"Baby, baby, baby, these supplements aren't working, the puritans hurt my pride, and I feel so cold inside, and I can't help but want to fly out in the soft evening gelllllllllssssss—"
"Lina! Lina!" a girl shouted, clearly frustrated. "It's eight in the morning! Why are you being so noisy?"
A light brown–skinned girl turned, a towel wrapped around her head and a mint-green face mask plastered across her cheeks. She flashed a sheepish grin. "Sorry, Jessie. I get a little out of control when I listen to Kai's songs."
Jessie crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe, unimpressed. "A little? You sound like a dying cat with ambition."
Lina laughed, unfazed, and returned to the mirror, dabbing water on her face as the towel slipped slightly. "You just don't get it. His voice is perfect. I don't even need to see his face." She met Jessie's gaze through the mirror, her eyes dreamy. "Haven't you heard that saying? A man with a nice voice can be ugly all he wants."
Jessie raised one brow, arms still folded. "Girl, who even told you that nonsense?"
"I saw it on a pepper spray advertisement," Lina answered without hesitation, shrugging like it was the most natural source of wisdom.
Jessie blinked. "What do pepper spray and ugly men have in common?"
"Beats me." Lina shrugged again, already patting her face dry with the towel.
Jessie shook her head. "Unbelievable. Anyway, where are you even going this early?"
"Oh." Lina brightened. "Mrs. Priscillia asked me to show a transfer student around the campus. Since it's Saturday, I figured, why not?"
Jessie tilted her head. "A transfer student? What's his name?"
"Evans. I think. Or maybe just Evan." Lina leaned over the sink to wash her face properly, voice muffled under the running water.
Jessie's lips curved into a smirk. "Evan, huh? Nice name. Sounds mysterious already. So why so early? What's the rush?"
Lina wiped her cheeks with the towel and said with suspicious casualness, "No reason. I just woke up early today."
Jessie tapped her chin, pretending to think. "Let me guess, you dreamt of Kai again."
Lina gasped dramatically, clutching her towel like it was evidence. "How did you know?"
Jessie rolled her eyes. "Because you always dream of him. Duh."
"No, no, no. This time it was different." Lina's tone was dead serious now. "I actually saw his face. And Jessie, he looked like an Arabian prince. I swear. We even got married and had four kids."
Jessie burst out laughing. "Four kids? Not three? Not five? Four?"
"Don't laugh!" Lina swatted the air. "It was so real. And his eyes, don't even get me started on his eyes."
Jessie shook her head, chuckling as she stepped back. "You're a crazy person. Certified."
"Whatever." Lina tossed her towel onto the counter with exaggerated flair. "If you'll excuse me, I have more singing to do before I get ready."
"Just keep it down. You're not the only one living here, opera queen," Jessie muttered, already halfway to her room. She shut the bathroom door behind her with a sigh.
The instant the door clicked, Lina raised her voice again, belting passionately into her reflection:"Baby, be my glue and stick with me, girl, 'cause there's no 'you' without u!"
From down the hall, Jessie groaned loud enough for Lina to hear. Lina only grinned wider, her voice soaring off-key but full of joy.
"Okay, so Mrs. Priscilla said we'll be meeting in the campus café," Lina muttered to herself, tugging at the strap of her tote bag as she slipped into a seat by the window. "I guess I'll just sit here and wait for him."
She glanced at the time on her phone, then sighed dramatically. Waiting wasn't her strong suit. She drummed her fingers on the table, humming bits of Kai's latest song under her breath, catching herself before she started singing out loud again. The last thing she needed was the entire café thinking she was a lunatic fangirl.
Her eyes wandered around the café, the clinking cups, the smell of roasted beans, the low hum of chatter. She imagined Kai sitting across from her, faceless as always in her daydreams, his honey-smooth voice teasing her about ordering too much sugar in her latte.
She smiled at the thought, then shook her head. Focus, Lina. Transfer student. Not imaginary husband.
Just then, the bell above the café door chimed. A tall figure stepped in, scanning the room like he wasn't sure where to go. Lina sat up straighter, clutching her bag strap. Please let that be him…
She stood to see who was coming into the café, her eyes landed on a tall, light brown–skinned boy with a full curly afro. She blinked. Could this be him?
Nah, she thought, shaking her head. Not him. This guy looks way too cool and handsome. And Mrs. Priscilla said he was clumsy… does this guy even look clumsy?
Just as she was about to sit back down, a loud clatter made her jump. She turned and saw the boy had knocked over a small café sculpture. Without thinking, she rushed over.
"You Evan?" she asked, bending slightly to help him steady the sculpture.
He looked up and smiled, brushing off his hands. "Yes. Thank you. Such a weird first meeting"
"Oh, no," she said, trying to hide a grin. "I was told you were clumsy… so I'm not really surprised."
Evan tilted his head, a teasing smile on his lips. "I don't know if I should take that as a compliment."
"You should," Lina said with a wink. "I'm Lina, by the way. So… I guess I'll start with the tour."
