The winter air smelled faintly of coffee and ink. It hummed with the potential of unbound creativity. The piano nestled in a corner, reflected the glow of the moon which hung outside the studio. Besides that, the only glimmer in the room was from the warm yellow strip lights and musical minds hard at work.

I fidgeted with a pen between my fingers, anxiety flooding my senses as my brain racked its compartments for ideas, only to be disappointed by a misty haze, which people often termed as the ‘writer’s block’.

Michael looked at me expectantly waiting for my ‘eureka’ moment. He sat on a couch now covered with crumpled paper, with his fingers crossed, a futile superstition if you ask me, because I had no idea how we should end the song.

Michael and I had been working on this song for almost nine months now. We had stayed awake for countless nights, solely dependent on caffeine and youthful enthusiasm of releasing our debut. It was all coming together like a beautiful harmony; the director had approved our concept and we had started the trial recordings too.

The problem befell when as we were officially about to complete the composition, we could not formulate the perfect ending. The both of us have been desperately attempting to end the song but have been failing miserably.

“Leahhhhhh! This is draining the life out of my soul” complained Michael, dragging my name like a toddler throwing tantrums.

“Michaelllllll…… Shut up!” I replied, imitating his childish actions.  

We both shared a chuckle before falling back in a dreadful silence which screamed of our ineptitude.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes, trying to feel every word of the song. I eliminated all my thoughts and focused on the meaning of what I wrote. That’s when it struck me, like a bolt of lightning on a stormy day.

I cried out of joy, flinging myself out of my chair and onto Michael who shrieked out of astonishment, barely balancing himself. I hastily scribbled the lyrics on whichever paper I could find. The fear that I would forget the words the second I stopped raged through my veins.

Michael looked at me with admiration and exhilaration, pulling me into a tight hug. Later, he typed the complete song and mailed it to our music director, while I let my exhaustion conquer my excitement and fell in a deep slumber.

***

I bit my nails restlessly, awaiting the release of my song worldwide. The summer heat made my wait feel even longer.

‘Oh yes! Oh yes! It’s here’ , i jumped up and down excitedly, tapping vigorously on the link.

Michael’s face alone adorned the cover picture, but I was okay with that. But then, I searched for my name in the credits and I swear I could see the picture wink at me.

Turns out my song wasn’t the only thing that was played that day, I was too.