It was 7:32 at night. The heater wasn't turned on in the room, leaving the atmosphere quiet and cold. The only sounds were the occasional harsh gusts of wind whistling outside the window.
Evelyn had gone to a faculty meeting at the start of the semester. Noah sat alone in the faculty housing building, half-covered by the comforter with his vocabulary book spread open on his lap.
He wasn't reading the words out loud. The feeling after his voice stopped, when the entire room fell back into empty silence, was too unbearable.
So even after memorizing dozens of words, he hadn't made a single sound.
Because of that, his retention wasn't great. Every time he covered the language side and tried to recall the meaning, he would get stuck, or he'd check afterward and realize he was completely wrong.
After messing up the same word for the fourth time, he finally closed the book, pulled the covers over himself, and lay there with a miserable expression, looking downright depressed.
Before leaving for the meeting, Evelyn had specifically told him to study hard in the dorm. She'd quiz him on the words when she got back. It made Noah think back to what his high school teachers used to say—that college would be much more relaxed, with very loose rules. He supposed that was true in general. The problem was… his professor was Evelyn.
There was no moon tonight, but countless stars filled the night sky. Noah huddled under the blanket, staring out at the dark, murky night, feeling more and more irritated the more he thought about it.
He could actually understand Evelyn's strictness. Whether it was preparing early for the language proficiency tests or the graduate school entrance exam, she was paving the way for his future. It was genuinely for his own good. But what about the control even during his rest time?
Evelyn allowed him plenty of time to relax and enjoy himself.
But everything was kept under her watchful eye. She almost never let him go out alone, and she strictly controlled his contact with other girls.
At this point, Noah no longer wanted to examine whether Evelyn's possessiveness toward him came from a girlfriend's love or a sister's protectiveness. The heavy shackles made him so tired. Sometimes he even thought it might be better to have a big fight with her—at least then he wouldn't be trapped in this agonizing dilemma.
But he was also afraid. More than Evelyn getting angry, he feared making his sister sad.
In the dead silence, his phone chimed with a new message. Noah lit up the screen. It was from Caleb.
"The piano room is open tonight. Want to come hang out?"
"Who even knows how to play piano?" Noah replied.
"There's a senior teaching. Just come check it out. Nothing else to do anyway."
He stared at the messages, then glanced at the time. Evelyn probably wouldn't be back yet. Even if he got caught, it probably wouldn't be too serious. He flipped the covers off, got out of bed, and put his down jacket back on.
…
The university's piano room wasn't in the main academic building but in the one that had just been renovated last year. That building had several classrooms on each floor for different purposes. The first floor had multimedia rooms for large lectures, the second floor housed music major classrooms and piano practice rooms, the third floor was for art students, and the fourth floor contained meeting rooms for school leadership and faculty.
Noah didn't know any of these details. When he arrived at the piano room, there weren't many people inside. Light, pleasant piano notes rose and fell. His two roommates were gathered around one piano, listening to Sophie explain.
He walked closer without interrupting their lesson, casually glancing at her. She had delicate eyebrows, a pretty nose, and short black hair. While she wasn't on the same level as Lila Vale or Evelyn, she was still quite attractive. No wonder they were paying such close attention.
After Sophie finished explaining, she looked up at him, her voice sweet and gentle. "Want to give it a try? It's actually pretty simple."
"Me?" Noah pointed at himself in surprise. "I didn't hear the beginning. Why don't you let them try first?"
Caleb and Ryan had already noticed Noah arrive. Now seeing him refuse outright, they looked surprised. "For real, Noah?"
"I really didn't follow. You guys go first and show me."
Caleb clicked his tongue, tone suggestive. "Alright then, I'll go first, Sophie. How am I supposed to place my fingers again?"
"Like this." She demonstrated, placing her fingers on several keys. "Your five fingers correspond to numbers one through five. It's best to position them in the middle of the keys, and don't curl them…"
Following her guidance, although he still looked clumsy, Caleb eventually played through the entire short piece. When he finished, he politely asked her for feedback, then glanced over at them with a proud little smirk.
"Not bad for a complete beginner. Just pay a bit more attention in a few spots." She pressed her fingers on the keys and played a few notes as demonstration.
"Okay, okay. I'll remember. Thanks, Sophie."
"No problem. Who's next?"
"Me, me! I'll go." Ryan raised his hand and took Caleb's spot.
He quickly found the right position, laying his ten fingers flat, then turned to her. "Sophie, is my hand posture okay?"
"Yeah, go ahead. Remember what I said earlier."
Ryan performed noticeably better than Caleb. At least she didn't have to correct his keys mid-song. He made it through the piece fairly smoothly.
As he stood up from the bench, Caleb patted his shoulder with a teasing laugh. "Dude, something's off. This isn't your first time, is it?"
"I picked up a little in high school. Just lucky."
Noah watched them, not thinking much of it, and moved to take the spot Ryan had just vacated. His finger placement was much messier than theirs. He stared blankly at the black and white keys.
"Sorry, I didn't really listen earlier."
"It's fine. I'll explain it again." Sophie smiled softly at him. She pointed at the keys with her fingers, demonstrating patiently and carefully.
"Spread your five fingers a little more." As she spoke, her fingertip gently nudged Noah's fingers apart. That sudden cool touch made him freeze for a moment. He looked up at her, but her expression hadn't changed at all.
Noah snapped out of it and silently cursed himself for being too sensitive.
In the past, any physical contact with the opposite sex would easily stir up those shy, budding feelings in his heart. Even the slightest touch would make it hard for him to calm down and stop overthinking. It was the same now—except the turmoil inside him was no longer because of shyness.
He thought of Evelyn. Almost reflexively, he thought of his sister. He remembered very clearly that she had strictly forbidden him from having any physical contact with other girls. That sense of vigilance and fear hit him immediately. Noah unconsciously glanced left and right.
It was as if a seed had been planted deep in his heart. Now that seed had taken root and sprouted, with slender vines and branches wrapping tightly around the most sensitive parts of his mind, fusing into his flesh and blood. The slightest stimulation caused a dull ache.
"Hm? What's wrong?" Sophie asked, confused.
"Nothing… it's nothing. Sorry, I spaced out."
"It's okay. Go ahead and try playing."
"Yeah…"
Noah took a deep breath, positioned his fingers firmly, and looked at the sheet music in front of him. One note at a time, he began playing in an especially clumsy, halting manner. The piano notes that rang out were broken and uneven.