"I think that's enough for the first lesson, I don't want to burden you with too much right now. We can tackle the rest when it comes to it. I'm guessing you don't have a piano or keyboard at home, right?" he asked, closing the lid of the piano.
"No. But maybe if I do improve I could buy one. Just a keyboard though, I can't afford something as magnificent as this." She said, gesturing to the grand piano in front of her. It wasn't that TIBI didn't pay her well, it was just that she preferred to have money saved up for a rainy day rather than spending it all one something so ostentatious and extravagant. A strange look overtook Victors face, and he looked at Sang with intensity. Sang wondered what that meant. A loud snore tore through the room and Sang turned around, seeing Luke now sprawled on the couch, his hair sprawled over the couch cushion. His hair must've come out of his ponytail. He looked very peaceful when he slept, with his mouth slightly agape and his light eyelashes resting against his cheeks. Gabriel started laughing at Luke's loud snoring as he flipped through a magazine.
"You two done there?" he asked, looking up from his magazine.
"Yeah." Replied Sang. She looked back and Victor, appreciation and gratefulness shining in her eyes. "Thank you so much Victor. I can't believe you're teaching me how to play." She was still in disbelief over this whole situation and was grateful that she could kill two birds with one stone. Victor turned his legs towards her and gave her his full attention. She took in his graceful appearance. His dark, wavy hair definitely gave him the look of a musician and his powerful gaze only added to the appeal he exuded. He was in all very handsome and mysterious, and Sang bet he probably had loads of girls falling at his feet. Feeling overcome by a sudden sense of gratitude, she reached out and hugged him, her arms going round his crisp and expensive-looking white shirt. Sang rested her head on his firm chest and breathed in deeply while shutting her eyes, noting that he smelled good like Sean did, except his scent was a combination smooth berries and moss. Victor immediately stiffened as he was taken aback by her impulsive advancement, but after a moment pulled Sang closer into his embrace. The intimacy of the situation caused her heart to beat loudly in her chest. She nestled into his warmth, closing her eyes, as a small smile appeared her face. Victor responded to her snuggling by burying his face in her hair, and she felt him sniffing her hair as she had done to him. Sang was the first one to break away from their embrace. She looked up at him from under her lashes and found his intense eyes focusing on hers.
"I'll always be here to teach you, Sang." Victor whispered.
"What the hell is going on here?" boomed a voice from the door. North stood leaning against the doorjamb, his arms crossed and his expression annoyed. Was this guy bi-polar? What was with him and his sudden changes in attitude?
"I'm teaching her how to play. How come you're back? I thought you were all on the assignment?" asked Victor.
"We are on the assignment. I just came back to pick something up. What's she still doing here? I thought her ankle was all bandaged up and ready to go?"
"Oy! What the hell North? Why are you acting like such an ass?" asked Gabriel irritably.
"Hey don't get mad at me I'm just asking when she's leaving is all." He argued.
"She can go whenever she feels like going. We do share this apartment North, you realise that right?" replied Gabriel.
"Whatever," North dismissed, walking towards where Sang and Victor were. He refused to make eye contact with either of them and swiftly opened a white cabinet a few feet from the piano. He pulled out a white box and turned to face Victor and Sang. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Sang. Sang raised an eyebrow questioningly, but North just walked out of the room.
"That was weird," Sang commented.
"Ugh. Just ignore him, that's North for you. Cheery one minute, gloomy the next." Said Gabriel.
"He's right though, I probably should get going. I've wasted enough of your time to be honest." Said Sang, getting up from the piano bench.
"You don't have to leave Sang. You can stay here as long as you'd like." Spoke Victor quietly.
"No, don't worry I'll be back. You can't get rid of me that easily," Sang teased. She walked back to the couch she had initially sat on and picked up her bag.
"Can someone give me a ride? I don't really know my way from here and I need to get back to my car." Said Sang.
"I'll drive you. I'm leaving anyway." Replied North curtly from the entryway of the room. Dear God, thought Sang, anything but a drive alone with North. Out of all the Academy guys, she found North the most inscrutable. He was warm one minute and cold the next. She had never met anyone like that as the people in her life were either one or the other; they never had such extreme mood swings.
"Fine." Sang snapped. "I guess I'll see you guys later, bye Gabe, bye Victor - tell Luke I said bye too." Picking up the memo pad on the coffee table, she scrawled her number on the pad. "That's my number. I hope to hear from you soon Victor - I'm looking forward to my next piano lesson." Victor smirked at her and walked over, picking up the paper and pocketing it.
"Can this hurry up? I need to go," said North gruffly. Sang rolled her eyes. He was really testing her patience. To agitate him as a punishment for his constant mood swings, Sang took her time hugging both Gabriel and Victor before finally meeting North at the door. He gave her a barely restrained look before turning without a word and leading the way to the elevator. Once in, they both stood in awkward silence. North held the white box close to his side and Sang wondered what was inside, a range of scenarios playing in her head. She imagined North suddenly stopping the elevator, opening the box and pulling out a gun, facing it directly at her. If they found out her ulterior motive for getting close to them, would they do something as sinister as that? Did The Academy's teams resort to these kind of violent methods when threatened or provoked? Sang didn't really want to know the answer, all she knew was that she'd have to be very careful and would have to try not to get herself found out.
Once the elevator reached the ground floor, they both exited and walked out of the apartment complex. It seemed that North had come alone when retrieving the box, as the car was empty when he opened the passenger side door for her. Although moody, he was still a gentleman and made sure she was in the car before entering round the other side. Sang braced herself for probably the longest ride of her life.
