Music in the Key of Love

Chapter 17: Happiness

When Cressida returned from Andrea's to start dinner, Graham was still going on the piano. She was quiet going up the stairs so she wouldn't disturb him, and opened her windows wide so she could listen, letting in the cool autumn breeze at the same time. She smiled to herself, remembering how she'd hated the sounds of his practicing the first time she'd heard it. Now it was all music to her, even the warm ups, and she loved hearing the evidence of his passion for his work.

Her hands moved automatically at her task of making dinner, chopping and dicing as her thoughts wandered.

What was going to happen when he won the competition?

For she had no doubt that he would win. He was so talented, how could he not? She didn't even know when he was supposed to leave for England. When did their academic year start?

OMG, what if it was right away, like in January for February?

She didn't want him to go.

She put the shepherd's pie in the oven to bake and went downstairs, hoping it was okay to knock.

The piano stopped and he came to the door, smiling for her. He yanked her in and kissed her, lifting her off her feet as he did.

"Cress! I missed you."

Cressida laughed. "It's only been a few hours, silly."

Graham shrugged. "Such is the power you have over me, what can I say? You ready for your lesson?"

Cressida nodded.

They sat at the piano together, book open, while Graham showed her how to read music. Cressida picked this up quickly, and was playing through the simple pieces in the kitten book before long.

"See? I told you you were a natural," Graham said when they were finished. "And now it's dinner time, I hope, because I'm famished."

"I bet you haven't eaten all day," Cressida accused.

Graham shook his head. "Forgot."

They headed upstairs, and kept chatting while Cressida put the food out.

"Looks amazing, and smells good, too," he said, sitting at the little table. "Definitely worth a piano lesson."

Cressida smiled as she sat. "You're in a good mood. Practice go well today?"

Graham nodded as he began to eat. "Yes. Sergei and I were definitely in sync today."

"Oh, is that Rachmaninov's first name? I didn't know."

Graham grinned at her. "I sometimes forget you're not musical. You're the only person I know, literally, who's not, who doesn't care about music."

"I do care," she protested. "I care because it's important to you."

"Well, thanks for that."

After they finished eating, they took second glasses of wine to her little sofa and sat.
Graham took a deep breath. "Look, it's going to get pretty bad over these next few weeks. With the practicing, I mean. I'm not going to have a lot of free time. I just want to apologize in advance, you know?" At Cressida's look, he continued. "Usually, when two people start seeing each other, begin a relationship, however you want to define it, it's very intense and wonderful. There are evenings of movies, talking, really getting to know the other person, all that good stuff. But I'm not going to have time for all that is what I'm trying to say."

"Is that what your past relationships have been like?"

"Relationship."

"What?" Cressida wasn't sure she'd heard him properly.