her voice still ringing in my ears

I woke up with a horrible hangover and a ringing in my ears.

<<Daiki! Where are you? You said we were going to go over the math prep today!>>

My phone buzzed, and I ignored it.

My head was pounding. It felt like someone was grabbing me by the neck and slamming my face repeatedly into a desk. And I would know what that felt like; I was a nerd in middle school, after all.

I was right about that karaoke place. They did not check ID, and they did not care if a bunch of 1st-year university students drank themselves stupid. To be honest, I didn’t even know how I got home last night. My clothes smelled like old Asahi and fried chicken, and I had a bruise on my right arm that I hadn’t had before.

I sat up, and the room was spinning. I squinted against the sunlight and managed to gather enough strength to pull my curtains closed. Drunk me didn’t even have the courtesy to darken the room and get me a glass of water. Curse him.

I stumbled to the kitchen sink, which wasn’t far, considering the size of my 1K apartment. I gulped down two glasses of cold water as I leaned against the counter.

Everything was a blur. The only thing I could remember was some crappy edamame snacks and my friend Hiro’s horrible rendition of that Macho Man song.

When I closed my eyes and tried to remember last night, all I saw was black. How did I even get home? I wondered as I sucked back more water in a desperate attempt to reduce my headache.

I groaned, flopping back down on my bed and looking up at the ceiling. My room was nearly empty - everything was in order and in varying shades of grey. I only had a desk with a computer, a bookshelf, and a bed. Even 20 square meters seemed too big for a minimalist guy like me.

“Love is like a melody, so sweet and true, it's the rhythm of my heart, it's all because of you!”

I heard her voice in my head. The pink-haired schoolgirl.

When I closed my eyes, I saw her again - bouncing pink pigtails. Still dressed in her navy and pink school uniform with cute knee-high socks. I remembered how her freckles dotted her blushing cheeks. The way she shrieked at me and threw the microphone at my head. She was a good shot, I was actually surprised I managed to dodge it.

Ping!

That was my study group again, no doubt.

I groaned, glancing at the clock. It was nearly noon.

“Crap!” I shouted, momentarily forgetting about my headache and grabbing some clean clothes. “I gotta go!”

Cute or not, there was no way that girl was going to get between my and my perfect grades.

* * *

I knew I was a boring guy. Never had a real girlfriend, but I did turn down a few confessions in high school. The only thing in this world that held my attention was school.

Until now.

Almost a week had gone by, and I still heard that girl’s singing in my head whenever I tried to sleep. Being distracted was no good right now. I had an exam coming up, and I needed to be at my best.

Evaluate the following limits, if they exist. (a)lim x→0 f(x) |x| given that lim x→0 xf(x)=3.

“Ugh!” I shook my head and tried to focus, but my eyes kept blurring.

The older woman at the table across from me shot me a glare.

“Sorry,” I muttered.

The coffee shop was nearly empty, and I’d bought three iced lattes over the course of a few hours. I was jittery and couldn’t concentrate.

This is useless, I thought. I closed my notes and shoved them into my backpack. No doubt I was one of the few people cramming math equations in my head at 11:30 on a Friday night.

<<Daiki - you coming to karaoke again?>>

I sighed as a read the message.

<< No! I have an exam on Tuesday! >:[ >>

I replied to the text and walked out of the cafe. I couldn’t afford to get drunk and waste away my whole weekend again. I had to make sure I established myself during the first semester. I had scholarships on the line.

The buzzing neon lights caught my eye as I walked back toward my apartment.

KBO Karaoke

Did I choose this way to walk home on purpose? No way. It was an accident. I took a few more steps before stopping and looking over my shoulder.

Maybe I would stop in and say hi…

No! I cursed at myself and adjusted my backpack.

I knew full well that I had no intention of seeing my friends and getting black-out drunk again. I didn’t care about that. I wanted to see that girl again. I needed to hear her sing.

I didn’t move. The neon lights burned like dragon eyes into the back of my skull. My stomach flipped nervously.

She’s probably not even there, I said to myself. Rationalizing my thoughts - maybe I could check? No.

People walking by me probably thought I was insane. Standing in the dark, a few paces between the karaoke bar and the ramen shop.

I stepped aside to let people pass, taking a few steps back, keenly aware of the buzzing neon light.

“You know what,” I said to myself out loud. “I’m just going to see if she’s there. If not, then I’ll go right home.”

Before I could talk myself out of it, I spun around on my heel and marched down the dark narrow stairs to the karaoke bar. I went right past the front desk and into the maze of private booths until I found the one I was looking for.

B-13 - someone had written the “1” back in with a black marker. I wondered if it was her.

I heard a familiar voice coming from the other side of the door. It was angelic, bubbly, spirited, and yet strangely calming.

“Love is like a melody, so sweet and true, it's the rhythm of my heart, it's all because of you!”

That same song again. Was it her favorite? It was quickly becoming mine.

God, I sounded like a creep.

I hesitated, my hand hovering next to the door. If I go in and talk to her - would it be weird? Anyone from the outside looking in would think I was some pervert or some obsessed weirdo.

I wasn’t obsessed. I just wanted to hear her sing again. That wasn’t so weird, right?

Weirdness came down to intention.

I sucked in a breath. Just do it, I urged myself.

I knocked on the door. “Excuse me,” I called out.

No answer.

The music was still blaring - she probably couldn’t hear me over her own voice.

I knew what that was like. It was easy to get in the zone when I was studying. Sometimes I concentrated so hard that I didn’t notice people saying my name until I got smacked in the head.

“Excuse me!” I said louder this time, nudging the door open halfway.

The girl turned around, her voice cracking the note she was on. Her face flooded with red, and her eyes went wide.

“You!” She gasped, throwing her arms up over her chest as if I’d caught her naked. She whipped her right arm out, pointing the microphone at me.

“What do you want?!” She demanded.

I hadn’t thought what I’d say if she was actually here. I’d figured the likelihood of her actually being here tonight in the same booth was astronomical. Even when I heard her voice, it didn’t seem real. Not until now, with our eyes locked together.

Crap, what was I going to say?