I'm really enjoying writing this one for now, so please enjoy this installment.
Next week was coming too soon. It had been weird - it had to have been weird, right? The way she started off with the same, old, stupid, high-strung I don't want to be rude speech that thankfully he just shrugged off! But not enough because he had kept looking at her for the rest of the lecture, probably wondering what the hell he'd gotten himself into and how to transfer out of the class as soon as possible. A week wasn't enough time to recover from that kind of social agony. Part of her waited for the email from Professor Stein that she'd been assigned a new partner thanks to the drop.
As she walked back to the classroom, a little bit earlier than the two hour before mark, her mind wouldn't stop with the most embarrassing part of that equation: he was handsome. As in above and beyond the regular scope of guys that she would even have the nerve to talk to. And worst yet, talking was what Soul seemed to be the best at, leaving her with a myriad of ums and uhs and OKs and yeahs. But Maka had settled into the thought that it was a lab, it was one semester, and it was just five straight hours together once a week that she would have to get through. No. Big. Deal.
"Hey, Maka." He again somehow looked both purposely disheveled and perfectly groomed at the same time, his hair let loose at sharp angles while his t-shirt almost looked as if it'd been ironed, finished with a leather jacket. He was leaning against the wall to the right of the door, a coffee in each hand.
No. Big. Deal. "Hi, Soul."
He offered one of the cups to her, "I don't know what you drink but I brought an extra coffee."
No. Big. Deal. "Oh, thanks." Maka took the coffee from him, trying not to lose her breath as her fingers ran over his.
"Want to head this way?" He nodded towards the right. "I think there's a lounge down there."
"Yeah, sure." She followed behind him, bringing the coffee close enough to her nose to get a whiff. It wasn't the trashy student lounge coffee but a beautiful blend of fresh beans that was surely sent from heaven.
"Coffee's OK?"
Maka had to stop herself from jutting the cup away from her face as if she was caught with a cookie before dinner. "I love coffee," spilled from her lips as every last ounce of confidence fled with it.
"Good." He shot a half-smile over his shoulder. "I grabbed some creamers, sugar if you need it."
"No, I like it black."
"Wow, you're tough. I can't do it without at least a creamer." That grin got wider and she felt kind of breathless at the sight of it.
But she couldn't let herself be. If they were going to be partners, she had to get out of this, to break out. "Don't let the schoolgirl look fool you, I'm pretty tough." Come on, Maka. No. Big. Deal. "But I'll take it easy on you."
There was a pause, his body turning so he could get a clear look at her before his laugh melted any tension at the moment. "Something tells me that might not be a hundred percent true."
"Which part?" she shot back, the laugh strengthening her confidence in a strange way, making her willing to work to hear it again.
"The part where you take it easy on me." She was almost sure she saw him wink before he turned back, making the final steps to the lounge area. There were sets of four chairs facing each other around small coffee tables. Soul took a seat, pulling the chair closer to the table before depositing his coffee there then moving to open his backpack. "Look, I made some notes, but I'm going to assume you've outdone me."
"Why?" Maka already knew the answer, not particularly embarrassed by the studious vibe she obviously gave of but definitely painfully aware of the way it made some people treat her.
He spread out papers on the table but paused to look up at her, that toothy grin making his teeth almost seem sharp. "The schoolgirl look, remember?" Thankfully he went back to the pile, letting her exhale before he continued. "And the post-partner assignment panic."
Maka plopped into the seat, barely keeping her coffee from spilling, and couldn't stop a groan from escaping her lips. Soul looked up at her, eyebrows raised. "I'm sorry about that," she admitted, much to her own surprise. "I just… I've always been a bit of a perfectionist." The last part trailed off a mumble, hiding her mouth against the coffee cup as she took a tentative sip.
"Don't be sorry." Again, he seemed to laugh it off, as if her behavior was actually endearing rather than awkward. "I'm also willing to admit that I don't exactly look like the responsible type."
"You do give off a… biker vibe?" She offered, still not entirely sure of what he actually fit into in her mind. Realistically, she hadn't gotten much past his grin or lanky tallness to really identify his outfit choices yet.
