A/N: Once again, Headlights has been neglected under the crushing time constraints of A-level revision! Goodness, when am I ever going to actually update something consistently?
Anyway, my lovely readers, I've made sure to make this chapter a pretty lengthy and nice one. A whole ton of fluff and angst and wholesome animal facts are gonna bombarded into this chapter. I kinda forgotten that Headlights was cut off right where it starts to get good.
Once again, thanks everyone for all the support. My little author's heart races with joy whenever I see that someone out there is enjoying my weird writing.
Stay safe and well beyond the screen my lovelies,
Drama :)
Chapter Four: Holed Up
Out of the many possible buildings she had been expecting, Clementine had not expected this. When she had initially accepted Louis' invitation to weather the incoming storm at his place, she had pictured him as the sort of guy to live in a pretty small yet eye-catching place. Perhaps an apartment, littered all over with objects that he swore had some kind of sentimental importance but really just looked like a collection of clutter he'd piled up over the years. Or maybe he'd have a house that had been split into two, bought by his wealthy parents and used as an escape from whatever expectations they had for him.
Colourful, vibrant, Louis seemed like the type of guy to have a home that oozed the same amount of eccentricity as he did. From just looking at it alone, absorbing all the strange yet somehow pleasant combinations, Clementine had pictured his home as something to marvel at. Unconventional. Odd. Peculiar. Yeah, those words seemed to mesh well with the idea of the Louis that Clementine had recently met.
So why did his home seem to be the exact opposite of that?
Large, unremarkable and pretty modern and conventional, the building that Clementine found herself standing in front of was a lot more serious and bland than she had predicted it to be. With the building's smooth white walls and gravel drive, she was sure that they had arrived at the wrong place. Sure, with all the trees surrounding the place and the lack of urban distractions, large windows actually did feel like a sensible design choice. But, paired with the commonplace drive and pristine white walls, Clementine couldn't help but find it all a little too jarring when compared to the handfuls of personality that Louis had hurled her way. Too constricted.
For God's sake, the man's car was painted bright green. Green. What sort of person who was bold enough for a car like that would settle for a home that looked just like every other generic, rich person's humble abode?
Verging on the tip of her tongue, something witty and sarcastic wanted to escape Clementine's mouth as she stood before the building. How could one person be so contradictory? How could one person, who she had barely known for even a day, get under her skin so easily? Louis, somehow, was a strange enigma to Clementine's brain; no matter how much she tried to prevent it, told her brain not to dig deeper, she found herself asking more and more questions about him.
Maybe it was because she had always needed to be careful in order to survive. Asking questions, trying to gather information about her surroundings, was something Clementine had relied on ever since Lee had left her life. In order to navigate the world - alone - a younger Clementine had to learn to be inquisitive. In order to understand other people - to protect herself and AJ - Clementine had to ask questions about them, dig deeper into their pasts and present and everything in between.
All because he was helping them out for a few days didn't mean that Louis was excluded from the poking, prying analysis of Clementine's brain. If anything, it made her all the more critical and judgmental, keeping note of every scrap of information she gained. Even if that information was simply which type of building he lived in.
"Louis," Calm, almost too calm for a boy of his age, AJ's eyes were wide as he peered up at the man. Tiny, one of his hands was engulfed in one of Clementine's, held tight and secure in case they needed to bolt away at any given second. "How rich are you?"
Laughter. Rich, stomach-tingling laughter was what left Louis' system at AJ's innocent question. Real laughter, genuine laughter, the kind that crinkled at his earth brown eyes and rippled the wave of freckles over his nose, was the sort that escaped Louis' lungs. Lighthearted, carefree, his laughter was the kind of thing that could make all of the world's problems shrink into nothingness. Infectious, it even made Clementine feel her own lips start to quirk with a tiny grin.
"AJ," Correcting both him and herself - for that traitorous smile - Clementine's voice was low and chiding as she looked down at the small boy. Sighing, she shook her head, "You shouldn't ask people how rich they are. It's not polite."
"No, he's totally justified in asking," Still smiling, Louis shrugged as he stuffed a hand into one of his pockets. Sheepish, the other hand scratched at back of his neck as he added, "You can't really blame the little guy for being curious."
"So you are loaded?" AJ immediately set back into his interrogation, excitement settling into his eyes as a wide smile split the features on his face. Only with a gentle tug from Clementine did he calm down, rolling his eyes as he added in a much more professional tone, "I mean, you have stuff that looks expensive so you must be loaded."
