"For the millionth time, this is middle C," Cara groans exasperatedly, jabbing one of the keys a couple times for emphasis. "It's called middle for a reason."

Cara sure is impatient for someone whose part-time job is a children's piano teacher. In her defense, this is our fifth lesson since we started last Tuesday. We've begun every lesson with scales, and I've managed to start at the wrong location on the keyboard every time. Whose idea was it to make all of the keys look exactly the same?

"Sorry Cara." I give her a sheepish smile.

Her frown doesn't falter whatsoever, and she glares at me with her piercing icy blue eyes. "Let's just get started."

By the time we've finally gotten through the song, Cara's long brown hair is a mess from stressfully running her hand through it dozens of times and her extra large coffee is finished. There was probably more time spent pausing and arguing about my supposed refusal to cooperate than actual playing. I thought I sounded fine, alright? Telling her that definitely didn't make things better though.

The sharp beeping of the timer on her phone goes off. "Alright, I have to head to class." She quickly gets up from the chair next to the piano bench and hesitates for a moment before speaking again. "Listen Cole, this isn't working out."

I pause as I'm packing up my bag. "What do you mean?"

"These lessons." She rubs her temples. "You need a new teacher with more patience, much more patience."

"I don't have time for that!" I whine. "Please? It's really important to me, I'll double what I said I'd pay!"

"Sorry, but no." Cara shakes her head again as she tugs her coat on. She slightly tilts her head and studies me curiously. "What's with the sudden interest anyway? You never struck me as the classy type."

I furrow my brows. I'm not sure if I should feel offended or not. "It's complicated."

Cara and I dated for a month or so during freshman year, not exactly someone I'd like to confide in. Not that I think I could explain it to her if I even wanted to anyway. Why am I learning to play? So I can get closer to Melody for an interview...right?

Why else?

-----

"You're late again, Flynn." Michael rolls his eyes as I try to quietly enter the dark room illuminated by the projector. I quickly take a seat at the meeting table.

"Sorry Michael, class finished late." I'm getting the feeling that I'm starting to push Michael's patience.

He waves his hand casually. "Anyways, we were just reviewing Francine's article."

I glance at the document on the projector screen and grimace at the headline.

"U of M's Varsity football's quarterback wins MVP. I get a kick outta you."

Francine looks completely oblivious to the monstrosity that's going to be printed on the front page tomorrow. This is why so many people don't take the Green and Gold seriously. After some editing and discussions, the article is finalized. Despite my persistent griping, no one is on my side about changing the horrendous title.

Michael switches the lights back on and turns to me. "I couldn't help but notice the lack of your article in my inbox Cole." Michael frowns at me disapprovingly. "The newspaper goes out tomorrow morning in case you forgot."

Everyone turns to me, giving me puzzled and shocked looks that I try to ignore. I've never been late, I'm usually early in fact - my draft is almost always the first to be uploaded to our cloud. I've been known to be a bit harsh when someone is late, often calling them out during meetings.

Michael doesn't seem to care about that most of the time. He'll usually just sit there and watch calmly from the sidelines as things go up in flames. I may or may not have accidentally made Francine burst into tears in front of everyone one time when I was rebuking her and her article.

I've probably just lost all privilege to reprimand anyone ever again.

"Err about that." I rub the back of my neck sheepishly. "I need an extension, could we publish my article in the next issue instead?"

I've been dreading this moment. The last person to ask for an extension ended up being kicked off the team by Michael. As much as it seems like he wants to sometimes, I know he wouldn't do that to me. I'm one of the best writers on the team and even do editing when he doesn't have time to.

I'd rather not push it though.

Based on his expression, you would think that I'd just asked him to give up his first born child. "You're...kidding." He raises an eyebrow. "All you had to do was interview that girl."

If only he knew. "I've run into some... difficulties. Come on, please?" I whine.

He groans and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Fine, you have two weeks, but this better not happen again."

-----

"Now place your thumb on middle C."

