though."

He gives me a dubious look. "You have no problem with that? I mean your boyfriend dating another girl?"

Suddenly I get that dual emotion urging me to run away again. "I guess I haven't cleared things between us." That without knowing you or anyone-dating someone while being in someone else's body isn't gonna happen. I shush my inner voice and manage a guilty smile. "Right now...I..."

I try to reason when he puts is index finger on my lips. "I understand... You don't have to explain."

Oh Aiden... Suddenly someone in me forces me to embrace him. And I do so. He trembles under my touch but then caresses my back. It's not about you Aiden... I'm not uncomfortable around you anymore. It's just I want to get to know you, Levi and Nero and all the others. I don't even know about myself... Loretta Knight. How am I able to fall in love when my life is so puzzled? So many pieces scattered.

I hold him tight fighting my feelings. "Aiden," I whisper. "I'm fighting a battle with my ownself. Until I settle it...my mind won't rest. Can you give me some time?"

"I don't know what you're going through Loretta, but take all the time you need," he says in an assuring voice. "I hope you'll tell me about it oneday. Like I wish I could..."

"You could what?"

"Perhaps oneday."

I don't try to press further. Let him have his secrets. Instead I pick the topic of Lloyd. "Hey, I'm having a bit of trouble recalling it... Do you know where I kept those contract papers? Sry it's just I can't find them... nevermind"

"No. I do know Loretta. They're with me."

"Oh yeah now I remember," I feign the act of old careless Loretta.

"You asked me yourself to keep 'em with me cause I too have my contract papers and so it'd be easier to find if they're in one place."

"Right." What kind of dumb person gives away such important documents? Even to the boyfriend. I'd never do such a thing-even if I were blindly in love with someone. "I want to keep them now. Can I have it back?" I request.

"Why sure. Just don't lose them like you almost did once. Then again I guess you gotta start being more careful."

"Tomorrow?" I ask.

"I'll send them tomorrow," he agrees.

Still an hour left. It has been 15 minutes since we've come back from the walk. Aiden picked up a call 7 minutes ago and he's still shouting-arguing whatever it is, with someone. I see his contorted expression and hand gestures from the window in one of the rooms. I don't like this at all. What's it about?

I check my phone hoping to get a reply from Levi. But nope. What's wrong with him? Am I the one being wrong? And why does it feel like I'm forgetting something? I hopelessly pace in the veranda. Seven minutes turn to seventeen as I check the time every 5 seconds. When I'm about to lose my patience Aiden storms in. If anyone sees his face right now they'd say he's not slept for months which isn't even the case...

"Are you...no, it's dumb of me to even ask if you're alright cause clearly you aren't. Tell me what's wrong, Aiden?" I request.

"Oh Loretta... Loretta... I really have sunk, haven't I?"

He looks like he's gonna break down in pieces. Right now he needs me...and who said I can't be a good friend despite the fact that he was my...her 'boyfriend'. I reduce the distance between us. Forcing him to sit down on the bed I start massaging his knotted shoulder muscles. Minutes pass. His body begins to adjust to my work. I sneak a peek at my phone. 10.10pm. He holds his temple.

"You have a headache?"

"Pretty bad," he replies.

"Lucky you. I have a special talent. Here..." I pat the space beside me telling him to lie down.

He does. I bring his head onto my lap. His pupils dilate a little. "What are you..?"

"Just try to relax." I start using my fingers differently with different motions and from different angles to massage his head.

"Mm..."

"Feels good?"

"Hm.."

"I learnt it from...ah nevermind," I watch him close his eyes. His face muscles take a break from constant work. I hear that old couple opening the front gate. Three hour's passed.

A while later the door to my room opens. Aiden has already dozed off so he doesn't hear it. The old lady smiles whispering to me that we can leave tomorrow and that we are allowed to spend the rest of the night here.

I gently put his head down and place a pillow under his head. For some reason I feel like his life isn't easy either. Whether rich or poor-no human life is easy. Journey from womb to tomb is of miseries.

The sunlight along with the aroma of chamomile tea greets me. I sit up straight suddenly realising that I have spent another night with another man in an unknown place. I see Aiden standing in front of me, holding the cup. He flashes me one of his reserved smiles. Well...nothing happened between us. After all he had headache... But when did I fall asleep again? This is happening twice now!

"Morning sleepyhead," he sets the cup down.

"It's only..." I yawn. "7.39."

"I tried giving them extra money for staying the night but they straight out declined. Now I feel bad," Aiden says trying to begin a light conversation.

"They like you huh... After all I told them who you are."

"Now I know. Still... I should have left yesterday." He tries to act all normal probably thinking I wouldn't ask about last night. "Drink it and tell me how it tastes. Cause I made it."

"Aiden..."

"Before you say anything... I want to thank you. Your hands have magic."

I try to hide my flushed cheeks but he catches my hand. "I slept so fine Loretta. When I woke up at 4.30am and found you sleeping beside me-your hand still rested on my head," he chuckles.

He has definitely no idea how his casual words are giving me goosebumps. "Then I put the cover on you...in case you were wondering about it?"

"Aiden," I without looking at his face say coldly, "Can you not pretend like nothing happened?"

He remains silent so I speak again, "Yesterday was supposed to be a special day- according to you. In face you booked us a nice place. We still had some time to kill...to talk-the purpose for which you invited me in the first place. Then you wasted an hour arguing with someone. I saw you...you were mentally exhausted. Now that you thanked me for taking care of you last night, do I not deserve to know the truth?" I demand.

Aiden closes his eyes then inhales sharply. "You deserve to know Loretta...more than anyone. Because the matter was related to you the thing which I've been keeping as a burden for months...guess I can finally free myself." He has such pleading eyes that tells me he's not lying. I wait for him to go on with an expressionless face.

"Five months back, I met Annie for the first time... My father's assistant's daughter. She was drunk and driving. She nearly hit my car. I lectured her... scolded her severely. But I also saved her. Took her to the medics. She fell for me." He stops for a moment to examine me but I remain quiet.

He resumes, "Second time we met accidentally, in a private bar. Two weeks later she confessed to me and I rejected. I blocked her and requested her to not make things harder for me than it already is. Two months passed and I sighed a relief thinking she forgot it all. But..." Aiden looks down fidgeting with his thumb.

I take his hand in mine. "I won't be mad for anything you will say... Release it all, Aiden."