BORN TOO LATE, back to the future

xvi. of thee i sing

➳ 𝕤𝕠𝕟𝕘 𝕤𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟: 𝕒𝕘𝕒𝕚𝕟 𝕓𝕪 𝕕𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕤 𝕕𝕒𝕪 𝕨/ 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕞𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕟

THE BROWN ESTATE was full of its own share of secrets. Some of them true and some of them not but regardless, the reputation of the name was more than nerve-racking to even be around for longer than a few moments. This only being ignored by the teenagers stepping into the mansion casually. Setting aside his jacket, Marty looked over the girl he brought now slowly making her way into the home.

Noticing her twirl on her heels every so often as the house was, obviously, the largest on the street, he leaned against the staircase bannister patiently to hear her say something. Donna was, however, in a world of her own as she always was whenever she came throughly distracted by something. Seeing the grand piano set off to the side casually she waved over to it with a wide-grin. "Does your uncle play?"

"Uh, probably? I actually haven't gone around to ask." He watched her head over in that direction, folding his arms to smile over to her. "Do you?"

She shrugged, tracing her finger along the curvatures of the more than impressive center piece of the sitting room. "I know a song or two. My parents have one back home and they used to have me play a few songs for guests when I was first getting lessons." Whipping her head back over to him she gestured down to the keys just beneath her hand. "Would it be alright if I did? It's been a long while, I don't know how much I remember."

He nodded, Donna adjusting her skirt before seating herself at the bench with her hands steady above the keys. Feeling a lump begin to grow out of nerves for no particular reason other than her being here, Marty adjusted his collar before opting to lean against the wall in front of the piano. "People don't call you lady just because you know a few songs on a piano, right?

Hiding her smile over him persisting with this, she rested her hands into her lap to look up to him instead of the keys. "I'm not telling you why, so I don't know why you go on and keep asking."

"Because I know you'll tell me if I annoy you about it long enough, it's logic."

Donna laughed over this, the sound infectious enough for him to turn up into a wide-grin. "It's not all that interesting anyways. The story I mean." Finding herself poised at the piano to begin the starting notes that came with Again by Doris Day, she quickly brought herself out of growing solemn anymore than he'd have expected.

Tilting his head over to her becoming easily focused he raised a hand, enough for Donna to move enough to leave him a space beside her on the bench. From the corner of her eyes she could see him focused on the way she was playing to take it upon herself to stop and turn to him instead. "You can sing but can't play a piano?"

"Nah, actually I play the guitar." Noticing her becoming interested in this was enough for him to be overly cocky over impressing her even the slightest. "Hear something you like?"

"Piano is more intricate so no, don't think so." Hiding her smirk and continuing to play where she left off, Marty laughed under his breath before growing quiet again to give her the floor again.

He was in a dilemma. One that was becoming more troubling the longer they spent anymore time together, which was all his doing. At some point he had to give her a warning, something that would keep her from getting hurt. Marty couldn't imagine anything bad happening to her and, without meaning to, the more time they spent together the more defensive he became over her own future.

"What's more. This never happened before." Becoming flustered by her now singing, Donna was unfazed by the matter. Thinking her tone was far too timid for him to think it any good she was partial to the song itself. Having heard it when she was only 11 it was all rather nostalgic for her. "Though I have prayed for a lifetime. That such as you would suddenly be mine."