Tempting Music - with Bellala99

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Karl knew his smile only increased when the other started talking. He occasionally sipped some of his latte as he listened, nodding slightly at some parts. The brunette realized that Lloyd didn't answer his first question, so he decided to just let it be. The other's emotions about the person who taught him how to play the piano seemed to be quite sad... The blind man let out a satisfied sigh and set down the mug back on the table before turning his head back to Lloyd's side.

 

"How long have you been playing the piano, actually?" He asked softly as both of his hands rested on the table, the mug of coffee right in front of him. "And, uhm... Is there a chance you would be able to teach me?" Karl asked quietly, almost shyly. The answer he always got was 'no', but he didn't want to lose hope... Not yet.

[sVerrine]

Lloyd was taking aback by Karl's request. It was demanding and daring, but Lloyd liked people who were quick to act if it was in their favour. Why beat around the bush when you can just say what you want?

"It is complicated." Lloyd said after a while. "I guess you don't have a piano at home, so the lessons would have to take place at some institute or at at my house. The time I could spare teaching you is also a problem, because this week I might me free on Sunday, but the next I'm not sure if Sunday would still be open. So it's pretty impossible to have a fixed program. My concerts are also pretty hectic and my mood depends on them. And of course, there is the fee, which wouldn't be cheap."

Lloyd spoke professionally, the way his mother would have done if she has been asked instead.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

A grin appeared on Karl's face and he shook his head. "You're wrong about me not having a piano. My grandma left hers to me, so it's kind of standing there with no use for now..." He answered and let out a soft chuckle. Yet, when he heard about the fee, the brunette bit his lip and smiled sadly. "Oh... No, nevermind then..." He said quietly as he lowered his head and let out a soft sigh. "I'm trying to save up enough money for a surgery that may grant me the ability to see, so if I have to pay for lessons..." Karl said quietly and bit his lip, hoping he didn't sound too pathetic. "Anyway, I'll keep you in mind, but it's not like learning how to play the piano is necessary for me to live, so I can wait~"

[sVerrine]

Lloyd sighed. "Well, it's good that you have a piano. You are an interesting and very enthusiastic person, I could give you a small part of the basic, but you must understand that I can't teach you for free. By the way, I thought that those who are blind since they were born had no chance of recovery. I had a relative who was born blind and that's what she told me when I asked her about the surgery."

No matter how could at heart might other state that Lloyd is, business is business. His manager would kill him even for hearing his last proposal about teaching Karl some basics. He taught him not to extend his kindness more than it was necessary.

"Anyway, what's your job? I guess is something that you do from home."

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Karl let out a sad smile when hearing about the other talk about the surgery. "It is possible, just the chances of it actually succeeding are very low. And even if it does succeed, it'll take a lot of time to understand everything around me... That's probably the main reason others don't want to try. You see, I know how various objects feel, but I have no idea how they look. If I could see, but couldn't touch, I wouldn't be able to say which object is an apple and which one is an ice cube." He talked quietly and slowly, his head still slightly lowered. "I understand that you need to get money, but really, I don't want to preassure you on doing something for free if you could get a lot of money from someone else." The blind man let out a small sigh as he finished his latte and leaned back against the chair. "My job? It's not done from home... I'm a psychologist, actually. Oftenly, I help people live with the fact that they have some kind of a disability - it seems that they're more likely to take advice from one like them than a person who's absolutely healthy. I have someone who drives me to work, Ruka here also helps me find my way through the workplace, I have my own colleagues as well as patients who seem to like me more than the others~"

[sVerrine]

"A psychologist?" Lloyd asked with a hind of surprise. "Now that I think about it, it fits you."

Lloyd let the topic on surgery aside giving that we hasn't really that informed on it. The story with his relative being blind was true, but it happened a long time ago and since then technology has been advancing with fast steps.

"Well, if you have a person that takes you to work, couldn't the same person also help you to come to the concert? I guess you would be more comfortable around someone who has been doing it for a while. "

Lloyd studied carefully the man's expression and couldn't help but await patiently for Karl's emotions to unfold.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Karl let out a small chuckle when the other said that being a psychologist suited him. "A lot of people say that, you know." He said softly and smiled kindly at Lloyd. When he heard the other words, the brunette shook his head lightly. "No, no, he's quite busy... He works a lot more than I do, and I doubt he's have both the time and want to get me somewhere else." He said quietly and let out a slightly sad, yet still soft smile. "If it is too much trouble for you to get me there, I will find someone else who can drive me there, that's the least of my problems." Karl said with a kind smile as the waited brought their food. "Thank you~" Karl thanked the waitress, who, this time, put the plate right in front of the blid guy, now probably realizing he was blind.

