Well good. They were on the same page as far as the fridge was concerned. They had made plans to shop at some point though, based around the idea that they’d cook together again later in the week. Tarin was going to have to find a way to carve out time for a power nap at some point.

As he got settled on the couch, Tarin hoped that Lee meant that she was going to play and that he was just going to be expected to sit there and look silly while he listened. Between the nightmare, the subsequent conversation, the late night, and the early morning, anything that required more brain power than simply coasting was going to be asking a lot.

Lee asked if any of the songs she’d sent recently had caught his interest and Tarin nodded. “Lots. Problem is that I still mostly listen when I run, so I don’t catch a lot of titles. Mostly the stuff that isn’t pop though.” Pop was fine, but Tarin didn’t love it and couldn’t see himself listening to it much of his own volition.

Was there anything he wanted her to play? Tarin frowned a moment in thought and took another drink of coffee before setting his cup down on the coffee table and pulling out his phone.

When he could, Tarin was trying to star or favorite or thumbs up the songs that he liked. There was one…

It took a few minutes of fiddling, but eventually Tarin found what he was looking for.

“I like this one.” he said, turning his phone and holding it out to Lee. She could decide if it was something she could or wanted to play.

OOC - Hit me up on discord when you’re up and I’ll tell you what song.

Lee smiled when Tarin said that lots of songs had caught his interest. That was good. And definitely a start with knowing some that he liked now. Though the fact that he still normally only listened while running did pose a bit of an issue with telling her what he liked.

Tarin solved that issue by pulling his phone out and started scrolling through the playlists for a song. After a little bit, Tarin turned his phone toward her.

Lee looked at the phone for few moments, frowning in thought. "Can you play it?" Lee asked as she leaned forward to set her own mug on the table. Then Lee stood and walked over to the corner to grab her guitar.

While Lee had listened to each and every song that she had put on his playlists, that didn't mean that they were all songs she regularly listened to; they were trying to figure out what Tarin's taste in music was, not just pushing her taste onto him.

Lee knew that she had put a number of songs by that artist on a number of the playlists she had made for Tarin, but she wasn't sure she remembered which particular song this was.

For a moment when Lee asked Tarin if he could play the song, he thought she meant actually play the song. No, he was still struggling to push all of the strings down at the same time without hurting his fingers. It was wildly impressive to him that anyone could make real music come from the guitar.

Lee got up to grab her guitar though and Tarin realized that maybe she just wanted to hear the song. It wasn’t outside the realm of possibility that she didn’t know every single song she’d put on the playlists she kept sending him.

Turning his phone back around, Tarin started the song. It had a lot of instrumental stuff at the beginning and he suddenly felt a bit silly and self-conscious, ”I don’t have a singly solitary clue if this is something that even works to play on an actual guitar.” he said, as the intro continued to play.

I’ve been roamin’ around ,always lookin’ down at all I see.
Painted faces fill the places I can’t reach
You know that I could use somebody
You know that I could use somebody…

Someone like you and all you know and how you speak…

The song kept playing, and Tarin kept trying to figure out if it had even been a good song to pick.

”I dunno.” he said as the song ended, ”You can play anything, you know I just like to listen…” Why was this so difficult?

As Lee was sitting back down on the couch and settling her guitar on her lap, Tarin was starting the song on his phone.

And while the song was familiar, it was not familiar enough that Lee could even attempt to muddle her way through playing it herself.

"No, it should work on a guitar alright," Lee said partway through the song as she frowned down at her strings. "I just don't know this song very well."

As the song ended and Tarin spoke, Lee smiled, though she didn't look up. He really did like to just sit there and watch her, didn't he? Though that did bring something else to mind as Lee sat there trying to figure out what to play.

Taking a breath as she let her fingers start softly plucking strings, Lee glanced up at Tarin for a second. "Since you have your phone out," she said slowly, her voice as soft as the guitar currently was. "Why don't you pull up your recorder on your phone?"

OH, well that made sense. Lee thought the song would work, but she didn’t know it well enough to play it. Totally fair, she couldn’t be expected to know every single song in the world by heart.

It was a good song though…at least Tarin thought it was. The song ended and he and Lee sat there in silence for a few moments. Lee was looking down at the guitar and Tarin was looking at Lee and he really didn’t care what song she decided to play.

Looking down at his phone, Tarin decided he needed to try a bit harder to listen to the playlists outside of running so that he had a better idea of things when Lee asked him questions.

After a few moments, she spoke and Tarin tilted his head slightly in confusion before he remembered another time that they had sat like this and Lee had played for him. She’d played a song that he’d really liked and he’d asked for the artist so he could listen again…only it had been something that Lee had written herself. Was she going to play it so he could have it?

Tarin grinned, unlocking the phone then tapping and swiping until he found the voice memo app, he opened it up and set it on the couch between them. ”I figure you don’t want an actual video?” he said, waiting until Lee was ready to hit record.

