THREE

"Julie, you really didn't have to call me today," I said with the phone against my ear, "I'm fine."

"Hm..." I heard the voice of my best friend on the other side of the phone, "you actually do sound better than I expected."

"See, I told you I was fine and aren't you supposed to be at work right now?"

"I'm on my break right now."

"Why are you using your break on me? Go get something to eat!"

"Way to thank me," Julie said with disappointment in her voice.

"You're right, thank you for checking up on me," I said, "now go!"

"Wait!" Julie exclaimed, "how is your job hunt going? Did you find any interesting job openings?"

"Not really," I said with a sigh, "oh expect for this one I applied for a few days ago. It was an office position at the courthouse."

"Really? Well I hope you'll get it and I hope it's a better place than your last job."

"Don't even talk about that place!" I said and sat down on a chair, feeling all energy drain from my body when I heard the mention of that place.

"But I'm angry!" Julie said, "you were just trying to do the right thing and then they fired you. YOU. The only honest person in that company!" I didn't know how to respond to Julie's comment and I just smiled awkwardly, although no one could see me, and then I quickly changed the subject.

"How's it going with that man you went on a blind date with? Was his name Mark?"

"Oh, it isn't going to work," Julie said.

"And why is that?" I asked, preparing myself for whatever stupid reason she might have.

"Well first of all he's a cat person-"

"So am I!"

"That's why you and I are just friends."

"Ha ha, very funny!" I said sarcastically, "now please tell me this wasn't the only reason."

"Of course not," Julie said before beginning a long explanation of everything wrong with this guy. Not having to say much expect 'aha', 'yes', 'and then', I started going through the emails on my computer.

"So when he started picking his nose in the middle of dessert I just had enoug-"

"ARG!" I suddenly screamed and interrupted Julie in the middle of her sentence.

"What in the world? WOMAN, you nearly gave me a heart attack," Julie said in an annoyed tone, "what happened?"

"T... that place... I... I got an interview!"

"You what?"

"At the courthouse... I GOT AN INTERVIEW!"

"ARG!" Julie screamed over the phone and I immediately started screaming again and we both just screamed for God knows how long until I heart something from above.

"What was that?" Julie said.

"Ah that... that was just my upstairs neighbor. He doesn't really like noise."

"You seriously need to find a better place to live."

"Well I was planning on moving when I got promoted," I explained, "but getting fired wasn't really the promotion I was hoping for."

"I guess you're right," Julie said, "BUT! It doesn't matter because YOU HAVE A JOB INTERVIEW!"

"I KNOW!" I screamed again, but a little less loud this time, "oh my, I have to find out what I'm going to wear."

"Okay Monique, promise me that you'll send photos of your outfits. I won't let you go until I've approved of what you're wearing."

"Deal! I'll message you in a bit!"

"Great, bye!"

I put my phone down after ending the call and quickly walked over to my closet.

No.

Not it.

How can my closet be filled with clothes and I still manage to find myself in the situation that I have nothing to wear?

I took a step back and tried looking at it from a different perspective. Maybe if I mixed some clothes I didn't normally wear together?

I took out a pair of grey pants and found my favorite Bordeaux red shirt and laid it out on my bed to try and picture it together. It actually looked pretty good.

I started taking out more outfits that I all laid out on the bed while mixing and matching in different ways.

Maybe I should ask Julie for advice, I thought as I walked over to my phone. I had put it down on the dining table, but just as I grabbed it, I was startled by the sound of a piano playing.

At first I looked around, wondering if my piano had come alive and started playing on its own. But soon enough I realized the sound came from Jae's apartment.

Did he finally decide to sit down and play?

No that can't be, I saw him walk out this morning and I definitely didn't hear him come back.

Like that I stood with the phone in my hand and stared at my wall while reasoning back and forth with myself. But then I remembered Jae's cousin, Yoongi, and I remembered how interested he was in my piano the day he waited in my apartment.

Could he be the one playing?

My body stood as was it frozen by the music and I kept listening without moving even an inch.

It was such a lovely tune, it kind of reminded me of summer. Those days where the sky is clear and the sun kiss my skin. Days when everyone has a smile on their face, even the grumpy bus driver and the depressed cashier in the grocery store.

It wasn't a song I had heard before. Was he composing?

Now that I thought about it, I did hear how he played many of the same lines over and over again, only adding a slight change, probably trying to hear which sounded better.

He would have to be very talented to be able to capture such a clear picture through his music.

But wait?

Was he stuck?

He kept playing up until a certain point and then he stopped abruptly. I could almost hear how he slammed the keys on the piano with disappointment every single time.

What about...

My mind started circling through melodies and tunes while I automatically walked over to my piano and sat down. The next time I heard him reach the point where he was stuck, my fingers started moving across the piano, loyally playing the melody I had heard inside my head.

I kept playing for a while, until I suddenly felt stuck myself and only then did the thought occur to me; was I invading someone's privacy right now?

I suddenly felt incredibly embarrassed of my actions and when the piano on the other side of the wall had fell completely silent it only made me feel worse about it.

But then the music started again, and he didn't keep replaying the part where he was stuck before, he continued the melody which I had started.

Like two people, speaking in a language beyond words and sentences, we kept playing together, taking turns in composing the small melodies. I found my heart racing, being full of excitement as my fingers kept moving effortlessly across the piano. It didn't even occur to me how much time had passed until I saw a message beep in on my phone.

Hey it's almost been two hours, where are the pictures?

I quickly grabbed my phone and messaged Julie that I would send them in just a second. When I turned my attention back to the piano, I realized that he had stopped playing too. Maybe he realized how much time had passed as well?

No matter what happened, I wanted to say a proper goodbye. So I quickly played a little melody, one giving a sense of closure, telling him that I had to go.

I listened for a while but heard nothing. Maybe he really left?

Then, just as I got up from my chair I heard the same melody play from the other side of the wall and a huge smile appeared on my face.

"I guess I'll see you later."

Hello everyone!

As the plot is slowly starting to take form, I really want to hear your opinion on the story so far.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments down below.

Love, Annalise~