Len's Hands

* * * * *

Kahoko transferred the violin case to her left hand and rang the buzzer. As she waited, she turned around to admire the view from Tsukimori-kun's front gate. His impressive home was in an affluent neighborhood, full of lovely gardens and mansions jutting out from behind tall hedges. Glancing down at her simple buttercup eyelet shirt and shorts, lightweight cardigan and casual shoes, she felt a bit shabby in these rich surroundings. She heard footsteps and turned as Tsukimori-kun pushed open the gate.

Len leaped at the sound of the buzzer. Stepping out into the fresh air he spied her standing with her back to him. She looked pretty in her yellow outfit with the breeze frolicking in her red hair. He had long since recognized that he had feelings for her, and he resigned himself to thoughts of her distracting him from time to time. His breath caught as she spun around to look at him with her bright golden eyes. He silently opened the gate for her, not able to think of something to say.

As she followed him to the house she admired the sight of him in his chocolate-brown denims and cream klondike shirt. Just because she noticed, though, didn't mean anything. Anyone would have to be blind not to notice how attractive he was.

He closed the door behind her and led her through the foyer, down a long corridor to the expansive music room. It was more like a living room with a piano in it. A music stand was set up near the French doors, and Kahoko spotted his violin case on the coffee table. "Would you like something to drink? Tea, juice?"

She nodded with a smile. "Tea would be nice."

He disappeared down the hall. Kahoko lay her violin case next to his and began exploring the room. There were teak bookcases full of sheet music, an alabaster bust of Mozart, an ancient metronome, photos of Len and his parents at various performances. As she returned to her violin case and bent to undo the zipper, she noticed that she was still stiff from the extra practicing she did yesterday. Reaching up with her hand, she dug her fingers into the trapezius muscle that helped keep her left arm up when she was playing. The muscle was sore to the touch. Sighing, she decided that there was nothing she could do about it now. She lowered her head and did some neck stretches.

"What's wrong?" he asked, having arrived with the tea tray. His brow was furrowed with concern.

"Nothing!" she smiled brightly. "Just stretching."

* * * * *

They worked for over an hour on the first two movements of her Handel sonata. Len sat down at the piano from time to time to accompany her. When she exclaimed at his ability to play piano, he said that he had only basic skills. And yet he was able to play the accompaniment so well that she would never have guessed that he wasn't a pianist. Playing with him was such a fulfilling experience for her. She was completely in the moment, wishing that they could do this all the time.

He first noticed her sound becoming lackluster, and then saw the subtle way that she would writhe or slump her shoulders. He admonished her to pay attention, or stand taller, after which she seemed fine for a while. Finally he realized how completely worn out she was. "Hino, what's wrong with you?"

Unable to force herself any longer, she pouted. "I think I practiced too much yesterday, Tsukimori-kun. My muscles are sore."

He took the instrument from her and placed in on the piano top. He towered over her, glowering. "Where does it hurt?"

Acknowledging his displeasure with a wry expression, she quietly reported "My shoulders and upper back. I don't think I can play any more right now."

He put his hands on the long sinews that ran between her neck and shoulders, exploring with his fingers. "Hino, your muscles are all in knots!" He scowled at her for a moment longer and then looked around the room, considering the next course of action. He pushed her toward the piano bench. "Sit at the end." She sat at the extreme end of the bench, facing the piano.

"No, this way." With one hand he swung her knees around to face away from the end of the bench. He swung a leg over the bench behind her, straddling it to sit down.

She was acutely aware of the male sitting so close behind her. Was he actually going to rub her shoulders? "Wait, your hair is going to be in the way." he said. "Do you have an elastic with you?"

"Mm" she nodded and went over to her bag. On her way back to the bench she stopped to pull her hair up into a bun, so there were only tendrils left hanging around her face. She took her time, needing to catch her breath and recover from the thought that he was going to touch her. Her heart wobbled at the very masculine sight of him sitting astride the bench, looking intensely at her through his silky bangs. With her heart beating overtime, she resumed her place between his knees.

Len's body registered that the sight of her with her arms raised to tie up her hair was somewhat erotic. But he had a job to do. She sat with her back to him and he considered how to begin. He gingerly tugged at the neckline of her cardigan to see if he could move it aside to get better access. "I'll just take it off" she said. His breath caught at the sight of her removing an article of clothing, sitting only a couple inches from him. She folded the sweater and tossed it on a nearby chair.

He admired the view. The delicate lace neckline of her blouse was wide enough to expose a smooth expanse of porcelain skin and a slender neck that begged to be kissed. Ignoring that impulse, he took a deliberate breath, placed his hands on her shoulders and began to examine her muscles. He could feel how tight she was. "Relax, Hino." He said softly, in a lower timbre than she was used to hearing from him. "Take a deep breath."

She knew he was right. She was tense, unnerved by the proximity of his body to hers. She inhaled deeply and let it out. His hands were gently kneading her muscles. Immediately she felt some tingling and relief. She was grateful that he was willing and able to help her. How would she have managed on her own? She was lucky that he was a violinist and knew exactly what to do. She relaxed into his touch, which she found incredibly soothing. She liked this feeling of his hands on her.

A masculine voice interrupted her reverie. "Your shoulders…and where else?"

"Upper back." She arched forward and reached around with her fingers to point just above her bra strap. "Down to here." She hoped he couldn't see her blush. She felt his hands work lower and lower, taking stock of where her tension was.

"It's all tight back here. How could you let it get this way? I wish you would take better care of yourself…You need to take little breaks to stretch during your practice." The softness of his voice belied the scolding he was giving her.

"I didn't know" she murmured. "This has never happened to me before." In silence he worked on her flesh. Was it her imagination, or was his touch getting less clinical and more soothing?

* * * * *

Author's note: Tension and knots are an issue that I have to deal with all the time when I am practicing violin. The 'traps' are some of the muscles responsible for holding my arms up so I can hold the violin. I can only practice for about 15 min before I have to stretch the muscles. I've recently acquired some cool Japanese tools for working to loosen muscles, and I'm hoping they will help. I wish, though, that I had someone around to massage my shoulders and back every time I need it ! This was the inspiration for the above story.

I know that some of you are violinists too. Do you have any special tips for me about dealing with tight muscles?