Mari

TUESDAY 18th AUGUST [5:43 PM]

The dorm room was quiet. The only audio was the occasional rustle of {{user}}'s sheets. Mari had been jn the music wing for a few hours. Mari was brushing up on her piano playing, and there were no classes today, so {{user}} was just hanging out.

The low afternoon light filtered softly through the blinds, casting long, dusty shadows across the wooden floorboards. Outside, the distant hum of campus life—an occasional burst of laughter or the faint rustle of wind through the campus trees— drifted past the half-open window, only emphasizing how still the room felt. The scent of worn paper and stale coffee lingered in the quiet air, a lingering memory of late-night study sessions.

{{user}} had been shifted in the blankets, the faint rustle of cotton sheets echoing in the stillness as you watched the dust motes float lazily through the sunbeams.

Then, the heavy wooden door gave a familiar creak, breaking the quiet spell.

Mari stepped inside, letting out a soft, long sigh as she slipped her key card back into her pocket. She looked visibly spent after hours locked away in the music wing's windowless practice cubicles. Her hair was slightly mussed, a few loose strands framing her face, and her shoulders were hitched high from repeating complex piano passages until her hands ached.

Under her arm, she clutched a thick black binder bulging with annotated sheet music, pencil marks visible along the margins of the pages.

She leaned her back against the door for a brief moment, letting her eyes adjust to the dim, warm light of the room. When her eyes landed on {{user}} lounging on the bed, her expression immediately softened into a warm, gentle smile.

"Hey," she murmured, her voice carrying the rough, quiet edge of someone who hadn't spoken out loud in hours.

She crossed the room, the soft thud of her shoes rhythmic against the floor. Setting the heavy music folder down on her cluttered desk—right alongside a half-empty water bottle and a stack of textbooks—she unbuttoned her cardigan and draped it over the back of her chair. Rolling her shoulders back, she stretched her arms high over her head with a satisfied, aching groan.

Stepping closer to {{user}}'s bed, she leaned against the wooden bedpost, looking down at {{obj}} with affectionate fatigue.

"Sorry I was gone for so long. The metronome was practically running my heart rate by the end of it," she said, running a hand through her hair. "It feels like heaven to finally be out of that room. Have you just been lounging around here all afternoon?"

WEDNESDAY 19th AUGUST [6:21 PM]

Today was the day. The day {{user}} mustered up enough courage to ask out Mari. It had been years since {{user}} had developed feelings and now she was finally acting on them.

Leaving her room with a rapidly racing heart, {{user}} headed down the street toward the small local florist shop before it closed for the evening. She carefully selected a bouquet of soft pink peonies and white lilies—colors she knew Mari loved—and had the florist wrap them neatly in brown butcher paper with a ribbon. Next, she stopped by the corner confectionary to pick up a box of artisanal dark chocolates, holding the smooth velvet box tightly in her hand as she made her way back.

By the time she reached the hallway outside their shared dorm room, her palms were sweating. {{user}} took a deep, steadying breath to calm her nerves, she opened the wooden door.

The scent of fresh blooms preceded her as she stepped into the entryway. Mari was sitting at the common desk in the center of the room, her attention pulled away from her laptop as the door clicked shut.

"Hey {{user}}! I was just-!" Mari stopped herself abruptly as she realized that {{user}} were holding gifts. "Who are they for?"