[sVerrine]

"It's not about being troublesome or not, it's about principle. I just thought... What would my fans say if I display special treatment towards someone I just met and who isn't even aware of my piano skill?" Lloyd paused and sighed. "Doesn't seem too fair, does it?"

As he sunk deeper in the chair, the reality seemed to prick at him.

"I know I said I'll come to pick you up if I don't have to rephrase, but that was only because of the urge I felt - to treat you specially because of your circumstance. But given the fact that you absolute don't like to be victimized, I found it strange that you don't oppose to my kindness as you did when I tried to get you the coffee."

Lloyd reached his pocket and searched for a medium-sized packet. Finding it, he drew it out and took a cigarette out. He lightened it and started smoking and a sense of awareness struck him even harder.

"To put it bluntly, I don't understand your intentions."

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

As Karl listened to the other talk, his smile slowly disappeared from his face. The brunette nodded in understandment as he gripped his cup of coffee a bit tighter. "That really wouldn't be too fair..." He mutered out quietly and let a small sigh escape before reaching to find the fork. He picked it up and slowly cut off a small bite of the pie as he continued listening.

 

"I didn't like you helping me in finding my cup because that made me feel... Well, pathetic. People seem to think that I can't do a single thing on my own, and some even go as far as to help me sit down in my house, on the sofa. They treat me as if I'm a baby... Yet, such a thing as getting to your concert, getting to a place I've never been before - that isn't the easiest thing to do. Here I would indeed appreciate your help, though it isn't necessary. If you won't help me out, I won't force you, I just wouldn't have the right to..." Karl finished and shook his head. "Sorry, I can't seem to stop talking when I start..."

[sVerrine]

"Well, it's good that you understood." Lloyd said, trying to resist from showing a painful look.

 

Lloyd was conflicted because he couldn't understand how Karl's mind functioned. He refused anyone's help regarding the small things because that will make him look pathetic, but wanted the help of others in matter like going to a concert. The man couldn't stop but wander how was this man actually living? Karl made it sound like he had never been anywhere else except his workplace because the person in charge with his transport was busy.

Lloyd's eyes landed on his watch and it was already time for him to go to have tea with his manager, who was an eccentric man who hated tardiness more than thing.

 

"Anyway, I have to go now. Leave me your number and I'll call you regarding the concert's date and hours. I'm not sure if I'll be able to pick you up because my manager is a pretty unforeseeable man. In that case, I'll send someone else." He made a pause then continued. "After all, I owe you one for comforting me yesterday."

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Karl smiled softly and nodded. "Alright~" After saying this one word, the brunette took out his wallet and took out one white, small card. "Here, this'll have both my personal numbers and my work number in case you try and contact me while I'm at work... I sometimes tend to leave my phone at home..." The man chuckled a bit nervously and shook his head with a chuckle. "Thank you for keeping me company today. It really feels great having someone to talk with..." He tilted his head to one side as he smiled softly. "I hope this won't be the last time for such an activity."

 

After that, the brunette continued eating his pie, while Ruka raised her head to look at Lloyd. She wagged her tail slightly and gently nuzzled its head into Karl's leg while the later chuckled. "It seems like Ruka here agrees~"

[sVerrine]

Lloyd gave a genuine smile. "Although my schedule is pretty tight, I assure you that we'll meet some other time. Probably a few days before the concert."

He patted Ruka and, in spite of not being an animal person, he realized how fond he grew in just a few hours of that dog.

 

"Anyway, I have to go before my manager starts throwing tantrums and making my life a living hell because I'm not on time. I'll contact you as soon as I get news so you could arrange your schedule accordingly."

 

Lloyd stood up and Karl seemed to follow his action. The man caught Karl's hand in a strong grip and shook it vehemently.

"It was good meeting you. I mean it." Lloyd had admitted sincerely, after their hands parted longingly.

He left the cafe a bit alarmed after checking the time, went to his car and drove silently towards his manager's house.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Karl smiled softly and nodded. "I'll be looking forward to our meeting then." He said softly just before Lloyd walked away. The brunette quietly finished his food and stood up with Ruka glancing back at him to make sure he was alright. The blind man was soon ready to go and left the cafe quietly, without running into any more troubles.

 

Once the young man got bak home, he covered a small yawn and smiled while letting Ruka go off. He walked over to the living room and searched around for the CD's he had. The man soon found them and, after running his hands through the marked discs, he picked out one - his favorite. It was the song his grandma played most oftenly... Moonlight Sonata. He could listen to it for days and not get bored... The brunette spent the rest of the day just listening to various piano music and playing with Ruka. Tomorrow he had work...

