ᴀ.ᴍ. ☼ (N.J.H.)

☼ I ☼

   ☼ ᴏ ɴ ᴇ ☼
S  T  E  L  L  A

I sighed as the daily PA announcement sounded through the whole building, exactly as the clock struck 5:30 in the evening.

"Attention all staff and welcomed guests, thank you for visiting..." I tuned out the polite message to say the studios were closing to the public immediately as it started.

It might've been the last day I worked before my Christmas break began, but I still hadn't finished mixing the project quite the way I wanted. Even though my supervisor, Derrick, had assured me that it didn't need to have it done before I left, I wanted it completed. Anxiety wouldn't let me live if I didn't, and I wanted to spend my break worry-free. I had sacrificed two years of Christmas and Spring breaks to go back home to Ireland for a few weeks this year, and I didn't plan on spending a minute of it thinking about work. So here I was, finishing this track so I could submit it for final listen. I had no idea how long this overtime would extend to, since it was all up to the person sitting behind me whether it was finished or not.

That was maybe the only thing I didn't like about my job: the approval as to whether the song was finished was not up to me; it was up to the artist. Even that wasn't really bad to me, though. I made sure that the label this company worked with allowed their musicians to have the final call on how the song sounded. Before I chose to apply here as more than in intern, I had interned at several more labels that had let a manager make the final decision; I loathed that. In my opinion, it took away  choice that rightfully belonged to a music maker. If you take away that option, the music isn't truly theirs.

The singer perched on the couch me sighed. "Is it done yet?" She asked. I could see her check her phone screen for the time. I shook my head. "Really, Stella, you don't have to finish it today. Don't stay longer just because of my song. It can wait till you get back."

"No, no, no," I paused the playback of the song in my headphones. "Wade wants it done before January first. I'm in Ireland till the 7th, at least. I'm not working whilst I'm on break. That's the whole point of it being a break. I take a break from work."

"Then someone else can finish it," She countered.

I declined again. "I've been working with you since you started a year ago. No one else knows exactly what you mean and what you want when you describe it like I do. I know you and your ear the best, I'll do it. It's easier for everyone that way. I'll finish it really soon, I think I've almost got it the way you want it. I'm also adding some things you may like with it, I can take them out easily if you don't."

She rolled her eyes, a hint of a smile emerging. "You aren't going to let me win, are you?"

I grinned back at her, resuming the playback. "Nope."

A few minutes later, she was taking off my headphones. "It's great. I love it."

"You swear you aren't just saying that because you want me to stop?"

"I'm not, Stella. I really love it. I think it's as close to perfect as it's going to get."

"Really? Because I could add a few things to make it-"

"Stella..." The warning tone in her voice cut me off.

"Fine," I laughed, saving the MP3 file and shutting off my laptop.

She and I gathered our things and met at the door to the hallway. She brought me in for a hug. "So where is this extended break being spent?" She asked, letting me go.