Internment

Chapter 19

Hello again!! This chapter was supposed to be longer, but I ran out of time and couldn't quite finish editing it.. So, I decided to break it up into two shorter chapters for you guys instead of waiting to publish it! :) Let me know what you think!

Reyna crept down the stairs, the steps creaking beneath her feet as she made her descent. She'd set aside the copy of Persuasion she'd been reading most of the morning, her sights now set on one thing. This had become a routine of sorts. Breakfast followed by reading. Then, once she was sure the house was completely empty, she'd venture down to the foyer.

Stepping through the entryway, her gaze fixed on her target - the grand piano sitting in the far corner of the room. She'd stumbled upon it one afternoon during a boredom induced exploration of the house. She didn't know how it had escaped her notice until that day. The foyer was directly to the right of the front door. She'd walked past the room dozens of times. Her heart had leapt the first time she'd seen it. Unlike the smaller, flat back piano in Phillip's study, this one was exquisite, it's black finish polished to a shining ebony.

Lifting the fallboard, she pressed a finger against one of the keys, smiling as the note reverberated through the room.

"Do you play?" A voice sounded from the doorway. She jumped, spinning on her heel in the direction of that voice. "I'm sorry," Phillip chuckled. "I didn't mean to startle you." He was propped against the doorframe, a hint of a smile tracing his lips.

"That's alright," She said with a jerky shake of the head, trying to suppress the blush that threatened to creep up her neck, to her cheeks.

"Do you though-" He nodded towards the piano behind her. "Play?"

"I used to," She shrugged. "I'm afraid I'm terribly out of practice though."

"Play something."

"What?" She swallowed. It had been a simple request - one that had sent her insides twisting.

"Play something," He repeated, his brows raising in amusement.

"What would you have me play?" She asked, wringing her hands behind her back.

"Anything," He smiled. She returned his smile with a nervous one of her own. Turning around slowly, she faced the piano. Play something. He wanted to hear her play. Sitting down on the bench, she began to think. Wiping her sweaty palms discreetly on her dress, she took a deep breath. Why was she so nervous. The request had certainly caught her off guard, but as to why her stomach was in knots - well, she had no answer for that.

Taking another deep breath, she pressed a key, the familiar note giving her all the encouragement she needed. She continued on, her fingers effortlessly finding each subsequent key as she played the song that had come to mind by heart.

~

She exhaled as she finished, the last note of the song echoing through the room. A small smile traced her lips.

"That was beautiful," Phillip said softly, pulling her out of the trance she'd slipped into as she'd played.

"Thank you," She blushed. Clearing her throat, she stood to her feet, and lowered the fallboard. "I wasn't expecting you to be back so early," She said in an effort to fill the silence.

"Just here for a quick lunch I'm afraid," He said. If he'd noticed her nervousness, he didn't let on. "Would you like to join me?"

Smiling, she nodded, and followed him into the empty kitchen. Opening the cupboards and refrigerator, he amassed a variety of sandwich ingredients onto the counter.

"Where did you learn to play piano?" Phillip asked casually as he began to assemble a sandwich for each of them.

"My sister and I took lessons when we were younger," She replied, accepting the cheese and jam sandwich he'd made her. "I haven't so much as touched a piano since-" She paused. Since my family was forced into hiding. Swallowing down those words, she continued. "Well, it's been a few years."

"What song were you playing?" He asked, returning all the ingredients to their respective places. "I didn't recognize it."

"It's one my mother used to play," She smiled at the memory of her mother seated at their piano - her chestnut hair illuminated by the sunshine filtering through the windows as her fingers glided across the keys. She'd played that very song more times than Reyna could count. "I'm not sure who composed it, or where she heard it from, but it was one of her favorites."

"Well it's lovely," He returned her smile.

"Alright you two," Mrs. Aberman's voice trilled from the doorway, her arms laden with baskets full of ingredients for dinner. "Out of my kitchen unless you want to start chopping vegetables." She added, heaving those baskets onto the counter.

"I suppose that's my sign to get back to work," Phillip grinned, taking the last bite of his sandwich, and wiping his hands against his uniform pants. "I'll see you tonight."

She watched as he strolled out of the kitchen, a faint smile still on her lips even after the front door of the house had closed behind him.

"Reyna dear," Mrs. Aberman's voice pulled her back to reality. "The toes of your shoes are nearly worn through," She tisked. "Go fetch some new ones from Liza."

She looked down at her oxfords. They were rather beaten up, especially after the afternoon she'd spent a week prior helping Luca repair a fence. "Yes ma'am," She replied. Exiting the kitchen, she made for the front door.

"Do hurry back," She heard Mrs. Aberman call as she stepped out the door. "Those vegetables won't chop themselves."

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