The next morning I woke up earlier than usual. The sun had just come up and rays of light littered the white carpet in my room. Bleary eyed, I stumbled through my morning routine: washed my face, brushed my teeth, and threw my auburn hair up into the messiest hairstyle possible. The house was silent save for the chirping birds outside my window. My parents worked early on Saturdays so they can, as they tell me, "be home earlier". But, by early they usually mean six o'clock in the evening, so I usually spend the day babysitting my younger siblings, David and Blair. But they slept over at a friend's house last night, so I have the house to myself.
I stretched, making pterodactyl noises as I did and went to the kitchen to get breakfast.
There's a huge window in our kitchen that overlooks the lake we live next to. The light shimmered against the dark water and I sighed. I never got peace like this. Grabbing an apple and some cereal, I sat in front of the window and enjoyed the serenity the sunrise brought.
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Later, after I had dressed in "warm clothes", I wandered aimlessly around my house, stepping into the warm pools of sunlight as I went. Before I knew what I was doing, I made my way into the study. With it's pale blue walls, I felt comforted and decided to examine the room more.
I didn't go into the study that often, unless I needed a book. In the corner sat a beautiful mahogany piano, which my dad took care to tune every so often. I used to play it every day after school when I was in eighth grade, but I soon forgot about it once high school drifted in.
I sat on the wooden bench, which creaked slightly, and opened the piano. The black and white keys glistened in greeting as I brushed my fingers across their glossy surface. A melody popped into my head, one I used to know in middle school. I started to play, hesitantly at first, but I soon grew comfortable with the way my hands flew across the keys and I played with more vigor. The music ran through me and I felt chills go up and down my arms. With the final chord, I opened my eyes, not realizing they had been closed in the first place. I heard a sound apart from the buzzing strings of the piano. I looked out the window next to me and saw Will on the other side, applauding my performance. I pointed to the door and he nodded. I unlocked the door and threw it open.
"What the hell were you doing watching me outside my window?" I said jokingly.
He smiled and stepped inside. I closed the door after him. "I only just got here and I didn't want to interrupt." He took off his jacket and we walked into the kitchen. He sat at the table while I made coffee for both of us. "I didn't know you could play." He said this more as a question than a statement. I turned away from the coffee maker to look at him. He was cleaning his glasses, which apparently weren't spotless enough for him.
I shrugged. "I used to." I poured a mug full of dark, liquid caffeine and gave it to Will. He's more of the "no sugar added" kind of guy. "It sounded like you've been playing for a while. Why did you stop?" He took the purple mug gratefully and took a big gulp.
I shrugged again and sat down with a mug of my own. I added cream and sugar to mine. Bitter is not my favorite flavor. I frowned. "I don't know. I guess things got busy once I started high school and I just hadn't picked it up again." I stirred my coffee with a spoon, watching the white cream swirl around the mug.
"Well you sounded fantastic." I rolled my eyes. "You're just saying that. I'm really rusty."
He made a noise of disbelief. "If that's "rusty", then I'd like to hear perfection."
I smiled slightly and cautiously sipped the piping hot, creamy coffee. "Shut up."
We sat there for a minute in comfortable silence, drinking and just taking time to breathe. I enjoyed moments like this because they reminded me of how close Will and I were. We'd only known each other for two years, but it feels like a lifetime.
He checked his phone and his eyes widened. "We gotta go." He set down his mug as well as mine and took my hand to lead me to the door. I grabbed my jacket and slipped on some boots before we ran out into the burning sunlight.
