Dylan
Looking down at my notepad, I sighed intently. Class was ending now and I had barely jotted down two bullet points. One of my notes contained at least four question marks; that's three question marks too many for a single sentence. My day had began with me oversleeping because I had been up all night with Kai playing video games, and now: question marks.
Lack of sleep or not, I never understand what is going on in class. Most people in this class were here because they wanted to be, but I wasn't so sure. The professor unplugged his laptop, promising to upload the PowerPoint onto the student portal later, but I knew deep within me that I would never be checking that PowerPoint back over, despite being clueless throughout class.
Taking out my headphones, I pressed play on some music before dragging myself to the student café. I bought myself a vanilla milkshake, bopping my head, before settling into a booth and reaching to take out my lunch, but it wasn't there. Most places on campus sold food that I didn't like, so I always packed myself lunch to eat on campus, but due to oversleeping I had forgotten it. Sulking, I eyed the food board in the café with disdain. My heart was pounding as I mulled over my options. I suppose I could ask for just chips.
Somebody tapped my shoulder and I flinched, jumping away as I looked up in shock. Usually I ate here everyday with Kai, but it was Nate who was stood in front of me today. Peeling my headphones off of my head, I accidentally let the music leak from the headphones and into the noise of the busy café.
"Nate?" I asked in confusion, wide eyed.
"Your lunch, you forgot it." He placed my lunchbox in front of me, "I walk past you eating here with Kai enough to know it's a daily occurrence."
Since I had only spoken a few words to Nate, I couldn't quite fathom the fact he had picked up on my little routines. He must have noticed my lunchbox in the fridge the night before classes everyday and realised it was left behind this morning. It was surprisingly considerate of him. I had kind of expected to never speak to Nate again until we moved out and he forgot I existed.
I mean, if University was the feudal system then Nate would be the king at the top and I would be right down at the bottom with the farmers.
Stilled with surprised, I glanced around the café and back to my lunchbox, trying to find the words to say something. Usually I just eat lunch with Kai and talk endlessly with him about whatever game we were playing before heading to a lecture or something, so I wasn't exactly prepared to see Nate right now, let alone speak to him. I don't think I've even ever seen Nate outside of our flat so it was a bit of an interruption to my usual routine.
"Thank you!" I managed to get out, "I really appreciate it and I'm sorry for forgetting it."
"You really don't have to apologise; it's not a big deal. Bye." He seemed confused by my apology.
"Bye."
Nate left without so much as a glance backwards and I blinked at my lunchbox, clicking it open. Everything was untouched, just the way I had packed it last night, and I was saved the pain of going hungry. I'd have to thank Nate again. Just then, a wide eyed Kai sat down. He silently gestured to our flatmate who had just walked out, mouthing a 'what the fuck' at me. It was indeed a 'what the fuck' moment.
"What happened there?" Kai kept his voice down, sipping his herbal tea.
"I can't begin to explain how crazy things have been lately." I sighed, "This is just the cherry on top."
"Nate has ignored our existence for months and now he's bringing you lunch?"
"To be fair, I made this myself. I just forgot it." I took a bite.
"Maybe he's not such a dickhead, after all." Kai hummed, glancing out of the window at where Nate walked off to.
"It was very considerate." I agreed, enjoying my lunch.
"What's the other crazy stuff that's been going on?" Kai asked, "You didn't mention anything earlier."
"I didn't think much of it at the time, but all together it seems there's a pattern. A cashier gave me his number, a guy returned my notebook and then Nate brought me my lunch." I hummed.
"What, you think Nate it into you?" Kai raised an eyebrow.
"No. Not in the slightest. Is Nate even gay?"
There was not a doubt in my mind that Nate was not interested in me romantically.
"Shame if he's not." Kai laughed, "He's got the brooding kind of vibe."
"Has he?" I asked, genuinely.
Kai laughed at that and began to dig into his food, but I wasn't being funny.
"I can't believe you didn't tell me you got a guys number, did you text him yet?"
"I'm not sure if I will." I admitted, "I walked into a display and embarrassed myself."
"Right, well that shouldn't stop you. He clearly thinks you're cute."
I shrugged, not sure what to make of it and Kai smiled at that, changing the subject to something I was more comfortable with. We discussed the pending release from an indie game developer and finished our lunches in pleasant conversation. Kai was good at telling when I wasn't comfortable with something.
Since we had no more classes today, we headed back to the dorms together. We took the longer route to avoid the post-lunch crowds rushing back to classes and let ourselves into the flat. We headed to the kitchen and Kai said he wanted some help with some script he was writing for his class. He was doing a degree in film and was very passionate about writing, which I found respectable. I wasn't a huge fan of movies, since I liked the interactive nature of video games, but I found Kai's stuff amusing.
