Aila was crouching over the bushes, trying to hear her father’s austere voice when she heard the most melodramatic sound ever-Tomas clearing his throat.

Bloody ****. She had just been given orders to infiltrate Tomas’s apartment and see if he had possibly brought work home and now this! Aila, always a master of thinking on the fly, came up with a solution-a half-truth to explain why she was hiding in the bushes.

“Hi Tomas!”, she commented while trying to get up and stretching out the muscle cramp in her hamstrings at the same time. She would have to find a new place to receive commands from her spy family ring, maybe the bathroom would be a better idea? Probably not as girls liked to gossip there.

“Are you alright?”, Tomas asked whist giving her a hand to stand up fully.

“Oh, yes. I was just nervous, that’s all.”

Tomas looked on incredulously while she spun her tale, “When I get nervous, I tend to uh vomit out the contents of my stomach, so you know, I felt the urge to vomit and crouched down, however, all that got out was spit because I don’t like to eat before auditions which is really bad because you’re supposed to eat, but all I can stomach is crackers usually…”

It was the truth, but it was certainly not the reason she had been in the bushes this time!

“Auditions?” The word had piqued Tomas’s interests and taken over his focus. Now that the girl he liked had just thrown up in front on him, he was forced to move on with the subject. He had always been the sort who took hygienic matters seriously and he hoped that maybe, by his presence, she would stop feeling so nervous.

“Yes. Choir auditions actually. I’m trying out for the prestigious Selective Ensemble Choir here in this university and tryouts are like in a few minutes so…yeah.”, she proclaimed proudly.

Now this was something Aila could talk about all day. Hopefully, Tomas would not be so suspicious and let his guard down soon enough. She still had a mission to get on with.

“Can I escort you there?”, Tomas shocked himself with these words. It seemed ever since he met her, he would act so smooth on the exterior while freaking out internally. Fool, he thought, she needs to calm down to sing well and here you are offering yourself to walk with her there! Are you out of your mind? The ice cream incident was a one-time thing! This beautiful lovely woman probably has many suitors after her and here you are thinking she would like to hang around with you, a nerd from the accounting department! Back out now while you still can and excuse yourself before you get rejected!

“Oh, of course. It probably would do me good to talk with someone and not feel so anxious about it. Strolling by myself to the music hall would leave me alone in my thoughts that go like this. What if something goes wrong? What if my voice squeaks? Etc.”, she laughed after saying this.

Was a beauty like her also doubting herself? How curious, he pondered.

After a few minutes, they both arrived at the Maurice Hasson Music hall and Tomas pulled the heavy doors open for Aila. They entered only to hear high pitched soprano voices performing in the lower balcony of the second floor.

“Third floor”, Aila whispered. Tomas and Aila ascended the staircase to the left and arrived within a few moments to their destination, the Newport Auditorium. They beheld a grandiose stage with a magnificent piano and marveled at the beauty of it until they heard a call from below, “Next!”

“That’s my cue!”, Aila commented and flew to the stage, descending the steps and coming up to the choir director shortly thereafter.

“Begin your vocal piece.”, he commanded.

By yon bonnie banks and by yon bonnie braes,

Where the sun shines bright on Loch Lomond,

Where me and my true love were ever wont to gae

On the bonnie, bonnie banks o’ Loch Lomond.

O ye’ll tak’ the high road, and I’ll tak’ the low road,

And I’ll be in Scotland a’fore ye,

But me and my true love will never meet again,

On the bonnie, bonnie banks o’ Loch Lomond.

Tomas listened mesmerized at her captivating voice as she sang this Scottish folk song. It struck him that she must be truly proud of her heritage to take the time and pick this ballad. If only he were to be as proud of being German as she was of being Scottish. Letting himself be transported by the lyrics, he felt forlorn and grieved at the thought of her singing this about her true love. Would he ever have a chance to date her at all? His mind whispered no while his heart pounded with the rhythm of her charmed singing. She truly was multitalented unlike him whose only talent was counting.

“Alright!”, the director clapped once the song was over and said, “Miss, you’ve done a great service to such a song and would contribute well to this choir.”

“I’m in?!”, Aila shrieked and went to embrace Tomas. That was the moment that the director noticed Tomas’s shadow in the auditorium and called him over.

“You there! What’s your name lad?”

“Tomas.”, he responded.

“Are you on the list?”, the director pointed to his audition list and attempted to scan it.

“Oh no, sir! He accompanied me here for support.”, Aila explained.

“Then as it seems that the next appointment is late, would you be willing to sing?”, the director looked at his watch then.

“Alright.”, Tomas stuttered and began to think of something to sing while heading to the stage.

“Break a leg”, Aila whispered.

And wild enough as it is to think, he began to chant a melody dear to his heart.

Come with me

And you’ll be

In a world of pure imagination

Take a look

And you’ll see

Into your imagination

Aila stood transfixed. She was shocked, how did this man keep on surprising her each day? He had the voice of an angel from above and here she was judging him because of his uncle.

We’ll begin

With a spin

Traveling in

The world of my creation

What we’ll see

Will defy

Explanation

A wonderful idea came to her at that moment. Would it really be so bad to be his girlfriend? Her self-restraint snapped and her mind stopped working. From that time on, she wished to be a part of his daily routine.

She was falling in love with the enemy and she didn’t mind at all.