I stare at the signature. He knows I’m listening in on the class. I feel like my territory has been invaded. Now, not only do I have Crystal’s cello mocking me from the corner of my office but I have a six-foot-tall cello-wielding god sharing a room with me.
What should I do?
Just keep on keepin’ on.
Oh, fuck you, McConaughey.
I know Leah said I have to “play on the same playing field” and all that nonsense, but right now I need space from Asher. I sit in on all of Lisa’s violin classes, offering my services. At first, she is surprised and a tiny bit apprehensive, wondering why the sudden change. But then she welcomes the help, especially with the little ones.
In between one of the classes, I head up to my office, planning to grab my bag before Asher arrives to teach his class.
Walking into the room, I notice the notebook he bought me, sitting on my desk. It has been moved, sitting on top of a stack of files. It has also been tampered with. I step closer and notice there is a blue flower tucked into the book. When I pick up the notebook, it falls open; I take up the flower, holding the petals to my nose. It’s a blue rose, manmade and impure.
Knowing Asher, the flower has a specific meaning. I lift my phone out of my pocket and type “Blue rose meaning” into the search engine.
Blue: The unattainable; the impossible.
I roll my eyes and place the flower on the desk. With the notebook still in my hand I look down at the opened page.
There’s a loud thud in the adjoining classroom, and I realize the students are all walking in. I’m about to leave when I hear one of them greet Asher. It’s too late to make my escape and, in all honesty, my interest is piqued, so I take a seat at my office desk and listen in on the lesson.
Asher begins the class, not by playing a song from his iPod, but by playing a song on the cello by himself. It takes me a second to recognize the song. He’s playing “Stay” by Rihanna. I look down at the words on the page in front of me. He proceeded to write out the words to the song.
The lyrics telling the story of a girl who falls for a man, disillusioned by falling that she ignores the signs that are telling her he’s all wrong. She is asking for something real and all he can do is take her away to his fantasy world.
At least that’s the way I interpret them.
When he gave me this notebook, he told me to take notes. Looks like he’s the one taking them for me. When Asher is done playing, he gives his lesson and, like always, it’s fascinating. I am so transfixed by his words, the sixty minutes pass by quickly.
Sitting in my office, I listen as one by one the students pack up and head out the door, thanking Asher for an awesome class. It was their first with him and, thanks to Crystal, not his last. He bids them farewell and says he’ll see them next week.
When they are all out of the room, I listen to see if he has left too when I hear his footsteps walking across the room. I don’t know if he is walking back here or waiting to see if I’ll come out.
Whatever it is he has in mind, I have my own agenda. I lean my foot over and slam the door shut.
Using my very wobbly left hand, I flip to a clean page in the notebook and scribble the words to a song by the Veronicas.
When I’m done writing, my hand has a cramp but I’m satisfied with the message.
Thud, thud, thud.
The telltale sign of wheels rolling can be heard. I lean over and see Asher pushing a piano into the classroom. When I got to work this morning, the notebook was still on my desk, closed, with another rose.
Light pink: Sympathy.
I refused to open the notebook all day. I don’t need to know what ridiculous message he has in store for me.