Tegan was still awake in her bedroom when the cello playing began. She'd been reading a book, but let it rest against the quilt as she listened, glad that it was her wall that adjoined the apartment next door, and not her brothers'. She closed her eyes and turned her head a bit toward the window she had opened a few inches, able to hear the sound resonating in the alley.
The song lasted a few minutes, and she found herself smiling. After taking a breath, waiting a moment to see if the song was truly over, she reached back behind her head and knocked as softly as she could on the wall. It was hardly a protest, just an acknowledgment of a neighbor on the other side of the wall.