When the Violin Sings

Chapter 8

October, 1 Year Earlier

The autumn winds whistled through the cracks of the old shed that was tucked away in the corner of the street and shielded by trees. Luckily, Noel was kept warm inside with a blanket tucked around her waist. Under the glow of one of her lanterns, she worked on an assignment due the next day. It was different sitting here near the end of October. Because this time, she wasn't alone.

Riley was seated on the wooden crate above her, chatting to her about her nerves for her upcoming solo at a small concert put on by the university. Noel listened intently, even if her gaze was on her written assignment. Riley could talk for hours, and Noel wouldn't mind. She liked to listen. It made her feel less alone.

The intention had not originally been to hang out here almost daily. For the most part, Noel had been content going to lunch with Riley after their rehearsal. Those conversations were light, and the food, while not spectacular, was always a topic of discussion. But those meetings were short, and the conversation, surface-level. Noel would always depart feeling like they hadn't really talked about anything at all.

After Riley had followed her to the shed that day in early October, she had followed her the next day, and the day after that. Now, it was simply just expected to spend an hour or two in the shed before heading home. Noel had grown to like this tradition, even if Riley was worried she was cutting into Noel's solo time. Noel assured her it wasn't so much that she liked being alone when she stayed away from the house. It was that she needed somewhere to be that she felt comfortable. Whether or not she had a visitor in her secret hiding spot didn't matter to her.

"You mind if I practice?" Riley asked.

Noel shook her head. She always kept her violin away during these hours since she would always become all too familiar with its sounds in the evening from practicing, either with the city or at the request of her mother. While Noel was free to pick up the violin whenever she wanted while here, she preferred to leave it in its case.

Riley, however, was excited to play.

Noel set her pencil down and glanced up as Riley tuned her violin. Then, she began to play. Sweet, soft sounds like flowing honey poured from the instrument. Noel leaned her head against the wooden crate she was sitting against. When she heard these sounds, she thought of the first time she heard the violin and how beautiful the instrument had sounded to her. It made her think of why she had picked one up in the first place and the emotions she had felt when playing that first tune. Noel was so lost in the music that she almost felt she could fall asleep. That was until Riley stopped playing.

Noel's eyes lazily opened. She glanced upward at Riley. "Why'd you stop?" she asked.

"Sorry. Didn't realize you were enjoying it so much," Riley said with a chuckle. A silence settled between them. Noel expected her to continue playing, but Riley spoke instead. "I like it when I play for you. You look happy."

Noel felt her cheeks grow warm. "It does make me happy."

"I still think about what you said to me, the first day I met you. And I think about how you spoke about the violin like it was mechanical. I notice you're never eager to practice when we're here. You seem to like it when I pull out my own violin though," Riley noted.

Noel still did not know Riley that well. Their interactions outside of school were minimal, and sometimes she felt she still knew little about the girl besides the fact they both played violin. Noel's guard had been up so long that it almost felt easy bringing it down, however. She wondered if it would have been this easy with anyone else.

"I don't feel a spark anymore," Noel admitted.

"Spark?" Riley asked.

"You know, that spark you get when you're playing, when you're listening to the music and thinking how you've created that sound. My fingers used to tingle and my eyes used to close slightly, and I just felt so much joy. Even though I must've been awful during my first recital when I was a kid, I just remember feeling so happy afterwards. I couldn't wait to practice the next day," Noel thought. "It seems silly now."