Chapter 171: Stage Fright
Moana
I went home after work that day with an odd feeling in my stomach after my conversation with Ethan.
All of it felt so… contrived. At first, I thought that he was just trying to make amends for what happened at the family party. But when the strange questions began, it became obvious to me that he was either fishing for information or he was trying to drive another wedge between Edrick and I. Maybe it was both of those things, or maybe it was neither. Either way, I didn’t know what to do.
I didn’t know if I should tell Edrick about it or if I should just pretend it didn’t happen. Part of me felt as though the right thing to do would be to tell Edrick that Ethan had suddenly shown up in my classroom, but at the same time I was worried that he would tell me that I shouldn’t be teaching there anymore. Even though it had only been a week since I had begun my new job, I loved every moment of it and it felt as though my dreams were finally becoming a reality. I couldn’t let anyone get in the way of that, and so that evening I decided not to tell Edrick after all. I just told myself that Ethan wouldn’t come back again after that, and that I didn’t need to worry. Everything would settle down soon.
That evening, I helped Ella with her homework before dinner. She seemed to be doing well in school and was enjoying her new learning environment. Thanks to her excellent tutors, she wasn’t behind in her education at all. However, she still seemed to be adjusting to being in a learning environment with other children. I expected that, of course, and so I wasn’t surprised when she came to me with gripes about other students.
“Lucy always takes too long to answer the teacher’s questions, and the teacher reprimanded me when I said the answer today,” Ella growled, sounding annoyed.
I frowned. “She reprimanded you?” I asked. “How come?”
Ella shrugged. “She says that everyone needs to raise their hand if they want to answer a question, but I don’t see why. I knew the answer, and Lucy was taking forever, so I just said it.”
I had to stifle a bit of a laugh. “Ella, you have to give other kids a chance to answer,” I said gently. “Maybe some kids need to take a little longer to think before they can answer, and that’s okay.”
Ella furrowed her brow. “But it was an easy question. Is there something wrong with Lucy?”
I shook my head. “No, love,” I replied. “Just because someone takes a little longer doesn’t mean that there’s anything wrong with them. And besides, there’s nothing really ‘wrong’ with anyone. Everyone is just different.”
“Oh.” Ella scrunched up her nose, just like she always did when she was a little annoyed. I ruffled her hair and sent her off to her room after that to get ready for dinner.
…
Edrick didn’t come home until after dinner that evening. In fact, I was a bit surprised to hear him come home so late. I was sitting up in bed in Edrick’s room, sketching in my sketchbook while I waited for him. The sun had just gone down, and the city lights had come on. I sort of missed the mountain estate, when it was actually dark out after the sun went down. Even though I loved the city, it was never really dark here. I wanted to see the stars.
I didn’t realize that Edrick came home, actually. I assumed that he would be out even later; with everything going on recently, I supposed that he would be working later in the day for a little while. I just hoped that he would be home before I fell asleep. I liked having him beside me when I laid down to go to bed.
However, just as I was giving up hope and was coming to the conclusion that I would need to go to sleep without him, the sound of soft piano music suddenly came to my ears.
I perked up in bed, my eyes widening as I looked around and realized that the piano music was coming from the living room.
Edrick had played the piano only once since I had moved in. I only got a chance to listen from afar for a few minutes before he noticed my presence and he stopped playing, and I hadn’t heard him play since then. But as I slowly got up and creeped out of the room, I was determined to listen to him play for a little longer tonight.
I wasn’t sure why the Alpha billionaire chose to play the piano tonight. Lately, he had seemed happier than usual; maybe that was it. I quietly closed the bedroom door behind me and made my way toward the dark living room. As I did, the piano music became louder. It was even more beautiful now, and made me smile.
When I walked out into the living room, I saw Edrick sitting at the piano. He had tossed his suit jacket down over the back of the couch and had rolled up his sleeves, and was hunched over the piano as the cool blue moonlight streamed in through the open window. I didn’t know the name of what he was playing, but it was ethereal. The way that his fingers gently brushed each key made it look almost as though he was lightly petting the piano, and not actually playing it. He looked so peaceful during that moment.
Maybe I got a little too close, though, because Edrick suddenly stopped and looked up at me. Even in the darkness, I could see that his face went red.
“S-Sorry,” he stuttered. “Did I wake you up?”
I shook my head and smiled. “No,” I replied. “I like hearing you play. Please don’t stop.”
Edrick looked at me for a few moments before taking in a sharp breath and starting to play again. Only this time, he started making mistakes. There was an odd chord here, an out of tune note there, and at one point he hit more than one key at once.
I could tell that he was getting frustrated. He suddenly stopped again, and let out a sigh.
But I had an idea; I could tell that he was nervous with an audience, but I still wanted to listen. So, with a smile, I walked over to the window and looked out with my back turned to him.
“I won’t look, if that helps,” I said gently. “But I really do like to hear you play. I’ll just listen, if you don’t mind.”
Edrick didn’t say anything for a bit. I heard him shifting uncomfortably on the piano bench, and I felt a pang in my chest as I wondered if I should have just left him alone and listened from his bedroom. But then, a smile spread across my face as I heard the first notes being played again.
Now that I was only listening, he didn’t mess up any of the notes. In fact, he only played even more beautifully. The melody was almost haunting, but only in the best way. And the entire time he played for me, even though I couldn’t see him, the smile never left my face.
During those moments, I was happier than I had ever felt before.
