His Regrets

Chapter 10 — The Last Exam

Adrian stood outside Clara's room for a few seconds before knocking.

He almost regretted coming.

But Lily had called him, and she needed her guitar for her practical exam. That was all that mattered.

The door opened after a moment, and Clara froze when she saw him.

For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.

Adrian looked at her without saying anything. There was too much between them now, too many things he did not want to discuss and too many questions he had no interest in answering.

Clara stepped aside silently.

“You can come in.”

He walked inside.

The silence followed him.

Adrian glanced around the room, wanting to get the guitar and leave as quickly as possible. Then he saw it leaning against the wall near the desk.

Lily's guitar.

He walked straight toward it, picked it up carefully, and turned back to Clara.

“I came to take Lily's guitar.”

Clara nodded.

Adrian adjusted the guitar in his hand.

“Have a good day.”

He did not wait for a response.

He walked out.

The moment he stepped outside the building, Adrian released a breath he had not realized he had been holding. He placed a hand against his chest and stood there for a moment, trying to steady himself.

Seeing Clara had been harder than he expected.

He pushed the thought away and took out his phone.

He called Lily immediately.

“Hello?”

“I'm on my way to bring your guitar.”

There was a small pause before Lily answered.

“Okay. Thank you.”

“I'll be there soon.”

The call ended.

Adrian looked at the guitar beside him before starting the journey to Lily's place.

When he arrived, Lily was already waiting.

She walked toward him as soon as she saw him, and Adrian handed the guitar over.

“Here.”

Lily took it carefully.

“Thank you.”

Adrian looked at her for a moment.

“How are you doing?”

Lily gave him a small smile.

“I'm doing okay.”

He nodded.

There was another awkward silence.

Adrian touched the back of his head, unsure what else to say. He had helped her get the guitar. That was what she needed from him.

“See you next time.”

“Okay.”

He turned and left.

Lily watched him walk away for a moment before looking down at the guitar in her hands.

Then she returned to her room.

She had one more thing to worry about.

The practical exam.

Lily placed the guitar down, took out her notes, and went over the song she had chosen. She practiced the notes slowly at first, checking each part carefully before playing it again.

She made mistakes.

She stopped.

Started again.

Practiced the difficult sections until her fingers became more comfortable with them.

Hours passed without her noticing.

By the time she finally put the guitar aside, she was exhausted.

She looked at the time and realized how late it had become.

Lily yawned, changed into her pajamas, and got into bed.

Tomorrow was the last day.

She closed her eyes, hoping she had prepared enough.

The next morning, Lily woke up feeling better than she had expected.

She took her bath, got dressed, ate a light breakfast, and left for campus.

The atmosphere was still tense.

Everyone seemed focused on getting through the final papers. Students hurried across campus with books and notes in their hands, some discussing questions from previous exams while others quietly revised.

Lily kept to herself.

She had spent enough time worrying.

Now she just wanted to finish.

She entered the examination hall for her first paper and settled into her seat. When the questions were placed in front of her, she took a deep breath and began.

She worked carefully, checking her answers whenever she had time.

When she finally submitted her paper, she stepped outside and felt a strange sense of relief.

One more thing.

The practical.

Lily carried her guitar to the designated room and waited for her turn.

Her hands felt slightly cold when she sat down.

She looked at the examiner, then at her guitar.

For a moment, she remembered all the hours she had spent practicing.

She adjusted her fingers and began.

The first notes came out clean.

She continued, following the required notes carefully. She concentrated on the rhythm, the changes, and everything she had practiced the night before.

When she reached the end, she stopped.

The room became quiet.

The examiner looked at her work and made a few notes.

Lily waited.

Then she was told she could leave.

She stood up, picked up her guitar, and walked out of the room.

That was it.

Her exams were over.

Lily stepped outside the building and looked around the campus.

For weeks, everything had revolved around exams, studying, and getting through each day.

Now she could finally breathe.

She held her guitar a little tighter and started walking home.

Whatever came next, she would face it one day at a time.