He could hardly even remember her name yet he couldn't get her out his head. Twice a week for an hour's length he sat right next to her. That was all. The two of them hardly spoke other than to ask to borrow a pen or exchange notes. Just a classmate was what it felt like she was ever intended to be. Just one of the many people he'd sit next to in classes and later forget about throughout his college years.
At the same time though, he knew something about her that he felt he shouldn't and while her behavior around him was that of someone who didn't know, it was already confirmed that she indeed did know. Why, though? Why didn't she ever say anything and why was it that he could never find words to say to her either?
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The two of them had found themselves in the same Art Appreciation class. The kind of class that he was sure a good 80% of the students were taking for the college credit to get basics out of the way just like himself. The class in a way was a breather from the other more intensive courses he was taking this semester as a good portion of it was vocabulary, projects and essays, so his attitude there was generally a positive to neutral one. The girl he sat next to had more or less blended into the background. Nothing more than part of the scenery.
Perhaps a few weeks into the semester, he had noticed that she was indeed attractive. Her skin silky and smooth contrasting from her coarse, and frizzy black hair either worn down, or in a half pony-tail the curled tips sweeping against the desk as she'd bend over her notes. More than a gothic impression, Snow White was the kind of beauty he thought she'd most resembled. If he were asked at the time if he thought she had a nice body, he'd have to think about it for a minute as she dressed in a way that neither accentuated nor hid her figure, but he'd probably have said yes.
Much like how she dressed, she was neither a wallflower nor a social butterfly either. She'd sometimes raise her hand and ask questions or engage in a small discussion with the class, but that was the extent of it. Other than the professor, he never saw her talk to anyone all that much. Surely she had an entire life outside of functioning as an NPC in his own, yet he'd never found himself interested in her enough to think about it.
About halfway into the semester, the professor had each student partner up with whoever was to the left of them for a project meant to compare and contrast two different periods of art. Him and the girl had gone over the list together and decided which they wanted to do with a rather agreeable and nonchalant attitude. To this day, he couldn't even remember what he had chosen, but for reasons he'd find out a bit later, he recalled the girl (who had told him his name, but he quickly forgot) had decided upon Rococo. From there they exchanged phone numbers and he agreed he'd text her a good time for them to meet up on campus to work on the project after he got his work schedule for the upcoming week.
A few days passed, he got his schedule and a day after that suddenly remembered he had forgotten to text her his available days. As expected she responded a few hours later and their short, dry conversation ended with an, "Ok sounds good" from him that evening.