Chapter 74: Concerto

A few minutes later, we were already at the Hippodrome Theatre, where the concert would take place. The entrance reminded me of the Finance Facility at Harvard, with it's Greek columns.When we walked through the front door, we saw a group of people arranged somewhat roughly in a line, waiting to enter the theater room.

The concert wasn't free, but at just $10 a ticket, it was practically a steal.

As we entered the theater, I noticed it was set up differently from the usual layout. Instead of the traditional cinema arrangement with the stage at the front, the audience was seated on three sides, almost encircling the stage.

There was a beautiful white Jamaha piano in the middle of the stage and a white chair beside it.

There were almost no empty seats left in the stands.

Hana nudged me on the arm. "We can sit there," she said, pointing to the front stands.

We found two neighboring seats and settled down.

People were still whispering, but it was clear the concert was about to begin.

After roughly five minutes, the lights dimmed completely.

Darkness ensued...

In the next instant, the stage was engulfed in light, like a small clearing in the heart of a dark forest.

There was no grand introduction.

Charlotte was the first to emerge directly from the darkness into the light. She wore a simple but delightful baby blue dress paired with white heels.

Her hair was modeled perfectly straight, which was something I have never seen her do.

She bowed delicately before sitting down at the grand piano.

A young, elegant man with a violin came on stage after her, wearing a chic black suit and a bow tie.

There was an absolute silence—no clapping—everyone was patiently waiting for the music to begin.

Charlotte gently placed her slender, delicate hands on the piano keys.

The violinist, positioned slightly to the side, raised his bow and began to play. His notes started softly, with a slow intensity and pace.

After a few measures, Charlotte joined in, her fingers gliding over the keys gently.

The piano rang beautifully as she played a quiet theme.

It felt like the violinist was the one shaping the melody in duration, expression, volume, and phrasing.

Each note sang and Charlotte dwelled on each one of them, her face showing delight. She didn't glance at the keys; she played by heart and from the depths of her soul.

As I watched her, I couldn't help but be struck by how beautiful she was.

Then, note by note, the piece began to increase in intensity.

The violinist's melody hastened; his hand movements became more erratic.

Charlotte's playing lost its smoothness in favor of boldness; it became more flirtatious as she hammered the strings and wood of the piano.

There was urgency in their playing. The music threatened to overwhelm the theater as they plowed through the piece.

The pace gradually built till the end of the piece, reaching a crescendo—a climactic, satisfying finale.

The piece ended, and the applause was loud but soon subsided as they began to play another piece.

...

The concert continued with five distinct pieces.

As the final piece concluded, Charlotte tore her eyes away from the piano and looked up at the audience with her eyes welled up due to happiness and a large and bright smile.

We continued to clap as she stood up, joining the violinist at the front of the stage.

Together, they bowed deeply before gracefully leaving the stage.

As the applause ended, Hana turned to me. "That was glorious. I had chills through the entire thing. I never thought classical music could do this..."

"Yes, she's quite good."

"Quite??" she stared at me with her mouth open.

I've been to a few high-class concerts before...

When people started leaving, we decided to wait for Charlotte by the entrance to the backstage.

Soon, I heard Charlotte's voice approaching from behind the dark curtains. There was also another voice that I didn't recognize.

"Charlie... come on, don't be like that..." the male voice said.

That's when Charlotte came out from behind the curtains and looked over her shoulder, clearly irritated. "Just how many times do I need to tell you that I do not want to go anywhere with you. And don't call me Charlie!"

When she turned around and saw us, the annoyed look on her face quickly turned into excitement.

"JACK!" she called out, and with a running start, she leaped into my arms. Her hands wrapped tightly around my shoulders, and her legs wrapped around my waist. The hem of her blue dress crumpled and rode up her thighs.

I caught her as she held onto my neck,

'Uff... thankfully she didn't have her heels on, or this could have been fatal. Does she need to do that every time?' I thought.

She turned her head to look back at the guy she had just argued with."Oliver, there is no longer any need for you to take me back to my dorm. My boyfriend will take care of getting me there."

He was the violinist and was a pretty good-looking guy. He was now standing there, unmoving, with a bewildered look on his face.

He was at a loss for words for some time. "Well... bye then, Charlotte!" He hastily said, before bolting away.

"Can you get off me, Charlotte? You're quite heavy." I said, struggling a little.

Charlott swiftly hopped down and then pouted at me. "What are you saying? I'm light as a feather!"

Hana walked up between us and looked up at me. "So, in the end, she was your girlfriend?"

Charlotte turned to Hana with a knowing grin. "No, I'm not his girlfriend. As far as I know, at least," she paused before continuing. "I just needed to get that violinist off me. He's been pestering me for a while."

"Did that guy just call you Charlie?" I asked.

Charlotte frowned. "Yeah! Can you imagine the audacity?!"

We headed out of the theater and into the parking lot. Searᴄh the nôvelFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

When we reached Snow White, Charlotte looked puzzled. "Where is your car?" she asked, looking around.

"This is my car," I said, placing my hand on the hood of the BMW.

Her eyes grew bigger. "Waaaaa! You bought a new car! Finally, you decided to spend some of your money!" she yelled excitedly, rushing to the passenger seat.

Hana agreed to sit in the back and after talking about the concert for a minute, I started the car, put on some hardstyle remix, and started the car.

Charlotte asked me to crank the volume up and so I did.

As we drove onto a longer stretch of road, I glanced at the girls to see if they had their seatbelts fastened.

"Ready for some fun?" I asked with a smile.

"What?" Hana exclaimed.

I revved the engine, and within 3 seconds I was at the first turn, driving 60 miles per hour.

I shot into the turn at full speed.

"Aaaaa!" Charlotte screamed.

I pressed the clutch pedal and shifted into a lower gear.

I released the clutch while simultaneously flooring the gas pedal.

The tires squealed as the car slid sideways into the curve, the rear end kicking out in a controlled drift.

The tires must have left a black mark on the entire curve of the turn.

"Waaa! Hahahaha!" Charlotte laughed wildly.

I looked back at Hana; she was sitting still and frowning with her eyes closed.

Two completely different reactions.

Charlotte looked excited, her chest heaving up and down. She spread her legs wider to get more comfortable.

I pulled up at Hana's house and let her out with a final goodbye.

After she closed the door, I continued on to the dorms.

With one hand on the wheel and the other on the gear, I asked Charlotte about her music, and she responded with enthusiasm. She asked about where I'd learned to drive like this, and then we spoke about her passion for tennis.

She talked about a tourney that she was going to attend soon, but the topic quickly drifted away and her smile was getting more seductive in its wantonness.

Then her delicate fingertips brushed against the hand I was using to change the gear.

I glanced over to find her pulling the hem of her dress slightly higher, revealing a hint of her thighs.

"I love watching you drive, Jack," she purred, her voice low and sultry. "The way you handle the wheel makes me horny," she sighed, relaxing even further in her seat.

I gently placed my hand on her knee, letting my fingers slowly trace a path up her thigh, taking in the warmth of her tender skin. "You dirty little angel..." I said softly.

"Haah..." she moaned softly. "Jack… how good are the shades in this car?"

"Good enough..."