Authors Note: An attempt at making up for the ridiculous wait between updates :) I'm trying to make the chapters longer, hopefully the next one will be around 3000 words, but for now, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
After hearing the gentle humming coming from the human, Rosalie was on constant alert, listening for any and all sounds coming from the girl whilst trying to hide her newfound interest from her siblings. Music had become an important part of the vampires life after her change, calming her and providing solace where no being could. It offered a break from reality that she could no longer get from sleeping, and offered endless opportunities for expressing ones self. The fact that it seemed that her mate, at the very least, was fond of music, peaked her curiosity and relieved some of the annoyance at having her life once again messed with.
It wasn't until that Friday that Rosalie heard her humming again, although this time it was accompanied by the soft notes of a piano. I need to get closer. It was during the lunch hour, allowing her the time to wander the halls in search of the source of the sound. It lead her to the music corridor, which shouldn't have surprised her. Stood outside the door to the classroom, Rosalie listened to the unknown song filtering out. Every now and then it would pause, seemingly go back a few notes, before starting up again with something small having been altered. Is she writing this? The curiosity that had led her to standing outside a classroom like some kind of weirdo only increased at that revelation.
Maybe she's more tolerable than I thought, she thought as the music picked up once again. The song was slow, and could almost be described as romantic despite the lack of lyrics. Unable to help herself, Rosalie edged closer to the door and placed a cold hand on the door handle, braced to open. With a surge of confidence, she turned the handle and quietly pushed the door open. The sight that befell her eyes was one she wouldn't forget. The utter look of concentration mixed with inexplicable peace was bewitching, and she would be hard pressed to say it suited anyone else more than it did this tiny girl she knew next to nothing about. The piano was pushed against the far wall, but the vampire could see the expression on her face when she would turn slightly to scribble something down on a note pad to her left. The music continued, and now that she the sounds were unobstructed, she could hear the clear tone and perfectly pitched voice of her mate, which made her speak up against her will.
"You can sing."
Startled steel eyes met hers as the music came to an abrupt halt and the girl swivelled on the piano bench to face the intruder. "Dude get out!" Beca was not expecting someone to walk in on her when she was in the zone, no one had so far so why would now be any different. The blonde stood before her was also the last person she would expect to wander into the room she'd unofficially claimed as hers.
Ignoring the exclamation and deciding to own her impulsive action, Rosalie stepped further into the room. "What were you playing?" She could hear the elevated heart rate of the girl in front of her, and remained a few feet back, leaning against the nearby wall.
Beca frowned, "Nothing, you wouldn't know it, I'm just messing around with stuff."
Tilting her head, maintaining eye contact with Beca, Rosalie pressed forwards, undeterred by the dismissal, "You wrote that?"
A small nod of a head was all she got in response. Silence settled for a brief moment. "Why did you come in here? This isn't your room too is it, I mean I get the whole table thing, kinda, but I haven't seen you in here once since I started, and I've been in here most days." Beca started rambling in order to try and alleviate some of the awkwardness that she was feeling. So far all of the encounters she'd had with the blonde had been unpleasant, some more than others, but none could be called pleasant really. This was something new and unexpected and she didn't know what she was doing.
A small smile caught her off guard once more, as Rosalie stood up straight, "No, I'm pretty sure you're the only one willing to try and make these things sound remotely decent." She was referring to the old, banged up instruments the school had yet to replace, despite having claimed to be working on it for some time. "That piano must have been a mess when you first came in here."
Clearing her throat, Beca proceeded with caution. "Yeah, I mean it was out of tune, but didn't take long to fix, it was no big deal."
"Interesting. You like music I take it?" Her previous reservations about getting to know the human were seemingly out the window, it wasn't like they would be best friends over night, but as Emmett said, one step at a time. This was step one.
A stronger nod, "It's pretty much my life."
Rosalie hummed, "So this is where you hide out? Have none of the gossiping idiots invited you into their group yet?"
"Like I said, I don't really do the whole people thing, I'm more of a solitary type."
It was Rosalie's turn to frown, "What about your cousin?"
Laughter burst from the small girl, "You think I want to spend all day here with her and then go home and spend even more time listening to that voice talking my ear off? It's bad enough on the car rides to and from school with her going on and on about Mike Newton."
"Hmm, so boy talk isn't your thing?" Red lips quirked up in a small smirk at the sight of a light blush darkening Beca's cheeks.
"Um, no, I don't, that's not really, I don't need to talk to you about that."
Thoroughly amused by the awkward stammering, Rosalie gave a short laugh, "True, don't worry, it's not my thing either." Again, steel eyes snapped to amused honey, taking in the implication that lingered between them.
There was a pause, both silently taking in the conversation that had just passed between them, before Beca blurted out, "You're making me very sexually confused right now." Another pause, "I didn't mean to say that." Hand rose to cover her face as Beca's flush deepened into a charming red covering her cheeks. A melodic laugh again came from the direction of the blonde, and the hands lowered so she could see the perfection with her own eyes. She hadn't meant to say that out loud, but it didn't mean that the comment was true.
"I'm flattered, and I've noticed you have a habit of complimenting when you don't mean to." The smirk was still in place, and the prolonged civil conversation was sending Beca's mind into a spin.
She groaned, "I can't help it! You and your flawless self should feel guilty!" There she goes again.
"I really don't, it's cute." That was the first time Rosalie had admitted that, and the truth to the statement made the smirk fade slightly. I think she's cute, well shit.
