Chapter Eleven
The voices in the study area slowly began to drown out as Tadashi started drifting off into his own thoughts. One second he was working out a difficult equation and then the next second his mind was wandering to a few days ago. The meeting between Evan and Hana at the café kept invading his thoughts, no matter how hard he tried not to let if consume his mind. He couldn't forget the way they talked so freely together and how Hana seemed so relaxed around that Evan guy.
For some reason, that made him feel weird. It bothered him a lot. It wasn't as if Evan was mean or egotistical or anything. No, Evan seemed to be sweet and kind, and that's what bothered Tadashi. While it took Tadashi a few weeks to become a little closer to Hana, it took next to nothing for Evan.
A frown marred his features and he tapped the pen between his index and middle finger against his notebook. This was confusing, for a lack of a better word. Tadashi liked to think he was easy going and understanding, but he'd never felt anything like this before at all.
With a soft sigh, he closed his eyes briefly before lifting his gaze to look at his friends. Except, they were all staring at him expectantly.
"What's up?" There was a collective of sighs and groans from them as Tadashi smiled sheepishly. Instantly, they forgot about the silly question they had asked him and instead focused on him.
"You've been zoning out since we got here." Gogo popped the small bubble of gum with her teeth and looked at him pointedly.
Honey Lemon nodded and her eyebrows creased in worry. "Is something wrong, Tadashi?"
"I'm okay, I was just thinking..." Tadashi looked down at his notebook and noticed his unsolved equation. "…about this equation."
"I may not be a super science genius like you." Fred drawled while twirling a pen between his fingers. "But that sounds a little bit like B – S."
"Yeah, I have to agree with Fred here." Wasabi chimed in.
Tadashi cupped the back of his neck and sighed with a sheepish smile. Had he been that noticeable? Then again, his friends were pretty perceptive and caring, which he was glad for all the time. "It's really nothing much. I've just been thinking."
"I bet it was about Hana."
"Oh yeah, he was totally thinking about her."
"I think he was too."
"Okay Hamada, spill."
Oh god. Scratch that, his friends were way too perceptive for their own good. It was a blessing and a curse.
Holy crap.
Hana's mouth dropped a little as she stared at her surroundings. She'd seen San Fransokoyo Institute of Music and Fine Arts in the brochures and in online photos, but this blew her expectations into smithereens. The photos she saw in no way prepared her for how incredibly amazing this school looked or how humongous it was.
There was so much lush greenery on the campus. There was also a lot of colourful flowers and plants, and they looked to be very well tended to. Everything was extremely beautiful and breathtaking, she couldn't take her eyes off of it. Was this really a school? It seemed as though she had just stepped into one of those botanical gardens rather than a college. Even the big fountain she was standing beside was beautiful. Seeing it in the brochure and seeing it in real life were definitely two different experiences.
Hana watched students walk alone or with their friends and some of them sporting all sorts of instrumental cases or an art portfolio case. Some students were sitting or lying down on the grass and under trees. Everyone looked relaxed and content, and she could relate to them. It was impossible not to feel relaxed and happy when you were basically surrounded by beauty.
"Boo."
Startled, Hana swung around and was met with Evan's grin and twinkling green eyes. She placed a hand over her rapidly beating heart and playfully pushed his arm.
"You scared me!" She laughed, unable to even feign annoyance at him.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. You looked really distracted." His chuckled along with her. He couldn't help that either, she had the cutest and most contagious laugh.
"I was in awe at everything."
"Is this your first time at the school?"
She nodded her head vigorously and looked around briefly. "Yeah. It's way better than in the pictures."
"Wait until you see everything else." Evan smiled, his eyes twinkling, and he offered his elbow like a gentleman. "Shall we?"
Touched by the gentlemanly gesture, she slipped her hand in the crook of his elbow. Smiling up at him, she nodded enthusiastically and giggled. "We shall."
