Music and Doodles

At the end of the school day, the two rushed to the music room, which Aria had reserved since there were no club activities that day.

Ren had been in that room before, but he never paid much attention to it until now. There were a variety of instruments on display, but the most important one was the beautiful black piano in the corner of the room.

The boy was nervous, but in a different way. Although this could be considered a date, his nervousness didn't come from that. It was as if something magical was about to happen.

Aria sat in front of the piano and also seemed a bit tense, but she took a deep breath, remembering how much she loved playing the piano.

What followed was the most beautiful sound Ren had ever heard. Aria's music was fantastic; she played like a professional. Ren couldn't tell if he found it so beautiful because it truly was or because Aria looked so marvelous while playing.

The music made Ren travel. He imagined himself on a pirate ship, with Aria as the captain, sailing on a beautiful crystal-clear sea. Each note from Aria created a new detail in the imaginary world, almost forming a story.

Suddenly, without warning, Aria changed the music, the genre, and the speed, turning it into something completely different with almost no transition. Were there robots now? In the pirate ship, the robots were attacking, but the pirates were defending themselves in an epic battle when... a dinosaur appeared.

Aria changed again, and chaos erupted in Ren's imagination, but it was a chaotic and refreshing experience. Nothing stayed the same for too long, which was definitely not what he was used to, but it was invigorating.

"Why do you do that?" Ren asked when Aria took a pause.

The girl shrugged.

"It's more fun. Playing the piano has so many rules, especially in competitions; there's no room for improvisation. But this is how I love to play for real. This is how I love the piano."

"I thought it was really good... so much so that I had an idea... can I doodle while you play? "

Aria was excited about the idea and agreed immediately. Ren took his sketchbook from his backpack and started doodling while she played.

This time, a little different from his imagination, he already knew where the story was going, so Aria's keys served as inspiration. And so the two spent an hour in complete silence, except for Aria's beautiful chaotic melody.

They were at peace in each other's presence; tranquility engulfed them as they watched each other create their art, and they felt like they could stay like that for hours and be fine.

Unfortunately, they had other responsibilities and couldn't stay like that for hours; they needed to say goodbye and go back to their homes.

They gathered their things and once again found themselves in silence in the room.

"I can walk you home if you'd like" Ren ventured.

"But our houses are in opposite directions" Aria reminded him.

"It's alright. I just didn't want to say goodbye to you yet..."

Aria couldn't refuse after that, and the two set off. They walked side by side for two blocks after leaving school and then held hands.

"So you're participating in a piano competition, right? How are you feeling?" the boy asked.

He felt Aria squeezing his hand a little tighter.

"I hate it, but my mom forces me to do it. It's so much pressure. I'd rather just play for fun. I think I've been traumatized since that day."

She saying 'that' day made Ren remember his dream. Maybe that's what she was talking about, and he hadn't had the chance to ask about it yet.

He went on to tell her about his dream, asking if that really happened.

"Yes. It wasn't exactly like that, and my mother isn't a shadow monster, although she might not be far from it."

"And we were supposed to see each other again, but I never showed up... I think it was my dad's fault; he ruined my plans on the day I was leaving."

"Well, it's alright; it's been a long time “ despite her words, she seemed upset, not with Ren, but with the situation itself."

"Oh, and what did I give you? There was an object in my dream that I can't remember, but it was meant to make you feel better. "

The memory of that event made Aria smile, despite everything.

"You bought me a cookie. You said it was magical and that it would make me feel better."

Ren felt exposed and couldn't explain why. He always liked buying cookies; it made him happy for some reason, and now it might make sense.

"The weirdest thing is that it really was magical! After I ate it, I felt better!"

Ren fell even more in love when he saw her smile; she was the most fantastic person he knew, and he did what she had done at the park.

The kiss caught her a little off guard but she reciprocated. It was short but fantastic. He wanted to confess his love to her, which seemed very difficult, but he had come this far, and now he believed he could go further.

Especially when he looked deep into Aria's eyes and had no doubt about what he wanted for his future.

"We're here" Aria said, a bit flustered, pointing to a house on the street.

The house was bigger than Ren's, with three stories and what seemed to be a beautiful garden, but that wasn't the source of Aria's unease, and Ren froze when he saw it.

A tall, thin woman with a very severe expression was looking out the window of the house, staring right at them. Although she was very different from the shadow in his dream, she exuded the same intimidating aura.

"I'm sorry" Ren said softly to his companion.

"It's okay. But I think you should go home. I'm sorry."

Both of them apologized as if saying goodbye, and Ren left her, heading back to his home, in the opposite direction, which meant a much longer walk.

He hoped that Aria's mother wouldn't scold her for the kiss and hated that the moment he mustered the courage to act was right when she was watching.

Nevertheless, they kissed again, and Aria seemed as invested in the relationship as he was.

He enjoyed the walk back home and savored the cookie like never before.