Bleeding poetry

 

Author's Note: And I am back!

I apologise for such a long break. But finally, the story needs to continue...

I would suggest skimming over the last blog if you've forgotten the setting, I am adding its link here if you'd like... the story begins again :)

https://ishitaswordsoffire.blogspot.com/2021/11/fights-and-burgers.html

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There is a certain comfort in just existing at the moment when no worries of the uncertainties could harm you; just pleasant existence without any thoughts running through your mind. It is the state of tranquillity that we all long for.

Daniel was in such a wonderful state of bliss. There were too many questions indeed but none of them mattered at the moment. The way Rose’s slow breaths filled in the silence made him forget that things weren’t how easy they felt.

The way her sweaty hair gently fell over her face and covered her eyelids made it hard for him to believe if she was even real. Very gently, careful as not to break the porcelain doll beside him, he tucked her hair behind her ear. Perhaps it was just an excuse to check if she was real. Maybe she was just a figment of his imagination; maybe he saw an angel and took her for a human.

They say that being kept between four walls is being trapped but sometimes it just means being safe. Sometimes we try to preserve the bubble we are in so as not to break it, even if it is at the price of being free. So with the soft sounds of her gentle existence of peace, he slowly fell asleep.

A certain smell of freshly brewed coffee and the faint clinking of the piano woke him up. The frail body wasn’t beside him anymore. He was now covered in a warm fuzzy blanket and when he checked the clock showed it to be half-past six, the faint music still continuing from another room. He had been here several times but he had failed to notice the absence of the piano in the living room.

He followed the sound and he found her playing the piano with her back towards him. The soft sounds of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake filled the room. Daniel himself had been trained to play the piano, though he didn’t play it usually, he could easily recognize this song. The way her hands moved and her head swirled with the music; it was clear how much of a wonderful player she was. The music slowed down and she just sat there with her head hung low, playing snippets from the piece.

It felt like his feet were stuck to the ground, he could not move nor make a noise to show his presence; it was as if he was scared to break the moment with the littlest of motion. She didn’t move, she sat there with her hands still faintly playing the piano and her head hung low keeping her eyes closed.

He felt as if he was intruding on a private moment so without making another sound he started walking back when he heard her soft voice say, “Please, stay.”

Daniel knew something was wrong, really wrong because even for the little duration he had known her, he knew that she wasn’t the one to snap out of no reason. Something was bothering her, yet he could not ask her right now. She sounded tired and exhausted. Maybe he related to her.

Sometimes you feel like you are so exhausted that only a good sleep can help you. With that thought, you fall asleep, but when you wake up the exhaustion is still present. The tiredness doesn’t seem to fade away. Her tiredness seemed one of such kind.

She was happy at the party, wasn’t she? He saw her laughing with Sophie. Was she faking it? Right now, in spite of the whirlwind of questions running in his head, he wanted her to be comfortable.

Slowly he walked towards the piano bench and sat beside her. She flicked her eyes open and looked toward him from under her lashes. Her green eyes which were a shade prettier than that of the trees now seemed pale along the red faint lines covering them from vision. She was a visual representation of bleeding poetry. One of the poetries written by a medieval poet, which even though made no logical sense was ethereal to read. The kind of poetry that consisted of words that were too difficult to understand but they meant so much that an ordinary mind could understand.

Drawing his head back to the piano, he followed the piece she played and slowly transitioned the hurtful music to a hopeful one. Funny how two words, hurtful and hopeful, started and ended with the same letters and just were different in three letters that held such varied meanings.

With the sudden change in the music, Rose looks up to him, her magnetic gaze drawing his vision back to her and he sees her give him a faint smile, a real one no matter how faint.

And with that, she says the words that he wouldn’t expect to hear in such a tranquil moment, “I am sorry.”

“For what?” he couldn’t help but ask. She reminded him of the old wine that you try to cherish so much but still, each sip makes you feel a different flavour.

She just shook her head and said, “You want some coffee? I just made some,” and with that, she stood up making her way towards the kitchen.

Have you ever played a game of catching the ball and even when the ball is mighty far away from us, we try to catch it as a reflex? Daniel didn’t know what happened but just like that, something made him catch her hand out of reflex. She froze in her path and drew some steps back towards him. When she turned towards him her face plastered with a beautiful smile and it broke him. She raised her eyebrows at him asking the reason for his action.

Not sure what to say, but with the inkling to know if anything was wrong he asked, “Is everything alright?”

Her face flushed a rush of emotions, too many emotions.

Confusion.

Fear.

Smile.

Smile? She smiled at him while nodding her head. For the first time, he wasn’t really astonished to see her smile. But even with the ache in his heart to know what bothered her, he really just wanted her to feel comfortable so he swallowed his curiosity and gave her a faint smile back letting go of her hand.

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I have changed my writing style a little bit, let me know if it is better or worse than the previous one. I would really appreciate an honest opinion.

Rose is a mystery that Daniel is yet to unravel. What do you think is the meaning of her behaviour? Why has she apologised?

Do let me know your idea in the comment section :)