Exiting her drawing placement exams, she hoped to pass at least into the second level course and not have to be taught again how to hold a pencil, but she wasn't hopeful, Miryana saw a student sitting on a bench in the front of the building, rather than joining the rest of the crowd hurrying to lunch.
Curious, Miryana sat next to him. She had promised herself she'd attempt to meet more people. And she liked his mane of golden-brown hair. <too cliche? Meh. If it is, I'll fix later.>
“Hi, my name's Miryana.”
“Theo,” he replied. She extended her hand for a shake, but he pulled her in for a quick hug. “I'm a hugger. I hope you don't mind.”
In hindsight, she didn't. She hadn't been hugged in years, other than by Miss Kemp, her favorite teacher, the day of her last class. It felt nice to have arms around her, even for a second. And she thought he smelled nice. Not like anything in particular, just pleasant. “Not at all. It's good to meet you.”
They sat in silence. She mulled over things to say.
“What are you—” “How do you—” They spoke at the same time.
“You first, milady,” Theo grinned.
“What are you majoring in?” The icebreaker of tradition for freshmen on orientation week.
“I don't know yet. I think I'm going to try things out and see what catches my attention. You?”
“Dance, modern and classical. I might minor in singing. I don't know if I'm good enough.” Before he could say anything, she continued. “That's strange though. I didn't realize they let students enter without a focus.”
He shrugged. She felt the movement against her shoulder. “I've tried a little of this and a little of that. Some writing. Some painting. Some composing. Some instruments. It's all fun. Why choose before I have to?” He stood up abruptly. This time he offered his hand. “You like singing, right? Can I show you something I found.”
She took it although she didn't need the support. His hand felt nice. Warm, with the calluses you'd expect of a guitarist. The palms were rough and soft at the same time. She let the touch linger for a moment more than necessary, and her fingers trailed along his as she pulled away.
Theo strode off through the grounds. He walked purposefully and quickly. Sometimes he hesitated when he came to a branch, but they eventually made their way to a building made of the same red brick as the rest of the campus buildings. They'd been making light conversation about the previous days and orientation. Miryana had just finished gushing over Mme Bisset's performance.
They entered a room full of couches and students. The walls were paneled in a dark wood, and the floor with simple tile. Furniture was placed on multiple tiers to separate activity while still allowing any person to be engaged with anyone else. There were small groups talking. Some people were busy reading or drawing or engaging in another solitary pursuit. There was a buzz of conversation and the occasional laugh but nothing too loud.
Notably, a piano stood atop the highest platform.
“Excellent.” Theo sat at the piano. A few watched him pass. Miryana hesitated, but his hand signals urged her to join him.
He started to play. She recognized the song. It was the duet from a popular musical. The intro passed and she waited for him to begin the first verse. He didn't. He cycled back to the intro and this time she caught on. Her lyric soprano was a good fit for the piece and she liked the music. She joined in gladly. Theo joined in on the descant <is that right?>. He had a pleasant tenor. It was brassy and a touch more showboaty than she preferred. He could probably use some work with a voice coach, she noted. But it harmonized well with hers as they traded lines.
The song built to the finale. She stood behind Theo, almost draped on him. The song demanded as much. The final notes burst forth. The chords lingered on the piano.
Warm hands cupped her face. Her eyes were closed. Theo's lips touched her own. Dimly, she could hear applause that turned to hoots of approval. His lips were firm, tenderly pressing deft touches. She moved closer to him so one hand could feel his broad back. He pulled her onto his lap, not breaking contact even as she gasped in surprise. He took the opportunity for his tongue to delicately enter her mouth. It wasn't forceful. She knew she could always back away if she needed to. She didn't want to.
Her tongue met his and zings of electricity shot around her body all the way to her toes. She groaned and opened her mouth wider, trying to match his movements.
Someone was tapping her shoulder.
She tried ignoring it.
The person pulled her back, which broke her focus. “Alright, break it up you two. The song was nice, but we didn't come here for a show.” The woman was wearing a student mentor's badge. She was smiling though, and didn't seem bothered.
Flustered, Miryana tried to apologize. The woman, Birgitte according to her badge, just shrugged. “It happens. Try to keep it to your room from now on, alright?'
Theo had made a perfunctory apology, but he seemed satisfied to keep her on his lap even when she'd made a half-hearted effort to stand. “I don't suppose you'd like to do what the nice lady says and take this to my room, would you?”
Miryana hadn't had much experience, but she knew what the firmness digging into her thighs meant. She wiggled a little and was rewarded with a muffled groan. “Let's go.”