Prey

Chapter 83

Doe's POV:

So, apparently 'I'll be right back' in Xander's terms means something closer to 'I'll be back when I feel like it'.

I thought that it would just be a quick discussion with Nico, but after five minutes, I just decided to go ahead and take a shower.

And after doing so, and getting dressed into the tank top and shorts I would typically wear to bed, like the hypocrite I am, he still wasn't back.

I came to my own conclusion that he was off handling things with the name I had given him.

In his pajamas no less.

So, seeing the two new instrument cases sitting on the coffee table, as well as a variety of thin music books, I settled myself down on the couch, eager to get started on what I'd made myself put off for this long.

I kind of wanted to do it with Xander, but since he decided to be lame, I wasn't going to wait for him any longer.

The deep red velvet that coated the inside of the case shined almost as beautifully as the guitar I'd been wanting for a while.

My guitar.

The slick cherrywood, the silver detailing, and strings.

All just looked so much more vibrant now that they were this close.

I carefully pulled apart the velcro that held in in the case before lifting it.

My entire body was stiff as I did, worried that with just one wrong move, I'd break it.

Even though Xander's old violin had held together for decades, I just wanted to be extra careful now that I finally had my hands on it.

The case containing his new one sat right by it, but I'd leave that to him.

I slowly sat myself down, sitting near the edge with the instrument in my lap.

Yeah... this was a lot different than Xander's little violin.

I took a moment to adjust and get both the guitar and myself into a position that felt right.

I'd seen musicians play in the city, so my knowledge thus far was purely based on that.

The pads of my fingers on my left hand tested the strings, the other positioning near the bottom.

And just like I'd seen the street musicians do it, I strummed down all six of them with my thumb

The sound, though not as well put together as when Xander does this with his instrument, sent excitement shooting through my body.

The sound of an instrument that was meant to be strummed like this.

I couldn't wait to master this.

Looking back up at the stack of books he had also gotten, I earned forward to grab the one that read 'Beginners guide' and opened it onto the table in front of me.

I skimmed over the first few introductory pages, wanting to get right to the good stuff.

Plus, I had Xander to help me with the basics anyway.

That is if he'd ever come back.

A click from the door answered my call, Xander promptly walking in.

It took a moment for him to find me, looking towards the bed first.

And that same smile appeared again, being preferred a whole lot more than that worry from before.

"That was quite the long conversation," I noted, well aware that wasn't all he had done.

By my tone, he knew that I knew that.