"What's a better way to phrase 'I want to bang you'?" He asked, looking bemused.
"Is your teacher going to assess this? What the hell are you writing?" I frowned, glancing over his shoulder.
"We're not confined to the same formality restrictions that you law students are." Kai grinned, "We have freedom."
"Law is insufferable." I shivered, "Even my professor was bored this morning. I didn't think it would be so bad when I enrolled, I was interested in parts of law, like human and environmental law. We haven't even touched that yet."
"My parents probably wanted me to do law, too." Kai shrugged, "They knew it would be a losing battle, however, so I think they're just happy I actually am getting a degree."
"It's the last time I listen to my parents." I sulked, thinking about the last few months.
It was only early days in my degree; I was in my first year at University and while I had hated every moment of it so far, my parents insisted that I needed to be fair and give it a fair chance to let it pick up. They were probably right, but I just wasn't passionate about the subject. Back when I was still in school, I had broached the topic of studying music and my dad had flipped, so I knew it would upset them if I switched my course.
"Maybe I'll take a music module next term or something." I consolidated myself, "They were saying at the beginning of the year that we can apply for modules outside of our degree if we have relevant credentials and I have music grades, so."
"At least you're in the society, right?" Kai smiled, "You're playing that event."
I bopped my head, nodding, making a mental note to rehearse for that performance. During freshers I had signed up to the music society, and while I hadn't been to any of the social events, since they had all taken place in the student bar so far, I had greatly enjoyed the music aspect. A few weeks ago they had held auditions for a solo part at a University event and I had got it. I was over the moon that they had enjoyed my audition enough to choose me, but I was now nervous about performing in front of such a large group of people. My experience in that area was not extensive.
"I can see your fingers twitching from here, Dylan. Go practice, I can tell you want to." Kai laughed.
Without realising it, my fingers had been twitching as if they were dancing across the keys of my piano while I was thinking about my performance. Kai was right, of course; I did want to go and practice.
"Thank you, Kai." I nodded, "I'll go do that."
"You'll knock 'em dead, Dylan."
"Hopefully not." I frowned.
Heading back to the room, bopping my head, I sat at my keyboard which I had squeezed into my small dorm room. It took up a lot of space, but it was worth it, even if my mother didn't agree. She had complained the entire way here on the day I moved in that I had decided to bring it. It quite often bugged her that I spent so much time playing piano or video games instead of on my studies to become a lawyer.
After all, my two older brothers were both much more academically inclined. One was still studying to be a doctor and the other had graduated with an economics degree two years back and now worked at a hedge fund (whatever that was). Both had steady, long-term girlfriends and a vested interest in sports. It was all very nuclear family.
Eyeing my childhood teddy, I stuck my tongue out at it and let my fingers begin the melody that I had decided to play for the event. I didn't know much about the event itself, but I knew that the film department had organised a guest lecture from some guy who was supposed to be experienced in that area. The event was so popular that students across the Uni had signed up to attend, so they've turned it into quite the spectacle, with music to welcome the speaker.
Kai was pretty excited to attend, so I trust that this guy is actually good if Kai is interested. After all, he's got good taste in video games so he must also have good taste in movies. My thoughts melted away as I began to sing the lyrics to the song, losing myself completely in the melody of the song. Bopping my head, I let the resentment I had towards law melt away and the peace I felt from music flood through me until I felt okay again.
After an hour or so of practicing, I had committed my piece to muscle memory and I was happy with it. My throat was beginning to get a little sore, so I decided that I had practiced enough for now. My fingers itched to continue until we were absolutely perfect, but the rational side of me knew that straining my voice through repetitive singing could lead to permanent vocal damage. I knew this because I had googled it.
I splashed some water on my face to freshen up before collapsing onto my bed, picking up my phone from where it lay strewn on my bedside table. Oddly, I had been thinking a lot about that man from the other night; the one with the child. It meant a lot to me that he had returned my notebook and I couldn't get the way he complimented my singing out my head; he was so genuine and it seemed like he really meant it.
Every time I sing now, I think of what he said and the expression he had.
Toying with my phone, I wished I had his social media or something. It was probably a good thing that I didn't because otherwise I'd spend hours pining after a man with a child. After all, he was just doing a good deed to a klutz of a stranger. It wasn't like I could just google the man, either, because what would I search?
'Local stranger in park who returned my notebook' isn't going to provide any useful results.
It was a lost cause.