Melody

I take one last glance at the bedroom. My home away from home for over a month. It flew by, but the past thirty six hours have felt agonizingly slow. Sighing, I turn off the lights and wheel my heavy suitcase down the hall. I never really did tour the apartment properly. It's not much of a catastrophic realization though, I couldn't really care less about it.

Mr. Carter is waiting by the front door and talking to someone on the phone. He finishes the call once I get there.

"Ready, Ms. Aria?"

I nod wordlessly, and he takes our luggage. Down the familiar hall to the elevator, through the familiar parking lot, driving through the familiar streets.

Wait.

Too familiar.

"Mr. Carter? This isn't the way to the airport." I furrow my brows and study the buildings passing by. My mouth drops open when I realize. "You're driving me to Cole, aren't you?" I gasp. I've never felt so betrayed by Mr. Carter.

He looks at me sheepishly through the rearview mirror. "Ms. Aria, you have to understand-"

"I will fire you on the spot if you don't take us to the airport, now," I snap. I immediately regret my words when I see his hurt expression. "I-I'm sorry Mr. Carter, I didn't mean that."

He sighs and runs his hand through his wavy hair. "I always have your best interests in mind, Ms. Aria, you know that. Please trust me on this one."

Why is he being so cryptic? "Can't you tell me what's happening?"

"Well," he says and grits his teeth, hesitating, "I can't. Cole told me not to."

I groan and slump back against my seat. "Fine, but don't forget that our flight is in an hour."

-----

As soon as we step out of the university's parking lot, I'm blinded by flashing lights. Squinting, I'm able to make out around ten people, some with cameras, others with microphones. Campus security is trying but failing to get the paparazzi off the property. I completely forgot that Cole mentioned I had been visiting U of M in the interview.

They begin shouting questions at me.

"Melody? Is it true that you were hiding because you were pregnant?"

"Melody? Was Cole a fan? Is he dating you to become famous?"

"Melody? Is it true you had plastic surgery?"

I feel sick to my stomach. This is a living nightmare, I want the ground to open up and swallow me whole. I cower behind Mr. Carter as he pushes through the paparazzi and keeps a firm hold on me.

We finally get through the crowd, and campus security manages to keep them from getting any further into campus. "Are you alright Ms. Aria?" Mr. Carter asks once we're out of sight of the paparazzi. I try to hold back tears as I nod. Is this my life now?

We enter the familiar music building. It feels like I haven't been here in forever, though it's only been a few weeks. Time is relative I suppose. My heart begins to pound as the elevator goes up. What am I even doing here? What does he want?

"I'll be out here," Mr. Carter whispers to me as we reach the room.

I slowly reach for the door. My hand rests on the cold metal doorknob and I take a deep breath before twisting it and pushing it open.

Despite it all, my stupid heart skips a stupid beat when my eyes land on Cole.

My heart wants to forgive him. It reminds me of every soft and fuzzy feeling he gave me. The way he warmed and melted my frozen heart. I thought I was broken after everything I've gone through, but he showed me that I wasn't just a piano-playing robot.

My brain, on the other hand, wants nothing to do with him. A manipulative liar - absolutely despicable. He's turned my life upside down, and I know there's no going back.

He looks up from the piano as I enter and gives me a small smile. I can't help but notice how incredibly tired he looks. His messy hair looks unintentionally messy, the normally bright blue sparkle in his eyes is replaced by a dull glaze, his posture is hunched and stiff, and there are several empty cups of coffee strewn across one of the tables.

"Hey Mel," he says softly.

I cross my arms, refusing to take any more steps into the room. "What do you want?"

He stands up and takes a step towards me, I quickly take a step back. He looks hurt and stops. "It wasn't my fault, I can explain everything." Cole gestures towards the chairs over by the table. "Can we sit and talk?"

"No." I scowl and shake my head. "Why should I?"

He walks back over to the piano and sits down. "You have to trust me Mel, I wouldn't do something like that to you." Taking a deep breath, he hovers his hands above the keyboard. What is going on?

I watch warily as he begins to play. He's really...good, like, bizarrely good. It takes me a moment to recognize the song. My jaw drops open when I realize it's my song, Cole. The song that he was my muse for. I have about a million questions right now, but they begin to fade away - along with my anger.

