D A R K O' S P. O. V.

Thursday, February 7th, 2014

"ARGH! I HATE THIS PIANO!"

I shouted in frustration as I threw my arms up in the air. I slammed my head down onto Miss Lauriana's piano keys, a terrible clash of notes erupting from the instrument as my head crushed them. Taylor patted my back as I pseudo-wept.

"Like I said, learning things on the piano takes practice. You'll get the hang of it eventually." Taylor said soothingly, rubbing my back. I craned my head, my eyes meeting Taylor's as my ear rested on the keys. I had groaned before he let out a soft chuckle.

It's been four days since Sunday; four days since my glovebox was thieved. While I had managed to replace my glovebox, the porcelain figurine was one of a kind - the store had closed down. Apparently, I had been their sole customer for the entire month. There was no chance I, nor anybody else, could ever buy something from there again.

Why does the universe hate me? All I want to do is make Taylor happy on his birthday. Can't something go right at least once?

Come on Darko, I thought to myself; you didn't give up motorcycle riding today to disappoint Taylor. You can do this!

"I guess so," I said weakly, lifting my head up slightly, "I just... I wish I could make Fur Elise sound as amazing as you can."

A smile appeared on his face, making him turn to face the instrument. He cleared his throat as he adjusted his glasses. "You're such a suck-up."

"Pshh. If I were, I'd be spit-shining your shoes."

He had grimaced before snorting. "Now that would be gross. Anyway," he said as he placed his hands on the keys, gesturing me to join in too, "ready? I'll play the intro again; then you copy me."

I quickly nodded. Taylor began playing the first few notes of the song, making sure it was slow enough for me to remember the sequence. Once he was done, he turned to me, gesturing to the ebony keys. I finally managed to copy his fingerwork correctly, making a smile appear on both of our faces.

"Yes!" Taylor said cheerfully, "keep playing that part over and over until you can do it without thinking about it."

I nodded, smiling, and kept replaying the notes as I did before. I shut my eyes, letting my mind wander as the notes flitted into my ears. This week had been incredibly busy for everyone. Lyra's been busy preparing for her party, Taylor's been prepping for his performances at school, and Bella's... well, Bella hasn't been at the school for a few days. Quite weird.

Meh. I'm not complaining. Her being 'off the grid' gives me more one-on-one time with Taylor. My favourite time.

"Uh, Darko? You're playing the wrong notes..." Taylor said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I glanced down, and I was playing everything one note lower down than I should have. I swore profusely, throwing my head back as I did. "I'll never learn this. I have stupid fingers."

Taylor chuckled. "Don't beat yourself up. Nobody gets it the first time. Believe it or not, I was once terrible at the piano."

I snorted. "Yeah I know, but that was in like grade two. Everybody is bad at an instrument when they're seven - you've always been talented!"

An enormous grin formed on his lips before he shrugged. "Like I said, you're such a suck-up, Darko."

I rolled my eyes as I refocused on the keys in front of me. Taylor focused on the instrument too, but he didn't play anything - he just sat there, staring.

I had lifted a brow before asking tentatively, "hey, you all good?"

Taylor remained unresponsive. He was literally fine three seconds ago, why's he suddenly acting up? Am I sucking up to him too much?

"Earth to Taylor?"

Taylor, seemingly to have snapped out of a trance, faced me, blinking his eyes rapidly for a few moments. Stifling back a laugh at his strangeness, I grinned, making him lift a brow this time.

"What's wrong?" he said. I let out a chuckled before I pointed at his face.

"You tell me, bro."

Taylor narrowed his eyes, perplexed. After a few tense moments, his face washed over with realisation. "OH! I was just thinking about the party tomorrow. Sorry about that."

I smiled, but then let it fade when Taylor turned away, touching the piano keys, his hand quivering slightly. He let out a soft, sharp breath of air as if he'd been holding on to it too long. I cocked an eyebrow up.

"Are you nervous?" I asked. He nodded.

"Tay... parties are nothing to be worried about," I said sombrely, making him glance back toward me. "If you're this nervous about it.. then just skip it."

Taylor groaned. "You know I can't do that."

I groaned before saying flatly. "Right, the secret. The one you still refuse to tell me."

I wish I knew this stupid secret. My curiosity has been eating away at me for a week now. It's like owning a diary and only writing down 'oh, the weather was good today'; it's bloody pointless. Taylor never keeps things from me; the longest thing he'd kept hidden from me was his Christmas present, but even then he told me about it. UGH.

