Take his place

"You're the reason for this mess. You must fix it." I was looking at the emotional guy in front of me, not knowing what he is talking about or what I should answer him.

"Tsk, you'll never know how to talk to a lady." I looked behind me at the owner's voice. Why is he always behind me?

"Wait, wait. How do the two of you get here, and how could you reach this level?" I ask, and they only looked at it each other. Not anyone can get in the building without an appointment, and this level had a VIP elevator that doesn't work without a key card.

"No one can stop F.A. Members from going anywhere," Adam bragged. "Anyway, we're here because we have an enormous problem, and we need your help."

"We're not begging for her help; she has to do it. Because of her Noah is in this state," Liam spits out.

"I am not obligated to do anything. If you will not tell me the real reason you're here, I am going,". I said, turning away.

"Wait!" Adam gently grabs my arm. "Noah lied to us. After the accident, he said that his hand is fine, but it's not. The injury was severe, and it needs to rest his left hand for weeks. He doesn't have the time to do it because he needs to play the piano at the end of the next week," Adam explained.

"I am so sorry that he had to pass through this because of me, but what is the help I can give here?" I asked, confused.

"You'll play piano in his place, of course!" Liam said with a DUH tone.

What? They're crazy. I tried not to look shocked in front of them. How do they know that I played? "Sorry, you got the wrong person. I don't play piano," I said, ready this time to go back to my studio.

"Sarah Turner, you were the winner of the best female pianist under age ten years old. I don't mistake a person I studied with when I was young. You were the best pianist at the school," Adam resits. I felt captured in a cage. He knew me before, and his friend saved my life. How can I refuse now?

"You said it yourself; I was. I didn't play for years. I lost my abilities, plus why don't you hire anyone? You're rich, you can get the best pianist in whole America," I said, trying hard to keep a poker face. The subject is a bit too much for the cold me to stay on. And If stares could kill, I would've been already dead by Liam. I can understand what he's standing for. These guys look close to each other. But I can't help.

"Don't you feel guilty after he got hurt because of you," Adam kept silent next to the boy who's yelling at me. "He composed this song, especially for that day. His father has the hospital's 30th-anniversary ball. He wanted to make his dad proud of him. Now he can't do it because he saved an ungrateful girl like you. He should've left you to get more than the scratch in your head".

I know that I am in the wrong place here. But I can't imagine my hands on the piano keys again. It's an image I refuse even to capture in my head.

"You didn't answer me, why me and not a professional pianist. I am no longer good to play in a ball," I resonated.

"We are four members in this group, including your cousin Ethan," Adam started but was cut by a yell of Liam, "Ethan is her cousin?" The two of us ignore him, and I looked back at Adam, "No one knows our identity rather than being a rich and successful band. No one knows our families, and we prefer it to stay like that to manage our family's' businesses without distraction. The ball won't be a problem because the theme is a masked ball, but the person who will play for Noah has to practice with him, and we need someone who won't care about his background. That's why we came to you. We need your help. It's an important day for Noah, and we want it to go well," Adam finishes the explanation. I was spacing out, repeating every word he said on my head. I am their last hope. I feel burdened. Playing the piano again will be a gigantic step to make, and I may sink in darkness more than I am because of it. But, I am in debt to him and, I'll never live with this debt in my life knowing that I could've helped him, and I didn't.

I looked at the two guys in front of me and sighed my defeat. Am I really going to do it? "I'll try, does anyone of you have a piano?" I asked now the grinning kids. If I will try to play no one should know, and my piano is not an option to keep things secret It’s right in the middle of mother’s house.

"We have one at the dorm," Liam half-shouted.

"Okay, here is my phone number. Send me a message when you want to meet and the address," I handed Adam my phone card. I was a professional pianist at one time, so I had a pile of cards I used little these last years. I don't even know how they're in every bag I have. "And yeah, I didn't play for so long so, I am not good as I was so. I didn’t even check if I am so expect a little," I warned.

"An artist never loses his touch even if you didn't play in a piano for so long, your fingers will remember the feeling of the keyboard the soon they touch it," Adam said wisely, and he turns leaving. Liam gave me a last glance with a brief smile and followed his friend. Doing all this and trying to convince me. I guess they are more than brothers.

***

I went back to the studio, and I saw Hana still sitting in her previous position. She was eying me speciously. I correct her assumption, tell her about what happened, and convince that the guy was not my boyfriend, who was angry at me. Me having a boyfriend! I don't believe that life will ever suit me.

She had a mix of emotions, angry because I didn't speak about the accident, sad because Noah had to pass through all of this and happy because I will play the piano again.

I am not excited nor happy. I am scared. I don't know if I can put this together. I don't know if the memories will hunt me when I want to play. I don't know if I am going to be welcome by coldness or warmness when I put my fingers on the keyboard.

**

Adam:

"You did what?" And here come Noah blessing us with his top voice.

"I don't understand why you're furious. We all want to keep our faces hidden for the moment. Sarah is the only one that doesn't care about who we are, and you saw that in class. She's a brilliant pianist, and I know that since I studied in the same art school as her. So what's the problem of her playing your song?" I know that he doesn't enjoy having people entering our circle but, she's the right person. I know for sure that under the tough character, a beautiful human.

"I don't have a problem with her. I can take care of myself," Noah growled, looking at his hand.

"Bullshit, you hiss after every move you make with your hand. If we didn't know about it, you'd play with it even that the doctor demands you not to move it for six entire weeks. You did a favor for the girl by saving her life, and she'll give it back by saving your hand from being cut at the end," Liam growled back.

Having the youngest of us lecture him won't be pleasing for Noah but, it's for his own good. He'd hate himself if something went bad in the ball and more if he's the reason for it. He loves his father, and he's doing everything to make him proud of him. His problem he's stubborn and hates to get help from anyone, even us. Well, sucks for him because this time he needs it, and we'll never let it go.

"Noah, I think you have no right to be upset. They did what they found right and I am with them getting help from Sarah," Daniel Hyung spoke in our favor.

We all respect Daniel. He's the oldest and the one that got us together. Noah may give the aura of someone that won't listen to who's older, but he's not. With Daniel agreeing with us, Noah will rethink about what we told him. Glad that Daniel is on our side today.

We fall in a minute of silence; Noah looks like he was thinking about it. His refusing this hardly has something into it more than him being stubborn and not liking help. But there is no time to sit and think about it.

"You all know that I don't write classic. I'll play the beats from my computer. If Sarah didn't get it from the first time, I would stop this nonsense," Noah said before leaving the room.

I think it was for the best that Ethan wasn't here today. Don't know how he'll react to all this.