I was so glad school was finally out. It had been long and tiring in particular today, and I needed a rest. A well-needed rest. Walking up to the front door of my house, I thought about how badly I wanted to go to my room, fall face-down on my bed, and forget about everything.

I entered the house and shut the door quietly behind me, not wanting to disturb anyone. To be honest, my main concern around being quiet was to ensure that I wouldn't be the one who was disturbed by my family. I didn't have it in me to have a conversation with any of them about how my day had been. I just wanted to be alone.

Moving down the hallway as silently as possible, I peered into the living room to see if anyone was there. To my relief, not a soul. Just the furnished room glowing from the golden light of the sun beyond the big bay windows. On better days, I would sit there and read a book, or work on my homework while overlooking the cliffs below. It was a pretty view to be sure, but I just wasn't in the mood today.

I passed my sister Yuna's room before my parent's. Both doors were closed, making it all the easier for me to move uninterrupted down the hallway leading to my room. Nobody must have been home since I hadn't heard a sound from the moment I'd entered the house. Usually someone was in the kitchen or in the dining room, eating or working. Not today. Pushing my door open uncerimoniously, I threw my bag on the floor and fell face first onto my bed. It was good to finally stop moving or thinking. Letting the emotions of the day wash over me like one of the waves down on the beach below, I stayed facedown for a while. I don't know how long exactly, but in time I began to calm down. And that's when I heard it: a note. Faint at first, but when I listened again, I knew my ears weren't lying to me. I could hear someone on the piano in the music room.

The music room was all the way down at the end of the hall, just before the laundry and the door to the backyard. It had all the instruments you would expect; an upright piano in the center, a selection of varied guitars along one wall, and opposite them was a single violin hanging off a wall hook.

Again with the music... So much for being home on my own. At first it was just some practice scales, so I couldn't be sure who it was, but soon enough I could hear the song Short Hair being played in a soft and smooth way, so I knew it must be Yuna. She must have been in her room quietly studying when I got back. I liked Yuna, she was always kind to me, watching out for me when I was out of my depth, and would care about my wellbeing. So as I heard her continue to play on the piano I began to make my way down the hall to the music room, wrapping my blanket around me to keep warm in the cooling temperature of the evening.

Halfway there, I passed the bathroom and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I looked like a nightmare. My hair was messed up, and my eyes were red from nearly crying earlier, but it's not like I was going to go talk to my sister, I was just going to go closer to hear her play. It was always soothing to hear Yuna play the piano, and that's why I was walking over to hear her better.

When I finally got to the threshold of the music room, I could hear Yuna's voice softly singing the song as she played it; she had such an angelic sound. That was one of the many things I loved about my big sister. She could always make any song beautiful just by singing it. Suddenly I realized I'd been so caught up in appreciating Yuna's solo performance that I had wandered right through the doorway of the music room instead of staying out of sight behind the wall like I had planned. Yuna looked up from the piano, not skipping a beat, and flashed me a huge smile. She nodded towards the bench on which she was sitting. After I hesitated to move, she nodded again, and I finally began to make my way over to her, shuffling my feet across the floor.

She could see me. She could tell my day had been bad and that I had been a mess. Yet she invited me to come sit with her and spend time with her. She truly was a wonderful sister. I sat down on the bench next to the blonde girl.

She didn't ask me questions, and she didn't pry. All she did was continue playing one of my favorite songs in her own soothing way, and before I knew it, I was resting my head on her shoulder, humming Short Hair along with her.

"Hey," she said softly, during a section without singing, "I love you."

A smile slowly crept across my face for perhaps the first time that day as I replied, "I love you too, Yuna."

We sat there together for the better part of the evening, playing different songs and singing together, watching the sun set over the seaside. Just her and I, sharing our time with each other.

My sister Yuna is such a lovely person, and I'm glad she is part of my family. I love her to pieces, and I'm always glad for the times we get to share in the music room at the end of the hall.