The Beginning of a Change - Part 2

He floated to the origin of the melody and saw the bespectacled brunette drowning in the audio pieces that she played. What he heard was whimpering pleas for help; it felt that she struggled to battle her personal demons and it was consumed her alive. He felt his throat tightened as he wanted to comfort her in her miserable state. He wanted to soothe the fears that she harbored and whisper that the pain was just a temporary bleak in life.

Not wanting to risk being reprimanded for the unplanned interruption, he leaned against the railing and patiently waited as the music now began to tease his dancing feet. She took a wide tangent and settled for happier, upbeat songs instead. Yet, he waited until she was finished with the piano before slithering over to approach her.



“Hey.” He cleared his throat.

Michelle glanced up from the piano keys. “Just give me a second to compile my piano sheets and the piano will be all yours.”

He saw that her eyes were rimmed red from what he presumed was sorrow. “Oh, no worries. Take your time.” He spoke nervously. “Um, I actually wanted to compliment you for the beautiful presentation. You see, I was at the other side, trying to complete my assignment but couldn’t focus. I gave up and decided to be an audience.”

“Thank you, uh…” Michelle paused, realizing that she did not know that the guy had a name.

He sensed her thoughts and offered a handshake with a smile. “Mike.”

“Ah, Mike.” Michelle rose to full her height and accepted the proffered hand. “I’m Michelle. Nice to meet you.”

“It’s my pleasure.”

“Look, I’m sorry for having disturbed you earlier, Mike.” Giving voice to her suspicions, she continued. “I take it that you’re a student from Adelaide University?”

Mike nodded.

“What faculty are you in?”

“Oh, I’m doing an arts degree. What about you?”

She gulped. “I’m in law.”

“Wow, that’s interesting.” He suddenly caught a glimpse of his watch and sighed. “I’d love to stay back, but I’ve a tute to catch. Will you still be here in about an hour’s time?”

“No, I’m actually leaving in a short while. How about this? Perhaps we could catch up with each other on Facebook, if you use it?”

“Yeah, sure.” He whipped out his iPhone from the front pocket of his jeans. “What’s your Facebook name?”

“Michelle Charlotte.”

She saw him fiddling with the iPhone before he nodded. “Alright, I’ve just added you. Thanks so much, Michelle.”

“No problem! Have fun with your tute, Mike!”

While Michelle gathered her things from the piano and shoved them into her Kipling, she couldn’t believe that a stranger, although a fellow student in the same university, complimented her on her piano skills. Compliments to her were as rare as truffels. She was always at the receiving end of ridicules and reprimands, be it over her piano skills or her song choices.

“This is going to be interesting,” she muttered under her breath before wrinkling her brows. “Wait, did he ram his words together?!”