"Dude no, nothing about me is cute, I'm fucking badass." Disgruntled, Beca crossed her arms over her chest and scowled in an attempt to look intimidating.
"Sure, we could go with that."
"It's true!" Beca exclaimed, her reputation was on the line here, "I can't have people going round thinking I'm cute, I'm supposed to be all mysterious and shit."
"Yeah I hear girls love that." It was such a casual comment, but it made Beca more nervous than she would care to admit.
"I didn't say I was into girls." How did we end up talking about this? She's come out to her mom months before she'd passed, and was still working on coming out to her aunt and cousin. Telling her cousin was something that would have to wait until she was comfortable coming out to the whole school, because God knows it would be common knowledge before lunch with the way gossip spreads in this town. She was still dealing with it herself, it was a big change and very confusing.
At this point, Rosalie had moved closer, and was now leaning against the wall the piano was against, running her finger through the dust collecting on the shelf above. "You didn't have to, I just know these things. And your wardrobe really doesn't help if you're trying to stay in the closet." This conversation was quickly becoming overwhelming, the close proximity of the alluring blonde alone was a lot to cope with, a sweet scent seeming to permeate the air between them. If that was Rosalie's perfume then Beca really wanted to know what it was, it was intoxicating. "Don't worry, no one else suspects, and I won't say anything." Inexplicably, Beca got the feeling that the blonde was telling the truth, and was more comforted by her words than the thought she would be.
Her shoulders slumped as she turned back to face the piano, "I'm working on it." Was all she said.
"Take your time, it's a big thing to admit." Rosalie shrugged, she didn't seem phased at all that Beca had pretty much just come out to her.
The girl standing in front of Beca appeared to be the stereotypical popular blonde bitch everyone either wanted to be or wanted to be with at a distance, and the fact that she obviously didn't care that Beca was gay did not fit in with that appearance. All the popular girls at her old school would either avoid her, or make her life hell. Despite it being the 21st century and people were more accepting than ever, there were still people who thought belittling others who showed any sign of being different would somehow make them more popular, or more accepted by their peers. It was very backwards, and Beca wished it wasn't the case, but it would take time. She honestly didn't care what other people thought, she would be out of here as soon as she turned 18 and would be off doing her own thing surrounded by people with similar interests who actually got her.
"You're not like I thought you would be." It was true, the older girl was breaking all the preconceptions Beca made about her.
"I suppose I didn't really give a good impression, neither did you though, the bumping into me really needs to stop."
The attempt at humour helped lighten the mood again and Beca smiled, "Sorry." It was a bashful apology, but an apology nonetheless.
"You're forgiven, I'm pretty sure it hurt you more than it hurt my anyway." Recalling the last time when she'd landed on her ass, Beca grimaced.
"Yeah, probably, my ass is still bruised."
Rosalie's eyebrows raised, "want me to take a look at that?" The flirtatious comment came naturally to the blonde, and the response she got was well worth it.
"No! I mean, yes, but no, not that I, you're very, I can't, well fuck." Beca collapsed against the piano keys in mortification. The resounding thunk from the piano resonated through the room, before giving way to the sound of the blonde, once again, laughing at Beca. Not in a mean way, more in a you amuse me kind of way. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, that was mean."
"And you said you were what? Badass?" Rosalie was surprised at how well this was going, her mate was making her laugh more than she thought, and the back and forth was highly entertaining. The switch from serious conversation to playful teasing from the blonde was seamless, and the whole time she hadn't thought about the fact that she was effectively stuck with this girl whether she liked it or not.
"Not my fault you look like a Goddess." The muffled voice came from the still hiding form of the girl.
Deciding to give Beca a break, Rosalie switched the conversation to something less likely to put a permanent blush on the humans face. "So, music?"
Not moving from her slouched position, Beca asked, "What about it?"
"I'm guessing you've written more than just this one song if you claim it's your life."
Beca sat up, looking down at the piano, "Yeah, it's been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember." Her hands came to rest on the keys, stroking slightly as she sighed peacefully, "it's kind of an escape I guess."
That hit home for Rosalie, "It is for me too."
Beca glanced up into that piercing gaze, "You play?"
Rosalie nodded her ascent.
"Did you want to play now, is that why you came in here?" Of course it wasn't to see me, why would she do that, she doesn't even like me. But a shake of a head erased that thought nearly immediately.
"I heard you play and wanted to hear more." Simple and sweet.
"I don't normally share my music with people." Her songbook was private, and her laptop even more so.
"That's ok, I know it's private, I just couldn't help myself." It was true, it wasn't a conscious decision to enter the room.
The desire to not disappoint the older girl struck Beca hard and fast, "Maybe when it's finished?" She didn't know why she offered, it wasn't like she let other people hear her music often, and especially now that her mom wasn't around the songs had become more of an outlet for the emotions she wasn't used to. The song she had been working on however, was inspired by dreams of a figure, one that had her mind captured since the dreams started. She could never make out the persons face, but she always felt safe when she woke up.
Rosalie nodded, "I'd like that." The sound of the bell brought reality crashing back, and both girls were loathed to get back to the monotony of the school day. "I should go, see you around Beca." The sound her name coming from the blonde sent an indiscernible shiver racing down the brunettes back, but before she could reply, Rosalie had already left the room, leaving only a faint trace of perfume in her wake. Well that was different.