Silently groaning at the tactlessness of her younger sibling, Clementine couldn't help but let out a tiny sigh. Of course, like all kids, AJ would be excited at the prospect of meeting what was essentially a billionaire to him. Kids never really have a good grasp of the value of money; if you told them that they had five thousand dollars, they would really run with it and exclaim that they would never have to work another day in their life.
Money was something Clementine and AJ never really had a lot of. Between her day jobs and night jobs, Clementine rarely made enough to actually scrape by comfortably. More often than not she found herself not eating at all, pushing whatever was meant for her plate right onto AJ's. Not that he had ever noticed. Part of the magic of childhood - something Clementine had been lacking for years now - was the ignorant bliss to the horrible reality of your own existence.
For AJ, a boy who already had so much ripped away from his childhood, Clementine could happily say that she had done well to preserve what she could. Aside from the constant moves across the country, running away from someone that they both feared with their lives, AJ had more or less had a pretty normal upbringing. Bedtimes. Schooling. Trips to places that were full of wonder and joy. Yeah, Clementine had done the best she could for him.
So was it really surprising that he could be so impressed by something as simple as money?
"I guess by definition I'm rich," Louis' voice broke Clementine from her tangent of thoughts, the gleam of another set of keys capturing her attention. As they walked up to the front door, gravel crunching beneath the soles of their shoes, she couldn't help but frown as it felt like he was gloating about his fortunate circumstances, "Some might even say loaded."
"Cool!" Completely unaware to the tension sitting within Clementine's system, AJ beamed. Excited, enthusiastic, he was more or less bouncing on the balls of his feet as he clutched at Clementine's arm and pointed to Louis, "Clem, we're friends with a billionaire!"
"I think billionaire is a bit of a stretch here, Goofball," Definitely sporting a withering look on her face, Clementine gave a tight smile to Louis. One that displayed how unimpressed she was by his attempts to dazzle them both with his abundant wealth.
Unlike AJ, a child who could be swayed by the unknown, she was a person grounded in reality. Clementine was a woman who adapted to her own circumstances, learned from everything around her in order to know how to appropriately react. Simple things like money wouldn't win her over. To gain her trust, to make her trust you, you had to show a lot more capability than simply having enough money to throw around.
"Or an underestimate," Completely unphased by her snippy comment, Louis simply grinned wider as he unlocked the front door. Winking, he added in a whisper, "I'll let you decide for me."
"Which would be dangerous to let two strangers do," Falling back into the habit of being responsible, rational, Clementine frowned as she and AJ stepped inside. Louis, playing the role of a gentleman it seemed, had held the door open for them. Like they were the ones with money falling out of their ears instead of him. Raising a brow as she crouched to unzip AJ's jacket, Clementine continued, "Who says we're not here to rob you?"
"If you were planning to rob me, you would have already done it," Rolling his eyes, Louis sounded confidentially certain as he kicked off his shoes and set down his keys. Unsurprisingly, he was sporting odd socks. Now that was something that made sense about him in Clementine's brain. "Plus it's rude to rob a guy when you haven't even been given a tour of all his expensive and really valuable things."
"Were you dropped on your head as a baby?" Standing up from her jacket unzipping, Clementine placed her hands on her hips as she glared at the man. Beside her, AJ was blinking, gripping onto his backpack's straps uncertainly, "Because it sounds like you're tempting me to rob you."
"Nope," Shaking his head, amusement danced in Louis' eyes as he folded his long arms and met her challenging stare. "Although there were a few close calls."
Close calls her ass. If Clementine really wanted to be honest about it, say what her mind was dying to scream out, she would have said something along the lines of 'you were definitely dropped as a baby'. No sane person did what this guy was doing. No sane person, within a hundred mile radius, would so spontaneously take in a strange young woman and her adoptive brother who didn't exactly look the most like her.
Yet Louis, this strange stranger who kept on getting even more strange, had done exactly that. Meeting her snippy remarks with equally as witty jokes, keeping AJ engaged, he was actually wedging himself into a place in her brain, a permanent place within her memories. But why? Why bother to make an impression with someone that you would never see again after a few days? To Clementine, it just didn't make sense.
"Clem pushed me off a wall once when I was younger," Breaking the silence, now holding his jacket within his tiny hands, AJ pitched in his own contribution to the conversation. Grinning at his elder sister, recalling the days in which she was much happier, he added, "We were pretending to be birds. She said that baby ones get pushed out the nest to see if they can fly, and only the best ones survive. When she pushed me off the wall, Clem said that she was teaching me how to survive the fall - even if I scraped my knees."
