Last Fall

Everybody Breaks A Glass

August 2, 2012

I felt my newfound comfort retreat when she got up. As she slipped out the door, I squinted through the abyss that was her pitch black bedroom to the glowing number series on her digital alarm clock. 5:19. I was disoriented, but alert, eager to find out where she was going, but unsure if I should follow. Against my better judgement, not that I really had one since following her was a good judgement to me, I went after her. She walked in the opposite direction of the bathroom, so I deducted that from my mental list. I lost her on the first floor and wandered around aimlessly for a few minutes before stumbling into the kitchen.

"Lynn?" I jumped slightly, grabbing my now racing heart.

"Jesus." I gasped.

"Nope." She laughed quietly. "I'm Sam."

"You scared me."

"Really? I had no idea!"

"Your sarcasm is noted."

She just laughed some more. "What are you doing up?"

"I could ask you the same question." She rose her eyebrows at me and lifted her glass of water.

"I was thirsty. Your turn?" She took in my panicked face and smirked. "Seems I'm not the only thirsty one." She bit back a laugh at her own joke and sipped her water. I tilted my head in confusion before blushing madly.

"I am not." I muttered.

"So you weren't following my sister?" I knew my silence said more than words would've. I just looked down to mask my embarrassment at being caught. "Basement."

"What?" I looked up to see her smiling at me.

"Alexa. She went to the basement, probably to practice. She does that alot. Go on down, I'm sure she'd welcome your company." She elaborated.

"Thanks." I said appreciateively.

"Mhm." She nodded, gulping down the remaining water in her cup. "Oh and Lynn." She began as I started walking away.

"Yeah?"

"I'm really happy you're here. You'll be good for- to her." And with that she was gone.

I crept down the stairs, careful not to make them creak, and halted at the bottom, listening to the single instrument symphony. I recognized the tune immediately. She was playing our song, a piano rendition of it. On occasion she would hit a wrong note, stop, and I would hear pencil on paper. Then she would start the measure again with the corrected note.

"Lyndsey." she called out and I froze. "I know you're there."

I debated making a break for it, but figured it would be pointless since I couldn't escape what she already knew. I peeked my head around the corner to find her looking my direction in amusement.

She patted the spot next to her on the piano bench and I slowly advanced forward with a sheepish grin. I hesitantly took a seat and fiddled with my fingers.

"Do you play?"

"Kinda, I mean, not really. I dabble."

"Define dabble."

I shrugged with a small laugh. "I know enough to say I dabble."

She shared in my laugh and reached out to grab my nervous hands and place them on the keys. "Play me something."

I stared at the tiles, racking my brain for a song I knew I could sing well enough to be considered even remotely not subpar. "I'll, uh, this is my ringtone, like, it's, uh, the part of the song- the lyrics, I remember best, because I hear it whenever it rings, well obviously, and I'll forget the whole- if I start from the beginning, I, yeah... anyway, I'm going to stop talking now." I closed my eyes and let the chords be my backbone.