It Started with a Kiss

Chapter 17

(UNEDITED FROM THIS POINT ON)

I was just finishing up cleaning the kitchen after breakfast when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, telling me that I'd gotten a text, which was more than likely from Sarah.

will be over soon -S

After last night's dinner, Sarah ended up having to leave early with Matt, something about getting home before it snowed more or something, which meant that I really hadn't had any time to discuss my current predicament over with her.

I put away the sweeping brush and was just about to head up to my room to get changed when I heard the familiar chords to 'Clocks' by Coldplay sound from the keyboard downstairs, but they seemed wrong. Don't ask me how I knew that, but I did. Must've been all those lessons I'd been listening in on. Opening the door to the basement, I walked down a few steps to find Noah sitting at the keyboard, running a hand through his hair before letting out a sigh of frustration as he turned towards me slightly, so that I could just make out his profile from where I stood.

"What do you want?" He asked gruffly as soon as I'd reached the bottom step, his mouth turning downwards at the sight of me. Oh great, this was going to be fun. Not.

"What makes you think I want something?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest as I studied him for a moment. He ignored me, instead choosing to individually crack his fingers, much to my annoyance. The damage which was being done by that action annoyed me more than the noise itself though, truth be told.

"You know, if you keep cracking your fingers like that, you'll end up with soft tissue damage."

"What?" He asked, stopping his knuckle cracking for a moment before turning to look at me fully.

"Yeah, the cracking ends up damaging the ligaments around your joints, which can lead to soft tissue damage. They used to think it also lead to arthritis too, but that was proven to be a myth."

"Right." He said, raising his eyebrows and cracking the remainder of his knuckles as he did so, causing me to narrow my eyes at him in annoyance.

"Do you ever listen to a word I say?"

"Nope." He replied, popping the 'p' as he did so. I levelled a glare at him, before deciding just to drop it. I didn't have the time to be getting into an argument with him just now.

"So, what is the problem?" I asked, as I dragged one of the crates in the basement over towards the keyboard and sat down. Our relationship with one another may have been frosty at best, but my brother needed him right now and that was all that mattered. If the guy needed some help, I was there to give it. He might not have wanted it, but I was still there to give it.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He said, as he looked away from me, before attempting to play again, only to strike yet another wrong note.

"You've just spent the last God knows how long down here playing all wrong, which just isn't your style. Something's eating at you." I concluded, watching him as he tightened his left hand into a fist for a few seconds, before letting it relax once again.

"Nothing's wrong." He insisted, as I just rolled my eyes. I was getting tired of being around so many stubborn people.

"Look, I don't care what the issue is, whether that be with moving back here or with home or with one of the guys, but right now whatever it is, it's affecting your music and if you can't play tomorrow, then my brother's going to go crazy, and I'm the one who's going to have to listen to it. So you can get it off your chest now, where I won't tell another soul and we can try and fix it, or you can just mope about here and try and get your act together on your own, which obviously isn't working so far. Either way, I'm not moving until that song is at least some way decent." I said, as I focused my attention on his messed up, dirty blond hair while I waited for him to look at me. He could go and get over his issues with me right now, because there was no way in hell I was going to let something stupid affect Toby's big night. After letting out another sigh of frustration and pinching the bridge of his nose, he began to speak.