Meanwhile, Ashley entered the studio to find the instruments that had been set.
She was marveled at their arrangement, sizes, colors and texture, many she hadn't seen before or knew existed.
She sat down by the keyboard, which was her specialty, while Mr. Andy played the drums.
And together, they duetted several popular songs.
Mr. Andy couldn't discredit Ashley's playing skills, but severally, it was evident that she wasn't a very good player either.
She was struggling to play a particular song but fell flat at most of the verses, and Mr. Andy noticed how much it troubled Ashley that she wasn't getting it right.
"You don't have to get it right… Okay, well… You do, but not always at the first try," Mr. Andy said.
"This is not my first try. I've been playing piano since I was 10 years old. I should have been good enough in this," Ashley replied.
"Music takes time, patience, and passion. You need to realize that no one, not even the best keyboardist, gets the sounds on their first try. That's why, the best practice, the intelligent student reads harder, because no one is born to perfection. We make use of time to perfect ourselves," Mr. Andy said, walking towards Ashley.
He took a stool and put it behind her. Her heart skipped a beat when he sat down on the stool, and she had goosebumps.
Just when she thought it couldn't get worse, he pushed the chair closer, the crotch point of his trousers was the only thing that separated the two.
He took her hands and placed them on the keyboard, helping her play, but all she could think of was how close Mr. Andy was to her.
She was in between his legs and could feel his chest on her back; their hands and legs were at proximity, and his body hair caressed her skin.
It felt like there was a rush of cold wind circulating the room when he rested his chin on her shoulder, and their faces were just a few inches apart.
She turned around to look at Mr. Andy, who was still lost in his teaching.
The tip of her nose had already made contact with his face. She took in a deep breath as she gently brushed her nose on his sideburns.
Soon, Mr. Andy noticed Ashley wasn't paying attention when he turned to see her staring at him.
This time, their noses were in contact, and their lips were centimeters away.
There was sudden silence as the wind thrust, the window open with cool air rushing in.
Mr. Andy and Ashley sat still with their noses and foreheads pressed against each other.
Their eyes had them locked in a trance, fighting the urge to move their lips even closer.
The struggle to resist the temptation increased as Mr. Andy put his arm on Ashley's waist and lifted her to his crotch.
Her heart pounded as he grabbed her closer to him. Even with the cold wind in the room, the anxiety made sweat drop down Ashley's chest.
Both flared by lust, Mr. Andy was about to kiss Ashley when suddenly…
Knock, Knock, Knock!!!
They were immediately brought down to earth as Ashley jumped up from Mr. Andy's legs while he got up from his seat, and they both acted nonchalant.
"Yes, come in," Mr. Andy said to the person at the door.
Ashley was somewhat relieved to see that it was Hannah at the door.
"Apparently, it's the end of the lunch break, and I couldn't find you at the cafeteria, so I felt you would be here with *Mr. Andy*," Hannah said to Ashley, struggling to maintain a forced smile.
Ashley picked up her bag and left the studio without saying a word to Mr. Andy as they avoided making any eye contact.
As she walked away, she couldn't help but be swallowed up by regrets of not kissing Mr. Andy when she had the chance to, struggling to fathom the intense desires she felt while being so close to him.
On the other hand, Mr. Andy was absorbed in the embarrassment of his romantic involvement with Ashley on the first day of their extra lessons.
Thoughts ran through his mind as to why he went that far with her and how she would look at him after the incident.
Ashley and Hannah were walking to their math class, which was a combined class, when Hannah pulled Ashley and said, "I saw everything, Ashley. What were you thinking? If I didn't knock, only God knows what would have happened."
"What do you mean, Hannah? What did you see?" Ashley asked, turning her face away, abashed.
"Ashley, I saw what you were doing with Mr. Andy. What was that? At first, I thought he was forcing himself on you, but then I saw you were enjoying it. Ashley, what is wrong with you?" Hannah replied.
"Hannah, it's not what you think. I'll explain everything to you later, just please calm down," Ashley said.
With that, Hannah kept calm, awaiting an explanation after the class.
The class had ended, and she held onto Ashley's hand to make sure she wouldn't escape the questions.
Ashley narrated everything that happened with the bodyguard, answering all her questions.
Hannah was disappointed in Ashley and, at the same time, proud of how she managed to take a stand for herself and what she loves doing.
"Okay, that's the reason why you're taking the classes, but what happened today?" Hannah said but was immediately interrupted by Ashley.
"Hannah, enough, please. I am mature enough, and I can take care of myself. You don't have to worry," Ashley said, trying to push off Hannah's questions.
"Why can't you see that you have a crush on this guy?" Hannah said.
"What do you mean, Hannah? How do I have a crush on Mr. Andy? He is like two times my age; that's impossible."
"Stop deceiving yourself, Ashley. Even your actions justify it. It's always Mr. Andy. Ever since he came to the school, it feels like I no longer know you. All you care about, all you are lost in, is Mr. Andy," Hannah said.
"Hannah, enough. I have heard just about enough from you. I don't want to discuss this any further," Ashley angrily replied as she stormed off.