Sonata of The Shattered | Book I

Entwining Emotions

13 July 2022

"Mommy, I'm leaving now!"

"Tell your daddy as well."

"Dad–!"

"Yes, honey. Have fun!"

The young lady jumped into her friend's car and soon left her parents alone in the house. Her friends invited her over for a sleepover before they went apart as two of them will soon study overseas, while Christine was the one that will stay in Singapore and continue her study at Nanyang Girls High School. Though still, deep inside, she wanted to go to Institut Le Rosey.

Being left all alone at home, Fransesca could only smile as the young lady left the house. It has been raining heavily outside since the morning. A storm, to be exact. The thunder and the lights that flashes on the sky sometimes scare her, so she decided to spend most of her time today in her room while listening to classical music while reading her novel by Jane Austen.

"Franseca," Clayton called her as he handed her a cup of warm tea suddenly. "Yes? What is it, Clay?" asked the woman softly as she received the cup carefully. One of her eyebrows was raised, confused on why the man handed her the tea. "I miss you." he said as he kissed her on the cheek.

Fransesca couldn't help but to giggle. "I'm here all day, in my room. You can knock on my door if you miss me and we could talk anytime, love." she responded as she caressed his left cheek softly with her thumb. Carefully, the woman put down her cup of tea on the living room table and gave him a warm hug he always wanted from her.

The kind of hug that felt different from anyone else's.

That hug that she gave him felt like home. It felt like a place where he belonged and he couldn't help but to ask for more every single time he saw her. Her eyes became a place where he could find peace. Her lips became the source of melodies to the ear. Her soft touches became his weakness. Only in Fransesca, he found where he could rest his heart at.

"How I wish I could have this kind of hug for the past sixteen years," he whispered as she smiled at her. Gazing into her eyes lovingly. "I always longed for this kind of thing. I'm grateful that I could do it any time now, whenever I want it."

"You can always have one as well in the past, love."

"It's different when all I want is you, sweetheart."

He responded with his low, gentle voice. Something that soothes her heart and mind at once. It's their first time being lovey dovey such as now and it took them sixteen years to finally be able to do one, and what follows in the future. Certainly, all the regrets meant nothing but a thing: why don't they talk about it sooner? The kind of regret for not being able to experience these sweet things sooner. The kind of regrets for staying with their ego and the emotions behind that led them to those unexplainable situations, in which they don't want to be in again.

"I notice that you call me by that sweet nickname." said the middle child of the Kingsley family as he tucked some strands of her hair to the back of her left ear. Soon, the woman blushed as she was flustered by the words that he said. "Can you please not bring it up into the conversation, Clayton? I might not be able to call you by it again after this."

"Why? Don't be shy. I'm going to call you sweetheart all the time, then."

"Clayton, not in front of Christine."

"Why?"

"It sounds cheesy."

They both giggled as he wrapped his left arm around her waist, erasing the gap between the two souls. He could gaze into those beautiful eyes all the time if he wanted to. Parting away from the woman whom he loved so dearly felt suffocating and painful, he didn't want to experience it twice.