[sVerrine]

Another month passed without Lloyd contacting the young blind man, Karl, but it was not because he didn't want to talk with him, but because the repetitions for the concert were hazardously managed. His programme was changed three times the past week and he swore that if his manager was going to make any further changes, he would quit and find someone else. He believed in performance and never thought that learning a few other song was a pain, but to be literally obliged to learn 10 different melodies in one week was too much even for him.

 

Because Lloyd was a man who always kept his word, a few days before the concert, with one hand holding a ticket and the another the phone, he called Karl.

After a few rings, a welcoming voice was heard from the other line.

"Karl, how are you? The concert is in three days and I had discussed all the matters with the people in charge there. This is the last day when I am free to meet with you, so I hope you don't have any appointments planned because it would be best if we met. " Lloyd spoke tersely and gave a practiced smile similar to those meant for business.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Karl smiled softly at a girl that was in front of him. He gently reached out and took her hand, giving it a small squeeze. "Everything will be alright, don't worry. This won't change who you are... And your boyfriend will not leave you, believe me." He was talking quietly as the girl only nodded quietly, even though she knew the other couldn't see it. She had short, blond hair and beautiful light green eyes... The only thing that actually caught attention was the fact that she was in a wheelchair.

 

She was one of Karl's patients - she'd gotten into a car accident not too long ago and her legs were completely paralized. Apparently, she couldn't deal with the fact herself, so Karl helped out... Slowly but surely, they both were reaching small results.

 

Once the girl left, Karl heard his phone ringing. He stood up and let Ruka lead him towards it, where he took it and put the device to his ear. "Hello?" He greeted softly and a smile immediately appeared on his face when he heard it was Lloyd. The brunet listened carefully and let out a small sigh. "I'm currently at work. It would take me some time to get to our meeting place... I just finished with my last patient for today, so I could probably meet up. I'll ask if someone could get me to..?" Kalr ended with a soft question.

[sVerrine]

Lloyd professional smile turned into victorious as he only received affirmative responses from the other line.

 

"Perfect. I will be at the caffee in around 40 minutes myself, I have some small things to take care of."

 

After short goodbye lines, the man hung up and glanced fugitively around the room and spotted from his first try the music sheets he had in mind. But before he could act, a smooth tickling touch on his leg startled him. He directed his eyes ground-ward and displayed an expression that betrayed false annoyance.

 

"Hello, young fellow. What? Don't tell me. I forgot to feed you again."

 

Lloyd sighed and went inside the kitchen, grabbing the cat food from one of the counters and pouring some in a bowl that, he thought, would suffice the cat's needs. Even so, the animal ignored completely the food and with a beautiful swing of its legs, climbed one of the counters.

"I give up. Do whatever you want." Lloyd sighed exasperatedly and stomped back in the living room. He took the papers from the coffee table and went to the grand piano that was only a few feet away.

His hands naturally waved around the keys and a delightful melody loaded the room with mixed feelings that implied nostalgia and romance.

 

'I am frustrated.' Lloyd thought idly. 'Is it because I hadn't had sex for a month? Is this even healthy for a 25 years old male?' A frown formed between his eyes, but the song remained unperturbed. 'I even bought a cat. I spend 10 hours at work and I bought a cat, am I insane? I sincerely pity the thing.' The man couldn't understand how others attached so much and so easily to their animals when Lloyd looked at his cat only as a thing to feed and do potty training with.

 

'Am I lonely? But my music hardly reflects such feelings -my soul is not shaken. Perhaps it is just my mind working against me.' Lloyd glanced at the clock and saw that he could spend another five minutes with the piano before leaving. 'Should I start looking for someone else? I don't really feel the need, though.To get myself a lover that won't be lonely for leaving them 10 hours straight alone... maybe some passionate workaholic? But it is a high probability for our working hours to be different, so we would hardly meet.'

 

"So troublesome." Lloyd sighed, thinking how he would never give up his passion for music for anyone, no matter who that person is or how great the feelings between them are. People say that without sacrifices you won't even get anything that you desire. But what if the sacrifice is equal to your desire? To live half-heartedly... that was so wrong in the pianist's mind.

'I will die alone.' Lloyd laughed loudly.

Finishing the song, he stood up and grabbed his car keys. He patted his cat lightly and then left the room.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Karl smiled softly when he heard the other's answer. "Sure. Thank you, Lloyd... I look forward to seeing you." He said softly and ended the call, the smile staying on his face as he crouched down and gently patted Ruka's head. "We're going to see Lloyd, are you excited?" He asked with a chuckle as the dog wagged his tail and barked in what seemed like happiness.

