I wonder who once said that Spring marks the land's awakening? That the March winds are the yawns of the morning?
Beethoven? Mozart?
...Snoopy?
I woke up wondering such arbitrary things as I watched the white curtains of my window danced freely in the early breeze. It seemed a crack in the window had come completely loose overnight, but the warm wind was actually a welcome feeling against my skin. For the first time in days, I felt completely rested. Perhaps I had someone to owe it all to...
I looked to my side, finding Alexis Capella right where I left her. Her bright blue hair was a mess, as was mine, and we were still in the same clothes we wore the other day. Really, what a sloppy sleepover this turned out to be. She slept peacefully, but shivered slightly. I looked down to find her belly exposed, her tank top in all sorts of a mess.
I almost sighed again but caught myself, remembering her reprimands from the other night. She really knew how to make an impression, didn't she?
I smiled in spite of that. "I may be letting happiness escape, but you're gonna catch a cold like that..."
Unable to resist yet again, I poked her exposed stomach. Completely mismatched with her temperament, her skin was soft and smooth to touch. Alexis made a noise that was between a grumble and a whimper as she rolled over, apparently not wanting to wake up yet. I chuckled at the sight of her burying herself into my bed. She was such a kid sometimes.
I stretched, making my arms reach as far as they could for the ceiling, feeling life surge through my body again. Though a few of my muscles were still sore, it was the satisfying, refreshing kind of ache that you often felt after some rigorous exercise. Well, I'm embarrassed to say that playing the cello for two and a half minutes is, for me, rigorous...
"Rise and shine, sleepyhead." I leaned over towards Alexis, patting her shoulder. "Breakfast at your place, remember?"
"Nnngh," she grunted listlessly as she burrowed into my blankets.
Wow, I didn't know she was this heavy of a sleeper. If I were her mother, getting her to go to school in the mornings would certainly be a battle of life or death.
"Hmm..." I pretended to sound pensive, observing Alexis from above. "I see how it is. It can't be helped then."
I inhaled. "Drastic times..!"
With that, I lunged forwards and put my hands around her exposed waist, making an obscene movement with my fingers against her bare skin.
Bingo. She started spasming uncontrollably as an unwilling, violent bout of laughter greeted my ears like music.
"Hey— Hahaha, you— Haha, stop it asshole!— Guh!— HAHAHA, STOP—!"
I felt something sadistic awaken deep within me as I tortured Alexis for another minute or so before letting go.
"Heh," I chuckled as I stood triumphantly over her. "Admit defeat yet, oh mighty beast?"
She could hardly breathe as she clutched at her sides. "W— who are you callin' beast, asshole!? Jus— haha, just you wait, you... you little..."
And in my moment of incredible hubris, Alexis found a grip on my ankle and knocked me off balance, straight into a choke hold.
"Erk!"
I hurriedly tapped the floor of my bedroom as her forearm pressed threateningly against me. "I give, I give, I give! Have mercy!" I felt like, with how much she was about to pay back, my neck would go "snap" any moment.
The blue-haired girl breathed hard into my ear, smiling like the devil herself despite her face flushed red.
"Mercy?" With her free hand, she slowly began lifting my shirt. "What's that?"
"N— no, please don't! Anything but th—"
Getting tickled first thing in the morning is, as I discovered that day, the kind of terror that no words could ever do justice. Even more bitter that that was, indeed, the taste of my own medicine.
My Uncle looked up from his newspaper as Alexis and I stumbled into the first floor area, both of us extremely winded.
"You two sure sounded like you were having fun."
We gave him a look at the same time, neither of us interested in anything more than splashing some cold water on our faces.
"Hey, lemme in first..." We bumped into each other like drunkards as we tried to open the door to the washroom, our sides still feeling tingly.
"This is my house, isn't it...?" Although the rule in my family has always been to treat our hosts like royalty.
"Go dunk your head in the toilet if you wanna wake up, asshole..." Some royalty she is.
I almost thought she'd throw up into my sink as I opted for the shower head. A torrent of cold water immediately shocked me awake.
"Pheeeew!" Alexis sighed with a satisfied look, her hair and face both drenched, "I feel alive again."
She promptly began to vigorously shake the water off as I recoiled from the spray of droplets. "Are you some kind of dog?! Don't do that!"
Alexis grinned mischievously, laughing at my reaction. "Oh, since when were you such a wimp? A little water won't kill you."
Backed up against the wall of my shower, she promptly head-butt me squarely in the chest. An unpleasant wet spot formed on my shirt.
"See?"
I sighed. "Yes, I see. I feel, more like. Please step away now."
As we both toweled off, a strange afterglow permeated the air. Perhaps that's why it was hard for me to speak to her, and why she didn't seem to have anything to say herself. It was a pretty intimate night, though for me it was partly the nostalgia of the whole thing, but it's still the kind of situation that would make any outsider think, "I really wonder about that." I glanced sideways at her, wondering if she was thinking about any of this.