It's so strange hearing my piece being played by someone other than me, let alone by Cole. The world disappears as a wave of overwhelming emotions envelop me. The notes dance around the room, filling the air with unsuspecting cheerfulness. A mix of happiness and sadness sink deep into me, fighting over which takes control.

He looks deep in concentration. It's a different look this time, one I've never seen. Focused, but with sadness hidden behind those eyes. It breaks my heart to see him like that.

I don't think I heard a single mistake by the time he finishes. "I...don't understand," I mutter. "How in the world?"

Cole gives me a sheepish smile. "It's a long story."

"Why did you do this?"

"Well, I sort of figured you probably wouldn't want to listen to the things I had to say right away." He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. "It's cheesy but, I thought maybe I could communicate to you through... music. It was clear very early on that music is an incomparable and beautiful way of communication for you."

"I...don't exactly follow."

"I would never do anything to hurt you Mel," he says as he slowly gets up from the bench. "I care about you and I know you get uncomfortable talking about feelings through, well, words. So...I thought I could show you how much I care through music instead."

I bite my lip as Cole takes a couple cautious steps towards me.

"I'd be willing to do anything for you. Trust me, there's absolutely no one else in the entire world I would've spent twelve hours in one day learning a song for." He tiredly runs his hand through his extra messy hair. "I would never use you for money or fame." I bite my lip nervously as he stops right in front of me. "Now, would you please let me explain?"

I nod. He tells me about the accidental syncing and Michael's mistaken interpretation. Then getting a picture of my sheet music from Mr. Carter and practicing with Cara all day and night.

My chest feels heavy as emotions rapidly pile onto me. It's a mix of happiness and sadness. Guilt and shame. Frustration and relief. I feel my eyes begin to water and tears quickly begin to slip out. I finally, fricking finally, feel the walls I've built around myself crumble apart and come crashing down. Cole catches me as I practically collapse towards him and I bury myself into his chest.

"I'm so sorry, Cole," I sob. "I shouldn't have assumed the worst. You care about me and... I-I care about you too."

"Hey shh, don't cry," he says softly and uses his thumb to brush my tears away. "It's alright." He gently strokes my hair and holds me close as my erratic breathing calms down. It's a foreign feeling, being comforted like this. It's also incredibly calming and comforting.

"I'm scared," I mumble into his sweater once I've calmed down. "Everything is changing."

"You're regretting sharing in the first place, I get it. I promise I'll be here with you every step of the way as you get through this," he softly reassures me. "Everything's going to be ok, Mel."

I lift my face from his chest and look up at him. My heart feels impossibly warm and full. "Thank you Cole. I can't believe you did this for me." I had always thought I was doomed to being too afraid to express myself, left with no option but to run away from my feelings.

Maybe it's not so hard after all. Maybe Cole's right, who says I have to always follow the traditional way of communication?

"I knew it would be worth it if it worked." He gives me a relieved smile. "Although I have to say, I gained an incredible amount of respect for you tonight. Practicing for hours on end is exhausting."

I nod and chuckle. "It really is." I make a mental note to thank Cara for what she did for Cole.

He looks at me nervously for a moment. "So um, I've been trying to tell you for the longest time Mel. I have feelings for you and... I think you do too."

I feel heat rush to my cheeks. My face wants to instinctually turn away, but I force myself to look at him. Him and those damn mesmerizing eyes. He's smiling because deep down, he knows he's right.

I stand on the tips of my toes and lean towards him. His eyes widen as he brings his hands to my waist and I rest my hands on his chest. I can feel his heat radiating from beneath my fingertips. My heart palpitates as we get closer and closer, and it feels like my heart is going to explode out of my chest when he finally presses his soft, impossibly soft, lips against mine. I practically melt, as weeks of pent up emotions are released. Every movement is somehow perfectly in sync, as if we were always meant for each other.

Is that cheesy or what?

"You're right, I do," I giggle when we pull apart.

He chuckles and kisses my forehead.

"Mr. Carter?" I call.

He opens the door and I see his stressed demeanor quickly fade away when he sees us together. "Well, I'm glad to see you two worked things out."

"Could you cancel our flight? I'm not ready to go just yet."

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Finally! 😭🥺

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