However Soft Your Symphony

i can't be on this planet alone

Maisy had applied to several schools across the country in the months prior to her eighteenth birthday. She didn’t have too much of a plan as far as her future, or anything she felt she was particularly good at, so it really didn’t matter where she ended up. She sent out applications all over the place, just in case she found her soulmate or at least a lead. It was a good idea in theory, but now her small stack of acceptance letters ranging from New York City to Chicago to Los Angeles just made her despondent mood grow larger and larger until it felt like it was all weighing her down.

In the end, she picked UCLA, although it was more of an act of desperation than anything else, due to the fact that she was well aware that Theo Kemp resided in Los Angeles. Of course, she never told anybody the reason why she chose LA. She would repeatedly make up excuses. She liked the sun, UCLA has a good so-and-so program and maybe she’d be interested in pursuing it, she just needed to get away for awhile, and so forth. Maisy could tell that her parents and friends saw right through this, but what was she going to tell them? They asked about her wrist cuff constantly, but Maisy’s answer was always the same. “It’s just not going to work out.” Eventually, people stopped asking.

LA was a lot nicer than Maisy had expected. The sun was constantly shining, and a rainy day was a rarity. Her school was comfortable and Maisy felt at home with her classmates and professors. Even her roommate was surprisingly pleasant. Her names was Mei, and she was a Romanticist with absolutely no intention of ever falling in love, which was honestly refreshing for Maisy. Although she probably could’ve done without the multiple times she’d approached their dorm only to find a tie or a sock around the doorknob.

When Maisy finally met Theo, she had been in LA for two years, and at that point in her life, Maisy was happier than she had been in a very long time. The City of Angels was treating her well. She had chosen to become a philosophy major, and the more she progressed with her studies, the more she was able to see what a good fit it was. She was finally genuinely happy. And then Theo came along.

Their first meeting was absolutely nothing like Maisy would have expected.

It was a Monday, insanely early. Maisy stopped by her regular coffee shop as she did every weekday to get her dose of caffeine so that she wouldn’t actually fall asleep during her classes. She ordered her regular iced coffee, and then promptly turned around and started for the door, not paying too much attention to her surroundings.

She just barely saw somebody trip out of the corner of her eye, stumbling towards her and splashing steaming coffee on her bare arm. Maisy gasped in surprise, looking down at her forearm with wide eyes.

“Shit! I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean-”

“No, no. It’s alright, I swear. Just-” Maisy glanced up at the man for a quick second to offer a polite smile. As soon as she looked away, she felt her heart sink to the pit of her stomach as she realized that she recognized that face. She looked up suddenly, stunned beyond words to see herself face to face with Theo Kemp. She almost gasped, or yelled, or said something, but the increasing pain in her arm prevented her from doing anything of the sort. “It, uh. Might have burned my skin a little bit. Or maybe a lot bit. Oh my god, ow.”

“Oh, god. I’m so sorry. Here, let’s just...” Theo placed his hand on Maisy’s lower back, causing her heart to do somersaults and pirouettes, and led her to the back of the coffee shop, where there were two public bathrooms. Theo led her into one of them, closing the door behind them. Maisy eyed him, a bit skeptical.

“This is the women’s restroom.”

Theo just stared at her, slightly amused. “Your skin is almost purple and your hands are shaking too much to do anything about it. Also, I’m the only one in this city who gives a damn.”