"Kiya, have you got a second?" Mrs. Cobb, my new study adviser, stops me on my way out of class. I look at her a little perplexed and walk up to her desk. We haven't had a personal talk yet, but I didn't think it was necessary.

It's Monday. We just did the quiz in class. I think it went alright. It can't be about that though, she wouldn't have been able to review that yet.

"Sure, is there a problem?" I ask.

I'm confused as to why I had to stay behind. I can't think of anything I've done.

I walk over to her desk and take a seat on the chair next to it, coming eye-level with her.

"No, nothing of the sort. I actually have an offer for you." She smiles being very straightforward, but it still gets on my nerves, "are you interested in doing some extracurricular that would look good on your CV?"

Oh, this might be good.

Doing extracurriculars in college does not only look amazing on my resume but it will also be another excuse why I can't join my friends in their social activities. The busier with school I am the better.

"Always, what is it?" I ask her politely.

"The physician on the hockey team needs some extra hands... It would be a really good learning experience for you, and I thought it'd be perfect since you also did something like that in high school, from what I saw in your records."

When I hear the word hockey team, I quickly lose interest.

I sink back into my chair. I knew it would be too good to be true, nothing is ever in my favor. 

"Uhm yes I did, but I don't know if I'm the best option for the hockey team," I say hesitantly, not wanting to sound rude by turning down this great opportunity she has gotten me. I simply cannot agree with it.

The hockey team isn't going to work. I can't even find myself at a party, let alone be around the intimidating players of the hockey team.

Not now, not after Tamara dated one of them. Who knows what they think of me?

I'm not even confident enough to stand in an elevator with one of the players—he was my ex-best friend's ex but still. The proximity of him would've given me a stress rash regardless. How could I ever stand to be working with the entire team?

Del already looked at me weirdly, and his once-over scared the fuck out of me. The team would only want to mess with me. I am almost certain they've sucked up all of Tamara's lies.

"If I didn't think you could do it I wouldn't have asked you, so why don't you think it over?" She persists, wanting me to take this offer and not taking no for an answer.

It doesn't convince me, and she can see my reluctance.

"Okay sure," I say, trying to get myself out of this by pretending I am going to think about it.

I won't think about it. I will have daily panic attacks if I do.

"But please Kiya, really do consider it. Working in the field gives you a lot of experience and you will go on trips with them for free." She smiles kindly, throwing in an argument that she thinks could convince me.

She waits for me to say anything, but I'm not sure how to respond. I just give her a little nod.

"Alright, I'll let you go now. Not to put pressure behind it, but please give me an answer by the end of the week there are a lot of other students who'd jump at this opportunity."

Of course, other students would love this. Anyone who isn't me would probably love to do it. People love the hockey team, it doesn't hurt that they're all handsome too. But I'm not some puck bunny trying to sleep around with the team.

"I will think about it, thank you so much, Mrs. Cobb," I say with a timid smile on my face as I back up and turn around to leave the lecture hall.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to turn it down. When I did it in high school, it was so much fun, however, part of the reason I did it back then was because most people on the team generally liked me—some I could even call friends.

Here they won't like me and I have no desire to be around that much testosterone. I am way too awkward to take the position.

I will tell Darlene, my roommate, about the offer as soon as I get home.

I know I don't want it, but somewhere in me, I'd also feel bad for not doing it solely because of my insecurities about people judging me. Insecurities a girl caused simply because she felt like it.

I will always have a hard time stepping out of my comfort zone.

I get to my next class and manage to forget all about the offer as I bury my head in my study books. The hour goes by quickly and I'm grateful for being able to turn my mind off. Academics will always be my safe place.

I go back to my dorm after my classes for the day are over.

There is nobody in the dorm as I get there, so I grab my speaker and turn on some music. I make some toast with avocado spread since that is the only thing we have. 

I need to do groceries.

After I finish eating the toast, I roam back into my room to get my stuff before I hop into the bathroom for a shower. I take my speaker with me to the bathroom. I am planning on having my own personal shower concert.

I strip down naked and turn the volume up a little as Set Fire To The Rain by Adele comes on before I step foot into the shower.

I hum to the song at the start but I can't resist but full-out sing along to the lyrics when the shower has started to become foggy. There is nobody home so there is nobody to hear me.

"My hands, they were strong
But my knees were far too weak
To stand in your arms
Without falling to your feet"

I scream from the top of my lungs as the water falling from the showerhead drowns out my voice and the bathroom acoustics make it sound better than it actually is.

I mean, everyone can sing in the shower, can't they?

I continue singing while lathering shampoo into my hair. I start massaging it onto my head as the song continues and I happily start singing the next verse.