Out of the corner of her eye as she sat there idly picking out notes, Lee could see Tarin swiping through his phone in silence before he set the phone on the couch between the two of them. At least Tarin had been quiet until that point. When he asked about video.

"God no," Lee said, still staring at the guitar in her hands as a blush started to cover her cheeks. "I think there's already been more than enough videos of me for at least a year."

Closing her eyes and taking another breath, Lee tried to shove down the nerves that had suddenly sprung up. This was something she had only done once before in her life: recording her music. Well, if you counted recording and rerecording the same thing probably about 50 times over the course of a week until she had a submission she didn't completely hate to send in for a contest when she was in her early teens.

Finally, Lee nodded and glanced over at Tarin. Once she saw that he had hit record, Lee waited just a moment before she started playing. This time, however, Lee did not close her eyes as she played, but kept them on the guitar, and by halfway through the song she was biting her lower lip slightly in concentration. Trying to make sure that every note came out perfectly for Tarin's recording.

When she finished, Lee waited for the last notes to drift off before looking up at Tarin with a still nervous, questioning look.

As expected, Lee did not want to be recorded on video while she played. Tarin didn’t understand, because she was willing to get up on stage and play and sing in front of a crowded bar, but it wasn’t his choice and he’d known what she would prefer before he’d even opened the app.

She was blushing though and Tarin smiled just a little bit at that.

Lee looked so nervous as she got ready to play that Tarin almost told her to forget about the idea, to tell her that she didn’t need to go to such uncomfortable lengths just so that he could have a recording of this song. Lee had chosen though, and Tarin wanted to respect her choice. If Lee knew anything, it was that if she decided she didn’t want to play any more all she had to do was stop playing and they’d delete the recording.

That isn’t what she decided though. Instead, Lee opened her eyes and focused on the guitar, nodding to him to start the recording before she started to play. The focus was evident on Lee’s face as she played, more so as she bit her lip in concentration. Tarin didn’t think he could have looked away from her if he’d have wanted to, and it was the last thing that he wanted.

Lee was used to people underestimating her, and people did it all the time. What Tarin didn’t think Lee realized was how much she underestimated and undersold herself. It was an ongoing project to get her to understand just how special and capable she was, but Tarin had learned the hard way a couple of times that being blunt and pigheaded about it was the wrong tactic. No. Lee simply had to be shown. To see it for herself.

The song was just as good as the first time that Tarin had heard it, and he wanted to hear it again just as much as he had the first time. As the notes faded, he reached forward to end the recording and looked up to meet Lee’s eyes. Was she looking to him to tell her if the song was good?

“Just as beautiful as the first time.” he said with a smile, ”And I know we’ve well established that I’m a bit hopeless when it comes to music, but I still wouldn’t be surprised to turn on the radio and hear it playing.” It wasn’t flattery, Tarin wasn’t good at that sort of thing. It was just the truth as he saw, and heard it.

Lee watched as Tarin turned the recording off and looked up at her. With a smile. Though Lee blushed again when she heard his words.

She really didn't know how Tarin could think that the song was that good. Yes, Lee had always thought she was pretty good at composing, but she was far from a professional. And surly no one would ever pay her for one of her compositions.

She might be a good amateur, but that was it.

"It'd never be able to be on the radio," Lee said, her voice quiet, as she looked back down at the guitar on her lap. The blush still present on her face. "It doesn't even have words…"

That said, Lee started strumming almost absently before speaking again. "I am glad you like it, though."

Lee was still blushing at his praise and Tarin shrugged as she pointed out that her song could never be on the radio because it didn’t have words. What did he know about the music industry anyway? He just knew that the song sounded great to him and he was happy he’d be able to listen to it any time he wanted. It was special, and it was his now.

Lee pointed out that she was glad that Tarin liked the song and he smiled some more. “I liked it the first time.” he said simply, picking up his phone and holding it out towards Lee. ”You want to listen to it before I keep it?” he offered. As hard as Lee had been concentrating on playing the song, he thought she might want to make sure she was happy with it.

”What’s next?” he asked then, still grinning and perfectly content with letting Lee do all of the work. This was a vastly more pleasant alternative to all the brooding Tarin had been doing.

Did she want to listen to the recording? Part of Lee desperately wanted to, wanted to make sure that it was as close to perfect as she could get it because it was going to be saved like that.

But Lee also thought about the other time she had recorded her music. How long that had taken her. And she hadn't exactly been happy with it when she'd finally sent it in for the contest. Just less unhappy with the final recording she had chosen.

"Well, that depends on how long you want to sit here this morning watching me redo it over and over," Lee told him as she turned back to her guitar.

By the time that Tarin had asked what was next, the chords that Lee had strummed reminded herself of a song and she started the song from the start.

And shortly started singing.

