Chapter Text
After Noelle had moved away from Hometown to the city for college and said her goodbyes to her friends, Berdly being the only other one who was going to the same college as her, she thought she wouldn’t see any of her other friends or classmates until she visited for the holidays. She thought she knew exactly how everything would go.
And it almost did.
Noelle hadn’t noticed anything when she had entered the café that night, her shoulders tense and her mind racing after a nonstop day of classes and meetups. It was a really lovely place, with its soft lighting and the gentle sounds of quiet, polite conversations resonating through the air. It smelled pleasantly of coffee, her drink was fantastic, and her chair was comfortable.
She had noticed the small band setup that stood in the shop’s other corner, music stands being moved to a staff-only room in the back and a piano sitting just next to where the stands were. Of course, that wasn’t anything special. Pianos weren’t exactly a rare sight, especially not in a bustling city. But no matter how often she did see them, she could never stop the image of her childhood friend—or the sounds of the songs she’d listen to them play from her living room—from passing through her mind whenever she saw one.
No, nothing about tonight should’ve been notable. A hot drink after a long day, a moment for herself to breathe before going back to her quiet, lonely apartment.
Absorbed in the book she had brought with her, Noelle had forgotten entirely about the piano. It was only the sound of a familiar tune that made her ear twitch. And the song kept going.
Kris was sitting at the piano. Looking in her direction as they played.
When did Noelle even lift her head from her book? She doesn’t remember—it must’ve been on instinct.
But the moment she looked back at Kris, they looked away. In the quick glance she caught, their expression was as unreadable as ever.
Another averted gaze plants itself in her memories with them, a sea of every one washing past her mind again. Memories of walking through hometown, doing her best to conceal her exhaustion underneath a good posture and a trained pleasant look on her face. The hope she felt walking past them the first few times, the inevitable disappointment when they’d fail to notice or look away. The feelings of inadequacy that circled her every time, wondering why Kris refused every hand she had offered them, what she was doing wrong. Her gradual shift in expectation, weary and tired of the feeling of sadness that came with fleeting hope. Becoming nearly as passive to them as they were to her. An unintelligible mix of irritation and guilt overwhelming her every time.
But as the notes filled the cafe with such a beautiful sound—slow, quiet, relaxing to some but somber to her…resentment left her just as quickly. She missed hearing someone play. Being in the living room, lying down on the couch, memorizing the rhythm of the song and letting it lull her to sleep…
...she missed listening to Kris play.
Maybe she should talk to them again. She grappled with the idea of approaching them once they stopped playing, maybe complimenting them or mentioning how familiar this one piece sounds. Would they say anything? Would they sneak out before she got the chance? Would she just be bothering them, her presence digging up nothing but upsetting memories? Is it even worth it to try?
Oh, who was she kidding? These were questions that she couldn’t answer. She wasn’t even sure if she really wanted to know the answers. All she knew was that in this moment, as the music wrapped around her ears, she just wanted to listen. When she closed her eyes, Noelle imagined herself on the living room couch again, and she could almost pretend that she was listening to a concert meant for her.