Alexis was looking at me too, and we caught ourselves in an awkward moment. Some redness tinted her cheeks, but she simply smiled at me like she always did.
"So hey, once we get something to eat, wanna help out with my current project?"
I smiled right back, remembering how comfortable it felt to be around her and how stupid it was for me to worry about something like sleeping in the same bed for one night.
"A new song, huh?" I chuckled, "I guess I'll help you hit the charts again."
She stuck her tongue out at me. "I've gotten a lot better since the last one, okay? Don't give yourself too much credit there, loverboy!"
Again with that?
After washing up, we were out of the house. I told Uncle I'd try and be back later that day but, again, no promises. Music took a long time, after all, regardless of genre or style. With Alexis, I had little doubt that it would be an all-day affair, whether I had plans or not. She was treating me to breakfast after all, so it's the least I could do.
A brisk walk first thing in the morning felt like the right thing to do. A steady thirty minute walk was all that was between our shop and Alexis' home, even shorter by bike and practically a waste of gas or effort by any other means.
We exchanged some jokes along the way, the atmosphere of awkwardness quickly fading. The girl I'd been friends with for over eight years was a much looser, more flexible and fun person than that. I'm sure she didn't get hung up on things like this. Yup. Definitely not.
Still...
I opened and closed my hands a few times, a distinct feeling still left on them. Alexis' body wasn't small, and by no means was I competing with her in the strength department, but the way she felt in my arms the other night made me feel like I was protecting something incredibly fragile and precious. Her skin was soft to touch, and her messy blue hair tickling my neck was such a small gesture that felt so intimate that I still wasn't sure what to make of it. Of course we were used to roughhousing (I should say, she's the one who's more used to that), and physical contact usually wasn't a problem.
...
No use in thinking about it further. There are a lot of questions in the world that can't be answered on their own no matter how much thought you put into them. Best to just think of them on the go.
We eventually reached the front steps to the Capella residence. It was a slightly run down home, with signs of age showing on some of the wood of the walls, but there were so many happy memories inside this house that I could never look upon it with any negative feelings in my heart.
Waiting for us at the front door was Andrew Capella, Alexis' father. I distinctly remember mistaking him for her brother or cousin once— his looks were incredibly youthful for a parent, but he's never once straight out told me how old he was. My current guess is at around 28.
He winked at me (was I supposed to interpret that in some special way?) as he greeted us. "Morning, you two. And a special good morning to my little baby girl..."
His tone went sickly sweet as he bent down and opened his arms wide, clearing expecting Alexis to run and jump into her Daddy's arms like a kindergartener.
She did, in fact, run towards her father, but rather than embrace him, she instead delivered a swift jump kick to his chest.
"How old do you think I am, old man?!"
I winced as I watched him topple over helplessly.
"Yeouwch... you're tearing me apart, Lexy..."
Andrewe rubbed the spot where he had been mercilessly knocked down. "And you used to be such a sweet little muffin too... always coming to me, crying 'Papa, papa'... Oh, how I miss those days. What went wrong?" Andrew boo-hoo'd with all the conviction of an adult man who has never taken an acting class in his life.
"That's what happens when you turn older than six, Dad!" Alexis groaned.
I wondered myself where the confidence to attempt a "come to daddy" gesture even came from. As if to further the point, Alexis' father shot a disappointed look at me, like her not melting into her dear father's arms were somehow my fault.
"Anyways, I know what you guys are here for." He opened the front door and ushered us in. "Remember to take your shoes off."
I always did without him asking, though it wasn't uncommon for Alexis to track some mud into the house when we were kids. Somehow I was always scolded alongside her when that happened.
"Mom's out again?"
"Oh, you know how she is, Lexy. Another business trip to Italy. She'll call us tonight..."
Immediately, a wonderful smell wafted towards me. The smell of a slightly rustic yet warm and familiar home. I'm not too versed with the particulars, whether it be the type of wood used for the floorboards or the old white paint that covered the walls, but compared to my house which smelled more recently like construction smoke and coffee beans, it was quite a welcome change for my nose.
"Even if you guys grow up and go far, far away from old Andrew here," he spoke with all the grandeur of a king as he seated us down at the kitchen table, "I know you guys will always have room for these!"
And suddenly, sliding towards me on a glistening white plate, before my eyes...
My mouth watered like it was the most natural thing in the world. Eggs Benedict, freshly cooked. The golden glamour of the hollandaise sauce which gently coated the poached egg, sitting on a bed of fragrant bacon and a toasted english muffin...
"Unbelievable..." I couldn't even stop myself from uttering the words. It had been a long time since something so delectable had been placed before me. I've eaten many things in life, but none gave me such a rush of joy and taste as much as this simple dish.
"Dad, what's going on?" Alexis eyed the food on her plate curiously, albeit just as hungrily as I did.