Curiously, Louis' gaze flickered from AJ right back to Clementine. Clementine herself, biting her lip as she focused on untying her shoes - keeping her hands busy -, remained silent. Now she had definitely been exposed for having a softer, more gentle side. A soft spot for animals, for her younger brother, for so many different things that she had always hoped to show to no-one else but those she truly cared about.
"Yeah, that's right," Nodding, Louis hummed as he responded to AJ's unexpected input. Turning back to the boy and flashing him a smile, he laughed, "Guess that makes us the best in a way - for surviving this long."
Yeah. In a way - Clementine agreed - they had done well to make it this far. And, in the breath of relief that was the following silence, she found herself smiling a relieved and tiny grin, grateful that Louis hadn't exposed her unusual timidness.
She didn't know why, but Clementine was avoiding Louis like the plague. After a grand tour of the grounds that he called home, enduring the countless questions that poured from AJ's curious mind and an awkward ass dinner, she wanted nothing more than to just sleep and never wake up. Again. But that would be impossible because who would look after AJ if she were to spontaneously fall asleep and never wake up once more?
No-one. That was the answer. So, as much as Clementine wanted to erase her mark on the world, she had remain within it. She would have to survive the long days ahead that would definitely feel like some kind of torture as the snow kept piling up and the winds rattled against the fragile windows.
Not long after they had first arrived, enthusiastically guided by Louis toward the first stop of his grand tour, the snow had began to fall. White, engulfing, constant, the delicate snowflakes had been relentless in their spread over the past few hours. Joined with the howling winds and the darkening swirl of clouds in the sky and Clementine could safely say that escaping this situation was now impossible. Unrealistic.
For the next few days - at the very least - she would be trapped within the confines of this building. No way in and no way out - unless she wanted to get stranded in an even shittier situation, which was rather tempting when considering the next few days she'd have to endure.
Now, Clementine had never been a very claustrophobic nor antsy person. Dying of boredom definitely wasn't her first fear when it came to being trapped in this place. Louis did have some pretty cool things to occupy time with: being a musical person, he had a few instruments stocked up within a spare room; board games and card games seemed to be something he enjoyed too as she had caught a glimpse of quite a few of them around the place. Plus, TV always could be placeholder for any particularly tough patch of boredom.
No, boredom wasn't the problem for Clementine. She didn't fear it much either, used to the long stretches of a blank mind as she drove along an empty highway, nothing but black tarmac and regular strips of light to keep her company.
For Clementine, Louis was the problem. Louis was her fear. Being around him was a lot more nerve-wracking and stress-inducing than having to face boredom.
Particularly, Clementine couldn't say why she didn't want to be around the friendly-seeming man. Most of her chalked it up to the growing frustrations she felt whenever she saw him sport one of his signature, infectious grins, trying to get her to defrost and warm up to him and his bubbly personality.
But, in reality, being around new people had always been a tough thing for Clementine to endure ever since Lee had disappeared, ever since she left Kenny and Florida. Trusting new people and being vulnerable around them was like asking a wild animal to suddenly trust humans, rolling over onto its belly and revealing all of its weak spots after being hunted relentlessly for most of its life. New people were always a testy subject for Clementine. New people were always something she had avoided whilst living her life on the run.
Last time she had been forced to trust new people, cross into the uncharted territory of relying on others, Clementine had caused them a world of unnecessary suffering and pain. Someone had lost their home. Someone's heart had been broken. Someone else had lost their life. In the end, all Clementine ever did leave behind was a path of destruction and turmoil. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Only AJ had managed to endure the catastrophic levels of bad luck that Clementine appeared to drag along behind her. Only he, her oldest and most trusted companion, had been able to survive and brave the dangers that flooded into her life with every passing day, every passing second. But, yet again, AJ was only in danger because of Clementine herself. Because of her own selfish decision to take him with her and run away from everything they had ever known.
"You still owe me, Clem," Comfortably swaddled up in a bundle of spare blankets Louis had found for them, AJ wore a serious look on his face as he turned away from the window beside him. Since Louis had told him a fact about owls - their eyes being luminous or something - the boy had been frantically trying to spot one for himself ever since Clementine announced that it was bedtime. "You forgot to tell me the animal fact of the day this morning."
