Worst project ever. No, actually, correction—worst partner ever.

Of all the people, literally, all the people in your class you had to get paired up with the guy who has a permanent “Judging you” face. Let’s just say that it wasn’t exactly a pretty reaction when your teacher called out his name after yours.

This was your second year at this arts academy and one of the classes you had to take was a How To class on Lyric Writing. Only the students who intended on performing during the year had to take it so early into their careers, but you were determined to launch your career the moment you graduated.

Tonight’s project was a duet. Normally, you looked forward to these projects. Your teacher always gave you praise for your natural ability to piece words together. You had one of the highest grades in the class, and you intended on keeping it that way. Unfortunately, lately, Mr. Kim said that you’d been slipping. This was your chance to revive yourself.

But you didn’t know much about your partner, only that he was that quiet guy named Kris in the front corner of the room. You couldn’t really tell if he was paying attention to the teacher of he was just sitting there in a daze.

“Where is he?!” You gritted through your teeth as you paced through your living room. Kris was half an hour late and you couldn’t wait any longer to get this project started without freaking out completely.

“Stupid… Stupid…. STUPID—”

“Are you okay?”

Probably a bad idea to leave the front door unlocked.

Kris stood there leaning against the door frame with his guitar case in hand. He looked far from amused, and by the looks of it, he just wanted to get this over as badly as you did. Well, at least the feeling is mutual, right?

“Um,” you stepped aside so he could step inside. “I guess, we should get started then.”

He didn’t even nod or acknowledge you before brushing past you to the couch where he placed his things down and sat there stiffly. What a jerk, he didn’t even apologize for being late—

“Sorry, I had car problems.” Kris said flatly.

Well. This just got awkward.

You cleared your throat before shuffling to the seat in front of him. The next five hours are about to be very uncomfortable.

**

Scritch, scritch, scritch

It’s been about three hours. During the first hour or so, you attempted to discuss what the song was going to be about. After another half an hour of trying to get Kris to even make eye contact with you, it was decided that it would be an acoustic love song. So for the past hour, you both sat in a pseudo-silence, separately writing your own parts.

Scritch, scritch, scritch

The sound of Kris’s pencil was so loud compared to the smooth script of your pen, but you continued to ignore it. Every now and then, he’d put down his notebook to mess with a few notes on his guitar. The acoustics sounded so nice in your house, and you had to try your hardest not to be lulled to sleep.

Your drooping head barely hit the top of your notepad before Kris spoke.

“Are you done already?”

“HUH?!” You jolted yourself awake.

Kris held back a slight chuckle at your disheveled appearance. This must have been the first time you had ever seen him smile, and needless to say, he really needed to smile more often. Even if this was just a small grin, his features immediately lit up. You didn’t even make any effort to hide how nice he looked.

“Wow.”

“What?” He cocked his head to the side.

“Oh, n-nothing.” You waved his question away. “It’s just… That’s the first time I’ve ever seen you actually smile. You never look happy in class.”

Kris shrugged. “Maybe I just don’t have much to smile about during the day.”

“Well, find something then. Because you have a really nice smile.” You looked down shyly at this confession, and he did the same. “Um, yeah, anyway, I’m finished. I just don’t have a closing.”

“Should I play my part? Then we can piece it together?”

You nodded and waited for him to continue. You’d never heard him sing either, so this day is really just full of surprises…

Kris plucked a few notes from his guitar before starting.

“Keep your eyes forward
Keep them on me
I see you wandering without my hand
I can’t help but think that if I let you
You’d go without another word

Hair pooled over your shoulders
Hands on your lap
So, babe, can you tell me
Do you ever think of me?”

Kris’s voice was… how do most people put it? Like heaven? Only saying it was like heaven didn’t do him any justice. When he sang, you felt the nerves in your body settle. Your fingers ceased to tense up, and every emotion that you encased behind your eyes just wanted to spill out.

“So please, just let me, let me
Hold onto you
If only you’ll let me, just let me
Fall in love with you”

You could even feel your heart clench at these lyrics that didn’t even exist a few hours before.

