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She gave a small shrug. “I was a big fan.”
“Was?” He arched a brow, amused when she looked away, embarrassed.
“I think of you differently now, I guess.”
“Different good or bad?”
Her brown eyes widened as she turned back to him. “You seem... normal and...” She waved her hand in the air. “You kissed me.”
He grinned. “I did. But you kissed me back.”
She bit her lip and he wanted to kiss her again, but he stayed where he was.
He motioned to the violin. “Practice. I’ll be upstairs.” He grabbed his violin and music, and jogged upstairs and into his bedroom, closing the door behind him, so he didn’t disturb her.
He laid the violin on his bed and stared at the music as a few faint musical sounds crept upstairs to his ears. She tuned before running through the warm-up exercises.
He sighed and thumbed through the music Maestro Novak had handed out yesterday. Thankfully, he’d given up on the reimagining of Dvorák’s “New World” Symphony, and it had returned to normal. Though, after playing through the other parts, he grudgingly admitted to himself he’d grown a new appreciation for the piece. He had to give credit to Emily for that, though. There was no way he would have found any appreciation for the changes otherwise.
Mark picked up his violin and began his own warmups, hoping he wasn’t disturbing Emily down below.
* * *
Emily closedher eyes as she drew the bow across the strings of the violin. Her heart soared with the simple notes and tunes coming from the beautiful instrument. It was nothing compared to the sounds drifting downstairs from Mark, but it was exhilarating to play again.
She turned the page of the exercise book and her stiff fingers moved over the strings as her tiring arm drew the bow back and forth. She’d been playing for only about twenty minutes but was growing tired already. Her fingers hurt but her heart was dancing and she didn’t want to stop.
She drew strength from the instrument, from the music. She felt stronger than she had in years. Mark was right. Timehadeased the pain, and she felt only the love of the music now instead of what Rafael had done to her.
It was freeing.
It was liberating.
It was amazing.
It was hurting.
She reluctantly pulled the violin away from her shoulder and studied her fingertips. They were more raw than they’d been yesterday and the center one was bleeding again.
The pain didn’t diminish the sense of freedom she felt while playing, though. It wasn’t just the music that had set her free. Confessing to Mark the truth about herself, shedding light on the dark secrets she’d held onto for so long had removed a huge burden from her shoulders she hadn’t realized she’d been carrying. No matter how minuscule the amount, the past was beginning to lose its hold on her.
She longed to embrace this newfound freedom.
To embrace the music again.
To embrace life again.
She wasn’t that strong.
Yet.
But maybe someday...
She could see herself being strong. Not strong again, but strong for the first time.
Especially if Mark—
She shook her head. Mark was... an enigma.
