A Little Bit Sharp

When I'm All Alone

Duetto Buffo Di Due Gatti, The Cat Duet, is an Italian piece and depicts a pair of cats having a conversation. Simple enough, until you hear the lyrics, or lyric. The only word throughout the entire song is “meow”, but spelled the Italian way.

“M-i-a-o” The gray haired guy began to sing, not a hint of amusement on his face. 

“M-i-a-o” The black haired performer continued the call and echo format of the song.

They continued on with their feline back and forth, never showing any emotion on their faces. As the song came to a finish the pair struck a ridiculous pose and hissed like cats before cracking huge smiles and exiting the stage. Their chaotic energy was contagious and I couldn’t help but giggle as the crowd applauded and the announcer thanked them for performing.

“ Thank you Bokuto Koutarou and Kuroo Tetsurou for that,uh...comical performance.”

One of the boys stuck a thumbs up out from behind the wings and a ripple of laughter went through the crowd. 

~~~~~

I walked back to my dorm alone. The autumn air was chilly but it felt nice after being around so many people for several hours. I checked my phone for the time, it was 9:47pm, not incredibly late, but I was exhausted. My head was still down as I rounded the last corner to my dorm, cutting close to the building, when I bumped into something. My head snapped up and, for the second time that night, I had bumped into a tall stranger. Although it was a different one this time. This boy had brown hair, perfectly swooshed out of his face and brown eyes that held a mischievous glint. He had a girl between him and the wall, his head bent down near her neck. Their faces were red, clearly in the middle of something. 

“Oh gosh! I’m so sorry!” I stepped back and apologized. The stranger gave me a weird look, not upset, but I couldn’t quite place it. I stepped to the side, clear of running into him again, tucked my head, and walked away. 

I couldn’t help but feel jealous of that girl. Not only because the boy she was with was handsome, but for the fact she had a relationship regardless. I hadn’t had a boyfriend since high school. When people asked why I wasn’t seeing anybody throughout college I would say it was because I was focusing on my studies, but the truth was, nobody had asked me out. I had put myself out there. I went to parties,clubs, social events set up by the school, but I never even made it close to talking to someone in a more than platonic way. I could never understand what it was about me that made any potential love interests stay away, and on a night like this, walking home alone, I knew those thoughts of self-loathing would keep me awake until far longer than when I lay down to sleep. 

I made it down the block to my dorm building and swiped my card to unlock the door. The lobby of the building was slightly warmer than outside, and empty. I made my way up the two flights of stairs to my room. I could see that the light was on from under the door. I put my key in the and turned the knob slowly, peeking in before fully entering.

Nobody had roomates, per say, but most of the dorms were adjoining rooms. We were supposed to keep the connecting doors locked but a fair amount of people didn’t, especially if they were close with their neighbor. That’s why, as I opened my door completely , I was not surprised to see Nishinoya lounging on my bed. Nishinoya Yuu was my neighbor this year. He was a year older than me, but it was hard to tell due to his young face and small stature.

As he laid on my bed, propped up by pillows, he held his phone horizontally in one hand and had the other draped behind his head. His eyes were wide as he watched whatever video was playing on his phone. He glanced up as I walked in the door.

“Oh h-hey Y/N!” Noya stammered out as he shoved his phone under the pillow, clearly flustered. “How was your concert thing?” Noya was a music ed major so he didn't have to go to Fall Show. 

“It was fine. What were you watching that’s got you so messed up?” Noya sat criss-crossed and fidgetted his hands in his lap.

“What do you mean? I’m fine, hehe.” In the awkward silence I could hear the music of the video still playing on Noya’s phone.

 It sounded like classical music, which was surprising because, although he was a music major, Noya hated the classical genre. I shot my arm under the pillow to grab the device. I gazed down at the video of a boy playing a harp and knew what was going on. I handed Noya his phone back. 

“You really need to talk to him.” The “him” was Noya’s ex boyfriend. He had been in the conservatory, but dropped out because he couldn’t handle the pressure. 

“I have nothing to say to him. He threw his life away, he threw me away. I’m not going to chase someone who clearly doesn’t care about me.” Noya flopped in my desk chair and pouted.

 I knew he didn’t mean what he was saying, he always got mopy and harsh after reminiscing. I glanced over at him after changing into my pajamas. The sadness in his eyes was heartbreaking.

“Do you want to sleep here tonight?” Nishinoya hopped up with a new light in his eyes.

“Like a sleepover?! Of course!” We’d had sleepovers before but his excitement for them never wavered. 

I was happy that this seemed to cheer him up and, after my own run in with loneliness this evening, I didn’t think either of us wanted to be alone.