A/N: i had this idea rattling around in my head for a while now and i finally struck up the courage to put it into words. Pls let me know what you think, but remember i am a newbie at this :)
Ana's POV
Music - noun - An art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony and colour.
Barging into my room, a loud sing song voice tries to wake me from my slumber.
"Wake up sleepyhead!"
Ugh, I roll over towards the perky voice and slowly open an eye to see my roommate, the tenacious Miss Katherine Kavanagh. Her beautiful strawberry blonde hair piled on top of her head, her bright green eyes filled with excitement for the day.
"Ugh, really Kate it's too early to be all perky at this time of the morning." my voice full of sleep. I am not a morning person, never have been and I truly doubt I ever will be.
"Come on Ana, get up. It's already after 9:30 and you promised to come shopping with me today." Kate says pouting at me. Oh yeah. Why I agreed to do that I will never understand. I hate shopping, but for my best friend I'll make an exception.
"Here. Sit up, I've made you a cup of tea, and I have a ham and cheese croissant for you."
Opening my other eye I see her standing beside my bed already dressed in tight skinny white jeans and a cute bright pink tank top with matching pink heels, she places a tea cup and a small plate on my night stand. Kate is no cook, hence why she's made something that you literally just slap together. The thought brings a small smile to my face.
"Come on Ana. The quicker we leave the quicker this whole ordeal will be over with." She says with wink and a smirk, and quickly heads out of my room, knowing that I detest shopping. I mean really; why us women like shopping is quite beyond me sometimes. Walking round shop after shop to find the perfect item to not even find it or spend truck loads of money trying to find it by being distracted by other items. Frankly I find it annoying and a waste of time and money. Simple and plain. That's me. Knowing Kate though, she'll make it up to me by buying me some cute top or do me up somehow, god that woman treats me like a barbie doll sometimes, but I love her all the same.
After showering, I dress in a tight black tank top and my favourite pair of skinny jeans, which I personally think my ass looks fabulous in, but it's ok that no one notices; I'm just a plain Jane, nothing really special about me. I came to terms with that fact years ago. My hair is up in a long sleek ponytail and I turn to grab my black converse shoes to see Kate standing in the doorway of my room.
"Ready?"
"Yep, give me a second. Just got me shoes to go."
"Ana, I don't know how many times I need to tell you but girl, you should be wearing heels. You've got the legs for it. Here put these on, just because you live in jeans it doesn't mean you can't add a little class to them." she says whilst handing me a pair of black peep toes. I cringe at the thought of putting feet killers on.
"Ana, don't give me that look. Just do it, plus its faster, you don't have to waste time with socks." and with that she walks away to get her bag. She's right I do live in jeans, but so what? I have my reasons and in my mind they are pretty bloody good reasons, plus I love them. It's all about being comfortable, I don't get fashion, I mean who wants to stand in heels all day where your feet are squished and are killing you in a matter of hours.
"Ana! Come on!" I hear the front door opening. Crap I'll have to put these on as I can't find any socks. Knowing Kate she probably hid them whilst I was in the shower knowing that I'd have to put on the heels. Hmmm, part of her evil plan to torture me today I suppose. I quickly grab my phone and purse and with a quick glace in the mirror...Crap. Kate's right. My legs do look good in heels. I race out the door to catch up to her.
After two hours of being dragged from store to store trying on outfit after outfit, Kate is finally done. Not to mention I have walked away with a few purchases of my own.
"Lunch?"
"God, Kate I thought you'd never ask!" I laugh, I am actually starving. All this pottering around in heels is making me hungry. "There's a nice little café around the corner. Want to go there?"
"Steele, I'm on to you." She giggles. "You only want to go there cause of what's next door."
"Ok, fine you got me." I say with my palms up, "You got me."
We walk down the rest of the block and turn the corner. A few stores up we come to my favourite store. As soon as we open the door and walk towards the back we are greeted by a handsome older gentleman.
"Anastasia! Katherine! How lovely to see you. I missed my favourite customer." the older greying haired gentlemen says with a smile and comes over to give us a small hug.
I giggle at the favourite customer comment, "Oh Henry, you can't call me a customer when I never buy anything."
"You will one day, and when that day comes it will be a sad, sad day. You won't need to come here and see this old man anymore." He says with a fake pout, his smile trying to break through.
"Well we all know that day is still a long way away for me to afford what I want." I feel my mood slipping. I scan the room to find what I'm after. "Plus I like coming here." A few seconds later I see what I'm looking for. "Oh you moved her."
"Yes we did. I thought it would look better in the main window. The sound resonates better there as well. I actually thought of you. Thought you'd look good sitting in the window next time you came to play. Good for business too." He winks playfully.
"Henry that's really sweet, but you know I'm not really one for an audience."
"Ana, don't start. You are fantastic. I don't know when you are going to get that through that thick skull of yours." Kate exclaims. She's always telling me how good I am, but to me it's a release, a calming agent. I play for me not others.
"Hmmm thick skull you say. Whatever Kavanagh." I say like I'm some petulant teenager. If only you knew what me and my thick skull have been through. I'm lucky that it is so thick.
"Come now ladies, no need to be like that. Anastasia, what will you play for me today?" Henry leads us back towards the front of the store where a gorgeous black baby grand Steinway piano sits. I sit on the plush leather of the piano stool, running my fingers gently along the ivory of the black and white keys. I kick off my shoes ready for the foot pedals and i stretch my fingers to play a few scales to warm up.
The love of music was the one thing that my mother insisted that she instil in me. She would tell me stories of when she was a kid and her mother would sit and play for her as a child, but could never afford to keep her lessons up as they needed to sell their piano at one stage to help ends meet. My mother vowed that I would learn so I would have that opportunity to be "culturally rounded" as she would put it. Sometimes when I played she would tell me stories of my birthfather and how he played as a child and how he would be proud that I kept at it and enjoy it. Something about being a part of him, closer to him; even though we only met once. For a while we didn't have a piano at home but she made sure I had lessons all the same. Growing up I found it to be a way I could get away from all the crap; away from all the torments that school and adolescence brought. At one stage it was actual therapy. I was an chubby, awkward gauche looking child and certainly was made to know it. Understatement of the year!
I would lose myself in the melodies and the difficulty of the notes my fingers would freely find. My mother, a true romantic always had me playing her sad love songs, or something slow with meaning. In the beginning I couldn't understand why but watching her through the years and then onto marriage number four it made sense. I do enjoy the classical pieces and the challenge that they give to play, but over the years and my mother's influence I've lent more towards mainstream music as well as writing my own original pieces.
"Oooo play that song you were playing the other day, you know the one about waiting." Kate says excitedly whilst watching me finish up my warm up scales.
"Ok Kate. For you."