I quickly skip through the first couple minutes of the video. It's streaming on my tablet balanced precariously on the piano's music stand. Cara already taught me the basics, I should be able to jump right into it. I skip through the boring, trivial parts till I find the beginning of the song. I play the video at 0.5x speed and follow along with each hand individually.

The fifth floor gradually grows quiet as students pack up their instruments and head home. Before I know it, the moon is high in the sky, and the campus has more or less cleared out for the evening.

"Alright, now let's put everything all together and begin."

I return the video to its normal speed and place both of my hands on the keys. I try to match my finger movements with the pianist's, rapidly glancing up and down from my hands to the video. To my surprise, I manage to keep up. Cara was exaggerating, this is gonna be so easy.

Things begin going south after I pass the second repeat though. The tempo and number of notes increase, and my fingers can't keep up with my eyes. "No no no," I whisper in a panic as my fingers fumble and get left behind in the song.

I angrily pause the video, nearly knocking the tablet onto the floor. "This is hopeless," I groan, letting my head and hands fall onto the keys with a heavy sigh. It makes a jarring wave of chaotic notes, probably not much better than my actual attempts at the song.

I suddenly hear a soft giggle. "That wasn't bad."

I jump a bit and quickly turn around to see Melody standing in the doorway. A small relaxed grin is painted across her face. It's probably the first time I've ever seen her smile at me. I don't know why, but the sight of it being directed towards me sends a tiny little fluttery feeling through my chest.

"Oh hey Melody, I didn't think you'd be here tonight." I've had a hunch that she's changed her practicing days to avoid me. "Would you like to come in?" I give her my best charming smile. Unfortunately, I've noticed that my signature smile doesn't work on her the same way it does with other girls.

She turns around to whisper to Mr. Carter. They have a short exchange before she gives a small nod to him. "I'll be right outside," he states firmly to her, though we all know he's talking to me. She shuts the door behind her.

Melody slowly walks up to me. She bends down a bit to take a peek at my tablet, and her face lights up with an excited smile. It's intriguing how much more relaxed and bright she seems when it comes to music. It's so much easier to talk to her this way.

"Für Elise hey? It was my first song too."

Except you were three. "Yeah, I've been practicing since last Tuesday." I guess practicing is one word for what I've been doing, as long as you exclude the arguing with Cara and frustrated key mashing.

She chuckles and drapes her long coat over a nearby chair. Underneath she's wearing a pastel pink sweater and white jeans. Her light blonde hair is tucked under a grey toque, still clinging onto a few stray snowflakes.

Melody purses her lips. "I um, don't mean to pry but, why the sudden interest in piano?"

"Well, you make it look fun," I say. Although I've learned that listening is much more fun than trying to do the actual playing. "I thought I'd try it out. I started last week and it's definitely harder than it looks." That's only part of the truth, but I can't exactly tell her that I'm learning because I want the interview.

Weirdly enough though, that doesn't feel like the case anymore.

"May I?" She gives me a shy smile and gestures towards the bench.

I try not to look too surprised or overeager. "Yeah of course." I nod casually and slide over.

Melody takes a seat next to me. She's so small she barely takes up any space on the bench. I can feel her warmth and the slightly sweet scent of her perfume wafting towards me. Something floral, lavender maybe?

"Let's do a quick play through," she murmurs, probably more so to herself than me.

She stretches her fingers and brushes her hair over her shoulders. I've never seen her playing from this close up, and it's fascinating to watch. Just as they did during the concert, my surroundings fade away again, as if the world around us has disappeared and it's just us here together. There's this warm feeling I get in my chest when I watch her play. I have no idea how the hell she manages to do it, but this girl somehow has the power to turn my feelings to mush without even realizing it.

Her small hands move deftly and with ease across the keyboard, never missing a beat. It takes me a moment to realize my tablet is off, and she's playing perfectly by memory with her eyes gently shut. It's probably not a big deal for her, but I'm impressed nonetheless.

"Alright, now let's see what you can do." She smiles encouragingly after she's finished.

