It hadn't taken him long to come to the realization that Alexis was evil. As Lindsay briskly walked down crowded Water Street, he replayed the 'advice' his older brother had given him. He knew that his brother had the ability to see certain things that were to happen, but it was a very rare instance in which his visions came true. This was mostly because Alexis' visions were determined by the decisions people made; all it took was a simple change of mind for things to be altered. But Lindsay hadn't changed his mind; he did in fact end up following the wind and listening to the music, a new habit he'd picked up in the past seven days. That didn't explain his brother's glowing eyes, however. In the years he'd known his brother, Lindsay never knew his eyes to glow for any reason. Which only meant that Alexis was evil. Why else would he suddenly be obsessed with standing outside a strange building every day, hoping to hear the music?
As was his usual habit, he found himself standing outside the red brick building, staring up at the window. There was music today, but it wasn't what he wanted to hear; the music was choppy, there were endless errors, and the tune was much too simplistic for his taste. Someone else was playing the piano today and while he praised that person for even attempting to play, Lindsay wanted the person who had him rooted in place.
"That one yours?"
Lindsay found himself looking down at a small elderly woman with wiry grey hair and soft brown eyes he found sweet. She glanced toward the building before looking back at him. He remained quiet, unsure of what she was asking about.
"I know that a lot of parents prefer to wait for their children outside. Some superstition about their presence being bad luck during lessons. My Julie has lessons every Thursday, but I like to come by and listen to how the other students are progressing."
Students? That certainly explained the amateur sound to the playing. "No, I'm just listening too." He glanced at the widow once more when the music stopped. A few moments later, a teen-aged boy walked out of the building, whipping out a cellular phone in the process. Lindsay listened as the boy mentioned the end of a lesson and felt his eyes narrow suspiciously. This was what Alexis wanted him to do? Piano lessons?
"You have a nice day, young man."
He looked down at the smiling woman and nodded quietly. As she walked away, Lindsay found himself staring at the simple, single paned glass door that displayed a staircase. He didn't know why, but he wanted to go up, had to see the person behind the music he listened to every night. It was the only logical way to get the whimsical feelings out of his system.
Alexis would pay for this.
Lindsay stormed toward the door and quickly ascended the stairs. He expected another door, and was surprised when he only walked into a large, open room. It looked a lot like a waiting room because of the couches and chairs lined up against the walls. Various pictures of sheet music, students, and who Lindsay assumed were professional pianists filled the walls and reflected the sunlight raining in through the unadorned windows. In the center of the room was a black baby grand; it too seemed to glitter in the sun. The top board was partially opened, and he was given a glance of the intricate detailing associated with the inner mechanisms of the instrument. In front of the piano rested a cushioned bench. It was a simplistic room, one meant to comfort the students, while at the same time, give the instructor the room needed to teach sufficiently.
"No, I absolutely will not talk to him."
Lindsay found himself craning his neck to the side ever so slightly to listen to whoever was in the back room. Because of his many years locked in silence, his hearing was better than many expected. Though the person in the back whispered, he was able to hear every word as if he was in the back room as well.
"It's been years. What could he want now? My help? Please, he should have thought of that before he walked out without a backward glance."
The person in the back room was female; there was no mistaking the feminine pitch or the lack of an audible husk. There was also the topic of the conversation; no man would reject the efforts of a reconnection with a man who'd walked out without dropping a few impolite words for effect.
"I don't care if his leaving had nothing to do with me. Where was he when I needed him the most?"
A woman scorned. A lover who'd decided he had enough and was cowardly enough to keep quiet about it. The lives of humans were always better than television.
"Mom, I know you want me to give him a chance, but I'm not giving him another opportunity to mess with my emotions. I've spent too many nights crying over him."
Whoever this woman was, she was strong, that was for sure. Good for her; she'd found her limit, and had no intentions of pushing it again. Her voice, while polite due to the fact that she was talking to her mother, was laced with anger and resentment, a sure sign that her old wounds had yet to be healed.
