Stardust

Twenty

*Stefan* 

I pushed the door closed quietly behind me, an hour later than I'd written I was going to be home. But I spent a little too long just staring at things in her apartment, spent too long having my father and Ed shout at me and then had to deal with Price. Again. I'm home now though. Still with most of the day to be in these 4 walls with her.

I hadn't agreed to her coming to dinner on Tuesday. Aly could make that decision herself if she feels well enough when it comes to it. My parents can stick their judgmental opinions and worthiness up their ass.

This wasn't a matter of if Aly was worthy of me. This was entirely the other way around and I knew for a fact the man I was when I met her, he wasn't worthy of her. Not even a second of her time. But I was trying. It felt so natural too. She just raised an eyebrow if she thought I was bragging and I'd stop. I feel like all I'm doing with this girl is apologizing, something I've never done until I met her.

I stopped in my tracks in the hall, listening for any noise to point me in the direction of where she was. If I could lose her here, I have no idea how I'd be able to keep track of her in the palace.

Music filled the house. Rusty and not entirely making any sense and I smiled, following the notes down towards my library. She kept hitting the wrong notes and going back to hit the keys again in the right order. Of course, she plays piano. Because there is nothing Aly can't do.

This woman sat at my grand piano, with a few books on the tables I usually keep spotless. She's sat in her pyjamas, hair long and loose, golden natural waves draping down the back of her slightly oversized pink top. She is utterly perfect. Broken, but perfect. All of her shattered pieces are slowly starting to fit together in her beautiful puzzle and the more parts of hers I connect, and find, the more I know I lied to my father today.

I am, indeed in love with Aly. Hopelessly so. I think it's been a steep fall from the second she called me arrogant and egotistical and I'd had to pick my jaw up from the floor. She'd floored me that day. Speaking with words she'd armed specifically to injure but not maim. Designed to hit me right in the core as if she knew me inside out. She'd got it bang on too. Because the words had hurt. No one had ever intentionally hurt me before. I'd never seen a look of hatred in someone's eyes and it had kept me awake thinking about it over and over again. She'd gotten herself under my skin and whilst at first I had hoped apologizing to her and proving she had me all wrong would undo it, I was now finding ways to forge her under there. Build her back together and keep her under my skin where she can live forever.

I knocked on the door but she didn't respond, too focused. Always so focused. I approached slowly, trying to make as much noise as possible in the hopes she'd pick up that I was in there and I wouldn't shit her up completely.

She stopped, hands perfectly still and I leaned an arm atop the piano, watching her eyes flick over the keys quickly.

"I didn't know you played." Aly tensed, snapping her head up before quickly taking a breath. "I did knock, talked to you, been making noise. I didn't mean to make you jump."

"Sorry, I didn't- is it already 2pm?"

"3. I got a little caught up with my father." Her eyes went wide and her hands were pulled back, settling in her lips.

"I was going to tidy up before you got back."

"What the 4 books you've been looking at?" I let out a breathy laugh before standing up and taking the 3 steps to sit down on the edge of the bench beside her. "When did you learn?"

"Piano?" I nodded once. "I can't remember. I just know we had one and my mum used to play. She probably taught me. It disappeared after she died."

"The piano did or the memory?"