How he could possibly smile as much as he did was beyond her, her own face muscles feeling tired from mimicking the intensity of his own grins. "I'll take that as a compliment."
Maka finally tore her eyes from his face, trying not to think about that smile as she took the necessary papers out of her bag, piling them next to Soul's. She sat back, holding the coffee like a precious offering while he leafed through her pages.
A whistle came from his lips and she couldn't help but laugh. "You are a perfectionist."
"I'm also pretty smart, too." A feeling of euphoria washed over her after that playful boast, after watching it elicit another laugh from his mouth. "Quiz me."
"Yes, ma'am."
Slowly it began to feel like no big deal. They fell into a steady stream of questions, flipping through notes to find things to stump one another, bragging or teasing along the way. Soul had eventually slipped off the chair, finding a weird position jammed between the chair and the table, his feet elevated on the edge. He was just about to ask another question before he eyes caught his watch, a gentle huff coming from his mouth. "Fifteen before class. We should go."
Maka started to collect her notes and things into her bag, her eyes still hesitantly moving to watch him out of the corner of her eye.
"Hey, Maka…"
"Yeah?" She was almost half afraid he'd caught her looking, but his eyes were still decidedly on his own papers, his own backpack.
"Today was good, but…"
But. But. But. A tiny flower of panic started to blossom in her chest.
"I really don't want to sit through Stein's lecture now. My brain feels fried." Soul finished throwing everything haphazardly in his backpack, those fiery eyes catching hers. "Maybe we could space it out, maybe one non-class night a week? Or two shorter sessions?"
So see each other two, three times a week rather than just one? It made sense. It was logical. Did she really want to sit through the same material for another three hours of lab? No way. But that meant she'd probably be spending more overall time with him than with her roommate. "I guess we try each and see?"
"So, maybe Thursday next week?" He stood, pulling his backpack over his shoulder. It was completely unnecessary, but he held his hand out to her as if getting out of the seat would be a hardship.
Maka could absolutely get up on her own without a second of strain but she took his hand, his eyes widening as if he hadn't expected her touch. Soul studied the connection as if it were a novelty before quickly slipping his hand from hers. He was flustered and she had to stop herself from mirroring his own surprise from a moment before. It seemed impossible for him to be unsure but there it was. "Thursday is fine."
"Yeah, OK, Thursday," came his quick reply. By the time they arrived at the classroom, filing in behind the last few students, he was back to grins and sideways glances.
She should have had enough on her plate, literally since Stein has supplied them with the basic frog that evening, but her mind kept focusing on that mask that had slipped off his face. It didn't elicit fear but a wave of relief, as if that perfection that she saw in him was perfectly flawed instead, a trait that she ultimately preferred. A trait that maybe meant… maybe it meant this wasn't going to be no big deal.
It was no big deal, Soul kept repeating in his head for the entirety of the week.
It was no big deal, he repeated as he thought he saw Maka's face in the student center, her name almost instantly coming to his lips before he grasped the shoulder of another anonymous blond that looked at him with exasperation.
It was no big deal, he repeated as she came up one too many times in conversation with Black Star, who had already started to refer to her, both playfully and sarcastically, as his lab girlfriend. "As if she'd give you a second look," was added lovingly, of course. It got so bad that the rest of the house was now in on it, Kilik and Kim joining in at any chance.
It was no big deal, he repeated as he would remember at night before bed the way it had felt just to touch her hand. Just her hand. And how surprised he had been, at that moment and now every moment since, that it was a whole new sensation.
Because it couldn't be a big deal. It wasn't like Soul had never touched, kissed, even fooled around with a girl before. There were odds and ends throughout high school and his first year in college. He'd only made it to his second year without going all the way because, to be honest, none of them seemed worth it. Sex came with the baggage of being tied to that person in a way that meant you stayed. People lie all the time and say there's sex without attachment, but Soul knew that was bullshit. And since he'd never felt an attachment, he'd never risked hurting another person like that. It wasn't fair.
And it always started this way, the innocent flirting: talking outside of class, usually starting under the guise of studying or notes swapping, but turning into coffee dates to dinner to a party to the bedroom. A simple age-old progression that he had mastered to the point where he got what he needed without actually feeling like he needed anyone. He had been a well-oiled machine until Maka.