"Did I?" Smoothing out the blankets around him, wiping away a slight trace of the quick shower he'd had earlier on in the evening, Clementine sighed as AJ nodded, "Sorry, goofball. I must've forgotten to," Pressing her lips into a thin line, she paused for a second, "A lot has happened today."
"Yeah," AJ quietly agreed, hunkering down on the mass of pillows - also generously supplied by Louis. When Clementine had questioned why he had so many spare bedding items, the man had simply shrugged and said that he had a lot of sleepovers. "But I'm glad it turned out this way. Louis is super nice and..." One big yawn cut through his speech, stretching his mouth, "And there aren't many nice people that we can trust anymore."
Pursing her lips at AJ's words, her hands tense balls on her lap, Clementine couldn't help but feel her heart throb, "Yeah. There aren't many people we can trust anymore."
Silence flitted over the pair, heavy and stifling. While Clementine sunk into her own thoughts, pondering on how exactly they had fallen into this version of the present, AJ was less broody. Instead, adjusting his cocoon once more and shooting Clementine a confident smile, he decided to diffuse the nasty, clinging feeling from the air. The choking, strangling sensation that always seemed to make his older sister become silent and stoic.
"It's ok, Clem," Gentle, soft, AJ's tiny voice filled the void of the room. Eyelids droopy, the doziness kicking in from the day's events, he smiled once more, "I'll tell the animal fact of the day. This one can be about sea otters."
"Sea otters?" Clementine repeated, blinking as she stared at the young boy.
"Yes," AJ nodded, another yawn escaping his system. Rubbing at his eyes, the boy added, "They hold hands while they're sleeping so that the other one doesn't drift away," Now holding Clementine's hand tightly within his own, AJ closed his eyes, "So if I do this and fall asleep, no matter what happens, we can't drift away from each other either. That way no-one can come and separate us during the night."
Smiling at the fact - one that she had already told AJ, years ago when he had first been afraid to fall asleep so far away from home - Clementine couldn't help but feel slightly soothed by his words. Subtle words. Gentle words. In his own strange but sweet way, AJ was telling her not to worry, not to even think about him disappearing, because he was going to stay right there, holding onto her hand no matter what came next.
Watching as the boy fell asleep, his eyes more or less fluttering closed after a few seconds, Clementine squeezed his hand within her own. There was still so much innocence within her little goofball. There was still so much that he didn't know about their lives. And yet, even then, a selfish part of Clementine was still grateful for his ever-lasting presence, his constant place by her side throughout their turbulent childhood.
"Don't worry, AJ," Planting a gentle kiss on the boy's forehead, Clementine sighed as she squeezed his hand for a final time, "I'm going to fix this mess."
Because this wasn't the first time she had messed up so horribly - nor would it probably be the last. But, may God strike her down in this moment, Clementine wasn't going to let it ruin AJ's chance at having as normal a childhood as possible. If anything, it would drive her to work even harder to ensure that no-one could take it from him ever again.
Soft, melodic, the sound of a piano's delicate notes rang through the quiet atmosphere of the house. Gentle, complicated... kind of beautiful. As each press of the keys drifted to her ears, floated as a soft echo of a soothing melody in the air, Clementine couldn't help but feel herself wondering why, just why, Louis was up and playing a piano of all things at this hour of the night. Although - in his defense - it wasn't like she could exactly sleep either.
Even though she should have been asleep, AJ well and truly conked out after dinner, Clementine couldn't find herself following in his footsteps. Every method to fall asleep, from counting sheep to reading, had failed so far. Even though she knew that she was relatively safe, out of state and far away from the trail the hunters had followed to find her and AJ, and even though she was tired, fatigue dragging on her muscles and weighing on her eyelids, Clementine couldn't sleep. At all.
Instead, wide awake, she had resorted to watching the snow fall, legs tucked into her chest and curled up into the thin barrier of her sleep shirt - a shirt Lee had given her nearly ten years ago. Her last trace of Lee leftover from her years of running and hiding. Sometimes, if she closed her eyes and focused enough, she could still sense him, catch the familiar scent of long-gone presence.
Being left alone and awake at night was always a horrible experience for Clementine. With all the horrible thoughts and memories she had swarming within her mind, only kept at bay by keeping busy and concerning herself with looking after AJ, she had never liked being left to her own devices for too long. Silence was always a void that beckoned to be filled with noise; darkness tended to intensify the unpleasant ones.
Maybe that was why Clementine found herself sitting at the window, watching as delicate snowflakes drifted down from the pitch black sky. Landing on the ground, the trees and everything in between, the unique crystals fluttered like tiny butterflies despite the powerful winds that howled and swirled around them. Peaceful, serene, above all the chaos, the moon was silver and stationary, full and reflective like a gleaming mirror as it overlooked the snow-covered earth.
