you walked to the rehearsal area, your heart practically beating out of your chest while your face was calm and seemingly unbothered. Your hands shaking, you unlatched your cello case and since it looked like there was nobody there, you set up and began to practice a song you had recently composed. you knew you should be practicing for the performance, but you felt like playing your most recent piece. you were proud of it, after all.
eyes closed, shoulders relaxed, and fingers that had finally stopped shaking, you readied your bow and swayed to the beat of the music you had created inside you. unbeknownst to you, someone was standing in the shadows, slack-jawed and features full of wonder, while the very first note echoed around the room.
you played, and the music coming from that wonderful instrument was akin to the sound of your very own voice. your features broadened into a smile as you reached the climax of the piece, hair glistening even in the dim lights of the practice space. you had never felt more happy than you did in this moment. but - that was about to change.
a slow clap resonated from the building, a beautiful woman stepping out from the shadows with a surprised - but awed - smile on her face.
"damn, girl! if i knew you were that good, i'd have asked you to play with me a lot sooner!"
your face heated up. your mind clouded. you almost dropped your bow. practically choking on your words, you managed to get out a stuttered, "xinyan! hi!" a nervous chuckle escaped your lips. "umm... so how long exactly have you been here?"
she then proceeded to remark something about how she was only here long enough to hear that "goddamn beautiful" solo, and ranted on about everything she enjoyed about the piece. however, you stopped listening in the middle of the rant, embarrassed but also a little proud.
beautiful. she said beautiful. if only she would say that about you.
you snapped out of your trance as she asked you if you were ready. after all, the show was starting soon and you needed to rehearse. after that experience, you wondered if you'd ever really be ready for anything, so with a small nod, you gave her the signal to stride confidently to the practice area, pull up her guitar, and wait for you to get ready yourself with a wistful smile on her stunningly made up face, her hair pulled to the sides in two ponytails. she really never failed to make you blush, did she?
shaking off your state of shock, you advanced to the playing area, set up, and nodded at her before you two began your duet. striking a note on her guitar, she began playing, and you followed along. you really loved the harmony in this piece, and it was clear she did too. the joy set in, and you felt one with her, like two souls had moulded together and created one fiery red musical note.
you nodded at her, your lips quirked up in a smile, and the two of you used your pyro visions to create a small display to go with the ending of your song. it wasn't big enough or close enough to the ground to do any harm, but it was definitely beautiful enough to make you look in awe at the dancing flames. she looked too, but what she thought was really beautiful was the sight of your face. illuminated by the light of the inferno blazing just above you, you looked practically ethereal. you turned to her just in time to catch her turning away with a largely visible blush on her face.
you were the first to speak. "well, we should go to the performance area now. the crowd is waiting for us!"
you were met with a shy nod and you smiled at how cute she was. then, you steadied your thoughts because you had to focus on the performance. the two of you left for the performance area, and you softly grabbed her hand with an anxious smile. you walked like this until you reached the area.
you and xinyan took a deep breath, and walked in.
"Time to Rock!" she said as she entered the stage. she gave you the signal to set up, and you did. and then, the curtains were opened.
you played, and note after note resonated in your heart. you were filled with joy and passion as you and xinyan performed the song that, conveniently, the two of you wrote together.
the final line went out with a bang as your pyro visions collided together, creating an even bigger display than they did before. eyes blazing with joy, you and xinyan bowed and waved to the crowd before exiting the stage.
but just after you left, xinyan leaned in, her usually assured and happy countenance covered in a vulnerable expression (you thought it was adorable, honestly), and moved, ever closer, towards your lips. you nodded, and as your lips connected, you could still hear the display the two of you put on outside.
internal pyrotechnics were forming inside you in a vivid extravaganza of feelings. but nonetheless - you enjoyed it.