Pieces of Love

Chapter 12

A deafening round of applause greeted us as we stepped out into the spotlight. It was almost a full house. Rosa managed to get a seat quite near the front and I could see her waving at me, a camera in her hand. I grinned and stood at the spot marked out for me. In the corner of my eye, I could see Jacob adjusting the height of the stool. He flashed me a charming smile and gave me a subtle nod, waiting for me to start. We played Introductionet Rondo Capriccioso as our first piece of the night and I felt an adrenaline rush once the piece was over.

The emcee of the night, a teenager who didn't look older than eighteen then introduced all of the pop songs to the audience, majority of which who were played by Jacob on the piano. This was my cue to exit backstage and I did so with a goofy smile on my face. Songs like Ed Sheeran's 'Shape of You' and Camila Cabello's 'Havana' were played and I couldn't help but bob my head to the beat backstage. What was the cherry on top of the cake was that the audience was actually singing the lyrics along to some of the songs, which I would admit, totally made my day.

After this segment was the fifteen minute intermission, allowing Jacob to come backstage for a drink-up. "You were amazing, Jake!" I squealed and threw my arms around his neck, pulling him towards me. Jacob chuckled and thanked me. Just then, Mr Smith came in from the control room and gave us both huge compliments, spreading his arms wide as he spoke. The fifteen minutes was up before we knew it and we made our way over to the stage again.

The emcee named the movie soundtracks we were going to play and let the loud applause dominate the main source of sound in this hall. The songs that we played included the theme for Howl's Moving Castle and Beauty and the Beast's 'Beauty and the Beast'. The familiar sense of excitement travelled through my body whenever I was lost in the music. I played my heart out for this concert, knowing that this is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I poured my heart and soul into this performance, and judging by the loud round of applause that followed after this segment, the audience appreciated the effort.

Last but not least, the emcee announced the list of classical pieced we were going to play in which we handpicked based on their popularity in the classical world. I have played some of these pieces in the past before, and a wave of nostalgia hit me hard when I recalled playing these pieces when I was younger. A few tears threatened to spill as I played but I kept them in; there is nothing more touching than knowing that your childhood dream had come true and you get to play a passion of yours.

For our finale piece, we had two options: an upbeat, happy piece that would leave the crowd in good spirits or a sad, touching piece that, with a little bit of luck, will leave the crowd in tears. Jacob and I wanted to give the latter a shot, thus we played Love Story by Francis Lai. Without a doubt, this would be the hardest piece to pull off, not because of its difficulty but because the emotion comes as a package deal. In order to make the piece a success, the raw emotion has to be there. Thus, for the first time since the incident happened, I'm willing to break down my walls and let my feelings show for once. For that precious few minutes.

Jacob's introduction on the piano came in and I hoisted my violin onto my shoulder, taking a deep breath. His face appeared in my thoughts, just in time for me to begin playing. The violin made a deep sound, resonating around the hall. Memories of him and me started coming in torrents now; him and me joking and laughing around, him and me starting to grow distant; me seeing him with her. At the last thought, tears streamed furiously down my cheeks but I didn't make any effort to control them. I played my violin with more vigour, yet the music produced wasn't forced, it was natural.

Both his and her face lingered in my head one last time, before the piece ended. Using my absolute willpower, I locked these memories behind the walls that I had built up and I faced the audience with a tear-streaked face. A smile graced my features when I was knocked back to my senses by the ear-deafening sound of ovation. Like back in the music competition, we received a standing ovation again. People were whistling and screaming and I could imagine Rosa jumping around in excitement.

To say I was surprised would be an understatement when Jacob swept me up into his comforting embrace and placed a swift kiss on my cheek again. Right now, I was at my happy place and nobody can burst my bubble of happiness. We walked off the stage but the audience was still clapping like crazy. "Encore! Encore!" I could distinctly hear some of them scream, hooting like a bunch of madmen. Jacob and I didn't have a piece planned as we didn't think that the audience would love our performance that much, but I guess we were proved wrong.

"Encore?" Jacob murmured, giving a charming smile. "Encore. Let's play...Hedwig's Theme," I quickly made up my mind, remembering an impromptu practice session when we played Hedwig's Theme, just for the fun of it. Jacob nodded, before we both returned to the stage. By the end of our performance, the audience were on their feet again.

Jacob stood up from his place at the piano and slung an arm around my shoulder. Together, we took one last bow before exiting the stage. The cheers and applause finally died down and we made our way back to our dressing room, totally high due to the adrenaline rush we had just now. I was laughing uncontrollably and Jacob was supporting me, ranting about the concert we had just pulled off. But our surprises for the night were not over yet. We opened the dressing room to the high-pitched squealing of Rosa. "You guys totally killed it out there! The crowd was going wild!" she screamed, pulling both Jacob and I into a tight hug that left me breathless.

It took a while to pry Rosa off of us and calm her down. I barely want to know how she would be like if she was on a sugar rush or drank too much coffee. After putting on layer after layer of warm clothing, we made our way back to the streets. Tonight was honestly one of the best nights of my life.