Piano Man (Tradley au)

Chapter 3- Brad's POV

I barely even know Tristan, but I'm still kind of annoyed that he just walked out. I tried so hard to be nice to him, and then he just left me. At least he gave me some money, so he hopefully appreciated the music, unless he was just being polite. I was so engrossed in it, and then I was suddenly aware of him leaving. It killed my mood a bit, I'm not going to lie. But I had to keep going, I couldn't just let everyone down.

I'm on my work to work agin, and part of me is wondering if I'll see him again. I'd like to, but I know I'd  still be a bit angry at him for leaving. Maybe that's not fair, from what he was telling me about his psycho boyfriend I guess anything is possible. I hope he's ok though, I'm kind of worried for him. He did get kicked out after all.

I have to smile to myself when I walk past the spot where we quite literally bumped into each other, causing me to drop my music everywhere. I wasn't even annoyed- it was inconvenient, but he seemed so nice. It's weird that it's only been a few days since, it feels like a lot longer. I just can't stop thinking about him, he seemed like the kind of person who would have so much to tell. I know it's weird- I literally only spoke to him for less than an hour, but I'm still curious.

I go into the bar and notice that it's busier than usual. It's often loud, but not like this. Maybe there's a party going on or something. Either way, I need to get on with my job. I set up at the piano, then feel a wave of relaxation sweep through me as I start to play, despite all the people watching. This is my happy place, where I can show off the one thing I'm good at. I always feel so proud of myself. Some of my friends have come to watch, and they often seem surprised when they see how good I am. It sounds arrogant, but that's what they say.

When I've finished my first song, I have to smile at the ripple of applause. Knowing people enjoyed something I made never gets old. Still, I'm slightly surprised when an older guy comes up to me and says "Do you take requests?"

"Potentially." I say. I've never been asked that before. 

The guy considers this. "Can you do any Beatles?"

I smile, relieved that it's something I can do. "Yeah, I can do that."

He puts a hand on my shoulder and says "Thanks son." before putting £5 in my jar. That's generous, I usually only get a few coins. I leaf through my sheet music looking for something suitable, then start playing Strawberry Fields. As usual, everyone becomes quiet to listen, and I'm glad.

Suddenly, I'm distracted by the sound of someone coming through the door. I look up, then feel the smile spread across my face as Tristan walks in. I was hoping to see him, and here he is. I have to finish though, it would be unprofessional to just stop, as tempting as it is. Even though he only heard the end of the song, Tristan still joins in with the applause.

I allow myself to look over to him, and he's sitting in the same seat as he did last time. It's nice he remembered. I begin on the rest of my set- I can't let this almost stranger put me off, as lovely as he is. I need to keep going, I can talk to him later. I'm still worried about him, even though he seems to be OK from this distance. 

As my set goes on, more and more money ends up in my jar. This is the obvious upside to busy nights, the downside being the increase in noise. Whilst I'm playing some old Eagles track that I know so well I barely need the music, Tristan comes over and places some coins in my jar with what looks to be a note, just like he did the other day. I have to finish before I can read them though.

I'm so excited to read them that the rest of my set seems to drag on forever, but I finally get to the end. I'm about to open it, but the bar owner Dan comes over to me. "That was a good set tonight." he tells me, clearly oblivious to what I was doing.

"Thank you." I say, desperate to get away. I breathe a sigh of relief when he leaves, as I finally she some time to myself. I open the note to find some endearingly messy handwriting saying 'Sorry about leaving last time. T x' I smile, and look over to see if he's seen me reading them. He doesn't look up though, so I guess not.

I root through the jar until I find the other note, and my eyes widen when I see a sequence of numbers again simply signed off with 'T'  I wonder why he gave me his number? We barely even know each other. Still, it's a nice thought. It seems strange though, especially given what he told me about how jealous his boyfriend can get. I'll just have to ask him. With a smile on my face, I head across the bar to talk to him. The question sticks in my mind though- is he flirting with me?

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I'm super tired because I went to my first uni open day today, it was really good but omg so much walking! And it was all uphill, how is that possible?