His Champagne

Chapter 30: Freedom

Elias was right. After the court had been summarized abruptly, Kenzo reversed roles with Romeo as he was the one being locked up. It had also been revealed that he killed my mother. I didn't know how to react to that yet as there were too many things to process that day.

It was the day after yesterday. I was at the cemetery with Elias, looking over his grave. This time, I wasn't looking down at him but instead at the actual him. It was a strange experience.

"This is very cliche," he wiped the dust off the letter cravings of his name from the tombstone. "But also sad to think about. I'm surprised there's a bunch of flowers here."

I watched him, "I used to go here every year and talk to myself. I'd remember the times you'd help me during my toughest times but it made me realize I was barely there for yours."

"It was never your fault, Aria, I mean it."

"But the feeling of guilt never goes away when I think about our past. I've blamed myself over and over, still left with unanswered questions you never answered back then. It was like I'd lost an entire piece of myself when you died." I continued, trying not to cry. "You were my half, Elias."

He got up and gave another warm hug to me, "I can answer all your questions now, okay? We can work this mess together, no matter how complicated it may be. We will always be family."

"Have you met Dad yet?" I looked at him with concern.

The pause was long. "I haven't yet."

"Why?"

"Maybe it's the fear of disappointment- There's something I need to tell you." He backed away and exhaled.

"What do you need to say?"

"I hate music." He continued while looking down at his shoes, "I'm no longer passionate about it. I never let my fingers touch the piano keys ever since. I never even held a pencil for the sake of writing songs. I stopped everything because I absolutely dread it."

It was shocking, indeed. But it gave me a sense of deja-vu when we were teenagers. It was ironic that he was saying the same words I said. Maybe he didn't remember that, but it was like a core memory that will always be engraved in my head.

"You hate music?" I was still lost.

"Yeah."

"I don't think you're doing it properly then." I felt the rush as I said the same words that helped me back then. "Haven't you tried moving along with the music, Elias? Maybe you're pressured to do well now."

He looked back into my eyes with a sense of comfort, "Heh.. It's been a while since I've played something. The fear of making a mistake-"

"No, Elias. It's all about the emotions behind these tunes. Even with mistakes, it'll deliver. Didn't you tell me there was a difference between an empty song and a song full of emotion?"

"I don't remember."

"I'll teach you, Elias." I smiled as I reminisced about that time. "You should speak to Dad soon."

He nodded, "I will today. It's still early."

"Why don't we go take a walk down the streets of Paris?" I looked past the cemetery.

"Oh, sure." He broke his frown with a smile.

[...]

"You're heading back now?" Ethan held the door open for her as he was about to exit the building, "What are all these boxes for?"