His beautiful daughter was sitting at the piano, her eyes concentrated on her fingers as she played her tune.
Richie walked over and sat on the bench next to her, making Ava look up at him. "That's some sad tune you're playing." He said blatantly.
Ava shrugged and repeated the scale she had played a second before.
"Ava," he sighed her name, understanding her feelings, "I only want to go if you want me to go."
"But you want to go." Ava said.
She was right, he knew she was too smart for her own good. "I do." He confirmed. "But if you want me to stay home, I will."
Her hands dropped from the keys to her lap, she looked up at him again. "Will you?"
"Yes." He pulled her close against him. "I'll tell Jon I'm staying home then."
She shook her head against him.
He was sure he heard a sniffle as well. "What?" He asked, now confused at what she was telling him.
She sniffed again and wiped at her face.
"Ava?" He asked, looking down at her, knowing she had started crying.
"You can't not go." She said between sniffles.
"I can't?" He was still confused at what she was saying.
Ava sighed before she continued. "You should go. You like playing concerts in front of thousands of people."
"I know princess but if you're going to be upset, I don't want to go."
"You should go." She repeated. She pulled away from his embrace, and wiped her eyes dry.
"I should?"
She nodded firmly. "Yes."
"Are you sure though?" He wanted her to be absolutely sure.
"Yes." She confirmed again.
He pulled her close in a hug again and kissed the top of her head. "I love you." He told her. "Do you still want to go shopping?"
"Yes, I just need like half an hour to get ready."
"Yeah, me too." He agreed.
He watched Ava leave but stayed in the room sat by the piano, he was tempted to play it but he knew he also had to get ready if they were going shopping and he sure needed a shower.
Just as he finally got up, Noah walked into the room.
"Hey man, how's your morning going?" He asked him.
Noah shrugged. "Alright. I heard the same sad tune over and over so I was going to check it out."
"Ava was playing the piano." Richie clarified for him. "She was sad I may be leaving for two months."
Noah nodded as he walked over to the piano and sat down.
Richie frowned at him, he knew Noah was a man of little words but he was sure he knew he did not play the piano.
"Do you know how to play?" Richie asked him, walking back to Noah. He wasn't going to pass up on social interaction with his son.
"No."
"Okay," Richie sat down next to him like he had done with Ava just minutes ago. "so the piano starts with A, then each key just follows." He played all the keys from A to G. "And end at G, then it starts over at A again."
"What about the black ones?"
"All black keys are either a sharp or flat, but not all sharps and flats are black keys." He played them between the white keys, letting Noah hear the difference.
Noah nodded.
"Want to try some?" Richie suggested to him."
"Sure, why not." Noah agreed.
Starting off easy, Richie played a few tones with only a few keys and just one hand, starting out easy. That way Noah could try for himself. He was impressed when Noah copied him exactly when he played himself.
"Nice." He said, complimenting Noah. "What about this though?"
He played something more complicated as Noah watched his hands move over the keys. Then he sat back and looked at Noah, challenging him but Noah played it flawlessly as well, surprising Richie even more.
"Alright, two hands then."
Once again Richie placed his hands on the keys and started playing a tune that was very familiar to him. Noah watched him closely as he played but Richie wasn't cutting him any slack this time. It made Richie happy he was interested in playing music so he let Noah try and repeat him again, sure he wouldn't be able to repeat him this time.
He was entirely blown away when Noah played the exact same tune he had just played. He was dumbfounded for a few seconds, he couldn't believe it.
"What the hell?" He was entirely sure Noah had never played the piano before. In two years he had never touched the instrument or any instrument for that matter.
Noah looked at him, confusion obvious on his face. "What?"
"That was the opening of Prayer, you shouldn't be able to know that after two seconds."
"But you played it." Noah pointed out. "I saw you play it, so I did it the same as you."
"Okay." Richie pulled his phone from his pocket. "Now don't play til I video you."
He played the opening tunes to Runaway, letting Noah watch as he played the song the way it should be played, no slowing down to make it easier. Once he finished his part, he grabbed his phone and recorded Noah repeating the song to him flawlessly.
"You're amazing." Richie said. "I can't believe this. Why haven't you ever played before?"
Noah shrugged. "Not really my thing, that's Caleb's thing."
"Okay but you're playing these songs perfectly."
"I just copied you." Noah said distracted as he checked his phone for the time.
"I have to go get ready to take Ava out. do you want to come shopping?"
"No, thank you." Noah got up from the bench.
Before he could leave, Richie called him. "Hey, are you okay with me going on tour?"
"I'll miss you." Noah confessed. "But it's two months you won't want to teach me to drive." He said and left the room.
Richie shook his head.
