To Endure A Little More

FOUR

The class ends and Aelia comes out of the classroom to keep her stuff in the locker and bring out the different different materials she will be needing to prepare for the next class; which were her note guides for Piano basics. Her eyes rummage through the stapled pieces of paper to check if she picked the right ones before looking around to search for Vivienne amongst the horde of students rushing around, so that she could take the latter with herself to the library as she notices that one of books she would need was missing. As she looks around in search of Vivienne, her eyes land on Luan who was around as well, putting his properties back inside his own locker; more like throwing them inside, if to be described. Something seemed off about his behavior which worried her. She disregards the sudden concern that arises within herself because should not anymore be a person to care about him, she believed. Although, deep down, she felt anxious and curious to know where his sudden rage derived from.

However, even after all students and trainees rush into their classrooms for their next lesson, Luan seemed to not bother and walks off in a different direction. And that causes for Aelia's curiosity to catch the best of her worriment. Class was starting to begin but instead of going on her way, she was still brooding over the subject which was now over a thousand times before deciding with her belief that she was skilled enough at playing the piano to bunk the class for once even though she rarely bunked classes. Despite all her immature habits and peculiarities, she was sincere whenever anything was about building a career for herself in the artist line.

Finally settling on figuring out what's the issue with Luan instead of choosing a simple pianoforte that can't ease her concern, Aelia walks around her way to follow Luan to his unsettled destination but pretending to be on her own. To the lady's fortune, he was too luxuriated in his whistling to notice her. Even through everything the two had been into and out of in the past, Aelia's feelings were just as raw-solid and deeply pure for the man to this date. If anything was bothering Luan or even upset him, Aelia wouldn't sit quiet and watch him deal with it on his own. It's just how she was about him; even when Luan didn't remember his feelings. And he too  did feel. Just like hers, in his heart engraved was her. The two could not in any way resist even when he was lacking the memories. They could not restrain themselves from each other that they had a weakness for but also took great pleasure in.

Luan walked ahead into the gloomy corridor that was dimly lit because of the absence of windows, while his mind rather ran off to play him with his thoughts somewhere in an alternate universe he cannot comprehend. His mind was surfing in a tornado of cogitation and contemplation. But above all, at this moment what had him more pressured was the absence of ideas in the working space of his head about how he could ask the girl out to perform with him at the upcoming competition; the very girl he didn't know was following him  behind in wonder about what was consuming him tension.

Sounds of feet tapping on the floor as they take steps other than his own in the quiet hallway is what snaps him out of his thoughts. He turns around to find Aelia to be the one following him. Suddenly an uncontrollable, needless fright hits him as he notices Aelia, the very girl he's been thinking of which throws him in a tizzy, causing a wildly unthinking reaction from him as he panics if its his thoughts that summoned her image in front of to delude him or if it was actually Aelia standing across him, witnessing his panic-stricken odd behaviour.

Instead of walking up to her to clear his confusion and calm himself down, Luan rather starts walking faster only for Aelia to do so too which brings him more unnecessary terror. And so before she could notice, he hid away only to figure if she was following him or on her own. For the terms of circumstances, before he could inspect, the lights of the windowless hallway clicked off as the building lost connection with electricity, leaving the two lost in a dark corridor with actual fright and terror this time.

"Aaaahhhhh!" she shrieked, frightened, making Luan scream followingly without knowing.

"Sun?" The man called out.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to." she says.

"Hey! Are you crazy? Why did you scream?!" Luan shouts, looking around for her. He sighed in relief on the inside, knowing he wasn't alone in the dark.

She stays silent, her loud sigh making it easier for him to search for her. "L-Luan?" Her voice cracked which showed how afraid she really was and then it hit the latter. The two were once locked out in the underground basement of Luan's house while their parents were overseas for business matters. With no device to communicate with, the two teenagers accidentally locked themselves in the dungeon like place with no lights while playing around, since the place was under repair. A few days with no food or way to escape, they spent there with insects and odd sounds that sounded demonic to their ears, till the repairmen returned to find them there and rescued them.

Aelia's hand reaches out to him and without a word, he grabbed it and pulled her in his embrace. She was shaking, being reminded of old times, as Luan caressed her back soothingly, humming a melody, to calm her down like he did in his teen days when they were stuck there.

Luan's tricks worked and Aelia started breathing again, hugging him back and enjoying his warmth while she could, till she realized what he was doing. To her knowledge, the man didn't remember such moments of theirs from the past and yet having him do this while they were caught in the dark made a ton of memories flood back in. Little did she know about the secret Luan was hiding.

"I got shocked!" she spoke nervously.

"It's okay." Luan whispered back, holding her close.

The lights flashback on as electricity returns and their senses are dragged back to reality. Their faces flush red at the close proximity they were in but what was odd yet normal of the situation was how them being in each other's arms didn't make their hearts beat faster, it was rather like the hearts were finally beating. They were finally breathing in peace. Yes, that's how bonded they were. But circumstances suggested otherwise.

"Why did you scream with me?" Luan asked as skepticism grew in her.

"Because you-u...well, why were you following me?!" Luan was at a loss of words, trying to come up with excuses. He knew he couldn't speak truth but just as well, he knew he was poor at lying which Aelia knew.

"I was bored and I saw you not going to class, so I planned to bunk it with you. Were you scared?"

"Um, no. Why will I be?" Luan looked away, laughing to hide his awkwardness. Just like how a moment ago he didn't want to let go of her, now all he could think of was how to end this conversation already.

"Okay." Aelia popped without tone which made Luan raise a brow at how easily she got convinced.

The two let their eyes meet, faces bereft of emotions. Luan couldn't help but wiggle his brows at the awkwardness because of the kind of dork he is, which made Aelia c***k out in laughter. This was an old habit of his, whenever he was being focused on, say by a camera or so, he'd make funny expressions.

The two stood there laughing till Aelia lost control of her steps and slipped, a trait she adapted from their childhood bestfriend, Terran. She tried to lean back in reflex, expecting a wall to hold her but unfortunately that was far from her reach, making her almost fall. She shut her eyes close in fear of hitting the cold hard floor any moment now but was saved by the man before her. 

Snaking a hand around her body and catching her by her waist as the other reached up to catch her other hand that was flying in the air. Those little actions that took place by the spur of the moment saved Aelia from injury, as well as put them both in a position that was hard to handle. He looked at her in the eye as she did to him from only inches away. A smile made its way to their faces without consent. She had not seen him smiling like this in a long time which warmed her heart and brought her peace. But deep inside, she felt something in her heart that he made her feel when they knew they were in love, back in the past. But that love was forbidden by the fate and abandoned now and yet feeling such way by the very man who no more saw her the same... she was scared.