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She halts at the top of the steps, her hand pressed over her heart as she catches her breath. She loops the strap of her violin, pulling it tightly over her shoulder. “What the hell are you doing out here at this time? It’s freezing.”

“What have you been doing?” I deflect the conversation. My voice comes out shakier than I’d like, but that’s what two hours in almost freezing temperatures does to you.

“I’ve been practicing.”

“Come on. It’s late,” I say, dropping the cigarette butt and crushing it beneath the heel of my boot as I push off the wall.

My stiff joints groan from the cold, but I step directly right into her path. “I’m walking you back to your building.”

Ellise blinks, her gaze darting from me to the dark pathways.

“Oh no, you don’t need to do that. Really. It’s less than a ten-minute walk, Julian. I can manage.”

She moves to step around me, attempting to leave me behind.

Like hell is she shutting me down tonight. I haven’t been sitting out here for two hours, slowly turning into an ice sculpture just to be dismissed by her with a polite smile.

“I’ve been sitting on this miserable stone wall for almost two hours waiting for you to finish your little secret concert, Vance,” I say, my voice dropping into something sharp, the edge bordering a demand as I catch up with her. I step closer, until she has no choice but to look at me. “I’m walking you home.”

She lets out a small huff.

“Fine. But you didn’t answer my question. Why the hell have you been sitting out here for two hours? And, what are you even doing here this late anyway? You don’t exactly seem the type to visit Belrose after hours.”

Valid.

A week ago it would have stung my pride. Tonight, I don’t have the energy to lie.

“I couldn’t stay cooped up in my room any longer.” I admit, running a hand through my messy hair. “It was driving me fucking crazy. I turned down going to the Stave with Josh and the guys, and then I spent the next few hours sitting in the dark, staring at a wall, and questioning my life choices.”

Shut up, Julian.

What the hell are you doing? Change the subject.

I clear my throat. “Anyway. Why the midnight rehearsal?”

Ellise looks away, her eyes fixated on the path ahead as she undoes her messy bun, letting her hair flow freely over her shoulders.

“It wasn’t really a rehearsal. I… I needed a release. I came in intending to go over the last few bars of the Chopin because my head was all over the place, but then I got completely caught up in something else. To be honest, I don’t even know what I was playing. It was just noise. It was nothing.”

“It wasn’t just noise,” I counter instantly. “It sounded amazing, Ellise. It was perfect.”

We walk in silence. I don’t know what the fuck to say to her without sounding like a total freak.

Maybe this was a bad idea?

We reach the door to her building and she turns fully to face me, her brow curving upward as a slow smirk tugs the corner of her lips. It’s the first time she’s ever looked at me like this.

“You were watching me,” she states. It’s not a question. It’s a fact.

Shit.

I clear my throat, shifting my weight from one boot to the other as I try to salvage whatever is left of my goddamn dignity, which at this point isn’t a lot. “Well, I wouldn’t say watching Vance. Don’t flatter yourself.”

“Julian,” she says, her smirk widening. “I thought I heard something...”

“Right. Fine.” I rub the back of my neck and let out a defeated exhale. “I was walking down the corridor to the practice room. I do it sometimes late at night when I need to clear my head and get lost in the music. Then I heard your violin and decided to stay and listen for a few minutes. I wouldn’t say I was watching. Then I came out here and waited for you.”

Ellise’s smirk fades, replaced by something much softer, her blue eyes narrowing as she steps closer to me until I catch her vanilla scent.