"Yeah, no, that's not happening," I snort. "I'd rather-"

I slowly trail off and forget what I was talking about as I turn and notice Melody looking at me. There's this kind, tenderness in her eyes that somehow makes me feel as if everything will be ok.

"Please?" She bites her lip, trying to hide her grin.

"Alright, alright," I mutter.

I turn my tablet back on and open the PDF with the sheet music. With slightly shaky hands and my heart racing, I hesitantly reach for the keyboard. I'm painfully aware that my music skills are pathetic compared to her incredible talent. I can't even remember the last time I felt this nervous around someone. Relax Cole, confidence is always key.

I play ridiculously slowly and still manage to make mistakes. Each wrong note feels like a painful jab to my ears. By the time I've stumbled ass backwards over the finish line, I feel ridiculously embarrassed and my dignity has crumbled up into a heap on the floor. I nervously turn to Melody, expecting her to laugh at my sad attempt.

She gives me a proud smile, and I notice for the first time that her wide doe eyes are actually hazel. They're a soft brown, dispersed with glittery green flecks. "That was good!"

"You're just saying that," I grumble, even though I'm trying to hide a smile.

"It's a hard song for a beginner, I'm actually impressed you chose it," she reassures me with a gentle pat on my hand. "I suggest you practice more scales though, just to familiarize yourself with the hand movements." She reaches for my hand, still resting on the keys. I can't help but notice how soft and delicate they feel. With some maneuvering and bending, she changes my grip into a sort of claw position. "Pretend you're holding a tennis ball and keep your fingers bent like that when you play."

"Thanks." I grin. She's such a patient and gentle teacher compared to Cara. I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. "Sorry, give me a sec," I mumble and take out my phone. It's a text from Laura.

Laura: Hey babe, sorry about last night. Want to hang out?

My thumbs hover over the keyboard. I glance up as Melody begins playing a gentle, cheerful song. She gives me a little smile when she notices me looking at her. She has this really soft and sweet smile that gives me this weird...fuzzy feeling inside.

The idea of hanging out with someone else right now seems oddly unappealing. I don't know how to explain it.

Cole: No thanks

Melody looks at me curiously as I put my phone away. "Everything ok?"

I nod quickly. "Oh yeah, it's nothing."

Melody chews on her lip before speaking up again. "Do you mind if I ask what happened last night? At that restaurant?"

I bite my tongue to stop an exasperated groan from slipping out. Of all things that she could've seen, it had to be that. Definitely not the impression I've been trying to make. "It wasn't what it looked like, and I'm certain it wasn't like what she told you either."

"She just said you slept with her friend," Melody says warily.

What a surprise. "She told you that without context." I should've expected as much from Laura. "We broke up weeks ago. She still has feelings for me and is so convinced we're going to get back together. I don't, and that's definitely not happening."

Melody gives me a small nod. "I see."

"So she thinks that anything I do with other girls now is considered cheating." I shake my head in disbelief. "I don't understand how that girl's mind works."

Melody tries to stifle a giggle. "Ok. Thanks for telling me."

I'm quite relieved that Laura hasn't destroyed my image to Melody. "Do you think you could stay a little longer and help me practice?"

She shakes her head. "Sorry, but I can't. I missed practice last week so I'm staying late tonight to make up for it."

"Make up for what? Isn't your tour over?" I raise an eyebrow. "Don't you ever get to take a break?"

I see a flicker of sadness in her eyes before she quickly covers it with a small smile. "I'm technically on a break now, but my mom made a deal with a record company." She shrugs casually. "I've been composing a couple pieces that I need to record and send some samples of."

This poor girl. I can't help but notice the cheerful mood she was filled with just a moment ago seems to have been drained out of her body.

"Ah, I see," I say quietly. "Well, would you be free tomorrow morning?"

Her face lights up a little. "Sounds good."

--------------------------------

Cole's ego definitely needed to take a hit lol. Melody is so adorable 🥺

Thanks for reading! :)