She gestured around the campus. "And these," she said proudly, pointing, "are the official Bright School winners. Over here? The national debate champions. Look at me over there, graceful, beautiful."
Evan raised his eyebrows. "Woah, that's… so cool."
Lina smirked. "Don't mean to brag, but I'm kind of a big deal. Without me, this school wouldn't even win a single debate competition. I'm basically the boss queen."
Evan nodded, smiling amusedly. Just then, her phone buzzed with a message. She picked it up, and Evan's eyes fell on her wallpaper.
"You… listen to Kai?" he asked casually.
"You know Kai? Boy, of course I do," Lina said, her eyes sparkling.
"Wow," Evan said, impressed.
"You listen to him?" Lina asked, incredulous.
"Yeah, I do," he replied, shrugging like it was no big deal.
"Whoa! No way, dude. That's sick. I like you already." Lina's grin stretched wide. "You know his new song? 'Cold Pressed'?"
Before she knew it, they both sang in unison:"I go late night madness… I can't seem to clear my heeeeaaddd, I got cold blood in meeee…"
Lina laughed and clapped a hand over her mouth. "Whoa, man. Your voice is good! My roommate says my voice sounds like..." she pointed her finger dramatically upward, quoting her roommate..."like a dying cat with ambition."
Evan covered his mouth to hide his laugh. "Ohhh, burn."
"Yeah, well… who cares," Lina shrugged. Then, narrowing her eyes playfully, she added, "Look, I would totally understand if you're… gay for Kai."
Evan chuckled. "I'm not gay. I'm straight."
"Okay, good," Lina said, nodding firmly. "'Cause I'm not sharing him with anyone."
She reached out to touch his shoulder, but he was too tall. "Can you… bend down a little?" she asked.
He leaned slightly, and she reached up, touching the top of his head. "You're a cool guy, Evan," she said, grinning.
Lina stepped back, letting Evan take the lead for a moment as they walked across the campus. "So… here's the library. Don't get distracted, it's mostly quiet zones and suspiciously judgmental bookshelves."
Evan raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Suspiciously judgmental bookshelves? That's a new one."
Lina pointed dramatically to a bronze statue in the courtyard. "And this is our school mascot! Everyone thinks he's fierce, but honestly, he looks like he needs a nap."
Evan laughed, glancing at the statue. "I can see that. Looks more cuddly than terrifying."
"Exactly," Lina said, beaming. "You get me already. Okay, next stop, the art wing. Our students won that national mural competition last year. I mean, if it weren't for me organizing the team…" She trailed off, shrugging. "Let's just say, I'm basically a legend."
Evan chuckled, shaking his head. "You really are confident, huh?"
"Confidence is my middle name. Actually," she added with a mock-serious nod, "if I had a middle name, it would probably be Confident."
They reached a courtyard café where a few students were lounging. Lina spotted a group of freshmen struggling to carry a giant stack of textbooks. She gasped, running over. "Oh no! You're gonna drop..." She swooped in, grabbing a book before it tumbled.
Evan watched, impressed. "Wow, you really do take charge."
"Of course," Lina said, brushing imaginary dust off her hands. "I'm basically a one-woman army… with better singing skills."
Evan grinned. "I can already tell. By the way, speaking of singing, you were really into Kai back there. What do you love about him?"
Lina's cheeks flushed. "He's just… amazing. His voice is everything. I don't even care what he looks like. Face? Irrelevant. Voice? Perfect."
Evan tilted his head, trying not to smile too knowingly. "Yeah? Sounds like someone really knows their music."
"Of course I do," Lina said, puffing out her chest. "I mean, if someone's going to capture my heart with music, it better be exceptional."
They reached the science building next, and Lina launched into her playful lecture mode. "And here we have the chemistry lab. Be careful of the beakers; they bite if you're not paying attention. Just kidding. Mostly. Some days…"
Evan laughed, shaking his head. "You're cool. I like it."
Lina grinned, feeling victorious. "Of course you do. Not everyone appreciates greatness when it's staring them in the face."
Evan glanced at her phone again, noticing her wallpaper with Kai's signature pose. He tried to hide his small smile, but Lina caught the flicker of amusement in his eyes. "Something funny?" she asked, raising a brow.
"Nothing," he said, shrugging. "Just… I love the Kai wallpaper"
"It's exceptional taste, thank you very much." Lina tapped her fingers on her bag, humming a line from one of Kai's songs. "Anyway, the last stop is the student lounge. That's where all the magic happens. Debates, karaoke nights, spontaneous dance-offs… you name it, it happens here. And lucky for you, you get to see me in action."
Evan chuckled. "I feel… honored."
Lina gave a mock bow, then nudged him playfully. "Good. You'll need to survive the tour before I start judging your music taste in detail."
They continued walking, laughter and playful teasing filling the air, the campus glowing in the soft morning sunlight. For Lina, this wasn't just another day... it was a perfectly chaotic start to meeting someone who might just be… a little more interesting.