Symphony

Chapter Twenty-one

"Are you guys in a fight of some sort?" Al heard James' voice ask as Leo left the room to 'attend to something' as he'd put it. 

"Hmm?" Alejandro muttered, unsure of what James was asking him about — or to be more honest, he didn't want to talk about it. They were both in the small practice room that got opened when the main hall got filled to the brim. Apart from Al and James, there were about two other people practicing in the room as well. One of them was a drum player, and Al could hear the person testing their drum set.

"I asked if you and Leonardo were fighting," James said, making his question clearer to Al. Al found himself frowning a bit. He really didn't know how to answer the question. He let out a sigh, shrugging his shoulders as he let his fingers kiss the piano keys in front of him ever so lightly.

"To be honest, I'm not sure," Al eventually answered, earning a low thoughtful hum from James who was sitting by his side on a high stool.

Al could feel his heart aching in his chest, as the memories from the night Leo had come to have dinner at the apartment he shared with his sister flooded his mind. They were painful, and he just wanted to forget everything that had to happen that night at this point. Leonardo had made his feelings clear. There was no reason for Al to cry over spilled milk.

Al heard James let out a sigh, making him turn his head towards the sound of the saxophonist's voice.

"What?" Al asked, making James sigh again.

"You're avoiding each other, why?" James asked, making Al bit his bottom lip as he let his fingers press a set of piano keys in succession.

"It's my fault. I think," Alejandro tried to explain. James stayed silent, and the silence, coupled with the steady breathing made Al anxious. He calmed down when he heard James hum, ending the awkward atmosphere.

"What exactly happened?" James asked, making Al sigh as he thought about whether it would be a good idea to tell James. He didn't talk to James much, but James didn't seem like the one to run his mouth about another person's business — yes, it was Claire who did that, not James.

"He told me he'd been told that I had feelings for him," Al said, pausing to allow James to soak up the information before he continued. "I didn't confirm or deny it, and he went on to make it clear that if it was true he didn't feel the same way about me." Al finished, intentionally leaving out the part about the kiss. He tried to feel the silence that had washed over the room by pressing some more piano keys. It seemed the drummer and his friend had left the room a while ago, leaving only James and Al in it.

"Oh." Was all James said as he returned to practicing his sheet music. The two didn't say anything to each other for the next ten or so minutes, and after that James spoke up.

"But why is he avoiding you now? It doesn't make much sense to me," James said. "How's he supposed to help you out with your practice if he keeps avoiding you?" James continued, before sighing.

"Maybe I should talk to him—"

"Please don't," Al said, cutting James off before he could continue his sentence.

"Are you sure that I shouldn't?" James asked with a frown, watching as Al nodded before pushing back the long strands of hair that had fallen forward.

"I think he already dislikes me. I don't want him to completely hate me—"

"Come on, you're overreacting. He's probably a bit uncomfortable, but he doesn't hate you. In fact, you're one of the few people he gets along with and likes," James said, making Al smile a bit. Yes, Leo wasn't really keen on friends, and Leo befriending Al at all was a miracle. Maybe that's why their relationship should have stayed that way without any questions — as friends.

The two men turned towards the practice room's door at the sound of the swinging open.

James groaned. "What are you doing here Kenneth? From the amount of time you have on your hands to be a pest, I wonder if you actually have any classes at all."

"Come on, I'm not even here to see you. I'm here to see Alejandro," Kenneth laughed as Alejandro heard the man's footsteps approach him, and soon Kenneth had pulled a stool to sit by him.

"Why the long face. Is something wrong?" Kenneth asked, making Al shake his head before turning his head away.

Al was starting to wonder if he really was that easy to read. Could everyone within a foot's distance tell that he was sulking?

"Leave him alone," James said, trying to get Kenneth off Al's case when he noticed that AL seemed uncomfortable. James felt a bit sympathetic on Al's behalf. Kenneth was nosy and loud, while Al was quiet and reserved. They couldn't have been more contrasting partners.

"Why don't you stay out of this? I'm here to talk to him about our practice in the evening," Al heard Kenneth say. The man's voice soon rang through the room with a laugh. "Or James, are you jealous that I'm not bothering you for once?"

"Don't think up nonsense to feed your ego," James muttered, making Kenneth chuckle. Soon the two were bickering like they usually did, leaving Al to the will of his thoughts. He blocked the background noise of the room's turning fan, and the sound of the two men seating on either side of him as he thought about everything — about Leo, about his foolishness, and about the anger he was feeling towards himself because he couldn't get over the man with the smooth voice, and gentle touch.

"Al, do you think we could play a song before the bell for the next period is rung?" Kenneth asked, bringing Al out of his thoughts. "The practice period is almost over, I don't think I can talk to you about our piece now. I'll just wait until I meet you for practice in the evening."

"Yes, sure," the blind man muttered, rubbing his eyes with the back of his palm before rearranging the bangs that hid them from view. Maybe Al would cut his hair short like his sister had suggested once, but it was uncomfortable to know that people would be staring at his cataract filled eyes even though he wouldn't be able to see them do it. Kenneth asked him to set the pace for the song that they'd been practicing together for a while before he headed to sit behind the piano across the room.

The piano piece was Bolero by Maurice Ravel.

Al couldn't help thinking about how fitting the song was for his current situation. It had a repetitive melody and it ended with a shattering c****x that was chilling. That was how Al's heart felt — like it's been beating with hope before being suddenly crushed by Leo's words.

The bell for the next period soon went, and Kenneth, as well as James, left the practice room. Alejandro sat on his stool behind the piano as he waited for Leo. Some time passed, and he even started to wonder if Leo was even going to return.

"Sorry for the wait," Al heard Leo's voice say as the door to the practice room swung open. "I was — busy."

Yes, busy avoiding me. Al thought to himself, unable to say the words out loud, but the bitterness was indeed within him. A bitterness for both himself and Leonardo.

Himself because he couldn't get over the man, and Leonardo for making it hard by just being him — perfect.