Chapter 3 The suduction
1312 Words
Avani chose Schubert's Serenade. The piece wasn't difficult, but its melody was tender and lingering, testing the performer's emotions. So, after playing the prelude, Mateo completely forgot about his surroundings and immersed himself in the music.
Avani squinted her eyes, carefully examining Mateo's handsome profile, from his deep brows to his straight nose, as smooth as a seductive line. This man, in terms of physique, appearance, and artistic taste, happened to be her type.
Unfortunately, they met when she was not single.
Thinking of this, she raised her glass again, numbing herself with strong alcohol.
As the music reached its climax, the air in the room gradually warmed up. When the last note dissipated, Mateo lifted his head slightly, unbuttoning the top two buttons of his shirt. Seemingly feeling a bit hot from playing, he picked up the glass placed aside, took a sip of icy liquor, and made a slight swallowing sound.
"Um..." Avani interrupted him softly, her gaze shifting from Mateo's Adam's apple to the glass in his hand.
"Hmm?" Mateo looked at her, puzzled, his eyes meeting her seductive gaze.
"That... " She nodded towards the glass.
"What's wrong?" He glanced at the glass, but found nothing unusual.
"That glass, I've drunk from it."
"..."
Mateo turned the glass in his hand and noticed a faint lipstick mark on the rim, right where his mouth had been. He instinctively furrowed his brows, seeming a bit embarrassed.
"I thought you wouldn't drink, sorry." Avani curved her lips into a friendly smile. She hadn't expected him to change his mind suddenly, so she took the initiative and didn't leave any for him, resulting in an unexpected turn of events.
"It's okay." Mateo avoided her fiery gaze, put the glass back in place, suppressed his emotions, and regained his composure. "What would you like to hear next?"
"I'll think about it." Avani casually flipped through the music score, lost in thought.
As an art lover, she was naturally familiar with classic piano pieces, so there was nothing in particular she wanted to hear. However, since she had invited someone over, she couldn't just leave them hanging. So, she closed the score and suggested, "How about you teach me to play a simple piece?"
"I've never taught anyone." Mateo replied honestly.
"Being a piano teacher can be quite profitable, don't you consider it?" Avani suggested.
"I don't have much patience for it."
"I used to learn the piano, but I gave it up later." Avani lowered her head slightly, her slender fingers gently brushing over the keys. "So teaching me wouldn't be too difficult; I have some foundation."
"Gave it up?" Mateo was puzzled. Since she was willing to invite someone specifically to play the piano for her, she must have liked music a lot. How could she give it up so easily? "Why?"
"Well..." Avani recalled some past memories, forcing a strained smile.
Sensing the shallow melancholy in her eyes, Mateo spoke softly, "I was just asking casually, you don't have to answer."
"It's nothing, just being playful when I was a kid, couldn't stand the discipline of learning, and regretted it as I grew up." She replied casually.
"I see."
"So..." Avani leaned closer to Mateo, reducing the distance to five centimeters, blinking her bright eyes. "Do you want to try?"
The air around them heated up again, and Mateo felt a bit thirsty. He wasn't dull; he couldn't fail to notice that Avani had been intentionally or unintentionally trying to seduce him. He just wasn't sure if he could make the right decision in such a short time.
Avani waited patiently for a while, without making any disturbance, because she knew very well that if a man was too easy to catch, she would lose interest.
"I don't know what a beginner should play." Mateo said awkwardly.
"I'll think..." Avani tilted her head, smiling at him. "How about 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'?"
Mateo squinted. "Does that song need to be learned?"
A three-year-old child could learn to play it after looking at the music score a few times.
"But you have to let me get the feeling first..." Avani casually placed her hands on the keyboard and played a few out-of-tune notes. "Starting with the simplest introduction, isn't it good?"
"That's not how you position your hands." Mateo frowned and couldn't help but correct her wrong posture.
Seeing him being so serious, her smile deepened. "Then teach me how to position them."
"You..." He instinctively wanted to hold her wrist, but his hand froze in mid-air before touching her.
This was clearly a trap.
He knew it very well.
"Teacher, what are you thinking?" When Avani's gentle voice sounded in his ear, he almost didn't need to look to know how she would be looking at him now.
It's just teaching, nothing to be overly concerned about.
He persuaded himself and gently held Avani's soft hand, putting her in a standard posture, and quickly let go. "Like this."
It's hot.
Although it was only a two-second touch, Avani still felt the warmth of Mateo's palm.
What would it be like to be held in his embrace?
"What's next?" She asked.
"Do you still remember the music score?"
"A little."
Mateo picked up a pen and, on the blank space of the music score, drew a simple score for her. "Try it."
Avani obediently followed suit, hesitantly pressing down a string of disjointed melodies on the keyboard.
"You made two mistakes, try again." Mateo immediately pointed out the problem, his tone as strict as a real teacher's.
"Okay, teacher." Avani corrected her mistakes and played again, this time a bit faster and smoother. "How about this time?"
"No mistakes, but still not great." Mateo was not polite at all. "Try again."
Hearing this, Avani suddenly felt annoyed. Clearly, she was supposed to be in control tonight, but it turned out that he was giving her instructions. Moreover, she could have listened to many moving pieces tonight, but now she could only struggle with this shoddy 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.'
"Or you play it for me." She suggested.
"You're giving up so soon?" Mateo's lips curved up, and stars seemed to light up in his eyes.
"Teacher~" Avani teased, seeing this rare smile. "So you can smile."
"Don't change the subject." In less than a second, Mateo's face turned serious again. "Are you going to play or not?"
Avani picked up her glass and finished the remaining liquor. "Not playing anymore."
Boring.
Mateo glanced at his watch, estimating that he still had half an hour before he had to leave for work. "Then let me play you a few essential performance pieces. It should be enough time."
"Okay."
Avani picked up her glass and stood up again.
Not long after, the sound of pouring wine was covered by beautiful music. She returned to Mateo's side once again, her hand resting on the piano lid, her chin resting on her wrist, silently watching him, her eyes becoming more and more bewildering.
The night outside the window deepened, and the room was filled with a heavier smell of alcohol. When she finished playing the third piece, Avani's vision of Mateo had become quite blurry.
In an instant, she felt a refreshing minty scent surrounding her, and then she fell steadily into a pair of warm arms.
She turned her head, said nothing, just looked at Mateo, her eyes shimmering.
He quickly let go of her, avoiding her gaze again, and calmly said, "If there's nothing else, I'll leave first."
Watching his hands hang on both sides, as if unable to find a place to rest, Avani smiled sweetly and decided not to beat around the bush anymore. "Won't you consider staying?"
"Consider what?"
"Staying..." She placed one hand on Mateo's broad shoulder, tiptoed slightly, leaned close to his ear, and exhaled softly, "with me."
- Writer