"I don't want to try it," When she was younger, resentful of the snow and its stinging coldness, Clementine remembered lingering on the wooden porch, carefully eyeing the snowdrifts that had built up in Lee's back garden. Biting winds and a chilly draft threatened to pierce the material of her jacket, making her shiver despite her scarf and gloves. Her complete opposite, excited and grinning, Duck - her childhood friend - was already falling into the snow, laughing as it clung to his freshly shaven head.
"Come, on Clem, it's fun!" Rolling around on the snowy ground, his laughter forming misty clouds in the winter air, Duck's face was red. As he moved his arms and legs around, trying to make a snow angel, the boy had grinned once more, showing off the gap where he had lost his front tooth. He'd been paid a quarter by the tooth fairy for it. "The snow's not gonna hurt ya! It's just... snow."
"I still don't like it," Frowning at the snow, stomping on it with the thick material of her boots, Clementine had shivered once more, "It's cold."
Duck's response had been to throw a snowball at her face, collapsing into a fit of guffaws and chuckles as a younger Clementine had spluttered and squealed. Cold. Freezing. Biting. That snowball had been a very unpleasant and unexpected surprise. Falling into her hair, melting on the warm skin of her face, Clementine could have sworn that in that moment she had felt terrible, wanted to run back inside and get back to the toasty warmth of the fire.
Yet now, looking back, Clementine wished she could go back to those days. Those days when Duck was still around - still alive - throwing snowballs at her or laughing as he pushed her into the freezing depths of a lake. Those days where Lee would be there to pick her up from school, AJ grinning as he gained a free piggyback ride and squealed as Lee tickled at his ribs. Those days when... Those days when...
Standing up from the window, turning away from the snow before she could burst into tears, Clementine stood up and walked toward the guest room door. Opening it, she stepped out into the gloomy confines of the hallway, only the moonlight flooding through other open doors and a lone window lighting up the space. Still constant, lingering, the piano playing continued, much stronger and louder the closer Clementine got toward the distant music room.
Just down the hall, a few steps downstairs, and she would be able to see where that sound was coming from - catch Louis right in the act. Then she could berate him for not letting her sleep, drown out the thoughts of her past life with the annoyance that came from his persistent, friendly demeanour. Yes. Just down that hall, a few steps down that staircase, and Clementine could stop thinking about Duck, thinking about Lee, thinking about why she now hated snow more than ever.
"Clementine?"
Part of her had chickened out once she'd reached the music room. Cracking open the door just a little bit, peeping her head inside to spy, she hadn't expected to gain wobbly knees and a locked away voice. But, seeing Louis there, sat at the piano, a sheet with pencil markings on it and moonlight streaming in from the skylight above, she suddenly found herself unable to say a single word. Do a single thing.
Concentrated. Deeply concentrated. Louis was focused on something else, another world entirely as he continued to play, shoulders shifting and hands moving with a grace and skill that Clementine herself had never really gotten to see in person before. Everyone she knew either didn't play an instrument or had focused on mastering the violin or guitar, their fingers calloused from how much they had practiced.
Yet playing the piano, making soft notes drift from the beautiful black and white keys, was something breath-taking once seen in person. Especially at such a strange and peculiar hour, almost supernatural in its setting and - dare she say - magical in the glow of a winter's moon.
For a moment, Clementine was stuck, almost frozen in place at the door as she stared, unable to pull her gaze away. But then, as if sensing her inability to snap out of her trance, something made a noise - that something being Clementine bumping into a guitar.
Now she was caught red-handed, eyes wide as a deer caught in headlights as Louis turned to inspect the source of the interruption, all piano-playing coming to an abrupt stop. As soon as the sound of the music was gone, Clementine felt part of her heart deflate, missing the added comfort of the melody. Even if it wasn't familiar, wasn't something she had particularly wanted, she did find the music soothing. Grounding.
Without it, she was now forced to interact with the person she'd been avoiding like the plague. Nervous, twitchy almost like a cat backed into a corner, Clementine couldn't help but feel on edge as Louis spotted her, his attention now definitely taken away from the piano.
"I..." Unable to find her voice, partially embarrassed that she had not been as stealthy as she had wanted, Clementine felt herself blush. Too much. It didn't help that she'd remembered that she was only in a pair of shorts and Lee's old shirt, "I was just looking for the bathroom."