“But only if you’ll let me, my love,
Please just let me love you
Love you with my eyes closed.”

“Omo.” Your voice was like a breathless whisper to the point of being completely inaudible.

Kris stopped his guitar and looked up at you. He sat forward as if nothing had even happened. “That’s all I got so far. What’d you think?”

You just blinked.

”________-ah, what’d you think? Was it okay?”

“Okay? Was it okay—that was beautiful, and you’re asking me if it’s okay?!” You threw your arms up. “That made my lyrics look like poop!”

Kris just scratched the his chin, avoiding your eyes.

“Where did—no, how did you come up with lyrics like that?”

“Sometimes all you need is a little inspiration.”

“Hell, if inspiration did all that, I need it desperately.” You leaned forward to rub your temples.

Kris just grinned at you. He stood up and brought his guitar over to you, sitting down in the empty space to the right of you. He motioned for your hand to go where his was. You followed his instructions with an absent mind.

“What inspires you?” He asked as he played his soft melody with his arms around you.

You tried to follow his fingers while ignoring how warm he was. His biceps were secure around your shoulders, and you couldn’t help but notice the lack of space between you two. You were practically resting against him already.

“I’ve never really thought about it. Anything, I guess.”

“Anything? What about people?”

“Well, I wrote about my mom once, but that’s it…”

“When it comes to love songs, it helps to think about someone.” He kept his eyes down on his guitar. “Got anybody you fancy?”

After thinking about it, you shook your head. You were never one for dating, so you’d never found it necessary to find a source of romantic inspiration.

“Here, then—” He pushed his guitar of your laps. “Describe me.”

“Eh?!”

Kris chuckled and pointed to himself. “For the song. Since I’m right here, go on and finish it as if you were writing it for me.”

You swallowed your nerves. How can he say these things so casually?!

He could see your obvious nerves. “Wow, you’ve never done this before, have you?”

You sat there with your eyes forward. Come to think of it, you were able to describe just about everything in your music except for things like this. Man, how useless can you get!

“Just start from top to bottom, okay? Eyes, lips, heart—just follow that order.”

“I guess I’d say something about… your eyes.” You started. “Like when you’re focused, your eyes never leave your work. It’s like you’re shutting everything out.”

“Okay, next?” Kris scribbled down things in his notebook.

You looked over to him. He had his head down in his writing, but you still saw him clearly enough.

“Your lips always seem so unhappy, but when you smile, it’s like… it’s like you’re completely new. Even with the slightest bit of a reason to smile, you look like you’ve found true happiness.”

“And heart?”

“Right now, I can’t even think about you’re heart because mine is beating too fast.” You laughed under your breath.

Kris disregarded your last statement and handed you the notebook. He started strumming again.

“Focus on me and only me
I see the way you look at these things
See me with love 
If only this once

And these lips, always down
Give me a chance to turn them up
But only if you’ll let me

If you’ll let me
Let me stop myself, stop myself from loving you”

“How did you do that?” You asked, completely awestruck at his ability with these things.

Kris just shrugged.

“No—you do not get off that easily, you have to tell me!”

“Why should I?”

“Because that was seriously the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard; like how could anyone not fall in love with you after that?!”

Kris kept his eyes on you as if trying to give you all the answers you needed. You didn’t know how to respond; were you more amazed or angry? Your eyes bounced back and forth between his, still brooding over you.

It wasn’t an accident, and you knew this already. It couldn’t have been by accident, how it happened. You didn’t even notice the magnetic pull that closed the space between you to, and before you knew it, Kris’s notebook was on the floor, dropped after your lips touched his.

Kris held onto your cheek softly while his lips glided along with yours. This new sense is euphoria spilled all over, and every bit of anger, every ounce of stress dissipated from your skin.

When he pulled away, his eyes reconnected with yours.

“Well, I guess now you know.”

“Know what?” You choked out.

“That you’re my inspiration.” 

If only you’ll let me, just let me fall in love with you.