Chapter Text
Raine had always been excellent at tuning out the world and getting lost in their studies. They could go anywhere–no matter how crowded or loud–and still manage to focus completely on their work. Today was no exception. Sitting in the campus library, their nose was buried in an upper-level music theory textbook. The content was challenging and required Raine’s full attention. They couldn’t even remember the last time they had looked up and taken in their surroundings until a loud laugh rang throughout the otherwise quiet library.
Annoyance flashed through Raine at the interruption. This was a library. It was meant to be quiet. They glanced around to find the culprit, locating her immediately. She was tall, striking, and loud; walking across the room with a small group of people. Her red hair was gathered into a high pony-tail, cascading down her back in choppy waves. Loose strands framed her angular face. Instead of carrying a backpack like the rest of the group, a leather handbag was slung over her shoulder. It looked vintage. She wore heeled black boots that accentuated the height difference between her and the others. Paired with a short red skirt, Raine’s attention was drawn to her long legs.
How long had they been looking at her? Probably too long. They hoped nobody noticed. The musician pretended to return to their studies, but their eyes trailed the girl instead. Her friends had found an empty study room. She didn’t follow them in, turning to find an empty table instead. Raine followed her gaze around the library. All of the study tables were occupied by at least one student. That wasn’t surprising, it was usually crowded this time of day. Only a few empty seats remained and one of them was across from Raine. They seemed to make this realization at the same time as the girl because suddenly she was walking toward them.
Panic shot through Raine at the thought of talking to her. They averted their eyes downward and back to their reading material, hoping if they appeared busy she wouldn’t bother them. No such luck. Out of the corner of their eye, Raine saw her stop at their table. There was something oddly familiar about the red-head, but they couldn’t place where they had seen her before. The sound of the girl clearing her throat made them look up to face her.
“I’m Edalyn,” she said, dramatically extending her right hand toward Raine, “Edalyn Clawthorne.”
That’s not a real name, they thought, hesitantly reaching their hand out to meet Edalyn’s. In response to this motion, she clasped their palms together, shaking Raine’s hand so aggressively their whole body moved with it. Raine cringed in annoyance, pulling their hand away. They adjusted their glasses, which had begun to slip down their nose. If Edalyn was insulted by them abruptly ending her handshake, she didn’t show it. Instead, she stepped closer to the musician and leaned on the table.
“What’s your name, hot stuff?” she asked without missing a beat.
Raine felt their cheeks heat up, whether it was from Edalyn’s close proximity or her word choice they couldn’t tell. Raine was often awkward during first impressions, but they had never felt so disarmed by a stranger before. They cleared their throat before answering simply, “My name is Raine.”
“Well Raine,” something about the way Edalyn placed a flirty emphasis on their name made them flush deeper, “you can call me Eda.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Eda,” Raine said, hoping they sounded more collected than they felt, “is there something I can help you with?”
“You seem to be in possession of something I want,” Eda said, her voice taking on a tone so serious it was almost comical. It was a dramatic shift from her previously flirtatious comment.
“What would that be?” Raine asked, though they assumed the answer already. Or so they hoped. Maybe Eda wanted something besides the empty seat at their table. She seemed like a wild-card.
“I’m in need of a seat. It looks like you have one available,” Eda stated, gesturing to the chair across from Raine, “ and unless you’re saving it for someone, I’m going to take it.”
“It’s yours now,” Raine felt the words leave their mouth before thinking them through. Eda was so direct and confident–they would have let her sit even if they were saving it for someone. They shuffled their textbooks around on the table to make room for her.
“You don’t need to do that, I don’t need much space,” Eda sat down, pulling a worn paperback out of her handbag, “I’m just here to read.”
They watched as she scooted her chair backwards with an aggressive shove, kicked her feet up on the table, then crossed one over the other. Raine found this behavior highly inappropriate for a shared public setting, yet they didn’t dare say so. They didn’t think Eda would respond well to the critisism. As Raine mentally debated saying something, Eda met their gaze.
“Don’t you have studying to do? I can’t read when I know you’re watching me.” She quipped, a smile on her lips.
