Seeing Me, Seeing You [COMPLETED]

~Chapter 24~

"How did Niles get hired here?" I asked Franky, "I would have never Papa hire him as a substitute piano teacher if I knew it would be him."

"Why?" Franky looked at me funny, "Trevor said that he needed a job and that he was a terrific piano player. Desperate times call for desperate measures."

"You talked to Trevor?" I asked him, surprised.

"Sure. I was getting pretty used to having him around. Figured I'd save his number just in case he decided to come back. He said he might come back to work soon... given that your date goes well tonight, that is."

I wasn't sure how I felt about that.

The piano room opened and a little boy came running out of the room to his parents.

"I learned three new chords today, Mommy!" He proudly proclaimed.

"That's great, Baby!" She hugged him.

Niles came out of the room with a smile on his face and kindly shook hands with the boy's parents as they left the shop. I was quite surprised to see him being so kind and polite. He didn't seem drunk by any stretch of the imagination. His appearance surprised me as well. His hair was combed neatly and he was dressed nicely in a button-up shirt and jeans. He was clean-shaven and looked professional.

"Ah, we meet again!" He spoke to me, "Sorry our first meeting didn't go so hot. I was kind of a mess then."

"It's in the past. Trevor never told me that you played piano."

He laughed, "Who do you think taught Trev to play? When he came to live with us, I had already had years of lessons under my belt. He heard me playing one day and I showed him the basics. He is, of course, a way better musician than I ever amounted to be, but this was definitely a treat for me today. It's been a rough month getting sober. But I'm clean and ready to claim my life back."

"You seem like a totally different person from when I met you last. I'm so glad that you were able to fill in. If we ever need help again, we will be sure to give you a call. It's too bad that we can't hire you permanently right now since everything with Trevor is in limbo. But if you are looking for work and don't mind touching people's hair, my friend Sandra is looking for somebody to shampoo her client's hair at her salon down the street."

"That sounds more like a job for my sister. Amanda actually went to school for cosmetology before she got involved with the wrong people. Amanda is in rehab now getting clean, but when she gets out, she will need a job. As for me, I'm 'Uber-ing.' It pays my parents' rent."

"Well that's good!"

"Speaking of Uber, I have to go pick Trev up from the house and then I'm gonna take you both to the concert tonight so you don't have to worry about parking. Is it okay if I leave now to go get him?"

Trev. He hates being called 'Trev.' I wondered if his feud with Niles was the reason why he hated it so much. I shook it off.

"Sure. You can go ahead and pick him up," I said nervously.

"Thanks, Strawberry Shortcake." He winked at me.

Some things never change.

~*~

I stayed at the shop until Niles came back with Trevor.

I watched out of the shop window as they got out of Niles' car. I found it odd that they were not coming inside. Instead, they were standing on the sidewalk arguing over something. I wondered if they still despised each other and what they were possibly arguing about. After a few minutes, their argument subsided and they came inside of the shop.

Trevor was dressed in a graphic T-shirt, skinny jeans, and his signature sunglasses. But something seemed off. It was the nervous expression on his face. Something was definitely about to happen and I felt a sudden awkward feeling come over me. Niles positioned Trevor to stand directly in front of me as if we were looking eye-to-eye.

"Keri..?" He greeted me nervously.

"Trevor...?"

"I'm not going to the concert," he said boldly.

Something inside of me felt calm. I didn't feel upset. I didn't feel angry. It was like part of me knew that he was going to back out. And strangely enough, I was okay with it.

"I know," I reached out and grabbed his hands, "It's okay. I'm not mad."

"Do you understand why I am doing this?"

I nodded.

"Because we love each other enough to know that dating just isn't right for us?"

"I'm glad that you understand and aren't resentful. Here... Here is my ticket," he reached into his pocket and held out the ticket stub, "I want you to take whoever you want to the concert."

"But this was your gift," I said, pushing his hands away.

"And I am re-gifting them to you. I put you through so much and you deserve it. I want you to have the time of your life seeing The Cure. I want you to dance all night and sing at the top of your lungs. Take whoever you want and just have fun."

Those words echoed what Molly had told me early. Just have fun.

I took the ticket from his hands.

"Thank you. Wow! Thank you so much..."

"Before I go, is Franky here?" He asked.

"Right here, Man!" Franky spoke up. He had been listening to the entire conversation the whole time.

"I am officially putting in my resignation. My brother over here would make a great replacement."

"I'll be sure to talk it over with my father," he replied.

I walked him to the door and Niles followed us.

"Will you at least come to the open mic night tomorrow night? I'm going to sing at it."

"Absolutely! I'll bring the whole family. And, hey... Don't cry. You are gonna mess up your makeup. " He reached up to my face and wiped away the tears off of my cheeks.

I thought that I was being quiet enough to where he didn't hear me sniffling. Those words had me bawling. He pulled me in close to him and held me.

This was the end of our story. But it wasn't the end of my night.

I ended up taking Trevor's foster sister, Lucy, to The Cure concert. She danced all night long and had so much fun. It was beautiful to see the happiness in her eyes and it made my heart soar.

Each song that the band played made me reflect on my relationship with Trevor and the good and bad that came along with it. This was my moment to heal and move on. It was spiritual and electric. It was like I had become somebody entirely new. I was ready to bring that new me on stage the next day and turn a new chapter in my life.