Say You'll Share With Me | Phantom Oneshots

the perfect instrument

day 3 of POTO Fluff Week 2022 - meet-cute!

~

Christine strolled through the small music store, admiring the instruments hanging from the racks on the walls. Guitars, both acoustic and electric, the various brass and wind instruments with their brass polished to perfection. What drew her attention the most, however, was the selection of violins along the back wall. It was a small section, true, but after hearing the sound of violin music filling her house all through her childhood, she had long been drawn to the instruments. She wanted one for herself so desperately, wanted to learn the way she had never gotten around to doing while her father was alive, but with the low-paying café job that she had while she went from audition to audition, on top of all of her student debt after graduating college, it simply didn't seem possible.

She did have her father's violin, but it was rather worse for wear, so much so that she was almost scared to even attempt to play it. The body of the instrument was worn, one of the strings had already popped off and she suspected the others weren't far behind. Someone else might have just thrown it away, but it meant far too much to her; that violin had been her father's life and she wasn't just about to throw it away. At the very least, she wanted to see if it could be repaired simply to keep it, even if she did have another violin that she used to learn to play.

"You really can't go wrong with any of those brands." She jumped at the sound of the deep, rich male voice from her left, and she whirled around to look for the source of it. What she found was a tall man, dressed head to toe in black with a fedora to match and, most curiously, a white mask covering the right side of his face from his hairline down to his jawline.

"I- I'm sorry?" she stuttered, her mind racing with whether or not this was a man she could even be speaking with to consider what he had said to her.

"I said that you can't go wrong with any of those brands," the man replied as he gestured towards the violins hanging on the wall to help clue Christine into what he was talking about. She noticed he smiled a bit as he replied before he added: "I'm sorry if I took you by surprise, that wasn't my intention."

"Oh, n-no, it's alright," Christine said with a breathy laugh, setting a hand against her chest. "I was just lost in thought and you took me by surprise, that's all. But I would be alright buying any of these, would I?"

The man nodded as he turned his attention to the violins, and Christine watched his eyes—those curiously almost-yellow eyes—flick over the wall of instruments. "They're all rather reputable and make good models, all for a variety of reasons. That's the kind of research you would have to do for yourself," he explained. "Now, that said, my violin isn't any of these, but the one that I have isn't exactly something most can afford. I'm very fortunate to have it."

"What brand do you have that's not here?"

"Mine is handmade. I crafted it myself."

"Oh. Wow," Christine said, laughing quietly. "Yeah, that is special."

"Quite," the man replied as he gave her a smile.

They fell into a brief silence before the man started a bit and held out his hand. "Forgive me, I didn't introduce myself before I started offering you advice. My name is Erik."

"I'm Christine. Nice...nice to meet you."

"And you as well," the man—Erik—said, giving her a small smile. "Do you think you'll be going home with one of these lovely instruments today?"

"Oh, I'm not sure," Christine replied. "I would love to—I've been wanting to learn to play for a long time—but it's not really something I think I can afford right now. Money is...a little bit tight."

Erik nodded. "Understandable. Instruments certainly are an investment," he said. "What makes you want to play? If I may ask; please do go about your day if you have other things to tend to. Don't let me hold you up."

"No, that's alright." Christine gave him a reassuring smile after she'd seen him seem to tense up a bit at the idea of keeping her from anything she needed to be doing. "My dad used to play before he died. I never got the chance to learn from him and I really regret it, so I'd love to learn now. In his memory and all."

"That would be a very sweet tribute. I'm sorry he passed away," Erik said softly. "Has it been very long?"

"A little over a year now. He saw me graduate college, but he only lived for a few more months after that," Christine said, looking down at her feet as she shuffled them over the carpeted floor. "Cancer."

"I'm sorry. That's terrible."

"Thank you, I appreciate it. That's my main reason for wanting to learn how to play, though; he loved it so much and it's a way to have a part of him with me, I guess. I can't really afford a new one, though, and I do have his old violin, but it's in rough shape. I'm not sure if I could even play it without breaking it completely."

She turned back to Erik and noticed him watching her with a pensive look on his face. "What?" she asked with a bit of a laugh.

"How damaged is it?" he inquired. "Your father's violin."

"Um. One of the strings has popped off and I wouldn't be surprised if the others do the same soon, and the body of it is a bit damaged as well," Christine explained. "I don't know if there's much hope for it."

"Perhaps I could take a look at it, if you wouldn't be opposed," Erik replied, making Christine's eyes widen as she processed his offer. This complete stranger that she had barely known for five minutes was offering to personally look at her father's violin to see if it could be fixed? Was he serious?"

"Are you serious?" she asked rather bluntly. "I- I mean, that would be really sweet of you, but you don't have to do that, really. I'm sure I could get someone to look at it professionally."

Erik gave her a smile and she found herself unable to keep from smiling back; something about that smile of his, the way it reached his eyes and made the corner of the one she could see scrunch up a bit, made her stomach do a little flip. "And that would be expensive as well," he pointed out. "Really, if you're comfortable with it, I would be happy to take a look at it and see if there's anything to be done."

"Are you sure?" Christine replied. "How much would you want for it?"

"Maybe let me buy you a coffee? That would be payment enough for me if you aren't completely appalled by the idea."

Well, that was smooth.

Christine felt her cheeks warm and knew she had to be blushing rather obviously—the warm smile on Erik's face as he looked at her seemed to confirm that. She rather liked that idea, though; coffee with a rather suave gentleman as well as not having to fork out a ridiculous amount of money for either a violin to be repaired or to buy a new one? She couldn't find a fault in this plan.

"I'd like that," she replied with a nod. "I really appreciate this."

"Oh, it's my pleasure, really," Erik said, taking her cell phone when she offered it to him to enter his number. "Whenever works for you, please do let me know. You can bring the violin to wherever we meet up if you'd like. Make it easy for both of us."

"That would be great," Christine said with a smile, brushing a stray curl behind her ear before she took her phone back. "I'll let you know what day will work."

"Wonderful. I look forward to seeing you again."

And with that, the masked man stepped away, leaving Christine alone with her thoughts of that wonderful offer...and that sweet smile.