"I'd really like to."
They exchanged a long look as they strolled hand in hand down the sidewalk to his shop.
They didn't say anything else as he opened the door and she stepped in. She stood waiting for him to lead the way back to the room with the piano and his violin.
He took his violin out of the case, then tuned it to the piano and laid it on the top.
Reaching under the bench, lifting up the lid of the bench, he reached in and pulled out a notebook full of music paper, some scribbled on, some notes scratched out. But some neatly organized in a three-ring binder.
"This was the piece I was working on the night you interrupted me. It has evolved into something that I've never done before, and that is a duet between a piano and violin."
He didn't say anything more, but it made Grace wonder if he was writing it for them.
"I didn't really mean for it to go that way, but after I met you... Yeah. It just evolved into that, and multiple nights I've stayed up way past midnight with the music dancing in my head. It's practically written itself."
"May I?" she asked, forgetting until that second that she hadn't played the piano since that fateful night.
But this felt different. It felt right, and she had no fear.
"Of course," he said, but he didn't move to put the music down until she had asked. He set it on the piano and opened it up to the first page. She could easily see the violin part on the top and the piano part beneath that.
Reading the music, she saw that it was going to be a fun piece, a little flirty, and then she turned the page and it got a little more serious, a little more passionate.
"Can I play?" she asked.
"You sure can."
"Will you play the violin part?"
He didn't say anything but picked up his violin and tucked it under his chin.
Typically the piano would have a slight introduction, but with this music, the violin started by itself. A little bit of a sad melody, until the piano came in and kind of nudged it. You could almost feelthe introduction as they danced around each other a bit, and then the fun interaction started.
She was so focused on Noah's music and hearing the story, seeing it play out in front of her eyes, that she forgot that she hadn't played in a long time, or that she had been scared to try again. The music flowed out of her fingers as naturally as breathing, and Noah's playing held an understanding and brought out a depth to her own playing that she'd never heard before.
Playing with him was different. Better.
There were some unfinished parts, and they skipped over those, playing what was there, until the end.
The final page had tones of the wedding march and a piece that she often heard at nuptials as well.
There was a slight lullaby, only for a few bars, and then the music ended.
"That's it?" she asked, surprised and disappointed when the music just stopped.
"Yeah. That's all I have so far."
"It's my new favorite music. Oh my goodness." She put a hand to her chest and struggled to find words. "It's the most amazing thing I've ever played. I could see everything."
"What did you see?" he asked softly, curious.
"Back here is where they meet. The violin first, then the piano comes in. They introduce each other, and then they flirt back and forth. Then their courtship on this page, and this was the first kiss."
He dropped to a knee and tucked his violin under his arm.
"You did see it. You understood."
She nodded. "Yes. It was as plain as a movie running in front of me." She turned her head, not realizing he had been so close. Their breaths mingled.
