just_1_word: 2.3. Music
2.3. Music
Co-written with drcampbell
Tara heard the soft, seamless strains of their piano from upstairs. She paused in her folding of the tiny gender-neutral baby clothes and listened for a moment as a smile played on her lips. She carefully placed the newborn lemon jumpsuit on the beautiful white rocking chair her Dad had restored for her and quietly made her way down the stairs to their living room. She made it to the doorway and watched as her husband sat at piano, fingers sweeping over the keys like he was barely touching them. He was playing Pachebel's Canon; one of her all time favourite songs. They’d had it playing in the background when they signed their marriage certificate and he had played it for her so many times since they met, but not recently. Until now.
He was lost in the music and didn’t hear her arrive in the room. She stayed by the door, tears pricking her eyes as the smile remained on her lips. She remembered one night not long after they first swapped the poignant ‘I love you’ when he urged her to sit beside him at that very piano and play with him. She didn’t have a musical bone in her body, but they got really good at Chopsticks and he moved on to teach her the easy side of Heart and Soul so they could play it together. They laughed so much that night, but it seemed like a lifetime ago.
Not a beat was missed. He hadn’t lost his music at all, he had just been so sad and hurting inside that he couldn’t draw on it to heal him. But now he was, just like before, every note played right into her heart and gut and she wanted laugh and cry all at the same time. The classical song eased off and he started to play Hallelujah, and she nearly tripped over her feet when he started to sing it, too. It was always a song he had admired and picked it up to play just by listening to it a couple of times.
A couple of tears escaped and trickled down her cheeks as she went over to side down beside him on the piano bench. He turned to meet her eyes, but didn’t hitch in the song. He smiled through the words and she returned it with one of her own, her hand coming to rest possessively on his thigh. She listened. His voice was one of the reasons she fell in love with him. It heated up every single part of her body and she was always amazed he all-but lost his Scottish accent when he sung, as broad as he was usually. Her eyes followed his fingers through the chorus until she looked back up at his face again, finding unshed tears there in his own aqua eyes.
When the song ended and he stopped singing, his fingers remained poised over the keys. He leaned forward a little and turned to her again, breaching the gap between them so they could share a slow kiss. “Any requests, beautiful?” he asked against her lips, the Scottish little back in his soft tone.
“Don’t stop?” Tara murmured, searching his eyes.
Lachlan placed his hand over hers on his thigh and squeezed her fingers. “The kiss or the music?”
“The music,” she whispered.
His other hand brushed over the smooth ivory of the keys. “Now or forever?”
“Forever.”
Lachlan started to play the leading in chords of The Rose, holding her gaze as he started to sing the words to her. The words were fitting to the inner battle he was trying to fight through, but playing was helping. He felt like if he could just keep playing and never stop, he would be okay.
It's the heart afraid of breaking
that never learns to dance
It's the dream afraid of waking that never takes the chance
It's the one who won't be taken
who cannot seem to give
and the soul afraid of dying that never learns to live
When he stopped singing this time, her arms curled around his waist and she rested her head on his shoulder. “What are you thinking, baby?” she asked and took his hand from the keys so she could kiss his fingers.
“That I want to do the Karaoke… that I maybe want to do even more than that,” Lachlan admitted quietly. “But I… dinnae want to let Tab down. If I wake up that day and cannae face things, I dinnae want to disappoint anyone relying on my presence. I-It’s been nearly a year Tara,” he said in a rough whisper, the words catching as the emotions tried to force their way through.
Tara tightened her hold around him and kept her eyes on his face. “And look where we are, sweetie. Look how far we’ve come. You’re still alive. I know you nearly died… god fucking knows how much I know that,” she added, swallowing heavily. “But you didn’t. Maybe singing on that day, one year on, is a perfect way to show yourself that you survived and you are alive?”
Lachlan didn’t say anything as they seemed to share a silent conversation with their eyes. His tongue slowly wet his lips and a smile soon appeared. He took her hand and placed it on the keys and guided her through the first beats of Heart and Soul, joining her in the duet part as he leaned in and stole yet another kiss from her.