 

The brunet managed to find a colleague who was finished with work as well, so he got to the cafe rather early... Well, at least he was supposed to. The blind male still had to wait until the other was finished with talking to someone, so he narely made it in time to see Lloyd.

 

Karl sighed softly as he got out of the car. "Thank you." He said softly at the man who was driving, then closed the door and gently patted Ruka's head. "Let's go~" The man said softly as he let Ruka lead him over the street.

 

The dog didn't reach the other side. One car, one drunk driver and a dog, desperately trying to save its master's life. Karl was more than surprised when he felt Ruka pushing him somewhere, and just in a few moments the leash was out of his hands. "Ruka?..."

 

Karl didn't know what to do. He could hear somebody getting out of the car, he could hear someone cursing and then someone came up to him. "Man, I'm sorry... I-I didn't see it!" It took the man a while to realize what happened. Quietly, he reached out and gripped the other's hand. "Where is she?... Is she alive?..." Karl questioned just before he heard a weak whimper.

 

Yes, Ruka was alive, but... She couldn't even stand up on herself. And without her - neither could Karl.

[sVerrine]

Another ten minutes passed before Lloyd had arrived to the scene, and a feeling of urgency washed over him when he saw Karl near an ambulance and a group of people scrutinizing him.

 

He quickened his pace, and as he was ready to grab Karl's shoulder, a man caught his arm instead.

"What do you think you are doing?" A load husky voice threatened.

Lloyd glanced coldly at the man gripping his arm, and wanted to start an argument, but his turquoise medical uniform stopped him.

"What happened?" The pianist inquired with professional composure.

"There was an car accident."

Lloyd's left brow rose and he turned his head to the right side and glanced at Karl. After a fugitive inspection, the blond man seemed to be fine from a physical point of view, but his facial expression betrayed perplexity.

 

Lloyd looked back at the medical personal and looked at him inquiringly, trying to figure out what happened.

"He is in shock, that is why you can't barge in like that. Are you a relative?"

 

"No. I'm..." Lloyd stopped and taught hard, but in the end couldn't come up with a good category in which their relationship fell. "an acquaintance."

From the other's man face, that piece of information surely wouldn't have get Lloyd to speak with Karl.

"Then there is no reason for your inadequate attitude." The man added, conforming Lloyd's thoughts.

 

The musician sighed exasperatedly and tried to think of a way out.

 

"Look what's the thing. For of all, if you don't release my arm, I can as well sue you for harassment in a public place, I even have witnesses." And Lloyd casted a careful glance at the people drinking coffee at the nearby caffee.

The other let go with a clear display of anger.

"I just want to see how he is doing and why he is in shock." And Lloyd ignored completely the other's man reaction and walked passed him, touching lightly Karl's shoulder.

 

"Are you alright?"

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Karl just couldn't get himself to talk properly. Tears were slowly rolling down his cheeks as he nodded or shook his head at some questions he got, tightly gripping onto anything he could reach. He felt as if everything was falling apart right now...

 

"Where is she?..." He asked for what felt like the milionth time. The brunet didn't hear any sound coming from his dog for quite some time now... Finally, someone explained him that Ruka was taken away where someone would take care of her. Even if a small part of his fear was gone, the bling guy couldn't relax completely. No one told him if Ruka would even live.

 

When Karl felt Lloyd's hand on his shoulder, he nearly flinched. He was like a confused child right now - he was barely able to do anything on his own... And he was scared.

 

The brunet shook his head slightly at the question, biting his lower lip. He tried to stop the tears, but failed to do so... It was embarrassing, that was for sure, but he couldn't remember the last time he'd been this sad about anything. If his dog wouldn't stay alive... He really wouldn't be able to do anything.

[sVerrine]

Lloyd casted a quick glance at his surroundings and Ruka's absence gave him the final explanation of what happened. He eyed Karl, who seemed ready to burst in tears and fall to the ground.

The man was in deep pain; and Lloyd's eyes were nothing but ardently compassionate and sympathetic.

 

"To put your mind at ease, I'll go and talk to someone to see how Ruka is."

 

He knew it was not alright to leave the man alone, standing in the middle of the street, in deep shock, but there was no other one around to check the dog's condition. The musician let out an involuntary sigh and walked to the ambulance from where he got the number fo Health and Medical Care of Animals.

 

After some quick calls, between which Lloyd checked Karl from a distance, some sort of good news reached his ears. By the time he was done, the bustling already faded and only a few people were now glancing at the young man who was still bewildered of what was going on around him.

