Emre was opened mouthed in awe. That was all he was feeling as he watched Kiara caress the ivory keys and sounds so mouthwatering resonated in the hall. Her face while serene was in complete opposite of her fingers that looked like they were skipping from one note to another at lighting speed, no time for rests or intervals in between.
He was still overwhelmed with the fact that she had wanted him there. Her. That girl. The Kiara Moussa. The girl that he had been crushing on since she first spoke to him when he was 11 years old had invited him to something that was important to her.
Her. That girl. The same Kiara Moussa had answered all his calls at night and mumbled lazy hellos and whispered sleepy good nights.
Her. That girl. The only girl, that made him feel winded. Out of breath.
And the way she played the piano, with outmost concentration and care left him breathless as well. He couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that she had come to school for weeks with bruised knuckles for not playing the piano properly. How was that even possible when she was injecting her emotions into something that although was a classic, was a dead piece of music without the right musician?
How could her mother and her teacher not see how beautiful and gifted Kiara truly is? That was the worst part; why was Kiara even talking to him as much as she did? He was not part of her circle, her community, nothing. Max's words from weeks ago suddenly blared in his ears like a warning sound, 'people like her call going out with people like us slumming it'. Here, in this hall surrounded by people who were sitting in clothes that cost as much as he earned in three months, he felt out of place. He didn't belong here.
He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, letting the music wash over him. The grip on the bouquet of peonies in his lap tightening, the paper crinkling in his grip as he tried to calm himself with deep breaths. Her performance ended in thunderous applause, and he felt his hands automatically raise, a new sound drowned in the sea of others.
He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, the grey suit he had on felt itchy against his skin and the white shirt underneath was suddenly too tight. He kept taking deep breaths his eyes roaming around the hall as he took in the sight if Kiara's parents. Mr. Moussa looked every bit the proud father, pride clear on his face as he clapped while looking at his daughter who was bowing on stage with rapt attention while her mother...was checking her phone. He gritted his jaw, as he shifted in his seat again and received a swift swat to his arm.
Mila glared at him with narrowed eyes and shushed him. Nodding he kept his eyes on Kiara and Kiara alone, directing all his thoughts towards her and nothing else.
Her black hair was tied in half a ponytail, with the rest cascading down her back in soft, pretty waves. She had on a capped sleeved white dress that cinched at the waist and flared all the way down to her mid calves. She had paired it with nude pumps which made her look taller than he knew she was. He chuckled lowly as she waved awkwardly at the audience before abruptly turning around and almost running off stage. He ruffled his hair, the smile never fading from his lips as the image of Kiara stayed in his mind.
"For fuck's sake skaterboy, calm your tits. She'll be out soon," Mila grumbled annoyed at Emre's fidgeting and pacing, as she casually scrolled through TikTok.
He huffed knowing that Mila was right, he was about to sit down when his eyes caught a flash of bright white somewhere near the stage and he straightened once again. His eyes finally locked on to Kiara and he couldn't look away. She was smiling uneasily at something a stern looking lady said to her, as she looked between her parents and the lady. She nodded smiling halfheartedly as a few of the other musicians approached her and tried to entice her in a conversation.
When there was finally a lull in conversation, she broke away from the group and came barreling down the hall as though searching for someone. He knew the exact moment Kiara spotted him, her face alight with happiness and he knew no matter what he will never forget the way she looked. She came bounding towards him, stopping just an arm's length away, breathless in her excitement.
"Hi," she breathed. Her smile so wide it was contagious.
Before he could even reply, Mila had wrapped her arms around Kiara squealing with joy. "You were so good, Kiara!"
Kiara looked at Emre, as though awaiting his affirmation. As though, his opinion of her performance was the only one that really mattered. He cleared his throat roughly, "You were incredible."
Lowering her head to hide her blush, she thanked the both of them. Once Mila had released her arms around Kiara, Emre bashfully presented the bouquet of peonies to Kiara.
