We arrived at the shopping plaza's parking lot with only a small difference in time. Finding a spot on a Friday afternoon was not exactly easy, so I drove around a couple of times before finally getting a space relatively close.
I turned off the engine and stretched a little before getting out. The change in temperature was strong. "Ugh... Hannah, you had the air conditioning way too low."
Hannah got out of the passenger seat and spun around to look at the place. "I like it cold. I like being a little ice cube." She smiled before looking toward the entrance of the plaza. "I haven't been here in a long time."
Christina closed the back door. "Yeah. They added several new stores a few months ago."
Lalo's car stopped a few spaces away. As soon as he turned off the engine, Daniel got out first and closed the door harder than necessary. "Oops... I'm not angry," he declared before anyone could ask.
Lalo calmly got out of the driver's seat. "Nobody said you were."
"But you were thinking it."
"Yes," I answered without hesitation.
Daniel let out a defeated sigh. "Someday I'll understand why they didn't let me switch cars."
"You should ask Oriol about that, I'm staying out of that problem," I commented while locking my car with the button.
Daniel raised both hands in surrender. "Alright. I understand now. Today I'm the side character."
Lalo gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Don't exaggerate. Someone had to ride with me."
"How considerate."
"I know."
A few meters away from us, Luz's truck had just parked. Oriol was the first one to get out and stretched both arms above his head. "After all that traffic, I feel like I aged ten years."
"That explains why you already have gray hair," I replied while closing the car.
Luz laughed while locking the truck with the remote. "I'd say it's because of the stress of teaching you."
Oriol pretended to put a hand over his chest. "What little respect you have for your teacher."
"Teacher?" Daniel asked. "I thought you were a slap coach."
Luz almost choked from laughing. "That was a good one!"
Luz put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on." I could see Daniel's ears turning red.
Oriol pointed at me with a dramatic expression. "Ren! Did you see that? Daniel is betraying me."
I raised both hands. "Don't drag me into this."
"I didn't do anything," Daniel replied.
We gathered in front of the entrance of the plaza. For a few seconds nobody moved; some adjusted their backpacks, others checked their phones, and Luz took advantage of the moment to put on her sunglasses.
"Alright," Lalo said while putting his keys in his pocket. "Arcade first?"
"Arcade first," Oriol answered without thinking twice. "And then food?"
"We already ate," Christina reminded him.
"...Then food again," he added while holding his stomach.
"You never change," I commented.
"I never plan to." With a smile, he walked ahead of everyone.
I shook my head with a smile and we started walking. It was then that, mixing with the noise of the people and the bustle of the shopping center, I heard the sound of an acoustic guitar.
I stopped almost instinctively.
I slightly turned my head, searching for where the music was coming from. A few meters from the main entrance, near a small fountain surrounded by benches, a man in his thirties was playing an acoustic guitar. In front of him there was an open case with some coins and a small handwritten sign that said: "Thank you for supporting live music."
Several people continued walking without paying much attention, but others slowed their pace for a few seconds before continuing on their way. A small child had even stopped and was swaying to the rhythm of the music while his mother waited a few steps behind him.
"Ren?" I heard Hannah's voice.
I didn't answer immediately. My eyes remained fixed on the guitar.
It was strange. He wasn't doing anything particularly complicated. The chords were simple and the strumming was relaxed. However, there was something about the way he performed the song that made all the noise around the plaza fade into the background.
"What is it?" Christina asked after noticing that I had stopped.
I raised a hand, discreetly pointing toward the musician. "I just... want to listen for a moment."
The others followed the direction of my gaze.
"Ah, a street musician," Lalo commented.
"He has a good voice," Hannah added with a small smile.
Luz crossed her arms while listening for a few seconds. "He doesn't sing badly. He must have been doing this for a while."
Oriol put his hands in his pockets. "What? Are we staying here?"
I didn't answer.
There was something I couldn't explain. I felt a kind of impulse... as if I wanted to understand exactly what he was doing, how he placed his hands, how he followed the rhythm, and how he managed to make the music sound so natural.
Without realizing it, my fingers started moving over my leg again, keeping the beat.
Christina let out a small laugh.
The musician finished the song among scattered applause. He smiled gratefully, made a small bow, and took a drink from a water bottle that he had beside his backpack.
That was when he looked up... and our eyes met.
The musician smiled kindly when he noticed that I was still looking at the guitar. "Do you play too?" he asked while adjusting the strap over his shoulder.
I blinked for a moment before nodding. "Let's say I do."
Oriol let out a small laugh. "How modest."
"He does play," Hannah interrupted before I could say anything else. "Actually, quite well."
I looked at Hannah, alarmed, but she simply smiled and looked at me expectantly with those eyes that made me lose myself.
"Oh, really?" The man looked at me with more attention. "Then you surely know this beauty." He gave the guitar a couple of affectionate taps. It was an acoustic guitar that was already somewhat worn from use, but well cared for. "It's been with me for several years."
I stepped a little closer to get a better look. "It's a Taylor. It's very well preserved."
"You learn to take care of the tools that put food on your table." He smiled. "How long have you been playing?"
"I started learning and playing two years ago."
"You can tell by the way you looked at it." He adjusted the microphone to the side and added, "People who don't play listen to the song. Musicians also watch the hands."
I stayed silent. He was right. I hadn't even paid that much attention to the voice; I had been watching the chord changes, the rhythm of his right hand, and the way he kept the beat.
The man let out a small laugh. "Do you want to try it?"
I looked at him in surprise. "Seriously?"
"Of course." He lifted the guitar and offered it to me without hesitation. "Not every day someone listens with those eyes."
"Are you sure?" I asked out of politeness.
"Completely."
Behind me, I heard a murmur. "I knew this was going to happen," Christina said with a smile.
"Me too," Hannah replied, crossing her hands behind her back.
Oriol burst out laughing. "Well, it's time to hear the famous Tempo."
I looked at Oriol with slight annoyance. "Shut up, I should have never told you that."
Oriol kept laughing. "Exactly, you shouldn't have, but now it's my favorite weapon."
I slowly took a breath before accepting the guitar. It was a little lighter than mine, but the neck felt comfortable in my hands. I slid my fingers across the strings to check the tuning.
They sounded clean. I looked up at the musician. "What's your name?"
The man smiled. "You won't believe me, but my name is Kurt."
"Good name. I'm glad you survived past twenty-seven."
Kurt burst into laughter. "Yeah, I don't belong to that club, fortunately and unfortunately."
Kurt took a step back and pointed toward a small amplifier connected to a portable battery. "Go ahead. The stage is all yours."
"What are you going to play?" Hannah asked with obvious curiosity.
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Author Notes:
So I went from 130 to 150 collections, In 5 chapters I think, so I'm glad, leave me a comment, what do you think of this kind of powerup, and slice of life story?