"I'm done talking about this. I won't see him, end of story, Mom. Yes, I'll be there. Seven-thirty. Yes. Yes. Ok, Mom, see you then. Love you too. Bye."
Lindsay immediately straightened and followed the sounds of her footsteps. She lingered in the back for a good ten minutes, shuffling through papers and rifling through filing cabinets. He had plenty of time to leave, and knew that he should have; he wasn't in the mood to deal with a scorned woman. But curiosity had gotten the best of him, and he wanted to see what she looked like.
He had to wait fifteen extra minutes before his rare bout of patience was rewarded. Her head was bent over a stack of sheet music, and she lightly hummed to herself, as if testing the sound of the music in her hands. Lindsay wasn't given a clear view of her face as her curly black hair hung down due to the angle of her neck. From her hands and arms, he able to appreciate her sepia colored skin. The way the sunlight bounced off her skin made her look otherworldly, an observation that annoyed him. She was only a human, and it was probably the fact that her skin seemed to glow because she wore a gold blouse over black slacks that he'd even noticed that about her.
She was on the taller side for a woman, and while she wasn't what he would consider average sized, she wasn't exactly full figured either. She still had curves for days, though, and the new observation only added to his annoyance.
Lindsay quickly grew tired of her lack of perception. He had to have been standing there staring at her for at least a minute or two, and she hadn't once bothered to look up from her sheet music. He wanted to look at her face and then leave so that he could give Alexis hell. "Hello." Lindsay watched as she glanced up at him before stopping dead in her tracks. Her jaw slightly dropped in surprise and dark espresso eyes bore into him disbelievingly. She had an oval shaped face, a trait that emphasized those eyes of hers and her seemingly perfect eyebrows accentuated her shock. A small, upturned nose led to full pink lips and a semi-dimpled chin that looked completely out of place. She was pleasant to look at, but her unwavering gaze made him uncomfortable. "Are you the instructor?"
She nodded slowly, terrified of blinking because she believed that he would disappear if she did. The giant of a man standing in her studio wasn't the most beautiful man she'd ever seen. He was... gripping. Mesmerizing. His hair was the most unusual shade of red she'd ever seen; it looked like dark cherry wood because he stood in a partly shaded area of the room, but the parts that were kissed by the sun reminded her of fresh black cherry juice. That kind of color had to be natural; the people who created hair dyes weren't that inventive. The man chose to wear his hair on the longer side; it was just long enough to be pulled back in a queue if he wanted, but at the same time, it didn't touch his shoulders. He wore it down now, and the locks accentuated the rectangular shape of his face. Thick sable eyebrows hooded over vibrant, grass green eyes. His nose was a bit on the large side, but it worked with his face. Thin lips rested over a hardened chin. Yes, this man definitely had what it took to be one hell of a distraction.
Lindsay was damned uncomfortable. She continued to stare, scrutinizing every tidbit of his face, and wearing his patience. Neither one of them had moved in the time they stared at each other which angered him. He felt so... on display. "Are you the one who plays at night?"
The question jarred her out of her stupor. She looked away from him as she cleared her throat. The last thing she expected was an angry neighbor. "Uh, yes, yes, I am. I'm sorry if it bothered you."
"It didn't."
She nodded again and forced herself to look directly over his shoulder. If she looked at his face again, she'd end up staring even more than she already had, and the man already looked as if he wanted to file a restraining order. "Are you here for lessons?"
"I don't know why I'm here." Other than the fact that his son of a bitch brother gave him cryptic messages about wind and music. Lindsay watched the way she clutched the music in her hands and felt a mild sense of satisfaction knowing that she was more rattled by him than he was by her.
"Well, um," she stopped to lick her lips nervously. There was odd kind of energy wafting off the man. It wasn't dangerous, but it was intense. Dark. "We can have a preliminary session, if you'd like."
"How does that work?"
