NOVEL NEXT Chapter 152 – Gift
[2009 – October]
“How about this one?”, Jean asked after she pressed down on the head of the glass bottle, causing a small cloud of mist to land on a small white test paper.
Rubbing it against her right wrist, she spread the perfume a bit before bringing her hand to her nose and smelling it while holding out the test strip for Laura and me to sample.
I couldn't help but wrinkled my nose at the chemical concoction that should have smelled pleasant to a human nose. I didn't like it at all.
Laura's reaction was a bit more obvious as she refused to take a whiff altogether. Instead, she took a step back and hid behind my back, resting her head in between my shoulder blades. I could hear her breathe in deeply and sigh in relief as she held onto my coat.
I couldn't fault her for that as the dense artificial scent of most of the perfumes didn't agree with me either. And while I could dial down the strength of my olfactory sense when necessary, she could not.
Arya was also present but she had long since hidden herself away in the depths of my coat's inner pocket to shield her sensitive nose from the different odors.
We had been in this rather large drugstore for well over half an hour looking for a perfume to gift Cordelia.
I had already bought a voucher for a day at some indoor paintball ground as I guessed that an energetic and tomboyish young woman like Cordelia would enjoy that more than some tickets for a ballet concert.
Not to mention that I had also written a card with a promise that said that I would make sure that Emma would also be there.
I knew that Cordelia greatly desired a deeper bond with Emma, though the icy beauty had difficulty opening up even to her family. As such, I knew that this promise was the most important part of the gift, or at least it was the part that Cordelia would be the happiest about.
Jean though thought that just gifting her a piece of paper was too bland and insisted that we buy some small trinkets like perfumes and sweets as well. I trusted her with this as I had never been a very good gift-giver when it came to birthdays.
"I think Laura has finally reached her limit.", I said with a wry smile while taking hold of Jean's left hand, taking away the test strip, and pressing my lips against her wrist.
Inhaling the scent of her soft skin, I looked at her with bright eyes as I continued: “And I think it would be best if I just bottled you up and gift you to my sister. You smell the best, after all.”
“Charmer.”, Jean replied softly while turning away to place back the test bottle, though neither the small smile that drew up her lips nor the red hue that rose to her cheeks could escape my eyes.
"We won't be able to finish up here if you don't help me decide, my love.", she continued as she turned back to me and stepped closer to lean against the right side of my chest, her hand slipping beneath my coat, coming to rest just above my heart.
"In that case, I think we should just take this one.", I replied while reaching out and grabbing a small rose-coloured carton with the word 'FLOIR' printed on it, "It was the one with the mildest and most natural scent."
Smiling like a blooming flower, Jean took the carton from my hand as she tip-toed and left a soft kiss on my lips before grabbing my hand and pulling me along to the cashier.
I followed her with a smile while reaching back and taking Laura's hand with my free one, making sure that she wasn't left behind.
After paying and leaving the store, Jean wanted to go look for a dress for the party next but didn't want me to see it, preferring that it be a surprise, so we split up.
She took Laura with her to help her chose while I wandered around the mall aimlessly with Arya by my side.
I bought myself a whole-wheat bagel with sunflower seeds as well as an iced tea at a small cafe, the cashier being rather flirty, going so far as to give me her number out of her own volition.
I didn't give this much thought though and just left the cafe, sharing my bagel and tea with Arya as I continued my walk, causing her to hop around happily while hooting softly.
Eventually, we came across a wide open seating area made out of large steps that were arranged in a large circle with flowers and potted plants around as decoration. And in the middle of all that, on a slightly raised platform stood a beautiful grand piano.
A young girl probably around seven years old sat in front of the instrument in her mother's lap, just randomly playing a few notes while laughing.
I couldn't help but approach them, being drawn to the piano like iron to a magnet
…
Seeing her daughter laugh so innocently while she jingled on the piano, Sahra found it hard to not break into tears.
The last few months had been hard for Sahra and her daughter after her husband had died during an accident on the construction site he had been working.