Tabitha Browne [asinthecity] referenced with permission
Word Count | 924
Co-written with drcampbell
Tara heard the soft, seamless strains of their piano from upstairs. She paused in her folding of the tiny gender-neutral baby clothes and listened for a moment as a smile played on her lips. She carefully placed the newborn lemon jumpsuit on the beautiful white rocking chair her Dad had restored for her and quietly made her way down the stairs to their living room. She made it to the doorway and watched as her husband sat at piano, fingers sweeping over the keys like he was barely touching them. He was playing Pachebel's Canon; one of her all time favourite songs. They’d had it playing in the background when they signed their marriage certificate and he had played it for her so many times since they met, but not recently. Until now.
He was lost in the music and didn’t hear her arrive in the room. She stayed by the door, tears pricking her eyes as the smile remained on her lips. She remembered one night not long after they first swapped the poignant ‘I love you’ when he urged her to sit beside him at that very piano and play with him. She didn’t have a musical bone in her body, but they got really good at Chopsticks and he moved on to teach her the easy side of Heart and Soul so they could play it together. They laughed so much that night, but it seemed like a lifetime ago.
Not a beat was missed. He hadn’t lost his music at all, he had just been so sad and hurting inside that he couldn’t draw on it to heal him. But now he was, just like before, every note played right into her heart and gut and she wanted laugh and cry all at the same time. The classical song eased off and he started to play Hallelujah, and she nearly tripped over her feet when he started to sing it, too. It was always a song he had admired and picked it up to play just by listening to it a couple of times.
A couple of tears escaped and trickled down her cheeks as she went over to side down beside him on the piano bench. He turned to meet her eyes, but didn’t hitch in the song. He smiled through the words and she returned it with one of her own, her hand coming to rest possessively on his thigh. She listened. His voice was one of the reasons she fell in love with him. It heated up every single part of her body and she was always amazed he all-but lost his Scottish accent when he sung, as broad as he was usually. Her eyes followed his fingers through the chorus until she looked back up at his face again, finding unshed tears there in his own aqua eyes.
When the song ended and he stopped singing, his fingers remained poised over the keys. He leaned forward a little and turned to her again, breaching the gap between them so they could share a slow kiss. “Any requests, beautiful?” he asked against her lips, the Scottish little back in his soft tone.
“Don’t stop?” Tara murmured, searching his eyes.
Lachlan placed his hand over hers on his thigh and squeezed her fingers. “The kiss or the music?”
“The music,” she whispered.
His other hand brushed over the smooth ivory of the keys. “Now or forever?”
“Forever.”
Lachlan started to play the leading in chords of The Rose, holding her gaze as he started to sing the words to her. The words were fitting to the inner battle he was trying to fight through, but playing was helping. He felt like if he could just keep playing and never stop, he would be okay.
It's the heart afraid of breaking
that never learns to dance
It's the dream afraid of waking that never takes the chance
It's the one who won't be taken
who cannot seem to give
and the soul afraid of dying that never learns to live
When he stopped singing this time, her arms curled around his waist and she rested her head on his shoulder. “What are you thinking, baby?” she asked and took his hand from the keys so she could kiss his fingers.
“That I want to do the Karaoke… that I maybe want to do even more than that,” Lachlan admitted quietly. “But I… dinnae want to let Tab down. If I wake up that day and cannae face things, I dinnae want to disappoint anyone relying on my presence. I-It’s been nearly a year Tara,” he said in a rough whisper, the words catching as the emotions tried to force their way through.
Tara tightened her hold around him and kept her eyes on his face. “And look where we are, sweetie. Look how far we’ve come. You’re still alive. I know you nearly died… god fucking knows how much I know that,” she added, swallowing heavily. “But you didn’t. Maybe singing on that day, one year on, is a perfect way to show yourself that you survived and you are alive?”
Lachlan didn’t say anything as they seemed to share a silent conversation with their eyes. His tongue slowly wet his lips and a smile soon appeared. He took her hand and placed it on the keys and guided her through the first beats of Heart and Soul, joining her in the duet part as he leaned in and stole yet another kiss from her.
Tabitha Browne [asinthecity] referenced with permission
Word Count | 924