He offered a small shrug in reply.
“I’ve been working on a small note, but I think along with your voice, and the piano, I could produce cover with the violin,” he said, grabbing the violin and setting it on his shoulder before he moved the bow along the strings, producing the first few notes of My Immortal. “The thing that we need to take careful of would be the timing and the harmonization.”
Amber listened to the notes he played before nodding slowly. "Yeah, definitely. I'm sure we could get it down easily with some practice."
William set his violin neatly against the couch, turning his gaze back to Amber, looking at her from head to toe. It hadn’t been a lie when he picked her as the girl he found the most attractive during the party. And maybe the other reason was that he knew they wouldn’t get along, so a kiss on the cheek wouldn’t make her in her over her head.
He shook his head.
“Any other instruments would you like to add in?”
Amber watched his gaze move down her body, and she raised her eyebrows. Did he seriously just do that? Really? They were supposed to be working, and he was checking her out?
"No, I think that's all we need. It'll sound good, I'm sure," she mused, pretending to have not noticed.
“Right,” he muttered. “I’ll check when the music room is open so we can practice.”
“Sounds good,” Amber said with a nod. She blinked a couple of times as she realized something. “Oh, I suppose you’ll need the key I’m singing it in so that you can practice, huh? It’s (insert some musical key).”
William nodded in understanding. He took out his phone, put down the college’s website and checked to see what time the music room would be free.
“There’s an open spot in about two hours,” he said, furrowing his eyebrows.
Amber hummed and checked the calendar on her phone to make sure she was free. “Okay, that works for me. Should I make something to eat first? Or should we eat after? Probably after…”
“If you’re hungry, then you can eat something,” William said simply. “You don’t have to worry about me.”
“I can wait. You just had practice, though, didn’t you?” Amber remembered. “You should probably eat something.”
“I can take care of myself,” William answered rather bitterly. He could feed himself. He didn’t need anyone’s help. “… I’ll eat in a while. You don’t have to worry.”
Amber hummed and narrowed herbeyes slightly at his tone. She was trying to be nice, but he didn’t seem to care… Of course he didn’t, he didn’t like her.
Well… Maybe he didn’t like her, but he at least found her attractive, as she’d found the other day at the party.
“Sure. I’ll be in my room until then,” she said, standing. “I’ll meet you there when it’s time.”
William, safely in the confines of his room, took his place on his bed, the violin in his shoulders.
Slowly, he began to swipe it across the strings, eyes closed, trying to find the right tune.
Amber yawned as she leaned back on her bed, pulling out some homework she had to do. She hummed along to the faint sounds of the violin coming from the other room. He was good, she’d give him that…
Finally, when he managed to find the right tune, William sat up straight, crossed his legs and set the bow back on the strings.
A sad, melodic tune began to play, softly, going deeper, shifting notes. William’s eyes remained shut as his fingers worked on the violin, giving him a sense of peace. The anger he’d held back, the irritation, everything began to dissolve. It was him, the violin, and the music he was producing.
As the music went on, Amber set her books and pencil down, closing her eyes as she listened. He was really good, actually… She didn’t know someone could be that good at violin…
Once the song finished, William sighed, setting the violin aside. He shifted on his bed, grabbed his phone and put on an alarm. They still had one hour and a half. He could sleep, regain his energy. Finding a comfortable position, William closed his eyes.
About an hour and a half later, Amber walked into the unoccupied music room, smiling as she looked around at all the instruments. What would it be like to play more of them? The piano was beautiful, of course, but she was just curious about how she would do at other things.
William looked across the music room, hands stuffed in his pockets. He still felt a little sleepy, which meant there were more chances of him feeling agitated.
He passed by a drum set as he was following Amber, walking over to it and grabbing the sticks. Deciding there would be no harm done, he twirled a stick around his fingers before he hit a drum, following an another, creating a small beat before he stopped.
“Right, we should start,” he set the sticks aside, his eyes going towards the piano. “You start first and I’ll join in with the violin.”
“Sounds good,” Amber hummed, still a little lost in her daydream.
She blinked and shook her head before making her way towards the piano. Sitting down at it, she played a few scales, smiling as the familiar sound washed over her. That was why she played; for that amazing sound…
William’s eyes observed Amber, as well as the smile that bloomed on her lips. She was truly serious about music, and he couldn’t help but appreciate that attitude.
Picking up the violin, he walked over to the piano and Amber.
“Should we start?”
Amber was torn out of the world of her music by her dorm-mate’s voice. She glanced up at him and nodded before looking back down at the piano.
“Yeah. Right. I’ll start now,” she murmured as she found the correct keys. She tested them a couple of times, chewing on her lip a bit, then started to play the song.
William leaned against the piano, bow on the strings, eyes closed.
She played exceptionally. The soft music of the piano warmed him up, slapping sleep away, pushing his bubbling irritation down. He’d only ever heard songs being played by someone else. He never heard anyone play simple music, and he couldn’t say he disliked it. It sent a sense of peace coursing through him.
Once she was a few lines into the song, she glanced over at William, her eyes holding a question.
"When were you going to add in the violin?" she wondered, the music under her fingers pausing as she spoke.
William opened his eyes the second the music stopped, glancing at her.
“When you start singing,” he responded. “Is when I’ll add it in.”