Chương 116: Chapter 116 – A Different Kind of Pain
[2009 – September]
The music room of the school was basically never empty after classes as either the orchestra guys or the choir used it for practice, which also meant that I couldn't really spend my time there playing the piano while Jean had other classes.
Thankfully, I had come across an old upright piano in one of the storerooms while exploring the school grounds with my Farsight, which was also where I was headed after leaving the guidance counselor's office.
The old piano was a bit out of tune but after buying some specialized tools, speed-reading two books, and watching several tutorial videos about how to tune a piano, I managed to tune it rather well.
I was by no means an expert but considering my enhanced intelligence and the fact that my hearing was even greater than someone who could be considered to possess a perfect pitch, my work was more than passable and I now had something to do while waiting for Jean.
The storage room was also quiet and not many people came by here, as it was basically just filled with old equipment that has been replaced over the years and rows of folding chairs that were in use on different occasions.
Sitting down and flipping the fallboard, I carefully brushed over the keys, smiling to myself. I wasn't sure what it was about pianos but I loved them, there was something incredibly soothing about playing even just a few notes.
Bringing my fingers in position above the right keys, my foot lightly tapping the pedestal to get a feel for its resistance, I started playing one of my favorite tunes – Discovery At Night by Ludovico Einaudi.
It was gentle and quiet. Closing my eyes, I played from memory as soft notes continued to flow around me.
…
Walking past a corridor on her way to the bathroom, Gwen could hear a faint melody coming from one of the old storerooms. Curious, she approached and tentatively opened the door.
Looking inside, Gwen saw the side profile of a black-haired teen as he played the piano with his eyes closed, coaxing a hauntingly beautiful melody from the aged instrument while seemingly completely entranced by it.
Recognizing the other person to be Elijah Frost, the new student with whom she shared a few classes, and recalling the rumors she had heard about him, Gwen was more than a bit surprised to see him like this.
She could practically feel his love for the music as he played one soft tune after another.
She didn't have much of an impression of Elijah before, besides the obvious intrigue about why the school's star quarterback would wet himself after a short stare-off. Elijah just seemed to be a quiet and polite teen, and admittedly a very handsome one too.
The only thing she took note of though was the way he interacted with Jean Grey, who was someone Gwen considered one of her brightest classmates. The love between them was almost palpable and it made her a bit jealous, as she longed for the same thing they seemed to have with each other.
Still, seeing Elijah play the piano with such devotion, made Gwen realize that there was indeed something special about him.
Retreating from the room silently to avoid disturbing him, Gwen decided that she would ask him to join the school orchestra the next time they had a class together, as the school could definitely benefit from Elijah's skill.
And just as she walked away from the room, she crossed paths with another one of her classmates, Laura Kinney. And this one had left a rather deep impression on her, as despite her incredible beauty, she was simply unapproachable.
Gwen had never even seen her talk with anyone, even her fellow specially enrolled students seemed to keep their distance from her after she came to this school a year ago. Though, now that she thought about it, she had seen Laura interact with Elijah and his friends during breaks for the last few days which was unusual.
Still, Gwen smiled and nodded in her direction, though she got no response beyond a quick glance as Laura simply walked past her and entered the storage room with quiet steps.
…
Finally finished with AP chemistry, Jean quickly put away her notes and left the classroom with swift steps, heading for the storage room she knew Elijah was in, her heart already fluttering in anticipation.
From afar she could already hear the soft tunes echoing through the hallway. Slowing down as she approached the door to the storeroom, Jean opened it, and stepped in as quietly as possible while a beautiful melody rang in her ears.
Though she stopped in her tracks as soon as she laid eyes on Elijah, her eyes widening in surprise. She had sensed that Laura was present as she had picked up on her mental signature while she had approached the room, the scene before her though, made her freeze in place.
Elijah had his eyes closed, faint sorrow visible on his face as he played a particularly sad melody. Laura, on the other hand, sat in a sideways-placed chair directly behind him, her side leaning against Elijah's back her head resting between his shoulder blades.
Her eyes were closed as she slept, her expression peaceful and at ease, while one of her hands held onto a corner of Elijah's sweater even in her sleep.
It was a scene filled with serene and fragile beauty, and Jean forgot to breathe for a moment while she just watched them.
She knew that she should be jealous and maybe angry at them but she couldn't bring herself to feel that way after seeing the soft smile on Laura's face.
In fact, it would have been much easier for her if she could just be jealous and angry but the situation wasn't so simple. Jean also wasn't a mean-spirited girl and neither was Laura some vixen that tried to steal her boyfriend.
Looking at her, as she rested so peacefully without any vigilance and caution in her demeanor, Jean could only imagine that Laura felt like she did when she was with Elijah.
She had never seen Laura smile like this in her entire time at Xavier's or since they had started to spend time together after Laura moved into the Hellion Mansion. Jean's heart couldn't help but ache as she thought about this.
How lonely had Laura felt before Elijah had come into her life? How much heartache was the beautiful brunette enduring whenever she saw her and Elijah together?
And yet, Laura hadn't displayed any hostility towards her. Instead, Laura had opened up to her on her insistence, and Jean had gotten to know the quiet beauty in a way she had not expected.
Laura was caring and sensitive in ways she hadn't understood before. The brunette had even taken note of her heartache after her visit at Xavier's, and while she had not said anything, Laura had quietly accompanied her when Elijah had been busy with his training as if sensing that she hadn't wanted to be alone.
They had become friends and Laura had already tunneled her way into her heart after just a few short weeks together. Laura was special and Jean understood why Elijah liked having her around.
Looking at Laura, who usually carried herself with an impassive temperament, as she leaned on Elijah so vulnerably, tenderness welled up inside Jean's heart. She inexplicably felt that this was something incredibly precious, something that deserved protecting.
At the same time though, her heart clenched painfully as she was also afraid of losing her love.
She stood rooted in her spot when Elijah played the last few notes of the sad melody before silence descended on the room. Turning his head in her direction as he opened his eyes, Elijah smiled softly, deep love and quiet longing burning in his beautiful eyes.
"Hey, Firefly.", he whispered as the pain in her heart slowly faded, before asking with a smile, "Can you give me a hand with this little wolf? I don't wanna wake her, I think she has problems sleeping normally."
Pointing to his back with his thumb, it was clear that he meant Laura who was still fast asleep, and his words caused a different kind of pain to well up in her chest as she looked at the sleeping beauty.
SUY NGHĨ CỦA NGƯỜI SÁNG TẠO 
GodOfFreedom
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This story has more than 80 advanced chapters on my p@treon account. I will probably only upload it here occasionally, as this account isn't a priority of mine and just exists to stop others from stealing my intellectual property.
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