Chapter VIII

"So it was you!!". Briella furrowed her brows at his words.

"What?".

"That tune, that melody you just played... it sounds just like the composition I heard in school," Ryan began. "I was walking down the hallway when I heard this beautiful melody being played on the piano... I wasn't surprised when I saw I was in close proximity to the music room. But... I don't know... no one else seemed to have noticed the song being played...".

"That's because they might have gotten used to it..." Briella answered. "I used to play the piano there all the time... until I stopped for a bit...".

"Stopped? Why so?" Ryan couldn't help but ask.

"Ermmm... well, it's kind of a personal matter... all I'll say is that what happened really made me reconsider if music and if the piano were for me..." she responded.

"Was it really that bad?" he further questioned. 'And is this why she's always so saddened?'.

"Well... now rethinking it, I think it was just me being naive..." Briella responded, a chuckle followed her words. She mocked her words.

To Ryan's cluelessness, Briella recited the words her ex used the night they broke up.

A few moments of silence proceed to pursue next.

"What happened?" Ryan asked. He looked up into Briella's eyes, their gazes met.

He saw the way she was looking at him. She showed off a similar emotion to that only a handful of days ago when she had her outburst.

He could have sensed she was about to give him a lecture, a lesson about how she doesn't like when people don't mind their own business. So, he spoke up before she did.

"You don't have to answer if you are not comfortable in doing so..." Ryan said lowly. It was immediately after his words that he saw some sort of relief spread across Briella's face. She let out a silent sigh.

Once again, silence followed but only for Ryan to break it moments later. "But yeah... When I heard you play, I couldn't help but stand by the open door and listen for a bit. You played really beautifully, both now and then. I envy you, actually, for playing the piano so beautifully. I want to play like you.".

Ryan's words caught Briella by surprise. It was shown by the way her eyes widened ever so slightly. She felt some sort of sadness radiate throughout her body. She felt her eyes swell with tears, but she managed to keep them at bay. 'Dylan never told me such a thing...' her mind spoke.

Briella swallowed whatever was in her mouth before getting a hold of herself. "Y-you liked my playing of the piano?".

"Yes!" Ryan replied instantly after her. She sensed slight disbelief in his voice, his facial expression was to prove her sense correct. He felt disbelief at the thought that she even had to ask him such a question. Her playing said it all. "As I said earlier, you play the piano beautifully.".

A small break. Though no words were exchanged, Ryan kept a close eye on Briella, he looked at her as the ground seemed to have some sort of an appeal to her eyes. She kept her gaze to the ground.

It was when Ryan thought the silence became all too deafening that he decided to speak up once again. "I wanted to learn how to play the piano, but...". A small pause. It was here that he, once more, got Briella's attention. She looked up and into his eyes. "I guess you can say I didn't have the time for it... I used to play a lot of sports... basketball and volleyball mostly when I was back home.".

Briella widened her eyes to the new information she has just been told. But then again, it would have gone on to explain as to why he got such a big, muscular frame.

Then, another thought entered her head. She keeps her eyes on him. 'But he said he used to...'.

"I-if you don't mind me asking... you said you used to play a lot of sports. What happened so you stopped?" Briella asked. "Also, just like you said to me, you don't have to answer if you don't want to.".

"Well... the reason is pretty simple actually... I got injured, which then caused me to take, what I thought would be a short, break from sports. I wanted - and I still want - to get at least back into volleyball or basketball, but I haven't found a good club yet. Then, I acquired a new hobby, which I liked more, and that was writing! I still write proactively, whenever I have the time. But yeah!". A short break. "It's actually why I invited you to my place. I need some help with the drawing of scenes.".

"So sort of like illustrations?" Briella inquired.

"Kinda, but not really...". Ryan noticed the slight confusion expressed across Briella's face. "It will help me with writing my scene, visualizing where everything is and so forth.".

"Ah, I understand," Briella replied.

"Yeah. Shall we begin?".

"Sure," she answered.

Ryan fetched his big folder before flicking through pages upon pages of his work. Briella widened her eyes when she saw all the pages as inked words filled each and every sheet of paper.

"You said you take writing as a hobby... you have enough here to write a book or two!" Briella expressed her surprise in the form of words, which only managed to get Ryan to let out a chuckle or two.

"I'll take that as a compliment," he responded, he continued to flick through all the pages right before stopping on a used, light blue coloured sheet. Writing dominated most of the page. "Here it is!".

Taking the page into his left hand, he took a pristine white page into his right, before handing it over to Briella.

"Alright, so, I want you to draw... here..." He paused, extracting the blue-coloured page from its poly pocket before moving closer to Briella, he placed it between them. "Alright, so, I would like you to try and draw out two people kissing, or holding hands. Or even kissing and holding hands. Maybe all of this can happen in the rain?... Anything that's romantic. You can do it at your own accord too. Add or take away anything that you feel like might or might not be necessary.".

Briella nodded to Ryan's words.

But then, a scent hit her, a smell so far different from what she got used to during her stay in Ryan's apartment. Its smell was so masculine.

'It's him, isn't it?' Briella asked herself.

"Anyways...". With that, Ryan stood up, walked back and sat down in his original spot. "Do what you can, don't feel stressed in any way. If you need me to connect some dots on my own, just say so. Write a note at the back or anything like that.". Briella nodded her head to his words.

Then, a smile grew on her lips. "Thank you, Ryan...".

He furrowed his brows in confusion. "For what?".

"For being so nice and welcoming...". She was about to mention her ex, but she managed to stop herself in time.

Ryan let out a gentle chuckle. "You are most welcome. But that's no reason to be thankful, being nice and welcoming is always a must, at least that's how it is in my book...".

It was then that Briella's smile receded ever so slightly. She took in a deep breath. "You know... I wish more guys were like you...".

Ryan raised a brow as to what was Briella's reason to say such a thing. 'Maybe she didn't have a reason of her own...' Ryan thought to himself. But then, thinking over all the things he heard about guys not treating girls the way they should, he agreed with Briella's statement.

'Though I don't know the context as to why you said such a thing, I still full-heartedly-' his voice cut his train of thoughts. "Agree with you..." he said. "I full-heartedly agree with you...". They both gazed into the eyes of each other for about a second or two. 'No matter what your reasoning is... and what you have been through, I will agree with you. With everything right you say.'. He thought to himself.

With that, both Ryan and Briella spent the few hours they had working together. Ryan did the writing while Briella did all the drawing.

A sigh of exhaustion marked the end of their work.

"Well, would you look at that! Six in the evening," Ryan spoke.

"Six? Already??".

"Yeah. You off now?" Ryan asked.

"Well, I might as well begin my way back now. I wasn't planning on staying this late," she replied.

"Either way, thank you very much for all of your help, Briella.".

"And thank you for inviting me," she responded.

Briella got up and began her way to the hallway of Ryan's small apartment. She didn't even take three steps when...

"Briella?".

She answered by turning around and looking at Ryan.

"Wanna exchange numbers? That way, it will be easier for us to keep in touch with one another," Ryan suggested.

"Sure, why not.". With that, Briella took out her phone before walking back to Ryan. She placed her phone in front of both Ryan and herself.

Turning it on and unlocking it, she felt pain throb in her chest when she saw the picture of Dylan and her. But with a saddened scoff, she proceeded onto going into her contacts and into the dial.

To Briella's brief oblivion, Ryan noticed this.

Looking down at her phone, he saw the background on her phone. Briella and another guy.

His eyes widened ever so slightly.

'Who is he?' Ryan thought to himself.

Something about Briella being that close to another guy didn't sit well with Ryan.

But...

He didn't know why he felt such a way...