Music was blaring in the background as JC twisted dials and inched up the sound of the drums as he tried to find the right balance to the song.  It was a new band that he was producing and he wanted their first song to be absolutely perfect.  Nothing else would do.  He was alone in the basement studio, everyone else had gone home hours ago since it was now after midnight LA time. 

This was the perfect time to work in JC’s mind.  No one around to disturb him, no executives hanging over his shoulder trying to steer the creative process, no musicians nervously singing the same line over and over again.  No one but him…him and the music. 

Punching another button caused the room to become completely silent.  He leaned back in the chair and took a deep breath.  He tried to cleanse his mind of the thoughts buzzing.  Once he was satisfied that he could concentrate on only the music, he leaned up and pushed yet another button. 

The swell of the music pulsed through his body, completely overwhelming him and overtaking his senses.  He stacked his hands behind his head as he closed his eyes and experienced.  He made a mental note to turn down the bass about a minute in the song.  The last beat of the song held strong then faded away in the stillness of the studio.  His heart rate slowed to normal again as he relaxed for the first time all day. 

He was almost happy with the song; he would make the change that he had noted then call it a night.  He would give it another day, taking the opportunity to sleep on it and listen again in the morning, fresh. 

He was always like this when a new song or band worked its way into his life.  It took over everything and pushed anything unnecessary aside.  Even food became secondary.  Time stood still as he worked and often he was surprised by the lateness of the hour when he finally surfaced. 

After making the change and saving his work, he grabbed his jacket that he had thrown over the back of his chair and whipped it around his shoulders, shoving his arms through the sleeves, turning off the light as he left the room.  The sound of a vacuum was the only noise as he made his way through the hallway and up the stairs to the lobby. 

His footsteps echoed in the openness as he crossed the shiny marble floor.  Shoving open the door, he quickly zipped his coat against the chill of the night.  The stars were shining brightly tonight and he took a moment to appreciate the vastness of the universe.  Out of the corner of his eye, he caught movement and he turned just in time to see a falling star descend then burn out.  Wrinkling his nose and closing his eyes, he made the same wish he always made when he saw the first star of the night or blew out his birthday candles. 

A wish that no one knew about – one that he would never admit to anyone.