25. Adoration
Len can't stand other people's voices.
It may seem strange, but he really can't. His own voice he's accustomed to, but Len can't bring himself to listen to anyone else talk for a long period of time. Their voices are either too deep or too loud, or too quiet or too high, or jump around in volume or wobble, or stutter. It just… bothers him. He only listens to instrumental music, and he doesn't usually initiate conversations with anyone.
Walking through an abandoned school hallway late on a Friday, Len's mind is far away, focusing mostly on that new horror novel he can't wait to read. Wandering past a room with the door slightly ajar, he freezes in place as a soft, melodious sound flows to him.
"Why must I have been born? I'll only continue singing for eternity…"
Taken aback by the beautiful words, Len inches towards the opening of the door, peering through it to see what could possibly have such a lovely voice.
A blonde girl, gazing contently out the wide window of the classroom. The words effortlessly grace her lips, and her voice fits perfectly, neither too high nor too low, hitting all the correct notes. The emotion is palpable as she rounds off the song, and his heart twangs strangely because of it. Never before has Len heard anything like it. Her voice… He wouldn't mind hearing it for the rest of the day. In fact, he'd love to just listen to her for forever. In a flash, Len has fallen in love with the voice of someone he's never met.
Unfortunately, Len shifts, and his poor balance causes him to crash through the door and to the ground, effectively startling the girl. Picking himself up hastily, he mutters a string of apologies.
"Were you… listening all this time?" She inquires sheepishly, turning red.
Nodding, Len coughs nervously. "Um… Yeah. Sorry about that."
"No, I really shouldn't have been singing here… I should head home…" The girl gives an anxious chuckle, briskly walking past him.
"W-Wait!" Len grasps her arm before he thinks it through. When she turns her head to give him a confused look, he sputters. "I, um… Your voice is really… Wow."
"My voice is… wow?" Her gaze becomes dubious.
Realizing how stupid that sounds, Len attempts to fix it. "No, I mean, uh, your voice is really pretty, like, amazing actually-" Now he's flushing from embarrassment.
"...Really?" The blonde girl blinks. "You… like it?"
He nods emphatically. "Yes! Um, do you sing here often…?" Mentally, he facepalms at how much that sounds like a cheesy pickup line. Smooth, Len.
"Not normally, just sometimes..." She pauses. "Hey… If I came back… Would you listen to me again?"
Slightly perplexed, Len nods once more. "Yeah!"
A grin settles on her lips. "Good. Then I'll see you soon, Len." With that mysterious sentence, she strides away from him.
Only a few minutes later does his dazed mind register that she somehow knows his name.
A/N: The words Rin is singing are the first lyrics of 'Dolls'.