When Scarlet got to the venue where the performance was taking place, it was just as she had expected. It already started and what she did not expect was to see more crowds. Never did she think that quite a large number of people would be interested to watch the orchestra perform and it made her feel a little insecure as she cling onto the strap of her bag.
"Scarlet!"
Ugh! Scarlet groaned inwardly when Melanie's voice rang in the air and few people turned to look in her direction before going their way.
"Wow! Look at you," Melanie said when she got to where she was. She was putting on a crotchet top and skirt that didn't reach up to her knees and her lips were rosy with few shiny stars on her face. "I told you, you wouldn't know if you never ask."
"It's because I know my mom," Scarlet said. "She said you called. Thanks by the way," she said, expressing gratitude. If not for Melanie, she knows she would still be stuck at home, thinking about how she had missed the chance to meet with Damien and then she would spend another month looking for him again.
Melanie smiled and locked hands with her before they started walking to the front and she grabbed two drinks on her way before handing Scarlet one.
"Damien would be fascinated with how I look tonight," she said and gave a light chuckle. "Oh!" she suddenly said and faced Scarlet. "I forgot to tell you that I am going to talk to him tonight. I can't miss this chance," she said and beamed.
When they got to the front row, Scarlet's eyes scanned around, hoping to see him but she was disappointed. Only his other mates were there and they were playing.
He is going to come, she assured herself and took in a deep breath.
Just immediately, she felt a hand on her shoulder and her heart skipped a beat. When she turned around, the spark in her eyes disappeared and she blinked at the person in front of her.
"Adam?" she called, sounding a little bit awkward and Adam narrowed his eyes at her.
"It seems you are expecting someone else. Did you not come because I told you to?" he asked.
"Actually," Melanie came in, "she is here, all thanks to me."
Scarlet gave a quick smile and said to Adam, "You did convince me to come so I would say the both of you are the reason I am here."
"No," Melanie argued, "we cannot share the credit like that. I was the one who convinced your mother to let you come. Adam did nothing like that."
Scarlet watched them argue and her eyes soon became lost. Even though they both did convince her in one way or the other, her reason for being here is not because of them, instead, it was for someone else.
A round of applause soon echoed in the air and Scarlet saw that they had just ended the first part of their performance. The next one would soon begin shortly and still, Damien was nowhere to be seen.
"Find me again," the word kept repeating in her head. She was sure she heard him correctly and it was the only reason she had come here. Why would he tell her something like that if he would not show up? It doesn't make any sense to her.
*Music recommendation: Interstellar Theme Cello Cover- Nicholas Yee
_
Scarlet took Melanie's cup and hers for a refill and just so she could clear her head and while she was returning back, she heard a familiar piece being played and how the crowd already turned silent. Making her way back to the front, her eyes scanned the place until it stopped at that familiar mysterious guy, the one who is the reason she came; Damien.
He was playing that same piece she heard when Melanie took her to watch for the first time and just like before, it had that same effect on her, or maybe even more.
She had a memory flashback all of a sudden, where her father's car went crashing with the two of them in it and then…nothing. It was all void, again.
The music ended and at the same time, a tear fell from Scarlet's eyes just when Damien looked at her and she turned around immediately before leaving the crowd and away from the noises. It took her few minutes to stop walking and she stared at nothing, trying to remember what happened after that. There has always been a block in her memory, one which after the accident, the doctor said it was due to the sudden crashing and her head being hit hard against the seat.
"W-why can't I remember?" she asked herself and threw the cups she was holding in frustration before inhaling sharply.
Keeping her anger to herself, she exhaled slowly and repeated the process twice, but that did not go well as she burst into tears the next second.
Scarlet wanted so badly to know what had happened that day and she hates that she could not remember anything except for the diary he had given her before the accident. It was as if her life had become miserable after that day.
Meanwhile, Melanie, who did not even notice Scarlet to be missing, saw Damien looking her way and he stood from his seat before leaving through the back. Melanie was enthralled. It was obvious that he also likes her and this was his sign that they should meet up. She followed him, moving her body through the crowd and making sure she does not lose him. She would confess to him how she feels about him tonight. That was how determined she was.
Scarlet sniffed to stop the tears and she turned before raising her hand up to wipe her face but she paused instantly and her eyes widen a bit when she saw him standing in front of her.
When did he arrive? How did she not sense that someone was here with her? And when did he get this close? Those were the questions that came to her mind and she blinked, making the tear that was already stuck in her eyes to flow down freely.
"Did I made you cry?" was the first thing that came out of his mouth and it does not look like he is pleased with the fact that he had met her this way.
Scarlet just stared at him, letting herself get lost in the beautiful soul that was in front of her. She didn't mind that her face was a mess. She herself, has become a mess.
Damien took a step closer and he brought his hand up to wipe her face.
Scarlet blinked at the touch and she looked at him from an even more closer angle. This is the second time she has seen him up close and it was hard to say that she was also starting to get obsessed. He is just not made out of this world, she thought.
"Are you real?" Scarlet asked and realizing what she had just said, she snapped out of it and stepped back immediately. "Oh my god. I am so sorry," she apologized and started to wipe her face. "You should never have seen that. You are Damien Grey, right?" she asked in a rush and stretch her hand towards him. "I am Scarlet Winters. It is nice meeting someone like you." Wait, what? Why did she have to say 'someone like him', she said in her head and gave him an awkward smile which he did not return and it only made her look foolish.
"Did I made you cry?" he repeated his question and Scarlet could see just how serious he was.
She shook her head. "No, you didn't," she replied.
"Was it the piece I played then?" he asked. "You also had the same reaction the last time," he pointed out and asked, "Did I not play it well?"
Scarlet never knew he actually would still remember that very first day she had set her eyes on him and watch him perform. Even though he had looked at her, it was hard to tell if she was the one that day, but he knows she was the one.
"You did," she answered and lowered her eyes. "You played it so well that I wish it never ended. I only cried after it ended, because it reminded me things I do not wish to remember, and things I wish I knew."
And after saying that, Scarlet felt overwhelmed once again, like she was after encountering him earlier today. She could not believe she is actually speaking to him, and he is listening. For all she knows, he is here, and this time, he is not disappearing.
"I found you," she said, raising her eyes to look at him. "I really did find you, like you said."