ａ ｂｒｏｋｅｎ ｈｅａｒｔ ｉｓ ｂｌｉｎｄ. [ ｊｕｎＫｙ ]

[BayMickey]

{ ｐａｔ }

Fingers glided across the keys of an old, beat up, black piano in perfect harmony. The sound of a overplayed song that a twenty-two year old made up when he was fifteen came ringing loudly throughout the halls of an empty school building. The bell had since rang long ago, and no one but Mr. Patrick, the too young music teacher, was still in the school. He closed his eyes, feeling the music. Patrick, or Pat as most people called him, had played this song too many times before to not play it absoloutley prefectly. And you may think that he is such a loser for staying at a school for two hours after the bell, playing an old piano. Well it is. Pat couldn't think fo any excuses for it. Music was all he had. That's why he taught it here, at a small private school.

Pat finished playing, satisfied with himself. He stood up, black converse shuffling on the carpet floor. He collected his things, shoving them into a falling-apart satchel, and slinging said bag over his shoulder. He adjusted his fedora, yes, his fedora, and made his way for the door. Just before he turned off the light and shut the door, Patrick turned around in his spot, looking from the four different old guitars, to the far wall covered in good song lyrics and pictures of band members. Oh, how he loved his job.

So maybe Patrick was the loser who moved to a small town to become a high school teacher. He didn't care. He loved it. He climbed into his used car, and cranked it. He sat there for a moment, before putting it in drive and getting out of the school parking lot. He drove for a bit, before deciding to stop at a local coffee shop to get an cappucino before he headed to his apartment. He parked into the same old spot, and climbed out. Pushing the door to the cafe open, the famaliar scent of coffee beans mixed with mocha reaching his nose. The barista waved and said "Hi, Pat." He nodded back at her with a smile. She asked for his usual, and he accepted, paid, and went to sit in the corner he always sat in. He drank his drink, book on the table. He read a couple of pages, before looking up and examining the crowd here today. Nothing extraordinary. College kids, their faces shoved in laptops. A man with dreads, tapping his foot to the music blasting through his knock-off Beats. And then couples all around, sharing frothy frappes and what-not. He smiled again, taking another sip of his own drink. The sun was setting to his left, and Pat watched as the sky turned from blue to red, pink, and orange. It was a beautiful day, as it always was to him. He heard the bells, which meant that a new person had entered, but he didn't look up. He only kept reading his book.

[ && i guess that's where you come in. i hope its okay... could have done better. ]

[Guest]

[No no, it's completely fine. c:]

Nora

A prolonged, exasperated breath dragged itself from the meager aperture between Nora's lips; the lips that'd now grown stiff, and had grown comfortable in its blank, dispassionate state. Nowadays, time seemed to drag on at a drop-dead rate. She went by the same routine every day; wake up, go to college class, go home, sleep, repeat. On rare occasion, she would dip into a coffee shop to pick up some pastries & a cup of coffee to go.

She wasn't always like this. Nora could still recall how sweet the lavender's perfume was as she dashed through the field, laughing merrily, as she was being tailed by her father, who'd half-heartedly-stride after her, harmonizing his laughter with hers. At times, she'd be so caught up in her giggles she'd forget her footing, and tumble to the ground. Her father would rush to her side, and envelop her 8-year-old body in his arms, and though they were thin, she felt it was the safest place on Earth. He'd clear her face of tears with his thumb, and softly hush her sobs with a soft smile, uttering, "You're strong, babygirl. Don't cry." Lip quivering, she'd nod her head, and bury her face into her dad's shoulder. Her everything's shoulder. Her world's shoulder. And with the snap of the fingers, and the seizing of a heart, her world crumbled beneath her.

Everything seemed so vague without him. So many emotions had suffocated her at once. Rage at the God who'd she'd felt betrayed her. Anguish for the loss of her father. Loneliness that seemed instantaneous upon the release of his last breath. And guilt for breaking down, for not staying strong. Since both her parents had passed, and she was far too young to take care of her own needs, she and her younger brother were taken to an orphanage, where they lived out their adolescence, and departed from in their late teenage years. She'd eventually learned to find peace in things like dull, gray mornings. They were simple, and simple was good, in her eyes. Simple didn't get emotions involved. As time passed, her emotions seemed to rust over, and they'd rarely budge, not even for the brightest mornings.

