Beautiful Symphony

Chapter 30

  I took a deep breath as I looked myself over in the mirror. I wore a yellow sundress, to my own surprise. It was another one of the dresses Crystal had bought me. I thought it would brighten my mood.

  It didn't. I was worried sick. Elliot was coming over to meet Dad. I didn't really know how to feel about it. Part of me was worried that it wouldn't go well, and the other part of me was just curious to see what would happen.

  I fidgeted around the room, making a list of possible scenarios in my head.

  What if they don't get along? Will we have to break up?

  What if they do get along? Will they become best friends and make it weird for me?

  What if a tornado just happened to suck us all up and kill us? Well, then I guess I wouldn't have to worry anymore.

  Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. I bolted out of my room and down the stairs. I swung around the railing, nearly slamming into Crystal.

  "I'll get it." I breathed. She stared at me with a surprised look.

  She put her hands up in surrender and went back into the kitchen. I took a quick look at myself in the mirror on the wall, adjusting my hair.

  I took a deep breath and opened the door. There he stood, in a denim button down, holding a bouquet of daisies.

  "Hey." He said.

  "Hey." I said back.

                                       *****

  We sat at the table, with the fresh bouquet placed in a crystal vase in the center. He was looking around, twiddling his thumbs.

  Dad was upstairs. He insisted that Crystal let him finish his novel before joining us for dinner. Which, for me, made things a bit easier. That just gave me more time to prepare myself for however the evening went.

  Elliot, however, looked worse by the minute. He kept bouncing his knee, and then stopping. Over and over.

  I placed my hand on his knee, stopping him. He quickly turned to me.

  "It's gonna go fine, don't worry." I whispered. He gave me a quick smile and squeezed my hand.

  It was a bit strange, me comforting him. Usually he was the one reassuring me, making me feel better.

  And then, Dad entered the room. I instantly slid my hand back under the table and into my lap. I bit my lip.

  Here we go.

  "Hey, what's for dinner?" Dad asked, peering over at Crystal. He didn't even look our way yet.

  "Baked ziti." I answered. Dad looked over at me, noticing Elliot's presence for the first time.

  "Um, this is Elliot. Remember? The waiter?" I quickly said, gesturing to him.

  Elliot stood up, straighter than I had ever seen him stand before. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Willingham." He said, almost too quickly.

  Dad just looked back and forth between us a few times before giving Elliot a firm handshake. "You can call me Paul."

                                     *****

   Dinner, to everyone's relief, went fairly well. It was definitely awkward at first, but they warmed up to each other. They got along well, but not too well. Exactly how I wanted.

   The baked ziti was also very good. Crystal was great with pastas. I made sure to tell her that.

   Elliot and I were still in the kitchen after dinner. Dad and Crystal went out on the porch, for coffee. Elliot cleared the table while I did the dishes.

   "I think that went pretty well, if I do say so myself." He chirped, pulling a daisy from the vase.

  "I think so too." I smiled. "I'm glad." I put a dish on the rack, grabbing the next one to wash.

  "I am quite the charmer, though." He mused, strolling over to the sink.

  "That's true." I laughed. "You charmed the pants off of Lonnie just to get a job."

  He stood behind me, placing his chin on my head. "Hey, she offered me that job. I just had to convince her first." I snickered at that.

  He slung his arm over my shoulder, sticking his hand in the dishwater. He flung it up on my face. I instantly drew back, water on my cheek.

  "Hey!" I shouted, turning around and splashing him back. He ducked, and most of the water missed him.

   Disappointed, I crossed my arms and made a pouty face. He grinned and put the daisy from his other hand behind my ear.

  "It suits you." He said, pulling me into him. I met his lips, for a long, sweet moment. When we broke apart, I just wrapped my arms around him, feeling his warmth.

  "I love you." I mumbled into his shirt.

  "Well good," he said. "Because I sure do love you."

   "Hey," I looked up at him. "Wanna go to the music room? You haven't heard me play in a while."

  "Sure." He replied.

  I led him by the hand, to the music room. It looked the same as always; beautiful.

  I slid into my usual seat, and Elliot sat in a chair behind me.
 
   I let my fingers hover over the keys for a minute, calling my muse. I had always liked to play how I felt, and I felt good. I felt happy.

  So that's what I played. A simple, yet lovely song that wasn't quite as melancholic as most piano songs.

  I got lost in the melody, swaying along to the beat. I saw Dad and Crystal creep into the room from the corner of my eye, but that didn't slow me down.

  I played. I played with passion, and emotion. I played how Mom used to. And I didn't stop, until my fingers beckoned so.

  I hit the final note, and silence filled the room. And then applause. I turned around to see Elliot, Dad, and Crystal all clapping for me.

  They all looked at me with happy eyes; proud eyes. I felt like she was proud of me too.

  I thought back to all of the years, all of the years where I felt like I had no voice. No literal voice, and no emotional voice. I just let all of my sorrows out into the piano.

  But now, I had my voice. My real voice, and my musical one. And I had people who listened, and learned. And they loved me. They all really, really, loved me.

  And in that moment, I never felt more loved in my entire life.

  Life is a beautiful, beautiful symphony. Just like a song.

[Author's Note: This is NOT the final chapter of Beautiful Symphony! I plan on adding one more, to give you a look into Ariette's future. And after that, there will be a couple extra things, just to end it all off. So, don't worry! It's not over yet. ;)]