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Jill stares at the keys of the piano. She hesitates to play the only song she knows by heart... the first movement of moonlight sonata, remembering that goddamn old mansion as she plays the music, almost deafening in that small room that served as a bar. She rests her right hand against the keys, slightly sinking by the weight, but not enough to make a sound.
"Hey..." Carlos says from behind her, gently putting a hand on her shoulder with a reassuring squeeze
Jill turns her head slightly and smiles at him. No words said. Just a smile and it's enough to tell Carlos what she's feeling right now.
Sadness, relief, anger. A mixture of emotions all bottled up inside that is becoming difficult to contain every night.
She hears a stool being pulled nearby and suddenly Carlos sits beside the piano as he rests his head against his arm.
Nothing is said between them. Carlos has a blank look on his face and Jill goes back to staring at the piano keys.
She suddenly remembers a childhood memory and seemed worth sharing to lighten the mood.
"You know..." she starts, a small smile already forming at her face. Her sudden speaking immediately brought back Carlos' attention as he looks at her through his fringes. As Jill had a good look at him now, she noticed his exhausted look. the presence of dark bags beneath his eyes. His eyes, half closed, struggling to show that's he's ok. It's almost as if everything "Carlos" has been drained. He must have recently woken up from a nightmare... she thinks. She's not the only one going through trauma now... thanks to umbrella. The promise of a new beginning for him, all thrown away like fucking trash.
She continues her story, hoping to bring a bit of Carlos back.
"When I was young, I practiced the piano every day for 3 hours. I could sight read at the age of 8!" she proudly says "I kicked all the other kids’ asses during our yearly recitals."
She's just kidding of course. Jill may be competitive, but she never viewed music performance as a competition
He chuckles. “Really now? For a moment what I imagined is you running up the stage and literally kicking their asses.” His teasing smirk is back now. That’s a bit of a good sign.
“I’m not supercop for nothing you know” she says back to him.
She was sure he heard him say “I know”. The silence between them is back. Neither saying anything for a while. Just feeling each other’s presence
“Hey… Supercop… “he quietly calls. That nickname… she’s grown attached to it. Every time she hears it, only Carlos comes to her mind. She simply looks at him. The silent communication between them is easily understood.
“Play me a song… would you…?”
She hasn’t played for anyone in a long time. Mostly just for herself before she suddenly stopped playing, but surely, they both need this. The sound of music for a moment of relief. She contemplated playing that song, but maybe…
“Sure Carlos…” with that, she gracefully placed her hands on the keys, positioning them correctly at the beginning notes as she started to play.
Carlos closed his eyes as he listened to the beautiful and slower playing style of Jill. The notes all flawlessly blending, lulling him to a peaceful slumber. The deep sound of moonlight sonata truly is hauntingly beautiful. A mixture of conflicting emotions: hope, anger, loneliness, sadness, regret, beauty all coming out in the form of musical notes.
Jill momentarily looked at him, his peaceful look made her put more emotion to her playing. The song no longer associated to the spencer estate alone, but to Carlos’ relaxed face also as he hears the music. She closes her eyes and just let her muscle memory continue playing and let herself be consumed by the sound of the piano.