"Thank you, Emre. These are so pretty...," Kiara gushed over the flowers, sincerity dripping from her words.
"Wait till you check out what skaterboy is wearing," Mila butted in, "come one, give us a twirl." Mila moved her pointer finger in the air in circles as she looked at him, eyebrow cocked.
Kiara bit her lips, looking at him with eyes wide in anticipation. Huffing at their antics, Emre did a slow turn and felt a blush creep up his neck when he heard the raucous catcalls and whoops from Mila. He rolled his eyes at her but broke out into a chuckle when he saw Kiara fanning herself in an exaggerated manner.
"You cleaned up nice...," Mila mumbled distractedly as she looked at her phone with a frown.
Kiara peered over her shoulders, looking at Mila's phone. "It's okay. Answer Robbie's call," she said gently to her friend. Mila nodded distractedly and answered the call, walking away from them to somewhere a bit quieter.
"She's right you know, you do clean up nice...," Kiara trailed. She was looking up at him with her beautiful dark eyes that were twinkling under the yellow spotlights.
"Just nice?" he asked, smiling at her and took satisfaction in the blush that grew on her cheeks. He had felt her gaze lingering on his body when he had twirled for her earlier. "You look beautiful," he mumbled low enough, only for Kiara's ears and smirked as her blush intensified on her cheeks.
"Now, tell me how you really found all...this...?" she croaked out, ignoring the wild thrum of her heart and waved her free hand, gesturing to the space around them. "And don't lie."
"I...I found it a bit...," he ruffled his hair, "...overwhelming..."
Kiara nodded, her lips pursed. "Because...?" she prompted him to continue as she tightened the hold on the bouquet but Emre only shrugged in response.
Before she could goad him to tell her why, her head snapped to the left when she heard someone calling her name. It was her father, and he was pointing at his watch from afar, signalling that it was time for them to leave. There was a party waiting for her after all.
Emre watched as Kiara clutched the bouquet of peonies tightly to her chest as she smiled at him. She licked her pink glossy lips, shifting from one foot to another, he could see the words swimming in her eyes, but he waited for her to ask him.
"Will I...Will I see you at...at the party later?" she asked nervously, her eyes flitting left to right as she tried to find an answer in his expression.
"Yes."
The smile she bestowed him was breathtaking and he felt his heart stutter at the sight. Her dark hair pulled away from her face, her eyes lined darkly behind her round glasses made them seem bigger as her mascaraed lashes fluttered when she blinked. Her pink lips bright as the wattage of her smile grew.
He didn't want her to go. He wanted to be selfish, to have her beautiful Bambi-esque eyes trained on him and him alone. He wanted to be the only one who could make her smile, giggle, and chuckle. He wanted to be everything she ever needed. He wanted to be hers with an ache that started deep within his chest and spread out to the ends of his body.
"Will you be coming with Mila or....?" She trailed.
"I'll find my way there, prensesim. Now go, your parents are waiting."
Emre couldn't tear his eyes off of Kiara even if he wanted to. He followed every sway of her hips, every swish of her hair. The answering smile on his face for when she smiled at him from afar was automatic, like he had lost control not only over his heart but his mind as well. As he watched her leave, walking next to her face he found himself locking his gaze with her mother and chill rolled down his spine. Her gaze though fleeting was icy, sharp, calculating, and he felt an unnamed anxiety creep in the corners of his mind. He shook his head, trying to shake off the uneasiness that he felt as he walked to the exit.
She could hear the party raging outside. The clinking of the crystal glasses. The hushed laughter. The poshly accented Urdu peppered in with English as they spoke about business and their wordly achievements. She could see in her mind's eye that her mother would be in a corner of the room with her kitty party posse where they'd be gossiping about the latest scandal.
