{"id":2945,"date":"2011-12-05T17:04:58","date_gmt":"2011-12-05T22:04:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=2945"},"modified":"2026-07-29T11:57:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T15:57:15","slug":"the-art-of-serenading","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=2945","title":{"rendered":"The Art of Serenading (by faust)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: <\/span>Adam tries to serenade The One — if she’d only let him.<\/p>\n

1,250 words, rated K<\/p>\n

My Story Index and reading order for the Art-Universe<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

The Art of Serenading<\/strong><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

Juliet slung her warm blue shawl round her shoulders. After an exceptionally blazing hot autumn day the evening had brought a cold breeze, and Adam and she had decided to spend the precious little time they had on the front porch where they could savour the fresh night air. Soon enough Mrs. Hawkins would not too subtly remind Adam that she wouldn\u2019t allow male visitors at unsuitable times and that he had a long ride back home anyway.<\/p>\n

Adam had gone to check on his horse that was sheltered in Mrs. Hawkins\u2019 barn, while Juliet, in very polite but certain words, had told Mrs. Hawkins that her company wasn\u2019t required on the veranda tonight.<\/p>\n

When she saw Adam coming back carrying his guitar Juliet\u2019s eyes widened.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d she smiled, surprised. \u201cAre you going to serenade me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought I\u2019d give it a try.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood gracious.\u201d She shook her head and sat down on the veranda swing. \u201cIs there any way to make you stop?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNope,\u201d Adam smirked and settled down, too. \u201cI guess you\u2019ll just have to live through this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Juliet leaned back and waved her hand impatiently. \u201cGo ahead then,\u201d she sighed, rather dramatically.<\/p>\n

Adam chuckled, gave her a last brief glance and concentrated on his guitar. He strummed a few low chords and then started to sing slowly and quietly. The melody was sweet and soothing; the words spoke of love and devotion. His dark voice filled the night air with warmth and tenderness.<\/p>\n

He would never have thought it possible, but Juliet managed to wriggle herself through under his arm and snuggled up at his side. And so he somehow held both woman and instrument in his arms, and it was perfect. Juliet laid her head at his shoulder, with her eyes closed and listened to him. Then she started to hum.<\/p>\n

Adam tilted his head and breathed in her ear, \u201cDon\u2019t sing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPardon?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t sing. You\u2019re spoiling a perfect song.\u201d<\/p>\n

She turned away from him, only a bit, and playfully slapped his chest. \u201cDon\u2019t be mean, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not mean. You can\u2019t hold a tune. Your humming is awful. And I like this song.\u201d<\/p>\n

She crossed her arms. \u201cMy humming is awful<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam watched her right eyebrow rising ever so slowly. Up and up it went, higher than he ever thought possible. It was a clear warning signal, but Adam was anything but a coward.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is<\/em> awful, and you know it. You are a woman of a great many talents, Mylady, among which singing is not listed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cName one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cExcuse me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cName one talent I have.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJuliet…\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cName. One. Now!\u201d<\/p>\n

He tried to read her face. Surely she must be joking. Or not? <\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYou are a very gifted writer\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s my job. Name another one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJuliet…\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have a wonderful sense of humour.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not a talent.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSay something different.\u201d<\/p>\n

He gazed at her. Her face was an unreadable mask.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are…\u201d He leaned closer and whispered something in her ear. She turned her face down and smiled, then she leaned back onto his chest again.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam!\u201d she scolded him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you are!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShh, Adam!\u201d She actually looked around as if she was expecting someone lurking in Mrs. Hawkins\u2019 flowerbeds and eavesdropping on them. And wasn\u2019t there a shadow moving behind the sumptuous pink hydrangea? Juliet stared into the dark with narrowed eyes and that concentrated expression on her face Adam knew so well from when she was focusing on some important task at hand.<\/p>\n

He tugged on a golden strand of hair that had fallen out of her trademark untidy bun sometime around midday, and that she never had gotten secured into her put-up hairdo, no matter how many times she had tried. When she turned to him he teased, \u201cAre you still here with me, Juliet?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sitting right next to you, Adam. I thought you\u2019d noticed that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no way to miss that, Mylady, with your shoulder digging into my chest like this,\u201d he chuckled. \u201cYou seemed a bit distracted, though.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just trying to find out who was lurking there trying to hear your naughty words.\u201d She turned back to the dark garden. \u201cMrs. Hawkins?\u201d<\/p>\n

The hydrangea quivered, and from behind the shaking leaves a huge black cat emerged. It walked sedately up to the veranda, stopped right in front of Juliet and Adam, gave them a long, seemingly disapproving look, and then turned on the spot to jump back into the flowerbed with a loud, whining \u201cmeow\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cMrs. Hawkins<\/em>, Juliet?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know she\u2019s everywhere, Adam. You better watch your words….\u201d<\/p>\n

He leaner closer and whispered into her ear again. She sniggered and squirmed when his breath tickled her neck.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdam…\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d He managed to look completely innocent. \u201cAll I\u2019m saying is\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNaughty.\u201d<\/p>\n

He laughed softly. \u201cBut you like it.\u201d His voice was low and husky.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t say I do.\u201d Juliet\u2019s delighted face betrayed her denial, and her eyes sparkled.<\/p>\n

Adam let the sparkles shower him. \u201cNot with words, no.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I most certainly didn\u2019t hum it, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, and thank god for that!\u201d<\/p>\n

That incited another teasing slap on his chest. But this time Juliet only shook her head and smiled and her scolding, \u201cAdam!\u201d was rather mild and sounded more tender than anything else.<\/p>\n

Adam gave her a tiny peck on her cheek. \u201cAm I allowed to finish my song now, Mylady?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou may.\u201d No one could put as much majesty in two little words as Juliet.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you won\u2019t interrupt my performance with your humming?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d she said impatiently. \u201cNow go ahead. Poser!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHyena.\u201d<\/p>\n

They both laughed quietly. Juliet settled back in Adam\u2019s arms, and Adam resumed playing and singing, only for her; and she snuggled even closer seeking shelter in his arms from the cold night breeze. From time to time, Adam felt her throat trembling ever so slightly, when she completely silently hummed the tune with him. And every time she secretly hummed, Juliet felt Adam\u2019s chest rippling ever so slightly from his suppressed chuckling.<\/p>\n

It was perfect.<\/p>\n

__________<\/p>\n

\u00a0Oh, the comfort – the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe<\/em> with a person – having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all right out, just as they are, chaff and grain together; certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.\u00a0 ~ Dinah Craik, A Life for a Life<\/em>, 1859<\/p>\n

\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
*** fin***<\/div>\n
\n

With many thanks to Sklamb for the beta!<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.<\/em><\/p>\n

Next Story in The Art-Universe Series:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Flowers<\/a><\/p>\n

My Story Index<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Adam tries to serenade The One — if she’d only let him. <\/p>\n

1,250 words, rated K.<\/p>\n

The Art-Universe series, links to all the stories within the series included.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":375,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[1005,7,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adam-cartwright","category-a-u","category-romance","wpcat-1005-id","wpcat-7-id","wpcat-3-id"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/coming-soon-5.jpg?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2945","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2945"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2945\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}