Chapter 23 | control

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Brady's PoV


The moment I heard her name in the small office I knew I fucked it up.


It had all been good when for 3 weeks all I did was see her from afar, with Austin, enjoying her evening.

It was all good when she never looked at me with her luminous emerald eyes again since that day.

It was all well when my heart beat profusely at the simple sight of her, and she never looked back at me. 

It was all good until now. Until her soothing voice reached my ears.

Until her name almost brought me to my knees.

What the hell was she doing here?

I maintained my blank face even if I felt like bursting out of the damn studio.

How was I supposed to work with her?

I ran a nervous hand through my hair. She was still behind Charter by the door. Charter; my new boss now. Or rather, manager.  At least, for a few days. He recruited me by the guitar performance I made at the bar last Thursday. Said I had great potential. Reddish haired bloke. He talked too much.


Just then, I heard her voice. It confirmed it was the Sylvia I was thinking about. Not any other one. Honestly, I would've preferred to be wrong.

" At least let me in sir"

Her small laugh sounded.

Austin had told me she had gotten a job. I didn't hear anything else he said. 

What was I doing then? 

I should've probably paid attention. I guess I got to know the hard way. I always get to know things the damn hard way.

I was frozen in my spot. She hadn't seen me yet.

Just as I thought of that, Charter stepped away from the door blocking our vision.


Sylvia's pale face stared up at me. Her emerald eyes met mine. She seemed to freeze at the sight of me too. Shock flicked all over her face. She looked like she had gotten elctricuted and then frozen in spot. 

But why wouldn't she?

Her boyfriend's brother was apparently her partner in the same damn studio.

Now, could this day get any better?  (Note the sarcasm.)

Suddenly her expression changed from shock and confusion to irritation. Her eyes lit up with a spark of anger. 

She squinted at me.

Did she think I came here  on purpose? Just came for her?

If I would've known, I don't think I would've even stepped in the place.

Why? Because I don't think I would've handled myself. 

In the three weeks that had gone by, my sudden realization had been that I was attracted to her.

Her eyes. Her music. Her fingers.

Her lips, her nose, her face.

Her goddamn walk.

My brother's girlfriend.

One he proved well enough that she was different from any other girl he had hooked up with. Austin was so happy with her. 

 So, I couldn't take a step towards her as they had fun together, knowing there could be a small chance my feelings would reflect on my face.

But it was just a small attraction right? Nothing else. Of course. It was just a small little stupid attraction.

Still, Austin would've been pissed.



I smirked at Sylvia, not knowing what else to do. The white office walls seemed to get smaller, pressing in until all I could see was her.

" Why, hello Sylvia" I didn't know what else to say.

What do you say to a girl you didn't know was suddenly gonna appear in front of you?

I saw her blink. Once. Twice.

" Brady." Her crisp voice echoed through the room. My name on her tongue strangely made me feel good. I smirked wider.

I knew I was giving off the impression that I came just for her. I didn't care though. I wasn't supposed to care. So what if I did?

" I see you already know each other!" Charter's pinchy voice snapped me out of my bubble.

" That'll be good, You'll work well together. Amazing. How do you know each other though?"

Sylvia's eye contact with me did not break as she said,

" Same college. We're both from Merlac. We don't know each other too well. I didn't know he'd be here."

'We don't know each other too well.'

Right.

Except for 4 years of middle school.

But she knew me back then. I did not. So it didn't count. Obviously.

I saw her black boots tap nervously on the ground. She tried so hard to not show her feelings. She did succeed, often. Just not with me.

" Neither did I" I mumbled, hoping she'd hear me. I felt her eyes scrutinizing me. I looked away. She was good at her staring contest game.

Charter clapped with his scrawny hands and drawed our attention.

" Well well, since the introductions have been done already. Let's just get down to business."


When Charter finished with his repeated blabbering that I had already heard, he swept us off to work on what he had given us. I decided it was a good time to approach Sylvia.

No. It was a bad decision. But I had decided. It was likely one of the biggest mistakes ever, but then, my feet were unreliable.

She sat at the piano, practising a few chords that Charter gave her. Her fingers started to mesmerize me yet again. They crackled against the black and white keys. I could hear nothing else.

Not that there was anything else to what either. Only a few people were present in the studio. They all silently did their things.

I picked up my guitar and walked up to her. I sat on the bench, just like that day when I heard her playing for the first time.

Gods, that was a difficult day.

Her eyes purposefully didn't meet mine.

Was she playing a game?

Sometimes maintaining the most fiery eye contact ever and sometimes not even looking at me?

" Sylvia." I mused, " Who knew you'd be here? Surprise, surprise.  Austin must have told me where you work, of course. But I didn't listen. He's too annoying to even listen to. And he talks about you too much for me to handle." It was all true. She looked at me finally.

" And who knew you had musical talents. Or any talent at all" 

My eyebrows shot up. Feisty. She was probably really irked off, to have said say that to me.

" I have something in me. Not much." She snorted, her eyes going back to the chords on the paper.

" Sure you do. What are you doing here?"

" I could ask the same."

Her eyes went as cold as ice. She glared at me. I felt like cowering.

What the hell? Brady Ashford doesn't cower.

She was really doing something to me. Or it was just the regular aura of women.

Yeah. That made absolute sense.

" I was here much before you decided to drag your ass in here. Why'd you do that?" her voice was laced with tight anger...and a little bit of something else. Something I couldn't decipher.

Desperation?

" Why'd I drag my ass in here? Because I liked this place. And decided I wanted to do something. I was pretty bored at home. You and Austin are always shoving your tongues down each other's throat."

I saw her taking a deep breath. Oh, I was pissing her off.

" Don't be quirky. You knew I was here."

" I did not." My voice was serious this time. How could she think I was here because of her?

Was I some kind of torture to her?

She didn't say anything else. Did she believe me then?

Fuck, she was complicated.

Her eyelashes fluttered closed as she practised the chords once again. I still sat there, not knowing what else to do. Her presence calmed me.

Her music calmed me. I didn't want to leave.


Nonetheless, I stood up. 

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