Irritation bubbled up at her teasing tone. She was accusing them of being a distraction? Raine had been peacefully studying before she made her grand appearance and interrupted them. They wanted to tell her so, but Eda was giving them a look that banished all the negative thoughts from their head. Her lopsided smile and warm eyes were an alluring combination. They opted for a witty response, hoping to see more of her radiant look.
“Sorry, please, make yourself comfortable,” they said sarcastically, gesturing to Eda’s legs on the table, “don’t let me stop you.”
“Ah-ha! They’ve got jokes!” Eda exclaimed, chuckling at Raine’s dry humor. They tried to ignore the way their chest fluttered at Eda’s excitement. She was cute when she was excited and it wasn’t fair. Raine attempted to hide their growing smile by returning to their study material. If Eda noticed, she didn’t say anything.
The pair fell into an easy silence: Eda reading and Raine studying. Raine was surprised by how relaxed they felt in her presence. Situations with strangers made Raine uncomfortable, but Eda was somehow an exception. The girl was abrasive and vexing, yet charming and comforting at the same time. It was seemingly impossible, but there was no better way to describe her. Edalyn Clawthorne was an enigma, and Raine wanted to understand her.
Raine wasn't sure how long they had been sitting together when their phone started softly buzzing from within their bookbag. Eda looked up from her book, watching Raine take it out of their bag to silence it. They had set an alarm for 5:45pm–a reminder not to be late for orchestra rehearsal, which began at 6:00. They hated being late. Walking in after rehearsal began, everyone turning their judgemental eyes to them, was their worst nightmare. Shuddering at the thought, they began to pack up their books.
“Leaving me so soon?” Eda asked. Was that disappointment they heard in her voice?
“I have to get to rehearsal,” Raine replied, placing a bookmark in their textbook and stowing it away.
“You’re a musician?”
“I play violin in the university orchestra,” they said simply, deciding not to mention that they were not only in the orchestra, they were the principal violinist. It was a notable accomplishment any other college-age musician would brag about, but Raine hated the unnecessary attention it brought them.
“Isn’t the university orchestra like, insanely hard to get into? You must be pretty good, Raine.”
“Uhhh, I’m okay at it,” they replied nervously, hoping Eda wouldn’t pry, “It’s competitive, but all orchestras are.”
She seemed to pick up on their hesitation around the subject and thankfully dropped it. Raine was pleasantly surprised by her perceptiveness, considering she had been practically yelling in a library earlier. With their thoughts stuck on Eda again, they almost forgot why the conversation had turned to the orchestra in the first place. Rehearsal.
“I really do have to go, but it was nice meeting you,” they said, putting the last of their textbooks in their backpack.
“It was nice meeting you too.”
With that, Raine stood and gave her a small wave before heading in the direction of the exit. They left the library in a hurry, brushing past soft-spoken friend groups and focused individuals. Their fear of being late reared its head again. Walking briskly across campus, they made it almost halfway to the music building when a familiar voice called out to them. Heavy footfalls approached Raine at a fast pace, coming to an abrupt stop behind them. They turned around to see Eda, flushed from running, standing with their violin case in her hand.
“You might need this for rehearsal,” she said, holding the instrument out with the same lopsided grin from early. The one Raine was enamored with. For the third time that afternoon, the musician felt their face turn red.
“Thank you,” they said, taking their violin from Eda, “for bringing this to me. You didn’t have to run all the way here.”
“You’re right, I didn’t. But could you imagine how embarrassing it would be if you showed up to orchestra rehearsal without an instrument?” Eda snorted, “I figured I’d save you from that.”
“My hero,” Raine snarked, but a smile danced across their lips anyway. Eda gave an exaggerated mock-salute in response.
“I better let you get to your nerd practice,” she said, giving Raine a short wave before parting with a drawn-out, “Byeeeee.”
Raine watched her go, unable to tear their eyes off her receding figure. Who was Edalyn Clawthorne? They spent almost the entire afternoon sitting together, but they knew almost nothing about her. Making an assumption based on her lack of study materials and library etiquette, Raine guessed she wasn’t a student. Maybe she was at some point? She had to be their age, if not a year or so older. They turned back toward the music building. That’s all they had of Eda; assumptions. Unsatisfied with the unknown, Raine hoped they would run into her again. Until then, Edalyn would be on their mind.