 

"Karl." Lloyd said. "I have got some news." He added with a convincing smile, then reminded himself that it was no use of it. "Ruka is in bad shape apparently, the impact was strong, but if she undergoes the right medical treatment, she will live. That is what the dispatcher from the veterinary said."

 

But silence prevailed.

 

"If you don't want to go the the hospital now, then I'll drive you home." Lloyd pressed his hands gently on Karl's both shoulders.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Karl could only nod at the words he heard from Lloyd. He put his arms around himself as he waited for the other to come back, on the same time trying to stop the tears. Quietly, he kept on brushing them away until they finally stopped. The brunet took in deep breaths to calm himself down at least a little bit, but his thoughts came back to Ruka no matter how hard he tried. What if something really bad happened? What if she really could die?

 

When his name was called out, Karl immediately turned to face the other, his arms tightly around his rather frail body. As he listened, a small, relieved sigh escaped his lips and he tilted his head slightly. One thing that bothered him were the words ‘right medical treatment‘. This probably meant quite a lot of money... Of course, there was no way he wouldn't give as much money as there was needed, but that also meant his surgery floating away.

 

When the blind man heard Lloyd's offer, he took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled before answering. “I want... I want to go where Ruka is...“ He said quietly, finding the other's hands on his shoulders comforting and calming. “Could you get me there?.. I'm really sorry I'm asking you of doing such things... You probably had plans...“ Karl didn't even realize as he blurted out all of his thoughts.

[sVerrine]

(sorry sorry for the long wait)

 

"No such thing."

Lloyd gave him an compassionate smile and grabbed the other man's trembling hand.

"Come one, I'll guide you to the car." Lloyd tried to ignore the whispers and banters that the scene created between the witnesses and walked hand in hand with Karl until the image of his car pierced his vision.

 

He tried to think of something to make Karl feel better, but nothing came to his mind. Lloyd was at a loss and the fact that he could not escape it infuriated him greatly.

 

He loosened his grip after opening the car's door for Karl and then turned on the engine.

"It will take us a while to get there. Do you need anything?"

The man inspected the other male sitting beside him and tried to figure out an answer, but he could see nothing in Karl's devoid expression.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Karl nodded faintly at what he heard first from the other and let Lloyd lead him to the car. The brunet took in a few shaky breath as tears began collecting once again, no matter how hard he tried to stop them. He lightly gripped the taller male's hand and exhaled heavily as the whispers echoed in his mind. Since he was blind, his hearing was better than one of a usual human's... Each word cut him like a sharp sword. He was both pitied and mocked by the people. Humans could be so cruel...

 

The brunet got into the car once he could and slowly buckled himself up, taking up a bit of time since it wasn't really that easy to do it without looking. Karl shook his head at the question and managed to squeeze out a small, weak smile as he turned his head towards Lloyd. "No... Let's just drive..." He said softly as he gripped the end of his shirt with both of his hands. How was he going to do without Ruka around?..

 

((It's alright ^-^))

[sVerrine]

Lloyd looked at the pained man and the frustration for being incapable of saying any sort of consolation words rose again in his mind. He understood that Karl was in shock and suffering at the moment, but he still could not come up with anything to easy his heart.

 

'Should I start the radio?' Lloyd thought pensively at the first intersection where they had to stop at the traffic lights. The atmosphere was heavy, suffocating. 'If the music is too lively, that will make me a heartless brute, but if it's too melancholic, then Karl will feel even worse.' Lloyd knitted his brows and clicked his tongue seeing how he was running aimlessly in circles.

 

They remained in silence for another ten minutes, when Lloyd suddenly let out a deep frustrating sigh and pushed a button from the dash board. A stress-reliving melody softly pierced the silence and the musician started to move his fingers accordingly.

'He likes the piano and the song isn't particularly joyful or saddening.'

He looked again at Karl and hoped to see some improvement in his mood.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Karl kept his arms around his small, rather frail body as the two of them drove in silence. It was killing him. Not hearing anything, not knowing what was happening around him... All he could tell was that they were stoping time from time. That was all. He didn't particullary enjoy cars at all... All he could feel around him were cold and lifeless.

 

Then suddenly, he heard a frustrated sigh and in a few moments, music filled the air. The brunet tensed up for a second, then visibly relaxed in the seat, his tense shoulders slowly falling down. Music always helped him, no matter what happened. Even if just the tiny little part, but they helped.

 

A small, quite weak, but warm smile appeared on Karl's face as he unconsciously began humming the melody he knew. One of his hands slowly slid down to his knee and he lightly started drumming his fingers with the melody, managing to catch the rythm rather well. Just for now, just while the music was playing, he could forget about Ruka. When it would end... It all would come back like a huge, heavy wave. He knew it'd hurt.