The cold winter air had long ago stopped bothering Michael, after he had become too preoccupied by what he was out there to do. He had spent the better part of the evening finishing a new piece, and by the time he’d finished, it was too late for him to be playing his cello in the dorm. He’d considered going to bed at that point, but before he had even climbed under the covers, he’d known that he wouldn’t be able to sleep until he got to try playing his new piece, and started working out any kinks that it might have. It was at that point that he’d gathered his cello, and his sheet music, and headed out onto the campus ground to find a spot where he could play without having to worry about waking anyone up, and, by consequence, giving his housemates reasons to hate him on his first night there.
Now, sitting on top of a picnic table with his sheet music sprawled in front of him, he sincerely wished he could have just gone to bed. Although he had already gone through the piece at least a dozen times, making adjustments to his sheet music as he went, he still wasn’t satisfied. “Ever the perfectionist” He said to himself bitterly as he scratched out a couple bars, and rewrote them with his most recent amendments. Sighing deeply, he gave a shake of his head picked up his cello and tried it again. The tune was somber, and it told the story of grief and heartbreak; the story that most of his pieces seemed to tell these days. Maybe that was the problem. Perhaps he was just sick of hearing the same mood with every piece he played? Yet what could he do about it? In his heart of hearts, all he could feel was grief and heartbreak. Finishing the piece again, he groaned with frustration and gave a shake of his head. As he leaned forward to make further adjustments, he froze as he heard the sound of footsteps from near by and glanced up to see a beautiful young woman who was walking in his direction; and based on how close she was, she had likely heard him playing a moment before. “You’re not some ghost girl of the campus who’s here to kill me are you?” He called out in question with a bit of a chuckle. “I mean, you look pretty solid to me, but..I don’t know...it’s pretty late for anyone living to be out here.”