kiss me, there's no one watching us now

when my eyes fell on you, the world grew still

Cole was officially lost.

Of course his first day at a school for the arts began with him getting lost. It had sounded too good to be true when Miss Josephine Barry had informed him that he was to be educated at a fine arts school, so obviously he just had to go and ruin it.

The acceptance letter following his entrance exam had warned him that Rosewood Institute of Fine Arts was made up of four separate buildings, and he had asked a student for directions upon exiting his carriage and passing through the massive arch, but he had been so distracted by the extravangance and luxury of the place that, when he came to a crossroads, he had forgotten which of the four paths led to the Visual Arts building.

The building he stood inside now didn't match the gothic style that Miss Barry described to him—rather, the walls were pale, with tall spires and large windows, and there were far too many balconies with far too many students walking the halls. Cole focused his gaze on the floor and tried to shrink into himself, trying not to stand out too much or tower over anyone, but he still felt too tall, too lost, too himself .

He was definitely in the wrong place. He was getting stared at now, perhaps by curious students wondering why he wasn't wearing the same uniform as them. Their glances were harmless but still suffocating.

"You look lost."

The voice cut into Cole's thoughts, and he looked up from the floor to face whoever spoke. His breath caught.

The first thing Cole noticed was the boy's eyes, such an intensely vivid blue it could make the sky look dull. They contrasted heavily with his dark olive skin, and complemented the emerald green blazer and tie that he wore. He must've been Cole's age, but something about the dimples etched into his round face and the mischievous glint in his eyes made him appear more youthful. Cole tried not to study him the way he usually did—it must've been the artist in him that so wanted to stare at the curve of the boy's cheek, the arch of his brow, the way his soft dark curls just barely brushed his eyes.

"You look lost," the boy repeated, an accent coloring his voice, and Cole started in surprise.

Cole's tongue was in knots, but he managed to say, "Um, I'm assuming this isn't the Visual Arts building?"

The boy laughed softly, the sound almost like bells. "No, this is Musical Arts. Is this your first day?"

Cole tried not to blush in embarrassment. "Yeah, it is."

"No worries. Should I show you the way?"

"Of course. Um," he added quickly as they began walking, "also. Thank you."

"No worries," he said simply as they began walking, flashing a brilliant grin at Cole and showing off a single dimple in his face, right in the middle of his left cheek. "My pleasure."

"I'm Cole, by the way. Cole Mackenzie."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Cole Mackenzie. I'm Benjamin Alexander Sharpe."

"Woah. Thats..."

"Pretentious? Extravagant? Over the top?" he suggested. "Just Ben is fine, by the way."

Cole tried not to smile. Then, suddenly, it hit him. "Oh!"

Ben looked at him curiously out of the corner of his eye. "What?"

"Your name," Cole said, mind flashing back to another blue-eyed gentleman. "It seemed familiar. Alexander Sharpe... your father–"

"Is indeed friends with Miss Josephine Barry," Ben finished, flashing another toothy grin. "My father mentioned that she had taken in a farm boy who was to be sent to this school. I recognized you from the party—I was there, too. Perhaps you didn't see me."

"I... didn't. Sorry."

Ben laughed at Cole's awkwardness. "It's fine, really. I mean, it's not like I swaggered up to your face and demanded that you remember me."

"I suppose you didn't," Cole admitted. God, why wasn't he better with words? If only he had a talent for them like Anne—though, admittedly, Anne didn't quite know how to use them in a socially acceptable manner. "So, was it your parents who recommended this school to Miss Barry?"

Ben nodded. "It's my father's alma mater from when he was a boy, and my mother used to teach in the Visual Arts building. She's a painter."

"Yeah, I saw a little bit of her work hung up in Miss Barry's home. She's truly talented."

Ben lit up. "You should see the art she sends to be hung up in galleries. Each one is a masterpiece."

Cole thought back to those two paintings. The first felt like if one looked carefully enough they would begin feeling the grief and sorrow and anguish Mrs. Sharpe must've felt. As for the second, Cole could've sworn he could've reached his fingers into the painting and felt warm sunshine tickling his fingers.

"She's truly talented," Cole repeated, enunciating a bit and trying to get it through that he truly did mean the words. Ben glanced at him, seemingly a bit confused, but after scanning Cole's face a slow smile spread across his face.

"Thank you," Ben said, and he sounded like he truly did mean the words too. Cole's face went warm, and Ben glanced away. "Anyway, here we are."

Cole hadn't realized they'd arrived so quickly, and sure enough, there was the building in front of them, all dark towers and intricate stone carvings in the walls. Ben added quickly, "We cut through the fields instead of following the paths. Not exactly allowed, but it certainly is faster, isn't it? Wouldn't want you to be late on your first day."

"Yes," Cole said slowly. "We wouldn't. Again, thank you so much."

Ben waved him off. "It's no big deal. Just a short walk. My teachers don't get mad anyhow—they all find me very charming."

He winked and Cole's heart skipped a beat. "Um."

Ben smiled again, showing off that mischievous dimple, and tipped an imaginary hat. "I'd best be off, then. Until next time, Mr. Mackenzie."

"Wait," Cole called out as Ben turned to leave, and felt foolish as he asked, "will we..."

"See each other around? Yeah, lunches are in the fields. All four schools mingle ," he enunciated the last word. "You can sit with me and my friends."

"Much obliged," Cole said, a little surprised.

Ben just smiled again before walking away, leaving Cole to turn around, take a deep breath, and enter his new school.