Nora plunked herself down into her car and slumped in her seat as she inserted the key into the ignition and turned it, the engine's roar causing the floor to vibrate. She maneuvered her way out of the college parking lot and blended her way in with the traffic. She watched the road absently, her thoughts skimming over her memories of her dad and her. A honk jolted her from her trance, and she yanked her car out of a furious person's lane, raising her hand in apology, face tinged red with embarrassment. To distract herself from thinking of her father, she glanced over to the side, and scanned the familiar buildings as they passed in a blur. One, however, did catch her eye. A coffee shop. This one seemed more isolated, and serene to the hustling-bustling one she'd been acquainted with. She pulled into the discovery's parking lot, placed her car in park, hopped out, and locked the doors. Gulping softly, she made her way into shop, her doe-brown orbs focused forward, & at the menu. The barista tossed her a smile, and Nora grinned faintly in return, before approaching her. "Could I have a medium caramel latte, please?" The barista responded with a "Sure thing, hun", and Nora payed for her drink, her latte arriving soon after she ordered. She wrapped her slender fingers around the warm cup's sides before glancing around. The shop been more filled than she'd realized. Her eyes darted towards the door as she planned to haste from the area, but her exit had been blocked by a group of fellow college students that'd chortle in synchrony as one would crack a joke. No going that way. She hadn't realized she locked her knees, and was holding her breath, until her heart began to throb in her ears. Inhaling deeply, she shrugged in indifference, and figured she'd wait them out, plopping down in the nearest open seat. She sipped at the coffee to test it's temperature, and flew her mouth back from the lid as the scolding liquid rolled across her tongue. After a few seconds of recovering & scraping her tongue to the roof of her mouth, she lowered her lips back to the lid, and blew into the cups opening to cool her latte. She gave a quick side glance to who'd she sat down next to, and froze mid-breath as she saw what he was reading. Her favorite book. She hadn't even had to look at the cover to recognize such work of art; she knew every detail of it, beginning to end, word for word. She soon found herself reading along with the man, still hunched over her cup, lips drawn into a pucker.

[Guest]

[sorry about the long post. woops. D:]

[BayMickey]

{ ｐａｔ }

Patrick didn't phase when a chair was pulled back next to him. He didn't look to see who sat next beside him. His nose was stuck in this book. It was so good. The plot was drawn out amazingly, the author was a pure genius. Never had he read a book so good as this, and he had read many in his time. Patrick flipped the page, eyes darting back and forth through the words. One of his favorite things to do was read, as well as play music. Pat would always drown in the book he was reading, not coming up for "air" until eh was done. He was sort of obsessed, always thinking about when he could finish one chapter. Patrick was just a geek in that way. He smirked as the main character made a witty comment, then glanced up momentarily. Right in front of him, reading along in his book, was the most gorgeous girl he had ever seen.

He put his hand up to adjust his glasses, realizing he had worn contacts today. Instead, he pushed his bleach blonde hair further out of his eyes. Gorgeous was an understatement. And here she was, sitting really close to him, reading his book. Patrick almost had to pinch himself to wake up. This shit only happened in movies. But then again, usually, the guy it happened to wasn't a super nerd that worked as a high school music teacher. He covered himself and looked back down, continuing on the to the next paragraph. But, obviously, he couldn't stop thinking about the girl next to him. He should talk to her, but his awkwardness came in the way of that. He didn't want to close the book, maybe she would go away. Game plan, game plan, he thought.

He had nothing. He just sat there for a while, flipping the pages, distracted by the beautiful woman seated next to him.

[ i know this gives you like nothing, and my apologies for the absence. ]

[Guest]

[ nonono, it's perfectly fine. Glad you're back. ^^ sorry if my post is lacking; my muse has called it a night.]

After spending some time of drooling over the book, an ache that breezed over Nora's back snapped her out of her mental frolic in the book's world & back to reality.  Soon following the return of her awareness came the yearning for the ability to crawl inside the book when she found she'd absent-mindedly leaned her head so close to the man it was nearly resting on his shoulder. With cheeks crimson with embarrassment, she quickly yanked herself away from the man, and gulped down a drink of her now room-temperature latte. "Err, forgive me," she apologized, "That book's bomb-diggity." Jesus. Bomb-diggity.

[BayMickey]

{ ｐａｔ }

Patrick looked up when she spoke to him, chuckling. "It's fine. I totally agree," he said. He puppy-dog eared the page, shutting the book. He picked up his coffee, and took a sip, his eyes never leaving the woman. He sat the cup down, wiping it's sweat from his hand, and holding one out for her to shake it.

"Patrick. Nice to kinda-sorta meet you."

Pat said the words with a smile, his green eyes scrunching up a bit like they always do when he smiles. A single lock of hair fell in between his eyes, and since he was preoccupied, he couldn't move it.

(merp.)

