Hourglass (NateWantsToBattle & Cristina Vee)

Chapter 9: A Haunting Resentment

HUNTER 

It was kind of chilly out, as I sit on the on the steps of my side yard. The faint sound of piano and violin, echoed from my best friends house. It's honestly a miracle. 

Footsteps caught my attention, as I sit there. 

"Beethoven?" I hear my mother ask. "That's the Sonata No. 9, Kreutzer." She said, as she stopped beside me.

"Yeah, it sounds nice." I say silently.

"Don't tell me that's Nathan." She started.

"Yeah, it's him." I sigh. "With Cristina. He's mentoring her."

"Huh? So he's actually playing again?" She asked, somewhat worried.

"Mhm." I answer.

"Well, maybe I should bring him and Cristina over something to eat." She sighed before walking away.

With a sigh, I look back to the sky, feeling the dread of this..

I'm as happy as my mother when it comes to Nate finding himself again.. But when it comes to fears -- my mother and I share the same fear.

He's going to break again..

Of course he will.

He'll let his urge to help Cristina over power his health... He'll fall and it'll eventually be to late.

Exactly what happened last time..

CRISTINA

It's late, and I was still at Nate's. My aunt an uncle said they'd come get me a midnight. 

He was nowhere to be seem, but I sat on the floor, against the window, reading the sheet music quietly..

Why am I doing this? I ran that question through my head a million and 1 times. Why? Why and I doing this? Who am I doing this for?

"Drink break!" I hear him say, holding up a bottled coke in front of my face.

It's him... He's the reason I'm doing this.

"Thank you." I say, taking it from him.

"Hunter's mom just stopped by -- she brought over some snacks if you want some." He said, leaning against the one solid wall by the open window, staring outside. He then sighed, staring at the moon. "We should call it a night." He then said to me. "The moon is so bright -- it truly doesn't look real!" He said, once again amazed at the little things in life.

"I should probably keep going." I sigh, looking at the sheet music. "Unlike you -- I'm still a little Rusty."

He then sighed, leaning forward. "Can I ask you a question, Cristina?"

"Question?" I ask. "Sure, go ahead!"

"Promise to tell the truth?" He asks, refusing to look at me. "Even if the truth hurts you?"

"Of course."

He looked down from the sky, his dark eyes filled with pain, as if he's been holding on to this  unknown agony for years. "Do you resent me?" He asked, in all seriousness.

"Huh?"

"Amanda told me this is been kind of rough for you..." He then looked down. "Don't tell me it's not.. When I saw the pain in your eyes earlier, I knew it for sure -- You can't here the piano, so you've tried to abandon it.. But you wanna play -- even now.."

"You can't get rid of it completely, so you hide it under dust and clutter.. Like me, you love it but can't go near it. You miss it but can't touch it. It tears you up, like it does to me. I see it, no matter how much I pretend not to, I see -- you and I are alike.."

"The only difference is, I nag you. All I do is tell you the things I've told you.." I could hear his voice getting weak as he spoke, which made me look up. He's shaking.. Really shaking.

"You're hurting." He whispered. "Cause of me.. I'm so sorry.... Please forgive me."

I couldn't find anything to say to him for a moment. "Just don't forget who saw potential when no one else did." I finally find the words I need, making me look over.

He kept his gaze on me before looking at the piano. "Again?" He asked me, helping me up.

"Yeah." I answer, going to the piano, getting my drink down.

I sat down at the piano, as he picked up the violin he had laying on the piano. My gaze locked with him as he, fixed the scarf he had on.

Tonight was the first time I heard him play.. Ever.. 

Which makes me wonder.. Why did he stop?

I couldn't help but sit and listen as he ran through some simple strings, forming something simple into a song. Just random notes like this.. Coming from him -- are amazing... I said, I wanted to be like him.. I do..

With the violin and Piano, he's a force of nature... He's a masterpiece... While playing this piece... It no longer belongs to Beethoven.. It belongs to him.. He played Tug O' War with Beethoven and won.. Taking a deep breath, I reluctantly hit the keys on the piano, find a melody that matches what he was playing. 

He looked up so suddenly, as I played. He didn't stop playing as I did.. All he did was smile, as I played.. Eventually, our random notes, worked it's way into Beethoven's Kreutzer.. The notes I played -- I struggled to hear them, but I heard the violin.. and that's what  pushed me.

I'm doing it.. I'm playing. I can do this.. I can do this..

Though as I played.. The sound of the violin suddenly faded.. I no longer hear it.. Looking over, I see Nate slowly lower the Bow, taking a deep breath.. He continued lowering it, as his eyes met mine.

We stared at each other for a moment, when suddenly he attempted to lift the bow again, but was stopped when he fell to the floor with a loud thud.