"But there's a side to you
That I never kne—"

I cut myself off. Did I hear that right?

I stop immediately realizing my voice wasn't the only one on top of Adele's that could be heard anymore. I freeze my hands halting on my scalp as I was massaging the shampoo in.

"—never knew
All the things you'd say
They were never true, never true
And the games you'd play
You would always win, always win"

I can hear a voice coming through the shower vent.

A raspy male voice.

What the fuck?

The person on the other side of the wall finishes the verse for me. And I'm just shocked someone heard me in the first place. I had forgotten all about the people on the other side of the wall. My dorm might be empty but there are a few dozen other people living on this floor.

The male voice doesn't stop there as he starts singing the chorus all out and his voice has quite the reach.

"But I set fire to the rain
Watched it pour as I touched your face"

Now being over the initial shock that I wasn't alone, I suddenly get a boost of confidence—oblivious to where it came from—to join the stranger in this sing-off and take my song back. This is very unlike me.

He doesn't know who I am, and he also can't see me. I'm all good here. There is no harm.

I want to have some fun and this seems like good escapism.

I open my mouth and sing from the top of my lungs again, letting our voices coincide.

"Well, it burned while I cried
'Cause I heard it screaming out your name
Your name."

Is it weird that I'm actually having fun?

This feels freeing. I'm just singing—no, dueting—an Adele song with my godawful voice. On the other side of the wall is a person I can't see nor know. Who just decided to join me in singing this song.

This is the most spontaneous thing I've done in a very long time.

Both of us put most of our effort into it.

There is a difference between the guy behind this wall and me—he can actually sing. I can hear it over the pouring water and through the shower vent. He doesn't need the water and bathroom acoustics to sound good.

I wonder if he sings to others. Or if he keeps his talent hidden from the world.

We finish the song together.

"Oh, no
Let it burn, oh-oh-oh
Let it burn
Let it burn"

Both of us were completely out of breath at our last vocal run.

When the song ends, the next song comes on. It makes me quickly jump out of the shower to turn it off when I recognize it as Drag Me Down by One Direction. He doesn't have to know my guilty pleasure is One Direction.

I manage to turn it off after the first few words, which form the first verse.

"Heyyyy," I hear the guy scream from the other side of the wall, while he drags out the word, "I was actually really into that!"

My cheeks have turned red even though he can't see me. One Direction is my guilty pleasure and I wasn't looking forward to having that outed here today.

Now that the music is off, I maneuver back into the shower in silence. I am also suddenly at a loss for words. I'm very aware that we have stopped singing. Should we have a conversation of some sort?

I'm going to embarrass myself if I speak up.

"Are you going to say something or have you suddenly turned mute now?" He jokes as he screams through the air vent.

He says it as a joke. But I seriously have no idea what should be said right now.

"I–I um..." I stumble over my words, "sorry I uh hadn't expected someone to actually be here."

"Well, the spontaneity of it all made it more fun don't you think?"

"Yeah, I guess it was fun," I say loud enough for him to hear.

I quickly turn my shower off, needing to remove myself from this awkward situation. I take my towel and wrap it around my body.

"Hey, wait are you going?" He screams.

I picture him standing there naked in his shower, a naked hot faceless body.

Fuck I can't picture him standing there naked. I imagine his body is nice and defined, like his deep voice. Does a heavenly voice equal an attractive body? Not that I could hear his voice that well—it's muffled by the water, and the ventilator adds even more noise to it.

I wouldn't be able to recognize him by his voice; in a non-shower situation. That means he also wouldn't know mine, thank god for that.

"Please, don't go all shy on me now."

I just realized we're both naked on different sides of the wall, making me very nervous.

"Oh um yeah sorry, I need to go," I say doing the exact opposite of what he asked—I'm going shy on him. I hurry to get dressed so I can return to my room.

As I'm about to leave, I hear him scream one last time.

"Wait can I at least get your name?" He asks.

My name?

If I give him my name, this whole thing suddenly wouldn't be anonymous anymore. I don't want to give him my name, nor do I want to know his name.

I'm not good with people, especially new people.

I need to be in the comfort of my people.

I don't even know what came over me when I started singing with him. It's so unlike me. I am not the spontaneous type. I am used to staying in the background watching other people have fun.

I don't do things out of impulse, impromptu like that.

Pretending like I didn't hear him, I leave the bathroom and get back into my room.

My heart sinks a little for turning him down. He actually sounded nice and like he could be a lot of fun to be around, but I don't think I can do that.

Who knows maybe if the odds are in our favor we will have a shower rendezvous again sometime soon.