Shy

Clara

Kia tugs my hand, pulling me into her room and slamming the door closed behind her.

She looks at me curiously and I smile, tilting my head to look at her.

"Are you okay?" She asks seriously and I laugh.

"I'm...I'm fine. I just...kissed the guy I've been crushing on for months, who just happens to be my soulmate, for the very first time. But other than that, I'm fine." I say, my voice almost hysterical as I process what just happened.

Kia's face drops and I gulp.

"So...was it any good?" She asks seriously and I laugh, hiding my face in my hands.

"God, Kia!" I exclaim and she chuckles, shrugging her shoulders.

I flop down on her bed, my head shaking as I remember what happened just moments ago.

"It was...everything." I murmur and Kia pretends to vomit.

I prop myself up on my elbows, smirking at her playful expression.

"Have you thought about this? I mean really thought about it. This is potentially the rest of your life." She states, all of a sudden serious again and I take a deep breath.

I hadn't really thought about that. But we're so young, with so many options ahead of us and I know that this isn't some mere teen relationship. This bond will carry us through every hardship if we trust it. I find myself overflowing with excitement at all that awaits us.

"I can't wait." I admit quietly and Kia smiles.

"Alright, well that's enough of that. I'm done with you, off you go." Saskia says and I laugh, her arms flapping me away in feigned disgust.

I check my watch absently and my eyes bug out at the time.

"Shoot, I have orchestra in half an hour, I need my violin." I mumble, grabbing my phone and running down the stairs.

I shrug my coat on, sliding my bag over my shoulder. I hesitate, glancing over my shoulder and find Kit standing by the base of the stairs. He's watching me carefully, his expression guarded and I smile.

I walk over to him slowly, my fingers tentatively reaching out to brush against his cheek. How many times have I fantasised about touching his face, his hair, him?

He leans into my touch, his eyes not once leaving mine. His eyes hold so much emotion it's difficult to decipher any of it. I don't know how I lived without seeing them.

"I have to get my violin, I'll see you soon." I murmur.

His hand reaches up to his cheek, his fingers encasing mine.

"May I accompany you?" He asks, his lips brushing against my fingers.

"Uhm, yeah. Yes, of course." I say, utterly dazed by his presence and he grins.

He shrugs on a jacket and scoops up my hand, guiding me out of the house before I can even form a coherent thought. It's really not fair, this being captivated by your soulmate thing. He's had a lot longer to assimilate, I'm barely functioning.

"Hey, daydreamer, I have no idea where you live, so I need you to take it from here." He says, his voice full of good humour and I try to pull myself together.

"Oh, right, it's this way." I mumble, feeling my cheeks redden with embarrassment. I try and wrack my brain for one of the millions of questions that I have for the man holding my hand, but for the life of me I can't think of a thing other than the feel of skin against mine. His lips against mine...

"How long have you been playing violin for?" He asks, his soft voice interrupting my...distraction and I'm thankful for the normalcy of the question. I'm sure both of us are just as aware of how strange this situation is.

"Since I was eight." I say and he smiles.

"Me too, I mean the piano, not the violin, obviously." He says awkwardly and I laugh.

"What...what kind of music do you like to listen to?" I ask tentatively and he glances down pensively.

"I listen to just about anything, my mood...it sort of dictates what I listen to." He explains and I nod.

"You have CD's and records." I state and he nods.

"Music made in the era of record players doesn't sound right on CD and vice versa. I'm a firm believer in using the media it was meant to be heard on." He says and I actually find myself agreeing with him.

I draw him down my street and hesitate just outside the gates. Kit's eyes are wandering up and down, surveying the house in front of him.

"I'll wait here." He says, glancing down at me assuringly and I sigh, smiling at him.

I hadn't quite thought about how to explain this to my parents.

I run up the driveway and open the door, flinging my school bag down and racing up the stairs to retrieve my violin.

"Clara? Is that you, hun?" My mum calls out and I cringe.

"Yeah, just grabbing my violin for orchestra." I shout back. I run down the stairs, trying to slow down as I step into the hall. My reflection in the mirror lets me know that I look just as flustered as I feel.

"Sorry, running a bit late. I stopped at Kia's to drop off some notes." I fib, and my mum seems to buy it.

"Okay, I'll see you- is that man loitering outside our house?" My mum asks, peering out the window and I inhale sharply.

"No, no, that's Kia's twin brother. He plays piano at orchestra." I say, my words very truthful this time around and my mum looks visibly reassured.

"Is he walking with you? That's very sweet. He's very handsome, honey." My mum says slowly, her eyebrows hinting at what is already very obvious and I blush.

"Mum." I groan and she laughs.

"Go on, I'll see you this evening." She says and I smile, hugging her tight before skipping to the door. As soon as the door opens, Kit looks up and smiles. I forget how to move for a moment, all the air sucked out of my lungs.

I pull the door shut and walk towards him. He holds his hand out and I hold out mine in return, eager to hold his hand again.

He chuckles, reaching round me and taking my violin case from me. I blush, my free hand dropping to my side.

"Not quite what I meant, but I'll take what I can get." He says gently, transferring my violin to his other hand and taking my hand in his.

We walk the short distance in comfortable silence, the both of us enjoying the moment in our own ways. Kit holds the door open for me as we arrive and I blush again, not used to being treated like such a lady.

Before I enter the orchestra hall, Kit tugs me back. He brushes my hair from my eyes and gently kisses my cheek. We walk in together, our hands no longer connected but he walks me to my seat before wandering over to the piano. It doesn't go unnoticed by the other violinists, but I find that I don't really care.

I watch Kit interact with Ollie, his smile so effortlessly handsome and carefree.

The thrill of all that's to come is something I can't deny and it courses through my veins like electricity. I can't tear my eyes away from him.