July

Three

Authors note- I won't have another update for a while as I'm still figuring out where I want to go with the story but here's the third chapter anyway.

"You keep it in tune?" She asked, looking at me with a concerned look.

"Yeah." I paused. "I do."

"So, you have a beautiful piano. You keep it in tune. But, you leave it sitting in dust without being played, ever?" She paused.

I nodded, feeling ashamed.

"Why?" She asked.

I could hear the hurt in her voice. She looked sad. So I started to explain.

"I cant Bring my self to touch it." I started, but she still looked confused. "It was my mothers. She was an amazing pianist. But, she passed away about ten years ago."

I paused at the memory of her, closing my eyes, trying to hold back the tears I could feel forming under my eyelids.

"Oh, I'm sorry Fred." She said

"No, its fine. You reminded me of her when you played, just now."

"But why leave it to sit in the dust?" She asked

"I'm, not sure" I replied. "We can clean it a bit if you want."

"Yeah, you got any soft rags or cloths lying around?" She asked

I got up and went to the kitchen. I opened a drawer to grab some micro-fiber cloths. I looked up to see her moving things off of my abandoned piano. There was a stack of papers and books, and when she picked them up to see the original paint of the piano underneath I saw her drop my books and I thought something was wrong.

"Alex? you okay? What's wrong?" I asked bringing her some rags.

She looked at me, her eyes starting to water.

"How could you leave a beautiful piano like this?" She started to sob.

I set the rags down and went to hug her.

"I know, I know." I said "I shouldn't have let it set, but it reminded me too much of my mother." I said.

We stood there for a while until she calmed down. when she was finally calm I had her sit down on the couch. Then I continued to remove papers and dust from the sad instrument when I suddenly got a phone call.

"It's Derik" Alex said

"Put him on speaker." I said as I continued cleaning.

"Oaks!" Derik screamed through the phone.

I laughed.

"Hey Derik, what's up." I said.

"Is Alex still there? you get laid my man?" He yelled.

Both of our expressions changed to a mix of discussed and annoyance.

"No, Derik. I didn't get laid you ass! and you're on speaker." I said

Alex laughed. I looked at her and it made me smile.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Well, how are you guys?" Derik asked seeming only half sorry.

"Were okay Derik." Alex said "Fred was just showing me his piano"

there was silence for a couple of seconds after she said that.

"Oh? well, i'll leave you then, I guess... with that dust box of an instrument." He half mumbled the last part before hanging up.

"well..." Alex said, but paused after seeing the now clean piano.

She would have dropped my phone if she hadn't set it down before seeing the instrument.

"Why is this so shocking to you? It's not like I'm raising the dead or anything" I said

"Oh, Oaks..." She whispered, "But, you are, raising it from the dead."

I just looked at her, confused.

"Fredrik, every instrument has a spirit or a soul. It started to disappear but you've revived it today by wiping off the dust" She said, pausing. "Its almost eleven... I have to go." She said.

She started to get up to leave after grabbing her stuff.

"wait..." I started to say, "let me walk you home." I said.

"Oh, my roommate Marrissa is picking me up. I texted her when you were sleeping. I also put my number in your phone after Derik called." She paused "I'll call you by tomorrow, okay?"

I nodded, hugging her before she left.

I went over to my phone to check her number. I found it with a heart emoji next to her name and a text that read-

"I know you know how to play, so play it for me. Don't let it just sit there"

I smiled at the text and looked over towards the piano.

"okay," I breathed as I stared at my mothers piano.

I stared for a few moments longer, then I went to sit at my mothers piano...