RUN WITH ME
CHAPTER 28: AWAKE

"Gavin's in love again, huh? The impression of falling in love was very strong in the game earlier."

The sentence kept spinning in Gavin's head ever since Della jokingly said it. Right, that sentence was just a joke, but why could Gavin keep thinking about it? Even he kept thinking about it until both of his feet stepped on the marble floor of his house.

The word love, or even like, has never crossed Gavin's mind since the loss of his mother. For Gavin, such a deep feeling was just a lie and everything could change in an instant, like the father's feeling for his mother. When his mother was still by his side, his father always said, he was in love with his wife and could never imagine what his life would be like if he lost her. Two years after his mother's death, his father remarried another woman and said the same thing.

Gavin did not expect in just two years the father was able to replace the figure of his mother with another woman. Gavin was not ready to accept a foreign woman as his mother, when he was still confused as to why the mother chose that path. Do human feelings change so quickly? Was everything her father said just a joke? Why would the father say that if he finally denied it?

Gavin certainly realizes that the father does need a companion who is willing to accompany him to old age, but the thing that Gavin is concerned about is why his father can move on so quickly? As if his mother's existence was not as big as the words she said.

Gavin sat weakly in front of his piano. He exhaled heavily several times, his head feeling like it was going to break now. But he was also curious, whether the feeling of falling in love that he spent while playing at school can reappear after playing it now? To find the answer, Gavin stretched his back and sat in a ready position. His ten fingers he put on his piano keys, then slowly pressed them one by one.

Not even a quarter of a piece, Gavin stopped the movement of his finger. His forehead shriveled deeply, then he resumed his game and came back to a standstill a few moments later. Gavin scratched the rough of his hair. What the fuck? Why does he even feel unhappy with this piece? While at school, he can play it casually. Gavin continued to try to play it but eventually he stopped because he was unable to get the appropriate feeling. So upset, Gavin to press all the fingers in both hands on the white keys that cause a very tight sound but irregular.

Gavin somehow for the next time exhaled a rough breath. After the half-hour experiment, Gavin concluded that he was possessed by unfamiliar feelings while playing at school. That way, Gavin decided not to think about it anymore and ignored it, after all just a joke too, why serious?

As Gavin wanted to finish his hard-thinking session in front of the piano, a small knock came from outside the door. Before long the door opened slowly and featured Erlano, Gavin's beloved sister, who only raised her head with pursed lips.

"So, my brother sat at the piano again" Erlano said as if confirming his words the other day, regarding the habit of Gavin sitting in front of the piano when more thoughts or sad. Gavin understood the meaning of the sentence so he chuckled and asked Erlano to come closer. With his two short legs, Erlano walked over to the older brother. Arriving there, Gavin lifted Erlano's body and carried her sitting on his lap.

"It looks like brother is upset again, huh? Erlan felt her play sister was not as gentle as usual," Erlano asked as he pressed a single key with his index finger.

Gavin laughed softly and stroked his sister's light caramel hair lovingly. "Yes, my sister is really upset about this song, her feelings can not be," replied Gavin while pointing at the piece he had been twisting since, while Erlano nodded slowly.

"So, is playing the piano that hard?" As he asked that, Erlano picked up the open book piece in front of him and flipped through the pages.

Gavin was silent for a moment. "Not really, maybe fitting learning a little difficult, but after mastering it becomes quite easy," he replied while recalling the moments he first touched the piano.

"Erlan wanted to be able to play the piano" said the little boy in a small voice, but could still be heard by his older brother.

"Why?"

"Who's Risa? Friends?" gavin asked, answered with a nod.

"But Erlan always liked it when it was the same Risa, so she wanted to give him a gift." What else is this? Does this mean the sister likes the child named Risa?

"So, Erlan likes Risa?" ask Gavin to make sure. Erlano innocently nodded, making Gavin dumbfounded. He was eager to ask, as a friend or more, but he could not do that because it was not yet time for his sister to know such things. Finally Gavin could only let it go and not ask anymore. And just like a normal child, topics can quickly change.

"Erlan saw my sister lately like she was dizzy again, every day after school immediately took a shower and went here. Erlan so doesn't know if I can take you to play." Gavin's heart warmed to hear that so he hugged his sister and placed his chin on the top of Erlano's head.

"Yes, you're so dizzy now, want to hear?" Gavin himself was not sure the younger brother would understand the problem, but the thing he wanted now was to take out all his thoughts and rearrange them. Start Gavin telling stories, although occasionally distracted by Erlano who asked him small things, such as asking when Gavin managed to master certain pieces. But apparently, the brother listened to him too.

After telling everything, there was no response for a few seconds later from the younger brother, making Gavin smile and think Erlano did not understand it. Shortly after, Erlano suddenly spoke in a small voice, sounding more like a mutter to himself.

"Papa once said, imagine a person who if suitable when the feel does not come out when playing his piece. That way, your feelings will present themselves." Gavin was silent at that, trying to digest his words. As she retorted, she heard a knock on the door of Gavin's studio. With a polite voice possible, the butler asked Erlano to immediately prepare for sleep because the time had come. Gavin turned his eyes to the wall clock and right, it was nine at night.

Gavin took the brother down from his lap. Afterwards with his head slightly raised, Erlan spoke, "Erlan slept first, yes, brother. Erlan wants to be as tall as big brother." Gavin gave a small laugh hearing that and then slowly kissed his sister's head. The seven-year-old walked away from Gavin's studio to his bedroom with a butler, leaving Gavin alone in the spacious room.

The man was now thinking of a solution from his sister. Although unsure of the result, Gavin closed his eyes and tried to imagine the one person who came to mind when thinking about the piece. Instantly, Arunika's smiling face today appeared, making Gavin quickly reopen his eyes. Did Arunika's face appear because of this piece she played while looking at Arunika earlier? Is it okay if he experiences this? There were a lot of questions in his mind.

Still full of doubt, Gavin exhaled slowly and returned to playing the piece. Initially uncomfortable, but slowly the shadow of the interesting events he experienced with Arunika came out one by one. Before Gavin did not realize this, but after thinking back, Gavin had to admit, Arunika is very beautiful with a big smile on her face. The woman looks very bright in her eyes. What's more fun...

...Most of the smiles were caused by him and were fixed on him. And he didn't want that smile to be shown to anyone but himself.

Instantly it was also the piece finished Gavin play. The man slowly opened his eyes and looked at his ten fingers which were on the final tone of the piece. I don't know when his heart was beating so fast. His right hand was placed in front of his chest and he could feel his heart rate speed above normal. He tried to digest all the feelings he felt during the game. There was only one conclusion he came up with.

"I ... like Arunika."

...⁕⁕⁕...