[Guest]

Nora

Smiling faintly, she met her new acquaintance's grip & shook his hand. "Ditto. I'm Nora." Her gaze couldn't help but latch onto his smiling green eyes, painfully aware she nearly let her jaw drop at the sight of them. Green eyes as a whole made her heart stutter a beat, but his seemed to make her mind, breath, & heart seize altogether, though it sounds utterly cliche. In an attempt to tear her attention from his dribble-worthy eyes, she glanced over to his drink, and questioned light-heartedly, "Fellow caffeine addict?"

[BayMickey]

{ ｐａｔ }

Pat nodded, his smile fading a little bit, but never fully leaving his face. 'I come here everyday," he answered. He looked back toward the table, following the trail of water circles the two of their cups had made on the wooden surface. He looked back to the girl then. His mind raced. Nora. Not a popular name, but not bad in any way. It kind of suited her. It was sorta, elegant, if you wanted it put in that way. Patrick cleared his throat, raising a clenched fist to his mouth. "Excuse me," Pat said. He motioned towards the coffee joint as a whole. "Not the prettiest place, but it serves a mean espresso," he said, with another lop-sided smile.

[Guest]

Nora

Nora's grin brightened in return, and she took a glance down at her drink that was still warm enough to bring heat to her fingertips."I bet they serve a pretty nice cup of latte, too, if I'd not burnt off my taste buds first trying the damn thing," she responded & lifted her cup in gesture. In some ways, she envied Patrick. His seemingly-carefree personality. His sense of humor. How he could be so... nonchalant. Even now, engaging in casual conversation, Nora found herself stiff, & her free hand, which had been balled up so tightly her knuckles paled, was proof of so. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Have you ever considered working here? I mean, since like to spend so much time in this place..."

[BayMickey]

{ ｐａｔ }

Patrick chuckled. "Nah. I've got a pretty good job right now, it gets me where I need to be," he answered. This statement was true, his job wasn't the best, but he loved it, and it paid his bills. He sighed quietly, "Anyway, I only come here when it's later, right before it closes. Not enough time to work." He picked up his cup and took a swig from it. Pat's eyes met Nora's again. He then looked away and blushed, adjusting the hat on his head. Pat couldn't help it, but he was awkward. Not like the 'trying to be cool kind of awkward,' he was really really awkward. Scratching an imaginary itch of his arm, he examined the cover of the book, trying to save himself from that embarrassing moment.

[Guest]

Nora

Nora could've sworn her mind was playing some cruel joke on her when the image of Patrick's cheeks reddening popped into sight. Her eyes whipped to the ground that rested between her inwardly-pointed feet, lips pursed, as she urged her mind to dismiss the idea of him actually doing so as pure imagination. Maybe it was the lighting, or something he'd seen in her teeth, or a sudden wave of heat, or... or... Her mind ran rampant as it scurried from scenario to scenario, and before she could help herself, she felt her own cheeks burst aflame. She inhaled, then exhaled deeply to help try clearing her mind, but her cheeks remained as rosy as ever. She willed her head to turn back towards the man, and asked, "So, do you do anything in your free time?"

[BayMickey]

{ ｐａｔ }

"Um, this probably sounds really lame, but all I really do in my 'free time,'" he said this with finger quotations around it, "is play music.What about you?" Patrick said, taking a sip of his coffee. He saw her cheeks redden, much like his had been, and unknowingly pulled a lop-sided grin. He adjusted his hat on his head, moving the hair out his face too.

[Guest]

Nora

"Well, then I'm going to sound really lame when I say I play music, too." Nora's grin widened a tad, her gaze shifting towards her drink for a moment before meeting back with Patrick. "And even more lame when I say I play piano." She tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ear, and allowed her eyes to fall to her shoes, her lips parting to accept a sip of her coffee.

[sorry, probably doesn't give you much to work with. x_x]

[BayMickey]

"I play piano too!" Pat exclaimed louder than he meant to. Some people turned around to look at who just yelled very lamely about playing piano, and Patrick blushed even deeper if it was even possible. "I teach music at the high school here. Piano is kinda my thing." He wasn't lying, that's pretty much all he did. Ever.

[Guest]

[I think Nora may be acting a bit too, uh, soft, for lack of a better word.]
A soft chuckle managed to bubble from Nora's throat at his enthusiastic response to their new-found common interest, watching his face redden to a nearly purple hue. At the mention of a high school, her thoughts immediately pointed themselves to her brother, Matthew, of whom still hasn't graduated. Currently, he's living with a friend, since Nora's in college, and the fact he thought living with Nora was the equivalent of rooming with Satan. "Would you happen to know a Matthew Cyprus, by chance?"

[P r o m i s e r]

What is the rating?

[Guest]

[I think this topic's dead, but I would assume T.]

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