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There was a skip to Mizi’s step as she kissed Till’s cheek and waved goodbye to Hyuna before hurrying out of the practice studio and down the hall to the building’s exit. Shoving her drumsticks into her bag, her heart thundered and reverberated through her chest as she pushed open the door, her excitement only growing at the certainty of what would be waiting for her outside.
There was only one thing that could get her heart beating like this more than the roar of a crowd or the rhythm of her drumset—Sua.
And there she was, waiting for her on the other side of the studio doors, all cropped black hair and those lovely lavender eyes that had drawn Mizi in the moment their gazes had first crossed.
No matter how many days went by, no matter how many nights fell, that sensation never seemed to dissipate every time Mizi caught sight of her beloved, that feeling as if time came to a standstill and the sun shined only for them two as she bounded toward Sua, flinging her arms around her and leaning in for a kiss. She could never get tired of those lips on hers.
Sua giggled against her mouth, her breath tickling Mizi’s nose. “I’m happy to see you, too,” she sighed, her lavender eyes pooling with tenderness and adoration.
Mizi’s smile was so wide her cheeks nearly ached as she pulled away to gaze at her girlfriend, her arms wrapped behind Sua’s neck as Sua’s hands came to rest comfortably on her waist. “I missed you.”
“You just saw me yesterday.”
“I miss you whenever you’re not there!”
The soft, angelic laughter that erupted from Sua’s lips set Mizi’s heart ablaze and she couldn’t refrain from capturing those lips in another kiss. Sua hummed against her, a sweet nectar upon her tongue, before they pulled away again and Sua slipped Mizi’s hand into hers. “Wanna get going?”
“Yeah!” Mizi exclaimed, lacing their fingers together. “Got anywhere in mind?”
“Not in the slightest, but anywhere is perfect with you.”
Mizi allowed her girlfriend to guide her down the street to nowhere in particular. She wouldn’t have been able to lead them to their destination even if they’d had one—her eyes were too trained on Sua, noticing every flutter of her bangs in the breeze and every quirk of her lips in a smile.
Mizi had a lot on her mind with band practice and upcoming gigs and whatever the hell was going on between Till and Ivan but all those worries seemed to fizzle and fade away in the presence of her angel. The simple sight of those alluring amethyst eyes was enough to ward off the rain clouds in Mizi’s mind, to whisk her far away where the storm couldn’t reach her.
If they passed anyone on the sidewalk then Mizi never noticed them. It was like the world existed for her and Sua and them alone.
As they continued down the road, Mizi slowed to a stop at the sight of something elegant and imposing sitting outside the entrance of a nearby building. “Hey, what’s that doing there?”
Sua followed her girlfriend’s gaze, her eyes landing upon the object. “Ah, that’s right,” she acknowledged, “my director mentioned something about this.”
Sitting there in the alcove off the sidewalk under the shade of a cherry blossom tree was a piano. It didn’t quite seem to fit in where it was and its surface was coated in a layer of pollen and petals but even so it gave off a regal, mystical air.
“They placed a bunch of pianos around the city for public use,” Sua continued, “for the time being. They’ll remove them when the weather starts getting cold again.”
Mizi tilted her head, her curiosity getting the best of her. She approached the piano and Sua—still attached to her girlfriend’s hand—had no choice but to follow. Mizi brushed the petals off the bench, blew some pollen off the keys, and took a seat, sweeping her pink-blue hair over her shoulder. She watched Sua smooth out her skirt as she sat and only once her girlfriend was comfortably beside her did she finally lay a finger upon a key.
The sound left much to be desired, to say the least. Mizi had an ear trained for rhythm more-so than pitch but even she could tell that the instrument was rather out of tune.
Sua giggled beside her, a sound much more pleasing to her ears than that of the piano. “I guess you can’t really expect these to be very good quality,” she sighed, “especially considering they’re left out here to endure the weather day and night.”
Mizi laughed along with her girlfriend. “I guess you’re right,” she agreed, “but I’m sure someone with the right talent could still get a decent sound out of it.”
Sua had a thoughtful lilt to her smile, a twinkle in her eye. “Well, this is more Ivan’s forté,” she said, “but I’ll give it a shot.”
Sua scooched closer to the middle of the bench and Mizi’s heart fluttered at the brush of Sua’s skin against hers before she moved over slightly to give her girlfriend more space to work her musical magic, watching her with sparkles in her bright yellow eyes. Sua settled her shoes over the pedals, fingers hovering over the keys. She tilted her head as she scrounged up every ounce of piano knowledge she had tucked away in her mind, her gaze turned up to the sky peeking through the cherry blossom branches before she finally—albeit hesitantly—lowered her hands upon the keys.
It was a simple tune, soft and gentle. The poor quality of the instrument created a more minor tone, giving the melody a somber feel.
The tune carried on haphazardly, Sua doing her best to drag along the harmony with her limited experience, lacking the dexterity she usually exhibited when her fingers danced across a set of strings rather than keys. Occasionally she’d hit a false note and elicit a small “ah” or “shoot” or perhaps something more vulgar if there didn’t happen to be any children passing by at the moment.
A breeze showered cherry blossoms upon them, petals encircling Sua’s ethereal figure like a halo. If Sua was self-conscious then Mizi was none the wiser. On the contrary, Mizi was completely and utterly entranced by her girlfriend’s song. She noticed the ever-so subtle way Sua chewed at her bottom lip when she focused on the melody or how her brows furrowed slightly when she stumbled on a note. She yearned to reach over and tuck her girlfriend’s stray ebony wisps of hair behind her ear but stamped down the urge for fear of interfering with this picturesque sight before her.
Mizi revelled in the knowledge that this Sua existed only for her. Mizi adored the very same Sua that her audience saw—the perfect performer, the angel clad in white, fingers gliding seamlessly across the strings of her instrument—but she equally cherished this side of her, with all her quirks and imperfections. Mizi saw her flaws and loved her for them, held them close to her heart like they were something to be treasured.
Sua was an angel on the stage, but Mizi never ceased to worship her even after the curtain fell. The drummer was the backbone of the band and the rhythm of Sua’s love was what kept Mizi’s heart steadily beating.
To simply have Sua’s lilac gaze upon her was like a dream come to life. Every touch of Sua’s skin against hers sent electricity zipping through her veins, every press of her lips like a seed planted below the surface of her heart, one that she hoped would bloom and flourish and grow for years to come, its roots and vines forever keeping them two entwined.
Mizi let her eyes slip closed among the gentle caresses of the cherry blossoms as she rested her head against the soft shoulder of her dearest love, the melody slowing and fading away. The song came to an end, but the dream was only beginning.