Get A Room!

~:*:~ Forty-One ~:*:~

Bright

I practised all day and well into the evening. Over and over, the simple melody of 'Heart and Soul' came pouring out of my room. I'm sure if classes had already started then someone would have banged on my door to shut up so they could study. But since it was the last few days of frosh week, people just left me alone to practice.

At around nine at night, someone finally interrupted my practice session by lightly knocking on the door. I was so caught up in my work that I'd forgotten for a moment that I was shutting out the world. I got up without a second thought and swung the door open wide.

Jedson was surprised to see me answer so easily. I realized my blunder and tried to rectify it by slamming the door in his face. He shot his hand out to push back, and then slipped into my room with a triumphant smile.

"What do you want, Jedson?" I asked as I moved back to the piano to pretend like I planned to continue, even though my fingers were aching and I was getting hungry.

As if he knew that I was done for the day and in need of sustenance, he held up a bag with burgers and fries. "Got any sodas in that mini-fridge?"

"Help yourself."

He pulled out two drinks and proceeded to set the food out on my desk. When the smell became overwhelming, I reluctantly gave in and joined him to eat.

"I stopped by earlier..."

I looked up at him apologetically. "I didn't hear you knocking."

He shook his head and admitted, "I never did. I just wanted to make sure you got my gift." He gestured to the piano and the sheet music, and then turned back to me. "I stood outside your door to listen. You sounded great."

"It's not that hard... 'Heart and Soul' is just a beginner's song."

"But you said you haven't played since you were eight... so I suppose you had to learn the basic keys all over again. And then you had to spice it up with the little changes for 'Play That Song'... so take the compliment, Bright! You sounded great."

"Thank you..." I said sheepishly as I'm sure my cheeks turned red, "... for the compliment and the gift." I paused before adding the last bit, "And for the door..."

"I'm sorry they did that to you."

"It's not your fault. And it's not like they were completely wrong." I played with my fries, mortified by my actions. "I probably shouldn't have given them so much ammunition in the first place... all those pictures were of me following you around. So STALKER seems like the appropriate label for me."

"I followed you around the other day too, Bright! And I'm sure if you'd been competing in any sporting events, I would have been in the stands cheering you!"

"Congratulations, by the way."

He smiled with great pride. "Thanks." He leaned forward to bring his face close to mine, and then spoke in a tender tone, "I knew you were watching me long before the photos were released. You're not as stealthy as you think, but honestly I was glad for it. Seeing you there made me want to try harder... I wanted to win to impress you."

"Jedson..." My voice was barely above a whisper, and I didn't move my face away from his. I could feel his breath on my lips, and it made me tremble.

"Bright..." His gaze darted from my eyes to my lips, and then back up again. He slowly moved his hand towards my face to caress my cheek.

He was going to kiss me. I had a feeling that's where we were heading.

And what's worse? I found myself wanting to kiss him back.