"Really?" Grinning innocently, almost as if her nervous presence alone was amusing, Louis raised a brow. Continuing in a simple tone, as if stating the obvious, he added, "That's a long way from here."
"I got lost," Was Clementine's simple response, blunt and frosty like the ice swirling around in the storm outside. Folding her arms over her chest, she mustered up the best semi-glare she could, "And I'm pretty tired. Has anyone ever told you that it's kind of inconsiderate to play the piano during the middle of the night?"
"And here I thought someone actually enjoyed my playing," Letting out a dramatic sigh, Louis turned back to his piano. Shutting the lid over the keys, sealing away the glistening white and black rectangles, he began to visibly pack up his midnight playing session, "Oh well."
Guilt now spiked Clementine's gut - especially since she didn't really have a say in what Louis did in his own home. Really, it wasn't like they were anything significant, she was just crashing here with AJ until her car was fixed up and the storm cleared up enough for her to move on. Nothing more. Nothing less. So what harm would it really do to endure a few nights of piano playing? Or, rather, how much damage could it do to try and meet Louis in the middle?
Playing the piano didn't really do any harm. Having something to concentrate on, especially when you couldn't sleep late a night, was often the difference between feeling sane or going insane from listening to your thoughts on loop.
Feeling her heart thump within the confines of her chest, Clementine quietly piped up, "What song was it?"
"What was that?" Catching her question, but acting as if he didn't, Louis couldn't hide the small twitch to his lips as he glanced at Clementine, the sheets of paper he had been collecting now within his hands.
Of course it would be entirely expected for him to drag this out for her. Insufferable and frustrating, Louis always pushed at Clementine's tiny leeway in order to see how much he could really get from her with enough grins and lighthearted jabs. Used to all grim and gloom and doom, AJ loved that aspect of Louis, marveled at how he was so positive and fun; filled with grim and gloom and doom, Clementine never really had much patience for such things.
Now, though, she had stuck herself right in the middle of this situation. By trying to soothe the scorch of her own words, she had dug herself a deeper hole.
"What song were you playing?" Speaking louder this time, telling herself that she would not explore deeper into unknown territory than this, Clementine raised a brow. Leaning against the doorway, trying to keep it cool and casual, she hid the racing pace of her heart beneath a plain and yet inquisitive face, "I don't think I've ever heard a song like that before."
Under the weight of her awaiting gaze, Louis was now the floundering and nervous-looking one. Only a handful of times had Clementine seen him like this thus far, often when he assumed that he had overstepped when it came to her personal boundaries. Like those times, Louis was shrinking into himself, brushing it all behind a sheepish grin and small neck scratch. Unlike those times, he was a lot quieter, avoiding her gaze.
"I... it's something I came up with myself," Eventually answering the question, Louis seemed to have regained some of his former confidence as he looked up from the papers in his hands. Almost back to normal, almost embarrassed at his admission, he added with a slight chuckle, "I still haven't named it, though."
"Well, I liked it," Smiling herself now, glad that she could bat off the awkwardness that had clung in the air around them, Clementine found herself relaxing. Loosening up. So much so that she admitted the truth in a gentle and yet earnest voice, "You're really good at playing the piano," Biting her lip now, focusing on the instrument instead of its owner, she added, "I've never actually seen someone play it in person before - let alone gotten to touch one."
"Now that you've said that, you have to," Standing up from the bench by the piano, lifting up the lid, Louis gave her an excited and equally imploring look. Nodding toward Clementine, now wide-eyed and looking as if she were gonna to bolt out of the room, he smiled reassuringly, "Come on."
"I really shouldn't," Shaking her head, feeling the unfamiliar sensation of her loose curls hitting her face, Clementine began to back away. Somehow, though, she still lingered in the room, wavering between agreeing or tucking tail and running straight back to the guest room. "It's really late and- "
"It won't take long," Cutting off her excuse, calling out the invalid excuse, Louis flashed another excited grin. Much more gentler this time, as if asking her to trust him, the man added, "Promise."
How could she say no to such a request? Such a simple, innocent and yet also generous request? AJ would flip if she told him that she passed on this opportunity.
Releasing a tiny sigh, Clementine relented and began to hurriedly make her way over to Louis. Aware, hyper aware, she could feel the draft from the cold outside brush against her legs as she walked, replaced by the soft material of the bench as she sat down on it. Before her were the piano keys, glistening under the moonlight and feeling somewhat intimidating with Louis' presence right by her side. Nevertheless, releasing a short sharp breath, Clementine pressed a single key.
