"It's her." Judd whispered. They all nodded even if they knew he wasn't seeing because the five had their eyes on her.
The moment she began playing it was as if the bar was not just a simple bar. All the people present were transported to one of those luxurious concert halls with tall walls, fine seats, carved stone and a huge stage with all the lights focused on her.
The bow danced rhythmically over the strings, and the movement of the fingers that played the chords were very smooth as if she was placing them on silk. The melody enveloped every costumer and staff, sending them to their own world with their own thoughts.
The ones who didn't know her wouldn't believe it if they were told she was once famous but was now unknown. The group of friends knew of her general situation, so they were the most surprised by her music.
When she stopped, an eerie silent fell as she remained in the same position when she played the last chord for some seconds before looking at the entranced audience. Then, she put her cello away, stood up and left the stage. Everybody's gaze followed her, until one person finally took up the courage to approach her.
And that person was Judd.
He had already experienced her music, so he was able to wake up from the trance before the other customers.
"Rei!" He called out as they exited the bar. She turned around, and for a second she had a puzzled face looking at him.
"Oh, it's Judd Faez." She said, finally remembering. Judd was delighted that she was able to remember him, though it was awkward for him to be called by his whole name. "What's up? You were in that bar from before?" She asked, pointing at the entrance of the bar.
"Yeah, I was with some friends and we listened to you play. It was awesome." He said, starting to sound like a fanboy seeing his idol. "Ah, and, I heard a few things about you..." He scratched the back of his head, finally noticing that it was cold and he didn't have his scarf.
He also noticed that, like before, she was only wearing a white dress, a pair of boots and the case from her cello on her back. She didn't look cold in the slightest!
"What things?" For a moment, he saw her eyes turned very sharp; as if whatever he was about to say would immediately kill him. He swallowed with great difficulty and continued speaking.
"About… about you being a prodigy with the cello and that you released a CD." He secretly let out a sigh of relief when he noticed her relaxing.
"Oh, so it was that. It's been 10 years from that." Her face had a hint of nostalgia mixed with sadness.
"I..." He mumbled, not sure what he wanted to say. "I want to propose you something."
"I hope it's not a marriage proposal. I'm not ready for that step." She joked, and then laughed seeing the flustered face of the man in front of her.
"No, no, um, nothing like that. It's about doing a duet with you. I play the piano and have always looked for someone to make a duet with. That person is you." He said determined. "Can we meet another day to talk about it?" Her face turned stern as she heard him talk about doing a duet, so she kept silent after his question.
"Sure thing. Just meet me in the same place." She turned around and waved her hand, not expecting a reply from him. Her steps were quick, and soon she disappeared from Judd's sight. This time, he didn't follow her.
He was ecstatic knowing she had accepted to play together with him that he even forgot the cold weather around him, and stood there in that frozen sidewalk.
After the exchange, he went back to his friends, telling them what happened between Rei and him. They drank their last round of beers between teasing words from the other four towards Judd. Soon, they went back to their respective apartment and room in the university.
Judd pondered what she meant with 'the same' while he laid on his bed. His thoughts soon lulled him to a deep sleep, and didn't wake up until late the next day, missing the hustle and bustle of sirens from ambulances and police cars near the university.
Next day, he spent almost the whole day thinking about the said meeting place. They had just met twice and he wasn't sure which place she was talking about.
That's why, he nervously presented himself at Leazes Park almost at midnight that night. The weather was cold and windy, so he was freezing there. In his mind, there were thoughts of maybe having made a mistake and she meant the bar not the park. But he was already there. So, he was going to keep waiting.
Truthfully speaking, he didn't know what place and what time she alluded to. Leazes Park had been just a hunch. As time passed, he doubted his hunch. He looked around and there were still no signs of her, just the park's weird sculpture where he listened her play for the first time.
"You're here early." A voice behind him, almost startled his soul out of his body. He quickly turned around and saw the person he was waiting for.
"Ah, yeah, I was beginning to think that maybe I got the wrong place." He nervously laughed, trying to hide his frightened countenance. She didn't follow the conversation, so it quickly turned awkward.
"Where is your piano? I thought you wanted to play." In the end, she ignored his comment and went straight to the point. It almost seemed as if she didn't want to be there.
"I play the Grand Piano, so I think it would be troublesome to have it brought here. Why don't you come to the university with me?" He hurriedly proposed. Though, he didn't think she would accept, seeing how she was behaving.
Sure enough. "I'm sorry, I don't want to go there; it was either here or nowhere." She turned around, ready to leave, when Judd grabbed her hand.
"Wait! Eh?" Holding her hand, he noticed she had bandages on it. "What happened to you?" She pulled her hand surly and took a few steps back. She was tense, looking at him suspiciously. Judd was surprised by her reactions, and immediately raised his hands in a sign of peace. "I'm sorry if I hurt you."
He apologized, yet the tense atmosphere lasted for some seconds before she finally eased a bit. Judd let out a relieved sigh. Maybe he was too eager and offended her with his physical contact. He decided to handle the situation differently to calm her down.
"It is going to be difficult to bring a Grand Piano out of the university, and mine is back in my parent's house. Then, for tonight, can we at least talk?" He suggested.
"About what?" Her body was not on-guard like before, but she still didn't approach him.
"Please, don't be like this in front of me. It makes me think that I'm a criminal taking advantage of an innocent woman." Rei weakly smirked. Judd took it as if the comment had lightened up the mood. "We can just talk about music, you can tell me how you're able to play like that, and you can ask me whatever you want."
To make the atmosphere even more comfortable between the two, he even sat on the cold ground like before. Looking up at her, he pat the space beside him to let her know that she could trust him. She sat after a few seconds of consideration. He wasn't surprised anymore by her light clothes despite the weather.
The whole night, the one who spoke the most was Judd after noticing Rei wouldn't say more than the reason why she played like she did. 'I just do it' was her answer and all her words finished there.
Judd told her about the reason he was studying music, the pressure from his parents to become famous like them, the many times he hated playing, how she made him feel when he heard her the first time, and that time at the bar.
He even ventured to tell her about his childhood; his strict childhood when he had to spent at least 6 hours before a piano to be able to play like how he did. It was because he had sacrificed his whole childhood that he was considered a genius.
He mocked himself saying that he was no genius, it was all due to his hard work and few hours of sleep that made him get to where he was. Of course, at first, it was gratifying because he loved the piano, then the piano somehow turned into shackles. He wasn't able to break free from the road his parents had paved for him.
It was not something he had created, and that was why he wanted to play a duet with her. To feel the innocence and truthfulness of music again.
Rei just listened to him attentively, barely blinking as she stared at him.
When was the last time she had 'talked' with someone?
She practically looked like a child who was hearing the most fantastic story in the world. Seeing her act like that, was as if she hadn't come out to the world in years. Judd noticed that, and in his mind many questions about her began to form.
What exactly happened when she went missing? Where had she been? What had she been doing? Why hadn't she appeared before everybody again? And why does she act like the whole world is her enemy?
Indeed, the Rei Lee in front of him was not the same Rei Lee from 10 years ago.
What happened in those 10 years?