The man smiled knowingly at us both as he set down some forks and knives and began pouring us water, "As long as I live, how could I possibly forgive myself if I fed you guys trash for breakfast? You guys are the future, after all."
Ah... this sour-sweet-salty-savory flavor was what I lived for. I hope the rest of my life is a y=mx+b where every (y) value is another Benedict for every (x) breakfast in my life...
"But," I spoke with my mouth half-full, unable to resist digging in, "I thought you only did this for special occasions? Like Alexis' birthday last year, or you and your wife's anniversary, or that one time the pretty lady from across the street came over..."
Andrew suddenly looked panicked. "Shh! You trying to get me killed, Kid!?"
He cleared his throat as he avoided a sharp look from Alexis. "Anyways, this is a celebration! I mean, there's the fact that you guys are gonna be seniors next year, but I'm surprised you're being so humble about it."
He shuffled around for a moment as we ate.
"Look here."
We paused and looked over as he proudly held up a magazine, the latest issue of Classical Now. This was one of those things I wasn't very into, but then again, I doubt most kids read magazines or newspapers for fun. Andrew, on the other hand, was a music aficionado and as such made it a point to keep up with these religiously.
Moreover, the page he had turned to and held before us had printed... something outrageous?!
Though I had to admit what a waste it was, both me and Alexis sprayed out the foods in our mouths in astonishment at what we saw on that page.
"Huh? Jamie?!"
"What? Me?!"
The headline, no larger than 15 or 16 size font, might as well have been the size of the moon before me.
Soloist Prodigy Jaemin Song Returns to the Stage!
There it was in all it's glory— a full color photograph of me, performing in my street clothes at the Children's Recital just the other day.
Unbelievable.
"You—"
Alexis turned towards me with a scary look in her eyes. "What the hell is this all about?!"
I could only stare at her, equally as dumbfounded. It had only been a day— no, for one afternoon. It was a quiet, non-formal, weekly event that was aimed towards children. How could one of the largest classical music publications in Canterlotte get a hold of that kind of story in the short span of time of a single day?
Andrew looked at us as though he'd stepped on a landmine.
"Er... why don't I just let you guys finish breakfast, huh? Daddy will be in his room if you need him..."
With all the finesse of a grown adult male, Mr. Capella slinked out of the kitchen as me and Alexis sat in silence. I was unable to do anything except look down at my half-eaten Eggs Benedict.
"...I'm sorry."
It was my turn to apologize now.
"I meant to tell you earlier, but—"
"That's great!"
Huh?
I looked up to find Alexis positively beaming.
"Seriously, why didn't you tell me earlier? You're playing the cello again? I'm really glad for you!"
"Uh..." I swallowed once, "I see. Thanks, Alexis. I appreciate it. But..."
She tilted her head to the side. "What's up?"
I squirmed in my seat, trying not to say anything that would upset her. "I just... thought you'd be a little mad at me, y'know? I know you hate it when I keep thing from you..."
She smiled wider. "Oh Jaemin..."
Not good. She never called me by full name.
"Why would I be mad at you over something like that? It's a good thing you're getting back into music. You can hear the notes now, right?"
I slowly shook my head. "I think yesterday might have been a fluke, actually, but..."
...I hadn't seriously considered this part. Was I getting back into music? Like, officially? The more I thought about it, the more daunting it seemed. The more I wanted to run away from it all.
She sighed, clearly able to see confusion on my face.
"Well, I knew it wouldn't be that easy," she muttered.
"Huh?"
"I said, now that you've got your musical head screwed back on, you're gonna be helping me aaaalllll day with my new track, got it? I won't take no for an answer!"
I hung my head. "Got it..."
Alexis tapped my plate with her fork. "Now eat up! Worker bees like us need nutrients to function. All good music comes from the stomach, don't you know?"
"I thought it came from the heart, actually."
The blue-haired girl began scarfing down her breakfast, and I tentatively followed in suit.
Between Octavia and Alexis, I was beginning to find it difficult to distinguish which girl was harder to keep up with...
A couple minutes later, after Alexis had changed into something more comfortable (which, as it transpires, was just a different set of tank top and shorts), we were in her room. Much more spacious than mine, and much darker with the shades drawn. Also, much less organized and a lot more stylish. The walls were plastered with posters, musical equipment was strewn around the room haphazardly, and what looked like her entire wardrobe littered the floor. I swear I could see a couple of undergarments buried amongst the shirts and pants— in fact, I think the first thing I stepped on upon entering were a pair of panties.
Which, of course, she hurriedly snatched from me as I picked it up to inspect it and promptly punched me, which I assume she did to hide her embarrassment. I wish the shock of her punches were actually strong enough to make me lose my memory, for heaven's sake.
Alexis booted up a large computer tower and jumped into her seat, a large gaming chair which looked big enough to seat two or more. I pulled up a nearby stool and took a much more unassuming seat beside her.
"Now," she flashed a grin at me, handing me a pair of headphones. "Why don't we get started?"