Abrupt. High-pitched. The single key's note rang around the room like a lackluster scream from the piano.
"Ok," Clementine gave a tinny smile. Turning to Louis, raising a brow, she gave away her desire to just run as she muttered, "Done. Happy now?"
"No, you've gotta do it properly, get the whole experience," Very much dissatisfied by her lackluster performance and enthusiasm, Louis shook his head. Then, he was taking her hands, guiding them toward different keys on the piano. Gentle, warm, guiding, his larger hands more or less engulfed Clementine's as she pressed out note after note, forming the familiar melody of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
Playing the piano like this was definitely odd, definitely nerve-wracking. Having someone so close to her, touching her hands and able to easily overpower her, was not at all comfortable for Clementine. Years had passed since she had felt the warmth of someone other than AJ prickle the hairs on the back of neck; years had passed since someone had taught her a new skill, walked her through it like a small child learning to tie their shoes.
And yet, as Louis guided her to each key, smiled as she slowly loosened up with every new press, Clementine could feel herself relaxing, growing warm at the sensation of actually learning something, making a pleasant memory with someone new. Soon she didn't mind that Louis was invading her personal space, nor that he let out a slight puff of a laugh when she tried to push his hands away from making her press the wrong note. In fact, Clementine was starting to enjoy herself.
Once they had played through the song twice, Louis moved away, whistling with appreciation as she continued by herself, "See? You're totally a natural."
"I think you're being a bit biased here," Glancing up at him with a sly smile, Clementine halted in her playing and folded her arms across her chest. None of her could resist lacing the slight jab into her words - even if she was grateful for the chance to touch a real life piano.
"Not at all," Playing into her words, Louis shook his head. Then he shrugged, dropping his voice to a conspiring whisper as he grinned at her, "I just know natural talent when I see it."
Laughter wanted to bubble from Clementine's system from his words. Genuine laughter, light laughter, the kind of sound she hadn't let out in years, wanted to rise from Clementine's throat and linger in the air around them. Part of her did voice that desire, twitching at her lips as she averted her bashful gaze from the man; another part of her locked it up, keeping her reserved and quiet as the seconds ticked on by between them.
With all the pauses they kept having, silence seemed to be a key part of Clementine and Louis' dynamic now. Silences where Clementine battled with letting herself slip up, cracking the tiniest of smiles or gentlest of laughs. Silences where Louis seemed just as uncertain as her, all humour and brightness used to mask the nerves that settled beneath each and every sheepish action. Words, as lovely as they were, always had an easy-to-screw-up element to them.
Even now, when Clementine knew that she should really just get up and call it a night, she was aware of fact that doing so would be a mistake. At least at this point, where she had a lot of unsaid words that needed to be said.
"I didn't get to properly thank you," Turning back to Louis, Clementine's voice was soft and somber, her hands resting against the cool surface of the piano's keys. As she delivered her message, she noticed how Louis' face began to crinkle, ready to protest whatever she was about to say. "For all of this."
"Like I said, it's no big de- "
"I don't care," Cutting him off, Clementine continued. Whether he knew it or not, Louis was doing both her and AJ a huge favour. He didn't have to stick around and make sure that she got home safely; he didn't have to tell her to save her money and not waste it on a motel; he didn't have to do any of the stuff he had done for them both in the past twelve hours alone. And Clementine was grateful for it. Profusely.
Taking time out of his day, making the effort to ensure that she and AJ weren't let stranded in the middle of nowhere, was admirable. Crazy, but admirable. Hardened and conditioned as she was, desensitized so much after living so many years on the run, Clementine could recognise when someone had good intentions at heart; she could spot the difference between those with superficial intent and those with genuine concern in a heartbeat.
Louis, although it pained her to admit as much, seemed to be the latter. Genuinely, he just wanted to help her and AJ. His reasoning for that, Clementine wasn't too sure about - but she could definitely see that he had simply been looking out for them, trying to lighten the load she carried on her shoulders.
"I still want to make it even," Her hands balling up the fabric of Lee's old shirt, crinkling the already aged fabric, Clementine sighed. Determined, firm, her face said it all as she met Louis' gaze, "I don't like not showing gratitude. I wasn't raised that way."
For a moment, Louis was silent. Then, in a moment of understanding, a moment of true clarity, all rebuttals seemed to melt from his face. There was no need for Clementine to share her whole life's story with him - from a single glance Louis had deducted that she had a story to tell - and he wouldn't push for it. From her words alone, the tiny bits she and AJ did let loose, he understood, could sympathize with her logic.
