# Touch: Chapter 9 (Part 1)



## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

The next evening, Nadia returned to Andrei's house, in lesser spirits than she was before. But she did notice that this evening Andrei wasn't wearing his blindfold. He was "staring" at the wall when she walked in.

"So," Andrei spoke up immediately, with a slightly sarcastic tone, "How was your little excursion?"

"It was wonderful," Nadia replied. "I really enjoyed it for the most part, except for one thing that happened."

"And what was that?"

"I met someone. Someone who knows you."

"Who?" Andrei's ears pricked up more than before.

"His name was Maxim Voronin."

His unseeing eyes flashed.

"Yes, I figured you would know him. A friend I presume?"

"Friend," he spit that word out icily. "Is that what he said?"

"Yes."

"Barely. I hated him. I probably still do."

Nadia was dismayed at that comment. "What's wrong with him?"

"He's a spoiled brat, that's what he is. The only reason he's in the Conservatory is because he wants to be there, regardless if any of this professors, or myself, think he should be. His money bought him in. He has little talent whatsoever."

Nadia was stung. "I wouldn't say that if I were you. I thought he was a nice man. A _very_ nice man."

"Sure he was," Andrei muttered.

"He has been very kind to me ever since we met! He even gave me a key to a practice room in the Conservatory," she said proudly.

"That's all very well," he said irritably, but he didn't have a come-back.

"I think I rather like him too. We might meet again, perhaps for a date."

This really annoyed Andrei, who turned very bitter in his reply.

"But you have now gone besides the point haven't you? You said he was the one thing that didn't go so _'great,'_ eh?"

Nadia again was stung, because he was right.

"Well, one thing did happen... but now I won't say since you like to insult him. He asked if I knew you is all."

Suddenly, something dark went over Andrei's face. "What was that?" he said with great interest.

"He... he wondered if I know you. I said yes, and he wondered how and I said-"

"What did you say?!"

"I-I said... that I just happened to see you, I-I've made up a story of what I do," Nadia felt a surge of regret and embarrassment now.

Andrei sighed angrily. "What a fool he is. Whatever you do, don't associate with him. He's probably already found out you work for me, but what he'll do, I can't say for sure... but I can say for sure he's leading you on."

Nadia was really offended this time. "Leading me on? How-- How dare you say that! I'm perfectly aware of our chemistry and I would have to say we get along really well. Our... acquaintance should be none of your business."

"Perhaps you're right..." he said gloomily.

With both of them irritated at each other, it was hard for them to get started right away, but they eventually did, and perhaps for the better, since they were encountering a very dissonant part of Andrei's scherzo.

"I'll show Andrei..." Nadia said to herself. "So much for what... he had said before... _Maxim _obviously cares about me more..."

The next few days, Nadia felt estranged from Andrei, but concurrently she started becoming even better acquainted with Voronin at the Conservatory. He found her out in the practice rooms, and together they played music. Voronin shared some of his compositions with Nadia, and despite what Andrei had said, he seemed quite talented.

"Would you like to go to a concert this Friday night?" he asked one day while walking down a Conservatory hallway. "One of my works is being premiered there, an orchestral piece. I think you would like it."

"Oh would I! Only... that's when..."

"A conflict? How?"

"That's when... I work at my job."

"Night shift eh?" suddenly, Voronin gave that sly smile again.

But there was a sudden shift in his tone now.

"I went to the one and only music publisher in the area to visit you 4 days ago, only to be told they had not heard of such person named Nadia Nikolova. Now, I fail to understand why you told me an untruth last week... or should I say even a lie?" he gave his disappointed look at Nadia.

Nadia blushed again, and felt completely foolish. She said nothing, but bent her head down.

"Look, perhaps you made a mistake, and mistook me for someone not worthy of trust... but I'll let it go. Shall we remain friends?"

"Oh... yes, of course... I'm sorry," Nadia finally made herself say.

"So... you're doing something else then? Please don't tell me it's something forbidden..."

"Oh no! No, nothing of that kind. I guess since you now suspect, I might as well tell you. But it has to keep secret. I'm working for Andrei Gavrilov, I'm his copyist, and we work at nights."

"Aha!" Maxim laughed. "So that's it!" yet even then, something seemed phony. It was a forced laugh. "Well, what is he up to these days?"

"... I can't tell."

"What?" he frowned instantaneously, giving that pathetically disappointed look again.

"Ugh! Please leave me alone about such things, that's my business."

"Yes it is... and I would like to help."

"How help?"

"I think you may be making a mistake."


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