"I-its... complicated. I only told Bella because she's the only one that can help with it. You will know, eventually man. I just have to work it all out first."

I huffed before sinking my head onto the keys again, letting the horrible wave of notes stream past my eardrums.

"Fine."

Silence filled the room after the screech of the piano left. Taylor sighed before placing his hands back on the piano, facing me.

"I'm sorry, alright? Anyway, this isn't about me today, forget my nerves, the party, everything. My mission is to teach you this song; I did promise last week, after all."

I snorted before focusing on the piano. "Fine. I just can't get my damn fingers to go in the right spots."

Taylor sat there, bringing his fingers up to his chin, slightly narrowing his eyes.

"Maybe we should use stickers? I remember you used to use them," I suggested. He waved at me dismissively, before his eyes widened. He turned to me, a soft grin spreading his lips.

"I have an idea. Trust me."

Suddenly, Taylor stood up and stood behind me. He leant forward, his head directly next to mine, and his arms snaked around, his hands resting on top of mine. His soft fingers curled over my now shaking fingers. His silky palms send electric bolts through my arms to my chest.

"We can't use stickers, Miss Lauriana would kill me," he said, his voice so tender on my ears, "this method is better. Stick out your pointer finger."

Feeling his warm breath on my neck made my heart race in my chest. He's literally on top of me. His stubble on his cheek was bristling with mine. His soft hands guided my hands, my pointer finger tapping the piano seamlessly as he moved from note to note. This is freaking intimate. Oh my god.

Ah shit. Of course, I felt a stirring in my groin. Thanks, dick, for being subtle. If Taylor takes one glance down, I'd probably cry of embarrassment.

I was too lost in my thoughts to realise that I was playing the beginning part correctly. Taylor's hands synchronised so well with mine that he just continued the rest of the song. His hands gripped around my two index fingers, playing the possible notes with such grace and fluidity. His proximity, his warmth, his touch... Jesus. There was nowhere else I'd want to be right now.

As 'my' fingers danced around on the keys, playing the final notes, we both just sat there for a minute, letting the mood envelop us. He rested his chin on my shoulder before whispering, "Well, you certainly don't have stupid fingers now."

I chuckled, before saying "Well, they would be stupid without yours. Thanks, mate."

Much to my dislike, he lifted himself from me and sat back down next to me. That was freaking intense. My heart is about to explode; my head is spinning, my hands are shaking. He looked at me, and for a moment there, I could see the faintest glint in his eyes.

I can't stand this anymore. Gay, straight, bi, whatever the hell he might be, this situation is just too surreal. Maybe he is gay, or maybe I'm over-thinking this entire thing.

I'm going to kiss this boy, right here, right now. This emerald eyed, nerdy pianist. My best friend.

I leant forward, lips ready, eyes shut, heart racing...

...just as Miss Lauriana walked in, distracting Taylor's attention. He turned to face the door just as I got too close.

He looked at me, a perplexed expression spreading on his pearly face. "Uh? You good there bro?"

I regained my posture, my face heating up, probably showing a very bright pink. "Yeah, just uh... a little dizzy all of a sudden. Sorry for nearly falling on you."

He smirked. "You better be, Darko."

He got up and walked over to Miss Lauriana. I placed my elbows on the keys, resting my head on the balls of my palm. Why did I just do that? WHY? Good God, I feel like shit. I nearly kissed my best friend - my straight best friend!

I got up and walked to the door. Taylor, clearly confused, shouted, "Darko! Where are you going?"

My mind blanked. I quickly thought back to the party, how Lyra asked me the other day to help pick her an outfit. That'll do for an excuse.

"L-Lyra uh," I said, stammering, "she just texted me. S-she uh, wants me to help her pick out a dress. She's having trouble finding one. Yeah. Trouble."

Taylor lifted a brow, looking at the piano, then back to me. "Are you sure? We still have time to learn another song if you want-"

"Nope! Sorry! Maybe next Thursday. Bye!" I said quickly, rushing out of the room.

I can't be near him right now, as much as my heart wanted me to stay there. His warm, his touch, his talent; it's dangerous - Miss Lauriana coming in just as she did must have been a sign or some sort of warning.

Maybe I should just stay away for a while.