"Alright," Knowing that he wouldn't be able to argue against her, Louis let out a sigh as he took a seat on the bench beside her. Flexing his fingers, getting them ready to play, he grew a mischievous grin as he nudged her lightly, "Tell me what you think of this, then we'll call it even."
Not for the final time, the glittering keys of the piano came to life, sending a series of a soothing notes into the air. Initially, Clementine simply listened and watched, amazed by how effortless Louis made it look to press the right keys and time each note just right. But, after a few seconds, Clementine recognised the melody, could predict the way the it would go and the path it would forge as Louis continued to play.
Once again, he was playing the unnamed song. The one that she'd said she had liked, the one that had drawn her here in the first place. Closing her eyes, slipping into a thoughtless, empty state where she just listened, Clementine felt herself relax. Unwind. Slowly but surely, she could sense Louis' amusement growing beside her. If she wasn't so tired, so entranced by this song, then she would have punched him.
When the song came to a close - the part she hadn't heard yet - Clementine allowed the slight echo of the piano to linger in her mind for a good few seconds. At least until Louis cleared his throat, an expectant look on his face as her eyes fluttered open once more.
"I already said that I like this song," Face furrowing with confusion, Clementine frowned as she looked at Louis. Not seeing where he was going with this, what he sought to gain from the answer, she felt herself clamming up once more. All of the magical essence of the song was leaking out of her. "Hearing it a second time doesn't change that."
"But what does it make you think of?" Louis clarified, focusing his attention on her instead of the piano. Resting an elbow on the edge, pressing his cheek against a palm, he couldn't help but tease her as he smirked, "Don't hold back on me now, Clemster."
Almost just like someone normal her age, Clementine sent a slight glower in the man's direction at his choice of words. Bold of him to think that he had the privilege of giving her a nickname.
"I guess it makes me think of happiness," Clementine responded, ignoring the way in which her heart was racing from the admission - the small reveal of her innermost thoughts and feelings. Taking in a deep breath, she closed her eyes as she thought some more, picturing faces, the lost streaks of sunlight that used to ghost her fingertips, "The people I care about the most. My..." Opening her eyes now, averting her gaze, Clementine grimaced as she felt her throat tighten, "My, um, family."
"Well, family is important to most people," Louis nodded, also speaking in a voice that felt like a murmur. He too was averting his eyes from Clementine's gaze, focusing on picking at a loose thread on the cuff of his shirt.
"Is family important to you?" Focusing on the now quiet Louis, Clementine couldn't help but let her curiosity get the better of her. Imploring, inquisitive, her eyes were blinking and innocent as she asked that single question, hoping that Louis would answer it with honesty. That he was someone who could understand why family was so important, why someone like her would have to do what she did in order to keep it.
"I like to think of family as the people you choose to be around," Eventually answering the question, Louis seemed quite solemn and somber as he spoke. Abandoning the loose thread and turning to Clementine, he seemed to smile as he shrugged a little, "Those that genuinely care for you. So yeah, I guess I do find family important."
"Then I guess that's something we can finally agree on," Cracking her own smile, Clementine out a hand for Louis to shake. Easily, he accepted it, shaking her hand solidly within his own. As they shook hands, Clementine couldn't help but tease, "Well done, you've officially impressed me."
"Told you the piano never fails," Winking, Louis chuckled as she stood up, ready to make her way back to AJ - who had most likely sensed that she wasn't anywhere close by. Neither of them could ever sleep for long whenever the other wasn't around.
"You still haven't won me over," Clementine shook her head, now remembering what he had told her earlier on in the day. Trying to charm her, worm his way into her mind, Louis had bet that his piano could totally win her over. So far, that wasn't working; it wouldn't ever work with someone as complex and shut off as Clementine. Attempting to play that harsh reality off as a joke, she smirked, "And I don't think you ever will."
"We'll see about, my darling Clem," Louis challenged, a wide grin crinkling the freckles on his face once more. As his eyes caught Clementine's, locked her into a staring match, he added in a solemn and sincere tone, "I've still got a few days."
"I know," She answered, heart hammering in her chest as she left the room. Part of her feared what would happen in those few days. "But it won't work."
Because Clementine was avoiding Louis like the plague. Like so many others she had met over the years, those who had tried to keep her around, he didn't deserve to be dragged into the shitshow that was her life.