Limelight Melody

(VII) Second Time in the Light

Felix stood in front of the mall, his violin case strung over his shoulder. He craned his next to look atop the tall glass front, anxiety coursing through his body. The moment he stepped through the doors, he would be in the spotlight. He would be walking into 'the stage.'

Trying to stall for time, Felix pulled out his phone. He went to his messages with Shane, clicking the camera icon with a light yellow background. Shane had texted while Felix was driving the car.

I'm there, I'll wait by the piano!

Felix let out a nervous, shaky sigh, glancing at the mall once again. It seemed intimidating, like it was trying to scare Felix away. As if it was telling Felix he wasn't brave enough. Putting his phone away, Felix took a deep breath, steeling himself. He was determined to prove the mall wrong.

Warm air encased Felix as he swung open the doors. It was somewhat quiet in the mall; the usual chatter was much softer than usual. A relatively low number of people were inhabiting the stores, strolling through the large pathways between shopping locations. Felix started to worry about how that would affect the crowd when he played, but shoved the thought aside. He was here to film a video. The live audience could be small.

Felix's footsteps seemed like mini earthquakes to him, the soft tap of their soles against the floor sounding like roaring thunder. He knew they were barely audible to anyone else, but the fact that he was making noise made him want to shrink away. He didn't want people to notice him yet. His stage confidence wasn't apparent enough to make him feel comfortable.

As he approached the piano, he spotted Shane sitting at the bench. He was focused on the piano, his fingers resting on the ivory keys. Felix approached silently so as to not disturb his playing. It was very basic playing, but it still sounded pretty. Felix waited a few feet away from the piano patiently for Shane to finish his song.

In the middle of playing, Shane glanced up, spotting Felix. He quickly stopped, a lopsided grin taking over his face.

"How long have you been standing there?" he asked, bright white teeth flashing.

"Only a few moments," Felix responded. "I didn't want to disturb you."

Shane laughed. "You wouldn't have disturbed much. I just barely started learning how to play piano."

"That's pretty good for very little knowledge," Felix complimented.

"My mom plays piano and tried to teach me when I was little. I didn't absorb the information well."

"It can be difficult to focus on that kind of stuff as a kid. Was very hard for me to learn the violin for a while."

"Do you play piano?"

"A little."

Shane gestured at the piano, standing up and stepping away from the bench. "The piano is yours."

Felix's eyes widened as he glanced around nervously. "Oh, well, I'm not really good. I mean, I'm kind of good, but not good enough to play in public."

"I played 'Mary Had A Little Lamb,'" Shane said with a grin. "I think anything you play will beat that."

Felix's fingers began to tap against the strap of his violin case. His eyes darted around the mall, scanning the groups of people walking around. They weren't paying attention to him at all, minding their own business as they strolled around the mall. He could feel Shane's gaze on him, waiting for him to say something.

Instead of responding, Felix gently set his violin down against the side of the piano. He stepped over the bench, gingerly sitting down on the fake leather. His hands rested on top of the keys gently as he scanned them. Racking his brain for a song, he took a deep breath before starting in.