"Last time I talked to you
You were lonely and out of place
You were looking down on me
Lost out in space

We laid underneath the stars
Strung out and feeling brave
I watched the red orange glow
I watched you float away "

Redo it over and over? Why would she need to redo it over and over? Tarin hasn’t heard a single thing wrong with the song the first time, but he knew that Lee rarely liked to do anything without doing it to her standards.

”I’m happy with it exactly how it is.” Tarin said, pulling his phone back and holding it against his chest like Lee might take it away.

Lee didn’t immediately ask him to play back the song though, so he didn’t. Maybe she’d get distracted and forget. Since that was the kind of thing Lee would ever do.

Regardless, Lee seemed to have thought of another song to play instead of listening to her own music and Tarin didn’t say a word as the somewhat random strumming Lee had been doing organized itself into something much more cohesive…and then she started to sing.

That first night in the bar, and every time since, Tarin had pretty much had one of those moments every time Lee played and sang a song. It didn’t matter if it was here, or in the park, or that time at the bar. It was always something special when it felt like she was playing music for him though.

The song was good, Tarin was pretty sure that it was on one of the playlists that Lee had sent him…it would make sense if it was something she liked enough to know how to play it.

It was a longer song than the one he had picked and Tarin relaxed back into the couch as Lee played, tension from the morning starting to dissipate.

Eventually the song finished and Tarin smiled again, “That one was good too.” he said, then asked, ”How do you pick the songs you learn?”

When the song ended and Tarin spoke, Lee looked over at him with a thoughtful expression on her face. "Honestly, I'm not sure whether I've actually thought about that before," Lee admitted, her hands just resting on the guitar.

Lee sat there thinking for a moment. "At first, obviously easier songs, and a few I already knew how to play on piano. Sometimes, my brain just starts picking out notes when I'm listening to a song, so I'll work on learning it to see if I was right. Or I'll just randomly fixate on a song."

Lee paused as she glanced down at her guitar again. "But a lot of them have meaning to me. Either the actual lyrics, or I associate the song with something."

"Does that make sense?" Lee asked, glancing up at Tarin again.

It turned out that Lee had lots of reasons for choosing the songs she chose to learn. When Tarin thought about it, that made sense. People rarely ever had singular reasoning in the things that they chose to do.

Easy songs. Ones she’d played before on piano…Tarin made a mental note to see if Lee would play that for him sometime…. Random songs or things that Lee had picked out while listening and tried to play by ear. It was all so interesting to Tarin because his mind didn’t work that way at all except for maybe the random fixation on a particular song that Lee mentioned. For Tarin it was random topics, the research rabbit holes he liked to go down when the opportunity presented itself.

Lee dropped her gaze though and pointed out that a lot of the songs she learned, she had learned because they meant something to her.

Did that make sense? Tarin shrugged slightly, he could see it, but if he was being completely honest it kind of did and it kind of didn’t, “I get what you mean.” he said noncommittally. The music itself, the lyrics were nice…but with the exception of a few very specific times, Tarin didn’t really have the visceral reaction to music that people often times described. He didn’t get goosebumps from a movie score or find himself suddenly emotional because of the soundtrack.

“What about the one you just played?” he asked, ”What was that one?” he asked, curious which column the song would fit within.

Tarin seemed to be thinking about what she said a bit before he said that he understood. Lee nodded and her fingers started moving lightly on the guitar strings again.

Until Tarin spoke again that is. When he asked his question, Lee stopped to think again. Did she even remember the reason for learning each song? But as Lee thought about the actual song, not her acoustic playing of it, she thought she had at least a reasonable explanation for this particular song.

"I'm pretty sure I started picking out chords," Lee told Tarin. "Plus, I've always liked singing along to it."

That said, Lee started strumming again, quickly deciding on another song. "This one was definitely the lyrics," Lee said softly, a small, sad smile on her face as she started playing.

"Do you ever feel like breakin' down?
Do you ever feel out of place?
Like somehow you just don't belong
And no one understands you
Do you ever wanna run away?
Do you lock yourself in your room
With the radio on turned up so loud
That no one hears you screaming?

No, you don't know what it's like
When nothin' feels alright
You don't know what it's like to be like me"

The explanation for the first song was simple enough. It had been one of the songs where Lee had just picked out chords until she figured it out and she had liked to sing along with the lyrics.

Lee quickly moved into another song though, pointing out that the lyrics of this one had been her motivation to learn.

The song was sad, talked about isolation and not fitting in. Being on the outside looking in and trying to explain to someone else that they’d never be able to understand.

Tarin could understand why Lee had felt drawn to that song in the past, why the lyrics had resonated. After everything she had explained about her own teenage years, her early relationships with her parents and siblings, the song described a lot of the things Lee had told Tarin she thought about herself. Maybe there was more to it than that, more that had happened later, but that was where Tarin’s mind went.

Lee finished the song and Tarin nodded slowly, “That one is sad.” he said, ”I get it though…”

He paused for a moment, “So, now you’ve played one that was random because you liked it, one where the lyrics meant something, what about one that you associate with something?”