Double Life: Playing

A/N: This is a short one but I like how it turned up... I might add something more at the end, later, or not, we´ll see

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“Play something” Nichole nodded towards the guitars on the side, she and Josh had gone down the basement after Aaron left for his swimming afternoon. They had turned on the TV

“Sure, what do you want to listen?” he turned off the TV and walked over to the musical instruments

“I don´t know, surprise me”

“Acoustic or electric?” he asked and she made a pondering face

“Acoustic”

Josh grabbed one of the acoustic guitars and pulled one of the chairs of the desks, then he motioned for Nichole to move to it, then he pulled the other chair for himself.

The boy started to play a song as she watched his expert fingers move, his eyes focused on the strings, his head moved to the beat of the song and he occasionally looked up to Nichole and when he caught her eyes he smiled as he kept singing. She smiled back.

“You gotta sing with me now” he said once the first song ended

“I rather listen to you”

“No, you´re singing now so tell me a song” he had light in his eyes and a small grin on his mouth

“Wonderwall” she bit her lip, he started to play and she let him sing, but his eyes were on her as if inviting her to sing as well. She just smiled a little and swiveled on the chair twice, by the time it stopped she was singing 

“Backbeat the word was on the street that the fire in your heart is out…” she sang along with him and his smile grew as he kept singing smiling

“…Because maybe you´re gonna be the one that saves me and after all…”

They kept singing together, and once that song was over he made a transition to a faster song and he started singing

“…What´s it like in New York city… I´m a thousand miles away but tonight you look so pretty…”

She let him sing the song. She was watching him and occasionally swiveling on the chair. They sang the chorus of the song together since she didn´t know the lyrics. They sang a couple more songs.

“Do you know how to play any instruments?” Josh asked as she was spinning on the chair

“Nope”

“Want to learn something?”

“Nope” she couldn´t keep a straight face and they both laughed

“Here” Josh gave her the guitar he was using and took another one “You´ll be playing with me now” he sat

“I can´t play, Josh”

“But I do and I´ll be teaching you” he grinned, she sighed

“You´re taking advantage ´cause I´m at your place, don´t you?” she narrowed her eyes, as side of his mouth twitched up

“It won´t be bad…”

“Ok, tell me what to do…” she sighed and his grin grew

“The position of your fingers is important, you have to put your fingers between the frets –these, he pointed to the metal strips- the closer to the fret, the better the sound will be. Try to hold the string down firm, oh, and using the fingertips is better, now do what I do” he placed his fingers on the frets and brushed down the strings, she imitated him and closed an eye when the notes didn´t sound the same, he did it again and she tried to imitate him, they kept doing that for a while

“You could learn quickly” he said

“No, I could never sound as half as good as you” she had a small frown, he chuckled

“Years of practice are on my favor”

“And talent” she smiled

“How about if we try playing a song now?”

“It won´t be pretty and I don´t know how to read music”

“Just follow me” he played the first couple of notes

“Whoa, wait that´s too fast for me”

“Sorry. Ok, I´ll go slow now” he started again at a slower pace that she tried to followed but messed a few times

“How about if you play and I pretend that I can make music” she poked her tongue out “my gloves seem to make it harder as well”

“Oh… You can use a guitar pick… let me find one…”

“I have the one you gave me” she pulled a silver chain out of her shirt, it was some kind of long necklace that was hidden under her shirt, from it two items hung: Josh´s guitar pick and a silver cat pendant”

“You keep it with you” Josh said as she took the guitar pick out of the chain

“Oh… yeah, it was a great birthday” he saw a light pink color her cheeks, he grinned

“…And the cat?”

“Oh… a nice memory” she said with a melancholic tone as sadness filled her eyes

“I´m sorry… I shouldn´t have…”

“It´s ok, it’s a good memory. Now let´s get back to you teaching me” her eyes changed, he observed her for a moment

“Watch my hands…” he finally said

“I still think it´d be a better idea that you played and I pretended like I can do this”

“But if we´re going to fake it let´s make it electric!” there was some gleam in his eyes, she laughed

“Josh, Nichole” they heard Maggie´s voice calling them over the song Josh was singing and playing. He stopped. “In an hour we´ll be going to my sister´s gallery and then we’re going for dinner, so start getting ready” she smiled

“Ok, mom” Josh said and the girl smiled. Josh put away the guitars as Nichole put the guitar pick back on the silver chain and hid it inside her shirt; then they headed upstairs