He doesn't fall, until you

The music project

Lina’s POV

I don’t know what I expected when I got paired with Kai Rivera. Maybe a little awkward silence. Maybe a guy who didn’t want to work with the new girl.

I didn’t expect... that.

He didn’t say a single word. Not even a “hey” or “what do you want to do for the project?” Just sat there, unreadable behind those headphones, eyes fixed on the far wall like he wasn’t really in the room.

But somehow, that silence didn’t feel empty.

It felt full—of something I couldn’t name yet.

So I wrote him a note.

Simple. Honest. No pressure. And even though he didn’t respond, he didn’t crumple it up either. That has to mean something, right?

Now I’m in my room, staring at my music notebook, flipping through pages of half-written lyrics and abandoned melodies. I’ve always used music to understand people, but Kai… he’s like a song that changes keys when you think you’ve figured it out.

I sigh and grab a pen.

> Project idea:

Theme – Unspoken feelings

Sound – Acoustic with minimal layers

Lyrics – Focus on grief, healing, and hope?

It’s bold. Maybe too much for someone I just met. But something about Kai tells me he won’t respond to surface-level fluff. I want this project to matter.

Before I can overthink it, I text Jesse—well, I got his number through the class group chat. He seems to know Kai.

Lina: Hey, this is Lina (new girl in music class). You’re friends with Kai, right?

He replies in exactly 2.3 seconds.

Jesse: Yup. You’re the brave soul paired with him? 😬

Lina: Haha yeah. He’s... quiet.

Jesse: That’s putting it mildly. He’s got a whole haunted-by-his-past thing going on.

Lina: I noticed.

Jesse: Don’t take it personally. He’s been through a lot. But he’s not as cold as he looks. Just… locked up tight.

Lina: Think he’ll actually do this project?

Jesse: If he agreed to sit next to you, that’s already a miracle. Give it time.

I stare at my phone, then the notebook.

Time.

Time I have. And something tells me this project is going to be more than just a grade.

---

The next day, I get to music class early. I don’t know why. I guess part of me wants to catch Kai before the rest of the class shows up.

He walks in a few minutes later, hoodie up, headphones on, but his eyes flicker to me like he expected me to be here.

I slide my notebook toward him without a word.

He hesitates, then pulls it closer and reads.

A few long seconds stretch out before he reaches for his own pencil and scribbles something beneath my notes.

> Grief, healing, hope = good. Keep it raw. No overproduction. Piano + acoustic guitar?

He doesn’t look at me when he slides it back.

But my heart does a little skip anyway.

He’s in.

We spend the rest of the class working side by side. We still don’t talk out loud, but we pass notes and swap sketches of lyrics and instrumental ideas. There’s something oddly easy about it. Like we’re building a language in silence.

At one point, I catch him humming under his breath—low, careful, almost involuntary.

It’s beautiful.

Soft and haunting, like a memory.

I pretend not to notice, but I write down the tune I hear in my head, trying to hold on to it.

---

Lunch rolls around, and I find myself sitting outside under the big oak tree near the music building. The sun filters through the leaves in fractured patterns, and I lean back against the trunk, letting it warm my face.

“Mind if I join you?”

I open my eyes to see a girl standing over me, holding a lunch tray and an uncertain smile. Light brown skin, curly hair pulled up into two poofy buns, and bright purple glasses.

“Sure,” I say, moving over.

“I’m Aria,” she says, sitting down. “Saw you in class with Kai.”

“Yeah, I’m Lina.”

She grins. “You’re either very brave or very patient.”

“I’m starting to think both.”

Aria laughs. “Kai’s... complicated. But he used to be different. Before—” She stops herself, then shakes her head. “Sorry. Not my story to tell.”

I nod. I don’t push.

We talk a little more—about teachers, food, and how weird it is starting at a new school in the middle of the year. She offers to introduce me to her friend Lena sometime. I like her already.

As I head to my next class, I see Kai down the hall. He’s leaning against a locker, headphones on, hoodie down for once.

Our eyes meet for a second.

He doesn’t smile.

But he gives me a nod.

Just a small one.

It feels like progress.

And suddenly, I want to write again.