Chapter 4: The Aftermath

Disclaimer: All this work belongs to Nicholas Sparks. Not intended to breach any conduct.

Recap:

Later that night, as Megan finished saying good-bye to her guests, she went in search of her little brother. She searched the house high and low until she opened the door to his room and saw the sight in front of her. Will and Ronnie, sleeping soundly, wrapped in each other's arms, a small smile playing on Will's face. Megan stepped into the room to get a closer look. She watched them, for a good few minutes, seeing how Ronnie would snuggle up closer to Will's chest, while Will would tighten his arms around her. Seeing them like this, in their most peaceful state, Megan was reminded of herself and her now-husband, when they were young. She stepped out of the room and silently closed the door. She knew then that her brother would marry Ronnie one day, because what they had was love. Megan walked up the stairs to her waiting husband, finally at peace since Mike's death.

The sun shone through the slit in the curtains and Ronnie looked around confused. Where was she and how did she get there? At that moment, the previous nights events flooded through her mind; 'The wedding, Marcus, Will, Megan... Will' she thought again and turned to grab at the sheets beside her. It was empty and cold which must have meant he had been gone for a while. Ronnie was conflicted; should she go out and look for Will or stay? Deep down, Ronnie knew the answer and with a quick sigh, she flipped the sheets off her and put her feet on the cold wooden floors.

Ronnie silently stepped towards the door and opened it an inch. She had never been to this part of Will's house before and didn't know where to go. She thought that heading downstairs, might be her best chance to find Will. Taking the stairs one at a time, softly and quietly to not disturb anyone, she came to the bottom and stopped. She looked around and saw nothing familiar. With a quick decision, she took the first door on the left and found herself in the piano room in which she first played for Will. The piano stood tall and Ronnie resisted the urge to run her fingers along the wood. She looked to the side and saw no-one. The piano was calling her now and her fingers itched at the chance to play. There were so many emotions in Ronnie right now and she knew that the only way she could let them go was to play out her emotions. Hesitantly she took a step towards the piano, and another until she found herself directly in front of it.

Sitting down on the bench seat, Ronnie opened the case. The black and ivory keys shined as bright as ever and Ronnie rolled the kinks out of her back, shoulders and neck. Delicately placing her hands on the keys, she played her emotions. The music came out soft and edgy, as she remembered being scared that night. Ronnie closed her eyes and played to the images that swarmed her head. The music had turned haunting now and had a deep dreadful tone to it. She played the keys like they were a part of her and through the music, suspense built in, building up and twisting and turning until Ronnie abruptly stopped. Playing softer now, she thought back to when she saw Will and she felt herself relax. The music she played was softer now, sweeter and she ran her fingers along the high notes of the piano until coming to an end, the last note hanging in the air. Ronnie smiled and felt at peace as she closed the case and turned around. That smile was soon wiped off her face as soon as she saw she had a visitor. There in a seat at the other side of the room sat Will's mother. Ronnie froze, unsure of what to do.

"I'm sorry for playing your piano, Ma'am," said Ronnie as she thought the best thing to do would be to apologise. Ronnie squirmed under her gaze and Will's mother stared at her. "What you played was interesting," Will's mother said after a few minutes, "Where did you learn to play?" The question that seemed so easy only brought back pain from Ronnie's childhood. "My father," she replied blinking back the memories assaulting her mind. 'Mhmm," Will's mother said, scrutinizing Ronnie with her gaze. Ronnie held her look, not wanting to feel inferior to Will's mother. She felt slightly embarrassed from the attention she was getting but she held her ground. Will's mother gave Ronnie one last look before gesturing to the couch in front of them. "Take a seat, Ronnie," she said. She waited until Ronnie hesitantly sat down. "Ronnie," Will's mother started, "Tell me a little about yourself." Ronnie didn't know what to say; she knew that his mother was only trying to get more information on her but she felt compelled to win his mother over.

"I live in New York," she said, "and I'm here for the summer. I'm sixteen, I turn 17 in a couple of months" Ronnie trailed off unsure what to say next. "What about school, college?" His mother probed. "I really don't know what to do with my life. I am thinking about going to college now but we will have to see" Ronnie replied with a small smile. "What college are you looking to go to? Have you got any interviews?" Will's mother continued her interrogation and was mildly surprised that Ronnie had an audition for Julliard. As time went, and Ronnie answered her, the questions changed from about Ronnie to her relationship with Will.

"What are your intentions with my son, Ronnie?" She asked, changing the subject so quickly that Ronnie was left muddled. "I love your son, Ma'am," She replied before continuing, " He makes me feel things I haven't felt before and I feel like I can be myself around him and he doesn't judge me." Ronnie sat quietly for a few minutes until Will's mother said, "These are deep feelings for you at such a young age, aren't they?" she challenged Ronnie, implying that she couldn't be feeling these things. Ronnie knew it was a rhetorical question but she replied to show her that she won't back down. "Age is merely a number I think. Will is much more mature for his age and he is different. I hate to admit that I am not merely as mature as he is but for what it's worth, I love him and I won't hurt him. I know I'm young but there is no age limit for love and I cannot imagine my life without him. He brings out the best in me and makes me want to be a better person and if that's not something to care about then I don't know what is." Ronnie finished quietly. Will's mother stood up and walked to the door. Ronnie sat still and watched her walk away. When she got to the door, she turned around and gave Ronnie a tight smile. "Please call me Claire," she said before she left the room leaving Ronnie all by herself.