She knew Ahad was there in attendance after a while of skipping parties like these and thought he would be a welcomed distraction that evening, but she felt oddly uncomfortable. He kept trying to pull her in closer by her elbow, he kept trying to whisper things in her ear, winking at her whenever he caught her eye, and it made her feel uneasy. He was painting a picture that was not genuine, that they were more than friendly which couldn't be further from the truth. She huffed again as she adjusted herself on the piano bench, her fingers as usual plucking at the keys as her mind mulled things over.
"I thought you would at least today you would take a break from the piano," she spun around, her hand on her chest when she heard Emre's voice. She took a deep breath trying to calm her racing heart. She couldn't decide why it was racing. Was it because his voice had surprised her? Or was it because he looked so incredible handsome leaning on the doorway, with his arms and legs crossed.
Blinking rapidly, she decided it was because of how handsome he looked as he pushed off from the wall to walk towards her. Gently, he shut the door to the piano room before walking further inside.
"What are you doing here, zeytin gözlüm?" his voice was low, measured. She caught a glimpse of the man that she knew he would soon grow into as he sauntered toward her, smirk in place. He was quiet in his confidence, and it filled the air of the room snatching the breath right away from her.
Tearing her eyes from her, she faced the ivory keys and straightened her posture, "I needed a break."
"Hmmmm. Where's Mila?" he sat down next to her on the bench, their arms brushing.
"Robbie and Frannie had some family issues. They needed her more, which is why I am hiding here."
"I'm here now."
"I know, and it's even better in here now."
She could feel his eyes on her fingers as they gracefully glided over the keys. Filling the room with a sweet melody that spoke of stolen looks and whispered words. Her hands shook as she felt his gentle fingers brushed her hair away from her collarbone, arranging it on her back.
"Kiara," he whispered and the sound of the piano came to a slow stop. She felt him shift beside her and she turned to look at him.
"I got you something. Before you say I didn't have to, I know that. I wanted to."
He gently placed the sleek navy cardboard box on the ivory keys and exhaled roughly. She picked it up and examined the box. It was a beautiful rich colour that had satin silver ribbons tied in a bow that she needed to unravel to open the box. With nimble fingers she untied the ribbons. She opened the box to find a dainty evil eye charm threaded on gold chain. She looked up at Emre in wonder to find him already studying her.
"It's a bracelet that's tiny enough that it shouldn't get in the way when you play the piano," he huffed out.
"My mom...she believes in this, still. Even after years of leaving Turkey, she still believes that this wards away true evil eyes, and envy...," he said quietly. "And there is only one person in this world that I can think of that could truly need this protection. You, Kiara. And it's not for the insane amount of talent that you have. You are so much more than that. You are kind...and caring. You never judge. You never hold contempt. You never ridicule. You make everyone feel like they are worth something. And you believe in their dreams. You...you make me feel worthy...like I can do anything that I want simply because you believe in me, and I never had that before."
"Stop, you're going to make me cry...," she croaked blinking back tears.
"I can't...because I forgot to tell you...how beautiful...I think you are..." he continued brokenly and the tears that she desperately tried to blink back slid down her face.
"Aw fuck, I made you cry...," he cursed quietly, he quickly grabbed a tissue from the box on one of the coffee tables and sat back down next to her. Placing the bracelet on the keys, she removed her glasses.
"Here let me," he said, gently plucking the glasses from her fingers, he placed it on top of the baby grand piano. With his fingertips, he tilted her chin up so that he could dab at her makeup tenderly. This time Kiara didn't want to tear her eyes away from him. His green eyes were bright with a maelstrom of emotions in them. Even when her tears had dried, his fingers remained on her chin tilting it forward.
Her hands sought out his, desperate to feel his warmth and she had grasped onto his wrists, his palms cupping her face. Her eyes fluttered close as she felt him rest his forehead on hers. His nose brushing against hers, his warm breath on her parted lips.
"Kiara, can I kiss you?" he whispered into her lips.
She breathed out, "Yes."