Chapter 10
"Ava, come here for a second, dear," Lauren called out to Ava, who was passing by the kitchen. It was the start of her shift and she was headed for the servant's dining area to have her breakfast.
She curiously approached Lauren, who wasn't dressed in her usual uniform but in her regular clothes. A dark dress in a flower pattern topped off with a black shrug. It wasn't to Ava's taste but who was she to judge with the clothes she wore. "Hi, Lauren. What's going on?"
"I'm going into the city today to do some shopping for the estate, I need you to clean the first floor today, the second one is empty right now so that's not a priority," she explained while rummaging through her purse.
"I'll be gone all day, so you'll have to deliver Mr. Chastain's lunch today. I've already prepared it so don't you worry about that. George will take care of his dinner," she finished. "Do you need anything from the city?"
"No, I'm fine. Thank you," Ava replied with a small smile. "I'll take care of it."
"Alright, that's good to hear. I've put breakfast on the table for you and I'll see you tomorrow, then."
"See you tomorrow," she replied before making her way to the dining area to have her breakfast. Every morning, Lauren would stop by the bakery on her way to work to buy fresh bread and croissants, and Ava loved it.
It was a luxury breakfast, something that Ava would only get during special holidays such as Christmas.
But here, she got to eat it every day.
George wasn't at breakfast either, which was probably the reason she had to serve lunch to Mr. Chastain. The thought of it made her nervous but she was still a good few hours away from lunch so she forced herself to think about something else.
Like cleaning.
It wasn't the most exciting thought but she would have to plan out how she would clean the hallway and what she'd use for it. It was enough to keep her busy throughout the morning and even during the cleaning itself.
But before she knew it, it was lunchtime and she had to make her way to the kitchen to ready the tray of food. Upon opening the fridge, she was pleasantly surprised to see that Lauren had indeed prepared all the food. It only needed to be put on the tray with some drinks.
She carefully balanced it all before slowly walking up the stairs. When she reached the stop she released the breath she was holding before making her way to Mr. Chastains room. She wasn't sure where she would have to deliver it so she'd just check the places where he could be.
While walking through the long hallway a melodious sound reached her ears and she had to stop to listen to it. It sounded like music was being played in one of the rooms and she couldn't resist but to eavesdrop on it.
She rarely heard music. Of course, when she was shopping sometimes a store would play it but how often did she really shop? When driving in Mr. Chastain's car she enjoyed the sound of his radio, but his close proximity prevented her from truly enjoying the melodies.
Her feet slowly carried her closer to the sound until she reached a closed door.
She wasn't going to open it, it would not only be rude but also a little creepy.
So she just stood there, enjoying the song until it was over.
After hearing some shuffling on the other side of the room she felt like it was a good time to knock on the door.
"Come in," a muffled voice called out on the other side, prompting her to carefully open the door while making sure she didn't spill all the food and drinks on the floor.
The room was large, and light. The large windows ensured that as much sunlight would enter the room as possible and cast it in an almost ethereal glow. At the very center stood a magnificent white piano that immediately caught her eye.
Further down the room was a table with Mr. Chastain standing next to it, so she made her way past the beautiful instrument and into the room. After carefully placing all the items on the table she stood back up straight to look back at Mr. Chastain and asked, "Will that be all, sir?"
"Thank you, Ava," he replied with a small smile. For some reason, her heart sped up when he did that and it made her feel mildly uncomfortable at the strange feeling. "Have you eaten yet?"
The question surprised her, why would he be interested in whether or not she'd eaten yet? When she looked back at his expectant eyes she knew she was taking too long to reply as a result of her overthinking. "I haven't."
"Would you join me, then?" he asked while gesturing to an empty chair. This was the second time he'd asked her to eat with him, and it confused her. She'd never seen him eat with Lauren or George before, so why her?
She was tempted to say no, just because of the nerves building up in her stomach.
But the fear of insulting him was even greater so she nodded even before she knew it.
He seemed relieved at her answer and moved to sit in the seat opposite of her.
Again, she noticed there was only one plate but before she could say anything he'd put his before her.