Richie walked over and sat on the bench next to her, making Ava look up at him. "That's some sad tune you're playing." He said blatantly.
Ava shrugged and repeated the scale she had played a second before.
"Ava," he sighed her name, understanding her feelings, "I only want to go if you want me to go."
"But you want to go." Ava said.
She was right, he knew she was too smart for her own good. "I do." He confirmed. "But if you want me to stay home, I will."
Her hands dropped from the keys to her lap, she looked up at him again. "Will you?"
"Yes." He pulled her close against him. "I'll tell Jon I'm staying home then."
She shook her head against him.
He was sure he heard a sniffle as well. "What?" He asked, now confused at what she was telling him.
She sniffed again and wiped at her face.
"Ava?" He asked, looking down at her, knowing she had started crying.
"You can't not go." She said between sniffles.
"I can't?" He was still confused at what she was saying.
Ava sighed before she continued. "You should go. You like playing concerts in front of thousands of people."
"I know princess but if you're going to be upset, I don't want to go."
"You should go." She repeated. She pulled away from his embrace, and wiped her eyes dry.
"I should?"
She nodded firmly. "Yes."
"Are you sure though?" He wanted her to be absolutely sure.
"Yes." She confirmed again.
He pulled her close in a hug again and kissed the top of her head. "I love you." He told her. "Do you still want to go shopping?"
"Yes, I just need like half an hour to get ready."
"Yeah, me too." He agreed.
He watched Ava leave but stayed in the room sat by the piano, he was tempted to play it but he knew he also had to get ready if they were going shopping and he sure needed a shower.
Just as he finally got up, Noah walked into the room.
"Hey man, how's your morning going?" He asked him.
Noah shrugged. "Alright. I heard the same sad tune over and over so I was going to check it out."
"Ava was playing the piano." Richie clarified for him. "She was sad I may be leaving for two months."
Noah nodded as he walked over to the piano and sat down.
Richie frowned at him, he knew Noah was a man of little words but he was sure he knew he did not play the piano.
"Do you know how to play?" Richie asked him, walking back to Noah. He wasn't going to pass up on social interaction with his son.
"No."
"Okay," Richie sat down next to him like he had done with Ava just minutes ago. "so the piano starts with A, then each key just follows." He played all the keys from A to G. "And end at G, then it starts over at A again."
"What about the black ones?"
"All black keys are either a sharp or flat, but not all sharps and flats are black keys." He played them between the white keys, letting Noah hear the difference.
Noah nodded.
"Want to try some?" Richie suggested to him."
"Sure, why not." Noah agreed.
Starting off easy, Richie played a few tones with only a few keys and just one hand, starting out easy. That way Noah could try for himself. He was impressed when Noah copied him exactly when he played himself.
"Nice." He said, complimenting Noah. "What about this though?"
He played something more complicated as Noah watched his hands move over the keys. Then he sat back and looked at Noah, challenging him but Noah played it flawlessly as well, surprising Richie even more.
"Alright, two hands then."
Once again Richie placed his hands on the keys and started playing a tune that was very familiar to him. Noah watched him closely as he played but Richie wasn't cutting him any slack this time. It made Richie happy he was interested in playing music so he let Noah try and repeat him again, sure he wouldn't be able to repeat him this time.
He was entirely blown away when Noah played the exact same tune he had just played. He was dumbfounded for a few seconds, he couldn't believe it.
"What the hell?" He was entirely sure Noah had never played the piano before. In two years he had never touched the instrument or any instrument for that matter.
Noah looked at him, confusion obvious on his face. "What?"
"That was the opening of Prayer, you shouldn't be able to know that after two seconds."
"But you played it." Noah pointed out. "I saw you play it, so I did it the same as you."
"Okay." Richie pulled his phone from his pocket. "Now don't play til I video you."
He played the opening tunes to Runaway, letting Noah watch as he played the song the way it should be played, no slowing down to make it easier. Once he finished his part, he grabbed his phone and recorded Noah repeating the song to him flawlessly.
"You're amazing." Richie said. "I can't believe this. Why haven't you ever played before?"
Noah shrugged. "Not really my thing, that's Caleb's thing."
"Okay but you're playing these songs perfectly."
"I just copied you." Noah said distracted as he checked his phone for the time.
"I have to go get ready to take Ava out. do you want to come shopping?"
"No, thank you." Noah got up from the bench.
Before he could leave, Richie called him. "Hey, are you okay with me going on tour?"
"I'll miss you." Noah confessed. "But it's two months you won't want to teach me to drive." He said and left the room.
Richie shook his head.
I noticed no one has been leaving you any comments. I am enjoying your story very much and hope it will last a long time. I hate it when stories end. You are doing great.luv it.
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