Play my heart

Chapter XIII

It becomes their routine for the rest of the week. It's a slow process, managing their own parts and then making them work together, so they barely make do with the hours they have. It's also a constant fight between styles and preferences, an endless push and pull that translates itself into the music, making it sound more like a fight than a collaboration. It's like they're playing completely different things, from different times and composers, with completely different things on their minds.

For all of Darren's pliability in his daily life, his playing is determined and strong-headed. It clashes time and again with Lee's own weird combination: loud voice, harsh words and fiery colors result in light, gentle playing, but still not willing to give in to Darren's wishes. More than once he thinks this duet idea was a complete mistake, they're incompatible, it's never gonna work. More than once, indeed, but a magnetic pull keeps him there and forces him to keep trying.

They nail a full thirty seconds passage on the fourth day, and it's all the proof he needed. Lee jumps on his seat and cheers at the end of it, smiles wide and unguarded at him, glowing like a thousand stars trapped in a glass bottle. Darren's heart clenches and he smiles too, so big it aches, but he can't stop himself. A thrill runs down his spine, and the determination that follows is only natural: they have to get that again. He can only imagine the euphoria after nailing the whole piece, and what about performing it in front of more people?

It's worth it. Lee pisses him off to no end, they argue half the time they're together, they critique each other's playing and they get under each other's skin, and still. As much as he tries, he can harbor no doubt about it: it's well damn worth it.

Friday evening, they both sit on the windowsill, sipping mindlessly out of warm coffee cans. After hours of practice, the quiet is welcome, though it rings behind Darren's ears a bit too loud.

"I want to hear you play the violin," he blurts out all of a sudden.

Lee brings the coffee to his lips and lifts his eyebrows.

"Well, I just haven't yet," Darren elaborates clumsily, "and you've heard me play both piano and violin." He's gathered that much after various snide comments about his playing being worse than Lee's. "I think it's only fair."

The boy hums, taps his foot against the floor at the only rhythm they've had in their minds for the past days.

"Maybe someday," he grants in the end, with a face Darren can't quite decipher. They've had enough arguments that day, so he doesn't push it. 'Someday' is good enough for now. It means they have time. "Anyway, what do you wanna do tomorrow?"

Darren blinks at him, confused.

"I mean, the school's closed on weekends so we can't use this room. We could go without rehearsing for two days, as long as we practice on our own, but we really shouldn't. Hmm, we could maybe use...?"

"You can come to my place," Darren suggests out of the blue. He bites down at his tongue but it's too late, he's already said it. When will his impulse control return from the war?

"Um."

"I reckon you can use my piano, then we'll have no need to miss out on precious rehearsal time," he shrugs, acting more nonchalant than he feels.

"...I guess."

He tries for a smile, though it comes out wobbly. "Then it's settled."

Half an hour later, he's making his way to his bike when he runs into Dawn. Damp hair, droopy eyes and hesitant smile, the sight of her still does something to his belly. There are no words between them as they walk towards the parking lot; everything's familiar in its warmth and sadness.