Page 68 of Killing Me Softly

The first notes crept into the room, soft and hesitant, like whispers testing the silence. Then, as if a fragile thread unravelled through the air, each note emerged with crystalline clarity, drifting in a lilting tune, carrying fragments of something old and cherished.

“He’s good,” Jack said.

“Yeah.” And it was familiar.Achinglyso. Yet distant. As if it belonged to another time, another place, and had found its way back here by sheer force of will. “A littletoogood.”

Kenny strode through the house, Jack close behind, until they reached the dining room where the soft, mournful notes of the piano spilled into the air, weaving a melody so haunting it felt like it was unearthing something buried deep within. Aaron sat at the piano, racing his fingers across the ivory, lost in a world only he could see.

“That’s it!” Jack’s voice broke through the spell. “That’s the tune.”

Kenny stopped in his tracks, his heart hammering as he whipped his head toward Aaron. “Killing Me Softly.”

Aaron stopped playing, hands frozen over the keys, pale and drawn. He turned to face them, rubbing his brow as if trying to scrub away a fog. “The piano’s tuned.” His voice was low and distant, as if he wasn’t quite with them. “Noticed it the other day. Thought maybe you had it done for me. But then this.” He gestured at the sheet music perched on the rest. “It’s the song.”

Kenny’s stomach twisted. “But how…?”

“She’s been here all along.” Aaron’s voice cracked as he dragged in a breath. “She’shere.”

“Who is?” Jack asked.

“Fuck!” Aaron dipped his head, pounding his fist to his temples. “Fuck! Kenny, fuck!”

Kenny rushed forward, dropping to his knees in front of Aaron to grab his wrists, yanking his hands away before he could hurt himself. “Hey, look at me.”

“I can see her!” Aaron squeezed his eyes shut, as if the effort to speak was physically ripping something from him. “But I can’t. It’s… it’s there.” He slapped the side of his head. “It’sin thereand I can see it, but I can’t… I can’t—”

Kenny cupped Aaron’s face, forcing him to meet his eyes. “Aaron, listen to me. It sounds like your brain is trying to unlock something. A suppressed memory buried deep. When traumatic memories surface like this, they can feel fractured, like shards of a mirror. They don’t always make sense at first.”

Aaron shook his head as if trying to escape the storm inside him. “But Iknowher! She’s there. She’s right there in my head, and I…I can’t pull her out!”

“It’s okay.” Kenny kept his voice calm, grip firm but gentle. “This is your brain protecting you. When we suppress memories, especially traumatic ones, it’s because your mind decided it wasn’t safe to process them at the time. But now, something’s triggering it. Your mind’s opening a door it’s kept locked for years, but it’s only letting you peek inside. That’s why it feels blurry, incomplete.”

“But I need to see it! I need to remember.”

“I know, baby.” Kenny’s voice was calm, a steady anchor against Aaron’s frantic energy. He glided his hands around Aaron’s neck, smoothing his thumbs over the tense muscles there, drawing him closer. “Forcing it won’t help. The more you push, the harder your mind fights back.”

Aaron clenched his jaw. “I want it out. I want to know.”

Kenny kissed him, chaste and soft. “There’s only one surefire way to retrieve suppressed memories.”

Aaron searched Kenny’s eyes. “You mean, hypnosis?”

Kenny nodded, apprehension in his gaze.

“Can you do that?”

“Can I? Yes. I’m trained. Should I? No.”

“Why not?”

“We’re too close. It should be someone independent.”

“I don’t want anyone else getting inside my head.”

“Ethically, I shouldn’t be going anywhere near your memories.”

“When has ethics ever stopped us, eh?

Kenny snorted. “It’s still very ill advised.”

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