"Wh-- this is your plate," she started while picking it up to return it but he refused it with a wave of his hand before just grabbing one of the sandwiches. She realized a plate wasn't really necessary with the food that was laid out and accepted her defeat before placing it back in front of her.
It somehow felt wrong to eat his food. Like this kind of luxury wasn't meant for her to taste. Lauren made both his meals and the servant's meals, but she knew more effort was put into Mr. Chastain's. He was the master of the house, after all.
But he'd invited her himself, and it would be weird not to eat anything, right?
So she slowly reached out to grab one of the turkey sandwiches before taking a small bite.
Immediately, the difference between the servant's meals and Mr. Chastains became obvious as the bite of richly filled sandwich reached her tastebuds.
Lauren and George had the luxury of being able to eat at home as well as in restaurants.
The servant's food was just regular day food but on their days off they probably ate whatever they liked, since they were able to buy it for themselves.
Ava couldn't. She couldn't even cook it herself if she wanted since she lacked the skill.
She wished her food was this tasty every day, but she knew that tomorrow would bring her the same thinly filled sandwiches Lauren always made.
"You really like turkey sandwiches, huh?" she heard him muse out loud. She didn't know how he knew she was enjoying it so much, she was just eating. It still embarrassed her as she shamefully nodded her head while hoping her cheeks wouldn't turn red.
"It's my favorite," she replied after swallowing the rest of the bite, causing him to nod. Still, he kept looking at her and she didn't know why. She decided to focus on her meal and try to ignore his gaze as best she could.
He didn't reply to it, though, and they finished the meal in silence. He finished well before her and she made an effort to eat faster so he wouldn't have to keep waiting, causing her to almost silently choke. Thankfully, he didn't see.
"Was that you who I heard playing earlier?" she asked after a while. By now she was finished too but he'd made no move to leave the table.
"Yes," he replied casually. "Why? Do you play?"
She shook her head at that. She wished she could. "I don't, but you are really good."
"You liked it?"
"Yes, it sounded beautiful."
He shrugged as if he didn't really care about the music at all. "Do you want to hear another one?"
"I'd love to," she replied excitedly, maybe a little too excited judging by the amused look on his face. "Alright," he said while standing up, beckoning her to follow.
He sat down on the stool and she suddenly didn't know what to do next. Just stand there? What would she do with her hands?
"Come on," he said as he patted the empty space next to him. The stool wasn't that big, there was certainly room for Ava to sit but she'd have to sit extremely close to him in order to not fall off. Reluctantly, she moved to sit next to him. She asked for this, after all.
But despite the anxiety, she felt there was also a rush of excitement running through her. She'd get to hear a song again and this time she wouldn't have to listen from behind the door.
She patiently waited for him to start and when he finally did she was enchanted. The melody calmed her nerves and soothed her body and she felt herself getting lost in the sound of it. It made her feel all kinds of emotions and she let it all sweep over her.
The way his deft fingers glided along the keys was nothing short of impressive and she couldn't get her eyes off them. It seemed so effortless when he did it, but she knew better than that. This was years of practice at work.
The song was over a lot sooner than she wanted it to be and she didn't know what to do next.
"Are you crying?" he asked with a concerned look on his face.
"No," she replied instinctively before she noticed there were indeed tears in her eyes, they just hadn't fallen yet. She used the sleeves of her uniform to wipe them away before they could escape but the action didn't go unnoticed.
"You really like music that much, then?" It was more of an observation than a question. His concerned face turned into one of interest and it confused her again. She was the least interesting person on this earth, why would someone like him ever be interested in what she did and didn't like?
"I do," she replied softly while looking down at the keys.
She didn't know what else there was to say, she just liked it.
Sometimes she wished she dared to say more to him, to explain why she liked it so much.
How she'd been deprived of this kind of entertainment as a child and how even in adulthood it was a rare indulgence.
But she didn't, because there was no reason for him to care about it.
He didn't ask anything more, either. Instead, he moved his fingers along the keys before pressing down, creating a new but equally beautiful melody for her to enjoy. She wished he would keep on playing forever.