Evan was a terrific guide. He showed her practically everything, even his favourite spots to study or sleep, and he described each place he showed her really well. He also answered any questions she had, though she was so blown away by the school she barely had questions. If she thought the main campus area was beautiful, she had no idea what to think of everywhere else. The further they traveled into campus, the quieter it got with the occasional sound of music playing in one of the practice rooms. It was really serene and beautiful here; perfect for playing music or doing art.
Much to her excitement and joy, Evan actually led her to the area with most of the practice rooms. As they walked down one of the wide hallways, she glanced into the door windows as they passed by the many rooms. There were already some students practicing with their instruments, some of them were alone and some of them were with other students.
Finding an empty practice room, the tall brunet opened the door and gestured for her to go in first.
"Oh my god. This is a practice room? It's so huge!" Gleefully, she ran inside the practice room Evan had led her to. She noticed the grand piano and made a beeline for it. It was beautiful! It was only a baby grand, but it was still so beautiful. In her house back in her hometown, she had an upright piano and she only played on grand pianos during her piano recitals.
"This is one of the bigger ones." Evan leaned against the piano and smiled at her.
Gracefully, she sat down on the piano bench and glanced up at him. "For group practices, right?"
"Right. My quartet usually practices in rooms like this." Without needing to be asked to, Evan opened up the baby grand so that any sound made could be traveled out. He could practically see her fingers itching to press down on the piano keys. "You can play on it, if you want." And he really wanted to hear her play.
A blush spread across her cheeks. Was it that obvious? She wanted to play so badly, but she hadn't practiced in a few weeks. "I don't know…I haven't really practiced in a while so I might sound rusty." A part of her didn't want to embarrass herself in front of Evan, especially because he was a music student. How bad would it look if she messed up in front of him?
"It's okay." He smiled warmly at her, his green eyes crinkling at the end. He didn't want her to feel embarrassed at all or think that he would judge her. He definitely wasn't like some of those snobby music students that go to his school. From what he could tell, she was a hard worker. It wasn't easy taking on a full time job and trying to get used to the city life so it was understandable that she didn't always have time for practicing.
"Play something you're comfortable with." He encouraged as he sat beside her on the piano bench, closer to one end so she had enough room to stretch her arms.
Well…there were a few pieces she was comfortable with. And it would be such a waste not to play on this gorgeous baby grand before they left.
So with that in mind, she rotated her wrists to loosen them up before resting her fingers on the keys. And then, her fingers began flying across them with ease as the notes she memorized long ago flooded her mind. Slowly, her eyes shut and she immersed herself into the music.
Evan watched in awe at how smoothly and graceful her playing was. It felt as though her playing was coming from the heart and there was a lot of emotion in the piece. He was really…moved. It wasn't that he hadn't met great pianists before, but for some reason, he liked the way Hana played; she was just as amazing as the pianists he knew. With more practice and lessons with the professors here, she would make a promising pianist. Maybe she could even be his accompanist too, though that was wishful thinking.
After a few more minutes of playing, Hana finally stopped. The moment she did, Evan started clapping and a blush rose on her face. For a second, she had forgotten he had been beside her.
"S-sorry, I sort of lost myself." She chuckled and cupped the back of her neck in embarrassment.
He shook his head vigorously and smiled warmly. "Don't be sorry. That was really great. I know what it's like to lose yourself in the music."
That had her grinning up at him and this time, a blush crept up the back of his neck and then dusted his cheeks. Clearing his throat a little, he ignored the way his stomach did a flip and stood up slowly.
"Let me show you the rest of the places." Again, he offered his elbow like a gentleman and a small feeling of delight shot through him when she tucked her hand in there.
Half an hour later, they were back outside after he had shown her the last few things on campus. There was a content and serene smile resting on Hana's face, even though on the inside she was even more excited about everything.
"So, what did you think?" Evan asked after the tour. They were sitting down in one of the quieter areas of campus, surrounded by plush flower bushes. Hana fidgeted, trying to gather up all her thoughts.
"A bit overwhelmed, but in a good way." She finally said, smiling up at him. "This school is gorgeous. I love everything about it."
There was a slight pause.
