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He looked horrible.
With my heart heavy and thumping fast in my chest, I started to quietly move away from the door but his voice stopped me.
“I know you are there.”
I froze and my eyes widened.
Placing my hand over my chest, I bit on my lips nervously.
Should I just leave? My mind and heart were in a constant battle.
In the end, I slowly opened the door wider and walked inside, but stopped at the entrance. Alessio didn’t look toward me but kept his eyes on the piano.
I shuffled on my feet nervously. After a few minutes of silence, he spoke up.
“Do you come in here often?” he asked, his voice rough and hard. I shivered and shook my head quickly. When I realized he couldn’t see me, I whispered, “No.”
Then it was silence again.
I looked away from him and stared at the grand piano. It was beautiful and I instantly felt peaceful.
Wrapping my arms around myself, I took a few steps in the room and stood in the middle. My eyes were still on the piano and my fingers were itching to play. I wanted to feel the soft keys.
My shoulders sagged in defeat. I looked away from the piano and turned toward Alessio. He was already staring at me, his eyes intense but unreadable.
We stared at each other, our gazes never wavering.
After a few seconds, I swallowed hard and looked away. Moving my gaze to his chest, I followed the path down and almost gasped out loud.
His hands were bleeding, his knuckles bruised so bad. There were gashes all over, the skin torn off from his knuckles. He hadn’t cleaned up at all.
My heart squeezed at the sight.
I looked back up and saw his eyes still on me. Licking my lips nervously, I squeezed my cold hands in fists. Alessio gave me a blank look and then looked at the piano.
Silence again. There was no movement and it felt like we weren’t even breathing. “Do you play?” he asked gruffly.
My mouth fell open at his words. I never expected him to ask me that question. With my heart racing, I swallowed against the lump forming in my throat.
“Yes,” I responded.
Silence. I waited for him to say something but he didn’t. It was like I wasn’t even there anymore. But I still waited. I didn’t know exactly for what but my feet stayed grounded.
I tugged on the hem of my dress. What was I even waiting for?
I slowly backed away. Alessio needed time by himself.
Without looking up at him, I turned around and made my way out. But before I could a step out of the room, his voice stopped me. My steps faltered and at his words, my heart stuttered.
“Do you want to play?”
“I can play?” I asked, taking a step forward and away from the door.
He turned toward me. “Do you want to?”
I nodded, my body shaking with excitement. I couldn’t hold the smile the spread across my lips. I felt giddy.
He stared at me with the same dead eyes, but he slightly nodded toward the piano. That was the only indication I needed.
I walked toward the piano and stopped in front of it. With my heart light, I placed my fingers on the keys and closed my eyes.
When I looked at Alessio, he was staring at me intently, waiting.
With our gazes still connected, I let my fingers move. Softly. Gently. And a sweet melody came through. The music washed around us like a slow, gentle wave, and I smiled.
Alessio’s eyes widened. He brought his hand over his chest and pressed hard, as if he was having trouble breathing.
I closed my eyes and continued to play. My heart full of peace, I felt content. Happiness enveloped my body as my fingers moved swiftly over the keys of the piano.
This. This was what I needed.
Peace.
Chapter 27
Alessio
No one had touched the piano, not since my mother’s death. This was her piano.
My soul was in pain, my heart aching.
So, the words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them. For some reason, Ayla’s presence brought me comfort.
When the first melody came through, searing pain went through my heart and I brought my hand up, pressing it hard against my chest.
Twenty-two years since I’d heard someone play the piano. Twenty-two years since I heard this exact melody.
Ayla opened her eyes and looked directly at me. She was still smiling and then she closed them again. She continued to play, oblivious to the world around her. Her face was serene and she was lost into the music. A tiny smile remained on her lips.
She looked happy and at peace.
And as I listened, the pain in my heart started to diminish. It was still there, but I could breathe again. My tense muscles started to relax. My heart stuttered and I brought a shaky hand to my face.
