Hey guys I'm back! Sorry for the long delay, I was on spring break and I got distracted.
Erik's good mood lasted his entire ride home. But, it all came crashing down when he stepped into his house. It was a mess, things were strewn everywhere and it may areas were covered with dust having not been properly cleaned for far too long. He couldn't let Christine see his house looking like this.
He started with the rooms around the entryway figuring they would be the first she would see. He methodically went through and removed the clutter organizing the things he thought Christine would find appealing into a decorative style and shoving the rest of the mess into unused closets or rooms. He then dug out supplies to dust and went about removing the dust from those areas. He had never had guests before and so never had cause to take care of the rooms that he rarely used. He then moved on to his music room which was much more well kept and required little attention. A little while later Erik ran through a mental list in his head to make sure he wasn't missing anything that needed attention before Christine arrived. By now a few hours had passed so he decided to prepare himself a small dinner before heading to his music room to practice and prepare for Christine's first lesson.
The next morning Christine woke about an hour before her lesson was scheduled with Erik. She got dressed in a light purple dress and a pair of pearl earrings, her birthstone. She ran a brush through her tangled hair and shaped it with some product before pulling it into a somewhat messy bun. She made herself a quick breakfast of yogurt with fruit and granola before hitting the road with a cup of coffee to go.
Erik's house was about 20 minutes away and she listened to music as she drove often singing along softly to the songs. By the time she pulled into the driveway, she was much more awake. She almost dropped her mouth in awe of the size of the place. It was practically a mansion especially compared to her little apartment. Not that she didn't have all the space she needed, but it was just enough, not overly spacious. She also had to admire the grandiose architecture of the place. She gathered her things, walked up to the beautiful house and rang the doorbell. She only had to wait a few minutes for Erik to answer.
She greeted him with a smile "Erik, your house is amazing!" she exclaimed.
Erik couldn't help but give a small smile in return "Thank you, I only hope you like the inside just as much" he replied before stepping aside and letting her in.
Christine walked in the doorway and surveyed the house. It was very dark, none of the windows were open, but it was very nice and stylish nonetheless. Erik lead Christine to the music room. It was a beautiful room that was the jewel of the house. It has instruments of almost every variety and a gorgeous grand piano. Christine gaped at Erik "Surely you don't play all of these instruments?"
"I do actually" Erik said, pleased that Christine was impressed. He moved over to the piano and sat down. "Do you have the piece you want to audition for ready?" he asked.
Christine moved to stand at the piano beside him "yes, I do"
"Okay let's do some scales to warm up and then we can run through your piece to see where we are at" he said in a professional tone. Christine nodded her consent and Erik played up and down the scales on the piano as she sang along. In addition, he taught her some warm-up and breathing exercises. As they practiced Christine tried not to let herself get nervous about what Erik would think about her piece or if she would be good enough for the audition. When they had finished warming up Christine handed Erik the music piece she picked and took one last nervous breath before she began singing.
If anyone asks, I'll tell them we both just moved on
When people all stare I'll pretend that I don't hear them talk
Whenever I'll see you I'll swallow my pride and bite my tongue
Pretend I'm okay with it all
Act like there's nothing wrong
Is it over yet?
Can I open my eyes?
Is this as hard as it gets?
Is this what it feels like to really cry?
Cry
If anyone asks, I'll tell them we just grew apart
What do I care if they believe me or not?
Whenever I feel your memory is breaking my heart
I'll pretend I'm okay with it all
Act like there's nothing wrong
Is it over yet?
Can I open my eyes?
Is this as hard as it gets?
Is this what it feels like to really cry?
Cry
I'm talking in circles
I'm lying, they know it
Why won't this just all go away?
Is it over yet?
Can I open my eyes?
Is this as hard as it gets?
Is this what it feels like to really cry?
Cry
Cry
(Song is Cry by Kelly Clarkson)
Erik played as Christine sang but all of his focus was on her singing. Her voice was just as he remembered it. If it were up to him she could go up and audition with no extra training and get a spot. But since it was not, he mentally noted the parts where he could help her improve. When she was finished he was silent for a moment before speaking "That was excellent Christine, you will do amazing"
Christine let out a mental breath of relief "Thank you"
"I give credit when credit's due, now let's break this down and I'll work through it with you piece by piece". For the next hour, they worked through the song. Erik critiquing at every opportunity to ensure perfection. Christine accepted his critiques with pleasure, he clearly knew what he was talking about and she wanted to be the best she could be. He was a tough instructor but she was glad of it, she was grateful he could separate their friendship from their lessons and help her. She hardly noticed the time passing until the end of the hour.
"Thank you so much, Erik, I have to run now, I have work soon, does the same time tomorrow for another lesson work for you?"
Erik nodded " It's my pleasure to help, and yes that works, I'm not a very busy man"
"Perfect, I'll see you then" she said.
When Christine got home she dressed quickly and grabbed something to eat on the go before heading to work. She was looking forward to this evening when she would have time to relax, she had been too busy lately and was looking forward to an evening of watching friends in her pajamas and eating ice cream.
After her shift, Christine drove to a bistro to meet Meg for dinner. She may be busy, but she loved spending time with her friend almost more than anything else. She and Meg had been best friends since high school and had become closer when Christine's father had died. Christine had moved in with an aunt who cared for her sufficiently but was far from the warmest person. Christine was grief-stricken from her father's death and Meg and her mother provided the warmth she needed to get through her grief. Meg greeted her with an enthusiastic hug, and they sat down at a table outside. The air was warm and nice and a light breeze made it even more pleasant.
"Hey girl, what's new?" Meg chirped
"Well..." Christine began casually "Our local theater is having auditions for the chorus and I'm planning on auditioning"
Meg pulled Christine into another sudden hug "Oh Christine this is great, I'm so happy for you, you'll do great I just know it."
"Thank you, I really hope you are right" Christine responded smiling.
"I am curious though about what made you change your mind, you used to say you couldn't possibly audition without lessons of some sort, and that you couldn't afford them. What changed?" Meg asked.
"I have a friend, and he offered to teach me for free" Christine explained "I denied at first, but he can be very convincing, and it is something I really want so I went with it"
Meg nodded "And who is this musical friend I haven't heard of?"
"His name is Erik, he was a patient but then we ran into each other once he got out of the hospital and we became friends" Christine recounted.
Meg pondered this new information. She was glad this Erik was helping Christine, but she had to wonder what kind of guy would offer music lessons for free without expecting any payment. However, she held her tongue on any doubts he had. Christine could take care of herself, but Meg would be watching out all the same. She would be damned if anyone messed with her friend.
Christine spent the rest of the meal chatting pleasantly with Meg. Meg was the lead dancer at the local theater and they were finishing up a production. Christine loved hearing about Meg's dancing, even if she hadn't achieved her dream yet she was happy that Meg had achieved her own dream. Although as she considered this she realized that, now, thanks to Erik she was one step closer to her own dream.
End of chapter. So what do you think? No cliffhanger really this time, but don't worry, there will be more to come XD. Sorry I took so long to update, but now that I'm back to writing the next chapter should come sooner. Please review and feel free to PM me. If you have anything you want to ask or talk about the story or if you just want to talk in general, my inbox is always open. Seriously, I'm going a little crazy with coronavirus so I would love to talk to any of you.