"I really want to go here." She said with determination. Before when she'd first discovered the school, her goal was to come here. However, actually being shown around the school by Evan, that desire burned even brighter and she knew that she had to come to this school. It was everything she'd ever dreamed of and more. "I'll cry if I can't get in."
Evan smiled softly and gently tapped her shoulder with his own. "No crying. You'll get in, I guarantee it." There was a slight hesitation before he reached up to rub her head fondly. "You're not alone. I'll help you as much as I can."
"Thank you, Evan." She was so grateful to have met him. Maybe it was pure good luck that they met or maybe she was destined to meet him. But she was really glad she did. Making friends was what she had worried about a lot when she first moved into the big city. But now, she realized she didn't have to worry much anymore. She'd already met several great people, including Tadashi and Evan, and for that, she was truly thankful.
Suddenly, she stood up and offered Evan her hand. "Let's go get some lunch. My treat."
"How could I ever refuse free food?" Evan joked and he enveloped her hand with his. Surprisingly, she had a lot of strength as she pulled him up and he couldn't help rubbing the top of her head again, only this time it was in a teasing way. "You're surprisingly really strong."
"Don't underestimate me. I may be tiny, but I pack a punch." She huffed playfully, shaking her head to straighten up the hair he ruffled up.
A laugh rose from Evan's chest and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He pulled her along towards the nearest campus exit and grinned. "For some reason, I don't doubt that."
Finally, classes were over and Tadashi was heading home for a good days rest. Most days he would've stayed a little later after classes to work on random projects or study, but today he just wanted to go home.
His friends had bombarded him with questions, most of them revolving around Hana, and somehow he had survived that. He tried his best to answer honestly, but also tried to skirt around them. It was good to be honest, but he didn't have to tell them the whole truth, especially when he didn't even know what the truth was himself.
Tadashi heaved a sigh as he lifted up his cap with one hand and ran his other hand through his hair. A cup of iced tea and a muffin sounded really good right about now.
When he arrived the front of the café, he pushed the entrance open and instantly his eyes landed on the people sitting at one of the tables. Immediately, Tadashi's lip thinned and his eyebrows twitched into a slight frown.
It was Hana and…Evan. And they looked to be having a good time.
So, it look as though she had taken up Evan's offer. Not that it was any of his business if she did or not. At the same time though, a strange feeling bloomed in his chest when he thought of Hana and Evan together. He wanted to be the one showing her around and having refreshing drinks after. He wanted to be the one sitting there with her, talking to her and laughing with her.
When Hana's eyes met his, he softened up instantaneously and smiled back at her. He waved at her and continued his trek to the back kitchen. Briefly, he kissed his Aunt Cass on the cheek and made his way to the refrigerator. And with a tad bit more force than necessary, he closed the fridge door and began pouring himself a glass of the iced tea his Aunt always had prepared.
"What'd the fridge do to you?" Hiro piped up, leaning against the entrance that lead to their house.
The frown on Tadashi's face furrowed a little more, slightly annoyed that his little brother picked up the littlest things. Sometimes, that kid was way too smart. "Nothing…just tired. Long day at school and stuff." The last thing Tadashi wanted to do was try to explain confusing feelings to his kid brother.
Hiro's expression morphed into one of skepticism, but he said no more. He just stared at his brother and fought the smug smile that threatened to form on his lips.
This time it didn't take my weeks to upload a new chapter, haha. I really wanted to get this out before my final exams tomorrow, eek! For this chapter, I made it longer and tried adding more detail. I hope that's okay and I hope you guys liked it! I'm not the best at describing music, but I tried my best to. Hopefully, that part will get easier as the days go on. As for Hana, I wouldn't say she's a genius pianist or anything. She actually just practices very hard and has a passion for it.
Thank you to everyone who favourite, followed, read, and reviewed! And a huge thank you to Naomi, frostystuffs, and RellaRose100! You guys were so encouraging ;w; And RellaRose100, you totally saved my bacon in the last chapter! I definitely wouldn't have noticed if you didn't tell me and for that I'm so grateful :D
I hope everyone has a wonderful day!
~Mari