Stefan was studying in the library for the first time in a while. He hadn't seen Vasil since the first day, so he assumed he might have given up by now. He felt relieved not having to deal with those weird feelings anymore, but at the same time, he didn't enjoy the quiet.
His life had become still, and he didn't have anything to bring liveliness back into it.
And he didn't have the time, either.
It had been about a month since school started, and they already had exams. Stefan sighed. He was still tired from studying for the entrance exam, even though months had passed.
He put his head on the desk and closed his eyes. The library itself was silent, but the window was half open, so he could hear faint noises from outside. The cold wind carried the commotion of the schoolyard and the bustle of the fourth floor. Low voices drifted up from below, while high musical notes floated down from above. Stefan could hear the violin, but he wasn't sure if it was Vasil or Khalid.
It didn't matter anyway.
A loud bump made him jump. He lifted his head to see who was responsible.
It was that girl, Violette.
She whispered, "Sorry!" even though they were the only two there.
Stefan didn't mind, so he lowered his head again.
Before he could close his eyes, Violette said, "I thought you came here to study."
Stefan looked at her, not pleased to be spoken to. "So what if I'm not?"
"Then you wouldn't have brought this many books with you."
Stefan sighed and looked away.
"You study during breaks but sleep in the library. Funny method! Though I prefer the opposite!"
Stefan didn't even open his eyes. "Then why are you talking?"
Violette smiled. she looked like she was about to punch him. "'Cause I came with an offer."
Stefan sat up straight and looked into her eyes. Violette continued, "Study with me."
"Why would I do that?"
"Because I can't focus when I study alone, and you've been staring out the window for about an hour like a depressed guy who just got divorced. It's a win–win situation. So are you in or not?"
Stefan paused. "Don't you have any friends to make a study group with?"
"I do have a lot of friends, but they don't study as much as you."
Stefan thought for a moment, then said, "Fine. We can try it for a while and see if it actually works."
Violette smiled, a victorious one. "Okay!"
She finally sat down and pulled a book from her backpack. "So. Three times a week, right here."
Stefan watched her place a big blue travel mug, six pastel-colored highlighters, and a blue pencil case on the table. "…Okay."
"Don't talk. Just study. Unless you want to get a lower grade than me again."
Stefan really didn't like her.
***
It was effective, actually. After a while, Stefan could admit that. Even though he had to wake Violette from her daydreaming a few times, she did the same for him whenever violin music drifted from the fourth floor.
And whenever either of them had a question, they had someone equally knowledgeable to ask.
Violette called this "friends with sensible benefits," but Stefan didn't like the name.
A glittery pen smacked him on the head. "Ouch!"
"You got distracted again!" Violette said.
"No, I wasn't."
She grinned. "Oops! My bad."
He was distracted, but he refused to admit it. The girl was weird and sharp enough for Stefan to believe she could read minds. And she seemed to enjoy hitting him, too. Stefan felt like he was paying for every time he had hit Vasil.
"That's Vasil."
"Huh?"
"This is Vasil playing."
Stefan looked at her, confused. Violette noticed and added, "I thought you knew him."
"I do. But how do you know him?"
"Sometimes I go up there to practice. He's so nice and helps me fix my mistakes."
"You play violin?"
"Yeah. Not as seriously as those guys, though."
Stefan looked at the doodles on her notebook. "I thought you liked drawing."
"Yep. And writing too, if you care that much."
She smirked. "I'm a woman of many talents."
"When do you even study?"
"When I'm with your one-dimensional, only-study-matters,stupid brain."
Stefan rolled his eyes. "How do you know it's him?"
"That's easy. Vasil plays fluently. he won't stop even if he makes a mistake. Khalid plays flawlessly; he'd pause if he were even a little unsatisfied with the sound."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because it seems like you care."
Stefan frowned. "But I didn't."
"You literally asked me."
He looked away. "Just stop talking and study."
Violette took a deep breath so she wouldn't punch him.
***
"Why would I go to the music room for you?"
Stefan's voice was uneasy.
Violette pointed to the cast on her right foot. "Because I left my physics notebook up there, we have an exam tomorrow, and I definitely can't go right now!"
"I'll give you my notebook."
"I want mine! Your handwriting is unreadable! Why are you so insistent on not going?"
"…"
Violette said mockingly, "Is there something you're scared of?"
Stefan looked at her, then sighed. "Fine. I'll bring it."
He stood up and headed for the door. Violette called after him, "It's blue and has a gray cat on it!"
Stefan rolled his eyes on the way out. All her things were either blue or had a cat on them.
He climbed the stairs two at a time. When he reached the fourth floor, he went to the end of the hallway, but when he arrived at the music room door, he paused.
He listened carefully. Not a single sound.
He opened the door slowly and looked around. At first, he saw no one. So he slipped in quietly.
Then he saw him.
Vasil was sitting on the floor, resting his head on his knees.
Stefan paused. It took him a few seconds to realize Vasil was probably asleep. If he hadn't been, he would've lifted his head by now.
Stefan looked around until he finally spotted Violette's notebook on the piano. He tried to walk between the music stands as quietly as possible. While moving, his foot bumped into one, and it collapsed loudly.
He froze at the harsh noise. Then a voice behind him:
"Stefan?"
He looked back and saw Vasil, still sitting on the floor, staring at him in surprise.
Vasil stood up. "Hi."
"…Hello."
Vasil smiled, a kind smile that made something twist weirdly in Stefan's chest. "What are you doing here?"
"I… I came here to take that notebook," Stefan stammered.
The strange feeling inside him was too much that it hurt. He didn't know if it was because he hadn't seen Vasil in a while, or because his black hair was a little longer, or because he still looked sleepy with those soft, weary eyes.
Vasil's smile faded. "Oh…"
Stefan didn't want to look at him anymore. His heart was pounding too hard. He stared down at the fallen music stand instead. "I think I accidentally broke this."
"That one is always like that," Vasil said gently. "Don't worry. I can fix it."
He walked past Stefan to the piano, picked up the notebook, and looked at it for a moment.
"It's not mine," Stefan said quickly.
"I know," Vasil replied, still looking at the cover. "It belongs to Violette. I was just thinking the cat looks like Tok."
Stefan stayed silent.
"Remember? The kittens," Vasil said softly.
"Yes. I remember."
'They were the reason we became friends', Stefan thought.
"We can go check on them sometime. What do you think?"
"I'm busy studying."
Vasil opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again. He looked down. Stefan realized he hadn't mentioned any specific time.
Vasil tilted his head and forced a tiny smile. He handed the notebook to Stefan. "Then I won't bother you anymore."
Stefan hated hearing that, even though it was exactly what he had asked for.
He took the notebook. "Thank you… I have to go."
"Okay," Vasil whispered. "Goodbye, then."
"Yeah… bye."
Stefan said it quickly and left before he could change his mind.
He left Vasil there, alone in the large music room, with a broken music stand and no music sound at all.