Dedication & Prologue
To those stepping into these pages,
This book is a love letter to the kind of love that refuses to fade—to the quiet strength we carry when everything feels lost, and to the fire that keeps burning even when the world goes dark.
Alba and Emil show us that love isn’t just a feeling—it’s a lifeline. It’s the ache of absence, the pull of memory, the desperate need to see, to touch, to hold. It’s a love that spans time and space, defying silence, defying endings.
To you, who choose to walk this path with me, I offer this story. May it remind you that even in the loneliest moments, love—in all its forms—is what steadies us, what lifts us, what brings us home.
And to my love—the quiet breath in every sunrise, the anchor in every storm—this story carries the shape of my heart. It’s for you. Always. A testament to a love that doesn’t end. It simply waits.
With heart in hand,
Victoria
PROLOGUE By Estela Escudero de Kelly
From the outset, the author’s caveat—“this book is a love letter to the kind of love that refuses to fade”—heralds a narrative centred upon lovers. By the time one arrives at the final page, it becomes evident that the ode fulfils its promise: a portrayal rich in sentiment—the profound bond shared between two souls—and in passion—stirred and sustained by music. A distinct melody weaves itself through the fabric of the novel, and one may assert with confidence that music and instruments assume the role of vital supporting characters, subtly yet decisively shaping the journey of the protagonists.
Alba, the pianist, embodies the notion that our only limitations are those erected by our own fears. Emil, with his saxophone, evokes the nature of the instrument itself—transposing, its notes sounding higher or lower than written on the stave. He, too, is a transposer, crafting music that defies convention and dismantles preordained paths.
Their romance, conceived in the chiaroscuro of a
music room, unfolds through succinct chapters—mosaics
charting the lovers’ journey—each introduced by passages worthy of particular note, owing to the intellectual vigour with which they frame each scene. Departing from the oft-trodden terrain of romantic fiction, which leans heavily on contrived trials, the narrative offers instead a singular impediment: a moment of reckoning in which Alba and Emil—reminiscent of
Romeo and Juliet, their love teetering on the precipice of youthful infatuation, never afforded the time to take root—must confront a vital question. Can they evolve from impassioned longing, akin to that of the Florentines, into a love of greater depth and permanence?
The answer lies not in grand gestures, but within the hallowed halls of the university and the quiet intimacy of their respective rooms. The number of doors separating one bed from the other becomes the cipher of their connection—a code they alone understand.
The protagonists’ journey is marked by the overcoming of adversity, the cultivation of self-belief, and the pursuit of a destiny that, at times, appears tantalisingly out of reach. Their love story unfolds not merely through events, but through language imbued with depth and resonance. To illuminate this emotional landscape, the narrative offers phrases rich in substance and sentiment: “the rage hit him like a spark settin’ fire to the quiet of the night, consuming his calm”; “now held their secret—a love shared in the brush of fingers, in the quiet exchange of breath”; “the future stretched out in front of him like a bloody great void, and he hadn’t a clue whether to take the leap or just stand there teeterin’ on the edge”; “they learned that love wasn’t just a feeling—it was a choice. A quiet decision made each morning.”
In addressing the emotions that fortify, console,
and illuminate the human experience, the author
encapsulates the essence of the couple’s bond with the
following reflection: “Proper love never dies—it just
shifts, changes shape, but stays put in the hearts of
those who carry it with ’em.” It is through such language that the narrative transcends mere storytelling, offering instead a meditation on love’s enduring presence.
It is a concept of striking beauty, reminiscent of well-known verse: “Like two doves borne by love, with open wings they fly towards the nest, united by a single will.”
In reading the tale of Alba and Emil, one is inclined to picture them in precisely this manner—ascending together towards their shared sanctuary, having navigated the manifold expressions of love: radiant, possessive, selfless, tender, perceptive, steadfast, and, ultimately… eternal.