The flirting had gone smoothly, even after she came out of her shell a little more and didn't allow him to have all the fun. To be honest, he swooned a little at her I'll take it easy on you line which was when she started to edge to above average. But he started to really feel it, that weird something that was more than nothing, when she apologized. It wasn't something he had wanted or expected from her, but with that admission about herself, he found himself yearning for more rather than just the usual glance over her personality.
Suddenly it was hitting him all at once: she was smart, she was capable, maybe originally shy but eventually finds her own, and, damn it, she was beautiful without knowing it. When he held out his hand he had actually no idea why he had done it in the first place. She totally could have gotten out of that chair on her own and it was ridiculous to offer her help, almost insulting that he'd assume she needed it. It was one jolt after another. First, she reached for him, then she took his hand, and then his heart leaped into his throat as a tingle ran down his spine.
Maka saw it all, too. A terrifying development, her seeing something in him that probably no one had ever seen before. Even worse, though she showed surprise for a moment, there was nothing after that. She didn't probe, didn't push, just let him show himself and take it away without a word. Each time he thought about it again he found himself wanting to tell her more, letting her see that other side and seeing what she'd do.
By the time the week past to Tuesday night again, that no big deal had turned into a faint whisper.
Soul was still so focused on his thoughts that he almost didn't hear her say, "Hey, Soul," as she sat next to him at the lab table. Maka was wearing her hair down, swimming in an oversized sweater over leggings.
Soul tried not to let his eyes linger over her, this new look a little too much after all the thoughts of the week. "Hey, Maka." He slid the second coffee almost directly into her hand, risking touching her again but finding himself unsuccessful.
"Again?" She let out a laugh, pulling the cup towards her and bringing it to hide below table level. "And you know if Stein sees it he'll flip. No food and drink, or did you not listen to the first day's safety lecture?"
"I definitely had more interesting things on my mind that day." Soul shrugged but mimicked her move with his own cup, taking a quick glance at the door to make sure Stein wasn't there yet. "And don't worry about the coffee."
"No, I should pay you back." Maka started to rummage through her bag, trying to find her wallet that always seemed to fall to the bottom.
It was too hard not to give in and he found himself reaching for her, letting his fingers graze the arm that was reaching in her bag. "Seriously, it's fine." It was torture since all she did was smile and let her arm run under his fingers as she pulled her arm from the bag. "So, Thursday, right?"
"That's still fine, but I guess we should decide what time and where."
Was it too soon to invite her to the house? And would that idiot gang he lived with let him live it down with her there? On second thought, that sounded like a terrible idea unless he could ensure they'd be alone, something that never happened in the house anyway, and then they'd be alone and he wasn't entirely sure he could handle that yet. Unless she offered, her place was off-limits, whether that was the dorm, which he assumed it was, or her own apartment.
He'd wasted too much time thinking because Stein slid through the door, plunging Maka immediately into the notes, tabling their conversation for afterward. It was amusing, that tunnel-vision she had for school, and found himself ignoring the lecture to wonder what made her that way. He was in danger of losing himself in questions about her and he had to force himself to make Stein his focus. It was near impossible.
It felt like an eternity before Stein scraped the chalk across the board for the last time, releasing them with the promise of more blood and guts next class. "Here." Maka slid her notebook towards him, already having closed the cover.
"Huh?"
"You were… distracted today." Maka moved her eyes from his to her bag. "You can borrow my notes until Thursday, to copy, or whatever."
"Oh, thanks." He grabbed the notebook, treating it with a ridiculous amount of care as he slid it into his backpack.
She was already standing, still trailing her eyes everywhere but him. "And I hope everything's OK."
"Huh?" He almost groaned at the boundless reaches of his eloquence.
"Never mind," her smile was sweet though, not even a touch of annoyance. She started walking past him, "Just take a look at the notes tonight. See you Thursday."
"Bye," he called after her. It wasn't until she was out the door that he realized they hadn't set a time, place, any of the things that had been in the forefront of his thoughts throughout class. He was in an instant panic, spending the rest of the evening trying to figure out how to troubleshoot this. That panic stayed until he opened the notebook, finding her phone number scrawled across the top of today's notes.