After two years of searching for the perfect study spot on campus, Matt Murdock had finally found it. He wasn't sure why he hadn't known about the study rooms in the basement of the library, but now that he found them he wasn't sure he'd ever leave.
Most places he tried were too distracting. The upstairs part of the library got too crowded. The dorm was out of the question, mostly because Foggy studied there and he had the impossible ability to carry on an entire conversation while still retaining the material. Matt could do a lot of crazy things but that was not one of them. He learned quickly in his first year with Foggy that either he had to find a different place to study or he would never pass an exam again.
Matt settled into a quiet nook in the back of the room. He spread his books and papers out in front of him and reveled in the near-silence the room was enveloped in. He could hear only the hum of the halogens and printers, but those were easy to tune out.
Quickly he became lost in his work. He didn't even notice when someone walked in and sat on the opposite side of the room. Hours passed and he found himself shaking his hands out. He slid his glasses off and rubbed his palms into his eyes. He could feel himself getting tired and he realized he'd been there for much longer than he thought. Matt began shuffling his papers together and organizing his books when he heard the lights change pitch in their hum.
Or…was it the printers…? Matt stopped what he was doing and concentrated fully on his surroundings. For the first time in hours since the girl had walked in Matt noticed her presence. He could almost pinpoint her location by her heartbeat, but it was her humming that gave it away. He could tell by the muffled music that she had headphones in and was now singing lowly to the melody.
He closed his eyes and listened intently as she grew slightly louder, words now forming out of her previously indistinguishable hums. Matt didn't know the song she was singing, but her voice was arguably one of the most beautiful things he had ever heard. He sat long enough to hear her go through another song and a half before he decided that this might be the creepiest thing he had done in a while. Quickly he finished packing his books into his bag trying to be as quiet as he could. Apparently that was in vain because no sooner had he turned to go, his distracted mind allowed him to walk shin first into a metal book cart causing him and his books to go sprawling to the floor. He heard her turn and his heart caught as a small gasp escaped her lips.
"Oh my God!" She rushed over and put a hand on Matt shoulder as he tried to get up. He vaguely thought her speaking voice was just as enthralling has her singing, but he stopped himself short when he realized he hadn't even put his glasses on. As much as they were for the public as to not make others uncomfortable by his unseeing gazes, Matt had come to think of them as a security blanket (for lack of a better term). They allowed him to keep everyone out, forming a protective barrier until he decided they were worthy enough to see his true self. "Are you alright?"
"Um, yeah I'm totally fine," he said, trying to keep his head down. His face flushed with heat. This was not how he wanted this conversation to go. He could feel her hand on his shoulder and it radiated warmth he didn't know if he was imagining or not.
"Are you sure? Did you hit your head?" Before he knew it his face was being tilted up to meet hers. He quickly moved his eyes to the floor. Her eyes moved around his face and she frowned a bit when he wouldn't meet her gaze. "No need to be embarrassed, I walk into things all the time," she said with a good-natured laugh.
Matt forced a laugh and then reached to start picking up his belongings that were now scattered across the floor. With a "Oh, let me help you!" the girl quickly joined in. He could almost hear the gears clock into place when she saw his papers were in braille. He stuffed his things haphazardly into his bag and graciously took the papers from the girl with a half smile. She chewed her lip.
"You know, I don't usually walk into things, surprisingly," Matt said, keeping his tone light.
"Well that makes one of us," she said, and he could hear the smile in her voice.
" Its true!" he said laughing. "I was…distracted."
"Oh were you?" Her laugh made the air leave Matt's lungs. "I suppose you were thinking of your best pick up line?"
"Not quite," Matt said. "I was actually listening to your singing." The girl froze briefly and her cheeks flared bright red.
"I honestly didn't know there was anyone else here and I didn't even notice. I'm sorry if I was keeping you from doing work," she started rambling and he could hear her nervously tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. Matt stopped her mid-sentence.
"No, no, I was done. It was just…" Matt struggled to make this sound as least creepy as possible. "If we're being honest, you sounded beautiful." She exhaled quickly and he could feel the heat flood her cheeks again.
"No, please, it was just me fooling around."
"Don't be humble about it, you're amazing. Take it from me, your voice sounds like…like…" Matt struggled again. No words that came to his head seemed fitting. "It was probably the best sound I've ever heard."
"Thank you…" She chewed on her lip again. "If you want to really hear me sing, you should come to my concert tomorrow night…thesis project…" she added with a small shrug.
"That might be the best hour of my life you just invited me to," Matt said extending a hand as he rose from the ground.
"You better quit all this flattery now or I'll have to start returning it," she said playfully. Matt laughed and tossed her the most charming smile he could. He heard her heart skip a beat and his heart did the same in response.
"My name's Matt, by the way, Matt Murdock."
"Jess. Jess Garrison." Matt extended his arm and she took it quickly.
"You know, I'll need help getting back to my dorm," he said with a coy smile.
"Is that what the kids are calling it these days?" Jess quipped.
Matt sat in the audience next to Foggy and wrung his hands around the program as he heard the pianist take his seat and Jess's heels click confidently across the stage.
"She's looking at you, man," Foggy whispered. They were sitting in the second row. Matt wanted to hear her voice clearly, not tainted by the mechanics of the sound system. He gave her a big smile and a thumbs up. "That's the biggest smile I've ever seen." Matt thought Foggy was talking about him, but he realized his attention was turned toward the stage.
Not three songs in, Foggy leaned over and touched Matt's arm gently. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, why?" As he tilted his head toward Foggy he felt the drop on his jacket. He hadn't even realized he had started crying he was so lost in the melodies Jess had been weaving. They were delicate yet powerful and her voice floated over them with trained preciseness. Matt could feel each note in the center of his body and they created a warm blanket that he never wanted to let go of.