Money was tight as they were still stuck in a legal argument with the company that had employed Mark and she had no one else to rely on as her own and her husband's parents had already died, so the only thing that she could do was grit her teeth and stay strong for her daughter's sake.
Mark had often taken Kylie to the mall for a pretzel and to play the piano when he was still alive. He didn't know how to play himself but their daughter just loved the instrument for whatever reason.
They had even talked about arranging for her to have piano lessons, even if their financial situation had been suboptimal even then, which was the whole reason that her husband had covered the shift of a colleague on the day of the accident, working overtime to make some extra money.
Sahra couldn't bear to spend what little money they had on a pretzel at this point in time though, but she still brought her daughter here every so often to play with the piano.
It was the only thing that seemed to cheer her up since her father's death.
“Do you mind if I play with you?”, a voice sounded out from the side suddenly, its tone warm and friendly.
Turning towards the source, Sahra was taken aback for a moment as her eyes fell on the incredibly charming features of a young man, his eyes bright and carefree. Even stranger was the tiny black owlet that peeked out from beneath his collar, its amber gaze curious yet cautious.
Her daughter was the one to answer the young man, as she looked at the handsome teen with sparkling eyes: “You really know how to play?”
The young man's smile widened a bit, causing his charm to peak as he answered: “I do.”
Turning towards her, Kylie pleaded a bit as she asked with puppy eyes: “Can he play with us, Mommy?”
Looking from her daughter to the young man, Sahra hesitated for a few moments before making more room on the small bench while nodding.
Taking off his coat, the young man placed it on the bank before sitting down as he introduced himself and his feathery friend: "I'm Elijah and this is Arya."
Kylie seemed to just notice the tiny bird as she asked: "So tiny! Is she a baby?"
Smiling gently while nodding, he raised his hand to rub over the tiny avian's head and wings.
“Can I pet her?”, her daughter asked with hopeful eyes.
The young man stayed silent for a moment, seemingly contemplating something before he gently reached up and took the black owlet into his palm.
“What's your name?”, he asked while tenderly brushing over the little owl's feathers.
"Kylie.", her daughter replied, her gaze fixed on the adorable little featherling that was rubbing itself against the young man's palm, its amber eyes closed in comfort while hooting softly.
“Okay, Kylie. Arya normally doesn't like it when other people touch her but if you are very gentle then I can set her down on your palm. But you have to promise to be careful with her, she is still a baby after all.”, the young man said seriously, his eyes shining with a kind spirit.
“I can, I promise.”, Kylie stated, her young face looking adorably serious.
The young man though just calmly looked at her daughter for a moment, his eyes seemingly glowing before he replied quietly: “I believe you.”
Moving his hands, he gently placed his little friend on her daughter's palm, causing Kylie's eyes to light up in wonder and innocent joy.
“She doesn't know you, so you have to make sure not to startle and scare her.”, he added while gently grabbing her daughter's other hand and slowly showing her how to pet the little owlet.
“Mommy, look!”, Kylie whispered with suppressed excitement, smiling widely as she used her finger to tenderly brush through the tiny avian's dark feathers.
“I am looking. You are doing great, Sweetie.”, Sahra replied, unable to hold back the tearful smile as she watched her daughter petting the small creature with such gentleness.
Turning to the young man, Sahra mouthed a quiet 'Thank you' while brushing away the tears that threatened to fall from the corners of her eyes, to which he responded with a quiet nod while smiling faintly.
His bright gaze though seemed to peer into her soul, carrying a look that seemed to be filled with understanding and recognition as if he could see the pain that she tried to bury in the depths of her heart.
Sahra was lost for a moment as her whole world seemed to shrink until there was nothing but a pair of ethereal green eyes looking intently at her. The next second this strange spell was broken as the young man turned away, his slender fingers rising to the keys of the piano.
And the moment he started to play, this strange young man turned from a teenager with bright eyes into a god of music.