The Music Room

A fateful encounter between him and her, what might it lead to...? This is a story about a particular music room.

Her Story

On a normal day in school, when all the sounds fade into the background and the mundanity of life gets to me, there is a sense of distance from everybody. Like I’m in a different universe, just floating and watching as time ticks by.

It’s a terrifying experience and I’m always searching for something to anchor me back to earth. So, my eyes roam the class and then outside of it. They catch a glimpse of an opened classroom that had been unused for a while.

I’m curious at that point. Wondering what was happening was my temporary anchor. For a brief moment, a smile rests on my lips and I return my eyes to my class.

For a few days after that, my eyes wander occasionally to the class, looking at those who go in and out. 

There’s the music teacher, the economics teacher, the physics teacher, and the maths teacher. All of them were young so I thought the class was a new staff room.

I asked my classmates about the class and as it turns out, it was being used as a music room. It was surprising but it made me much more curious. 

I decided to go there during my break. I really hated doing things alone so I brought a friend to tag along. I could hear the sounds of drums from the corridor before I got there.

The music teacher was at the desk talking to students while a few boys were standing by the drums. It was quite a chaotic situation when we entered and I wanted to leave right away.

I had forgotten for a moment that the person I brought along was a social butterfly. She pulled me by hand and dragged me into the crowd. 

I greeted the music teacher shyly and wanted to bail.

“Hello Hannah, come closer”

“Yes sir”

I bit my inner lower lip as I moved closer. It wasn’t that he was a creep or anything, it’s just, I don’t like talking in a crowd.

“I heard from your friend that you sing well. Do you want to join the school choir?”

“But I’m in my final year”

“Don’t worry, we’ll not interrupt your studies. Besides, you can hang out here when you’re not busy”

“Alright”

Inside I was leaping for joy. The room, though crowded, looked so nice. Besides, there was eye candy so I was all for it.

During choir practice, there were fewer seniors than there was hanging out when I first went there. It was barely five of us. I liked it though. It was peaceful and there was no need to talk to anybody. 

When practice was over, I skipped the lesson and stayed there. Everyone else left and I was hanging out with the music teacher. We talked about the song arrangement and eventually, random things.

However, we weren’t alone for long. A boy came along. He didn’t belong to the choir and he was one of the most popular in my year.

 

I watched silently as he entered and walked to the table.

“Hello Mr. Abraham, How was your day?”

“Urgh, why are you asking such weird questions? What are you doing here? Skipping class? Get lost, shoo!”

“Aw, but she’s here too”

“She’s helping me with the choir”

“Let me join the choir too. I can play the drums”

“We already have a drummer”

“I’m better”

“Go away!”

“No. I’m staying”

“Erm, Mr. Abraham, maybe I should just go to class now. Can I get a permission slip from you?”

“Sure Hannah. Give me a minute”

“Where are you running to, Hannah? Don’t leave on my account” He said with a smirk.

“It’s nothing like that. I’m pretty much done here anyways. I’ll see you later”

I left. The boy, Christian, made me nervous. The way he talked insinuated that both I and Mr. Abraham were doing something bad. It was such a mean thing to do. It didn’t matter since he was not part of the choir anyway. It didn’t seem like Mr. Abraham liked him there. 

Attending the lesson I sought to avoid, I was bored out of my mind. Time ticked slowly till it was time to close from school. 

The next day at school, I seriously felt like singing. The urge was like an itch I couldn’t get rid of. Worse, that day was cramped with classes. 

As soon as I got the chance, I left the music room with my lunch. The music teacher was there, chatting with another teacher. 

It was a strange sight but since I was a senior, I was pretty much left alone. The two teachers eventually left and I started singing. I was reaching the end of Set fire to the Rain by Adele when he entered the class.

His eyes seemed to search for me and he cocked his head. He walked inside the class, picked a chair, and sat opposite me.

“You’ve got a pretty nice voice”

“Thank you”

“You’re in the Commercial class, right?”

“Yes. And you’re in science”

“You know me?”

“It’ll be weirder if I didn’t, Christian”

“Hmm, you’re right. I’ll leave you now”

I watched as he stood up and went to the drums. I couldn’t sing anymore because of his presence and the racket he was making. However, I didn’t leave until the break ended. 

It was like that for the next few weeks. It was either I was there first or he was there first. The bottom line was that we were both in the room. At first, we didn’t talk to each other and just occasionally stared at each other from across the room. 

I got comfortable singing with him around and he got comfortable with doing anything he wanted. In a way, it was like our little haven. 

Like a silent agreement, neither of us brought people along, and soon enough, we were the only ones allowed in the room. Mr. Abraham especially trusted us with the key even when he was not around. I was also given the responsibility of the choir and getting ready for the Christmas carol.

As the end of the year neared, Christian talked to me again.

“Hey Hannah”

“Yes Christian?”

“What’s your favorite song?”

“.... I like any song with a good beat and vocals so it’s not like I have a favorite”

“That’s a weird answer”

“Suitable for an out of the blue question”

“You’re so cheeky. You always have a retort for me”

“Is that so?”

“Ha, see what I mean? I feel like buying you something”

“No, thank you”

“Why not?”

“I don’t need anything from you”

“That’s too harsh”

“Sorry”

“Hmm, think of it this way. You’ll sing me a song and I’ll buy you a drink”

“...what a strange offer. Very well, I’ll bite. What do you want me to sing”

“Cheap thrills”

“You like Sia?”

“Yeah, She’s amazing”

“Good taste”

That day, I tried my best to sing better because someone asked me to sing. I honestly loved the smile on his face as he watched me sing. I made some mistakes and he teased me about it. We talked, laughed, and sang together. His voice was surprisingly not bad.

That day, Christian and I got just a bit closer.

His Story

The music room was my place of escape. The classrooms are too noisy and the dorms are equally chaotic. I needed a place of reprieve and the music room provided just that.

I was alone but not lonely at the same time. It was all because of Hannah. It was pleasant how silent she was and how sometimes, her soft voice filled the room. She focused on what she was doing the time she spent there and left while she was done. 

She didn’t go out of her way to talk to me but I could feel her staring at me occasionally. I started to notice her little by little. 

I wanted to see her more outside of the music room so I passed her class often. I would see her talking with her friends but most of the time, she was alone. 

I wanted to know more about her. I wanted to talk to her. More than anything, I wanted to be with her.

One day, in the music room, delirious from the heat, I asked her to sing me another Sia song. While she sang, my eyes fastened on her slightly dry lips. I wanted to lick them and make them moist. 

“Can...can I kiss you?”

“...What?”

“I want to date you, Hannah. Be my girlfriend”

“...What the...mph”

I kissed her before she could complete her sentence. She tried pushing me away at first but soon melted in my hands as I skillfully manipulated my tongue in her mouth. I licked her lips and separated from her.

“Please, be mine”

She smiled. A small but beautiful smile.

“Okay”