February 2024
Another day down from eternity. Conan awoke in his studio to the sun peeking through his navy blackout curtains. He sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Even though he is a being who literally does not need sleep to function, he felt tired. Tired from restless dreams of memories and a repetitive future he cannot escape. He slumped his legs over and let his bare feet warm on the fake wood floor. Conan looked around his apartment. He had pictures plastered over almost every square inch. Most of them he had taken himself while he was traveling the world, but he also had some newspaper clippings of his favorite rescues and a few pictures that had his family and his two best friends. Conan sighed and pushed pressure into the souls of his feet and stood from his California King. Conan coolly walked over to the one room of his studio- the bathroom. He made it to the sink and washed his face. He grabbed his wool hand towel and let the softness warm his features. He took a look at his unchanged face.
Conan’s features had held the test of time. In the 50s- he was an adorable toddler, 60s- a heartthrob teenager and 70s- an absolute stud.
Conan has not changed much since his last day of being truly alive and he cuts his hair to match the times. He had lightly tanned skin with dark green eyes that pierced back at his reflection. His hair was almost black with a velvet texture, and he currently had it longer with a more shaggy look. Conan had strong cheekbones, but his face looked as if it had a smoothing effect. He was both strong and soft with a chiseled and refined air about him. He was downright handsome. He was every girl's fixation, and he knew it.
Conan frowned at himself and walked back into the main room.
He drew open his curtains to expose a blinding white of the fresh snow. Conan looked above as the clouds blocked all signs of sun and left a blue-gray hue over the campus. He placed a palm on the window to feel the temperature of the outside world and let his hand slide through the glass. He catches a cluster of snowflakes in his palm and waves his hand back inside. He watches the flakes almost instantly melt in the heat of the apartment, and Conan shakes off the water onto the floor. He glances over to his bed and only sees a tusk of blonde hair in a bundle of covers. He sighs, struts over, and bends down to wake the sleeping figurine. Conan danced his fingers across her bare back until she began to stir. She fluttered and opened her eyes and stared deeply into the bright green voids in front of her. She seemed confused at first, then instantly remembered the night of fake laughs, drinks and eventually going over to a stranger's apartment.
“Hello,” Conan says darkly.
“Hey,” the nameless girl replies sweetly. “I am so sorry” she continues, “I don’t think I ever got your name?”
Conan replies, “It’s better that way love.”
He continues to stare deeply into her eyes and relieves a sigh. He lets himself fall into an all too familiar feeling of releasing his control over hers. He can almost see the fog-like arms stretch from him and wrap around her head. The light quickly leaves her eyes as if she is back asleep. He repeated the spell:
“You will not remember me, last night, or anything about our interaction. You had a fun night with friends and had a little too much to drink. You will now get dressed, leave, and go back to your place of comfort. For the record, I enjoyed our time together.”
Conan paused, he always hates this part. Conan released the breath he was holding and strained to grab his energy back into his body. He pulled against her and felt himself become whole again. With a shock, he slumped to the floor with a heavy breath and a beam of sweat on his forehead. Conan looked up at the girl, and in a transfixed state as she stood, gathered her clothes, and walked out the door. He slowly stood by the window and watched as she walked out the front of the building during her walk of shame she didn’t know was happening. Luckily, it was early enough no one would see her,or notice her if they did. Once the girl was out of sight, Conan walked over to his vinyl record player and put on his favorite track. Conan flipped the nearest switch and it lit up his coffee machine. As the water boiled and the apartment began to stir, Conan walked back into the bathroom and turned the shower faucet to the hottest it would go.
Conan got ready the same every morning: wake up, wash face, kick out the girl, make coffee, shower, get dressed and head to class. Today was no different.
After his boiling shower, Conan decided on a navy blue sweater that was a little too big on him, dark brown pleated pants, thick socks and snow boots. Conan looked in the mirror, tossed his hair a few times and grabbed his coffee tumbler as he headed on his way.
The cool air smacked his face when he opened his front door. He looked out over the foyer and watched as other 20-somethings bustled to class and worked with coffee mugs in his hands. He breathed out into the open air, letting the cool fill his lungs. He watched his breath as he exhaled and blew on his hot coffee. As natural as the cold feels, Conan always has a hot drink in hand. It warms his body to normal people's levels and brightens his cheeks to give him a human flush. He takes a long sip and walks with large strides across the grass of the front lawn.
If others knew how long Conan had existed, they would wonder why he continued to put himself through college courses. He argues that the world is evolving too fast. Every year, he learns new things from new people. He has always enjoyed pursuing other trains of thought and now he could probably be a professor himself of almost every subject the school had to offer. There was also no better market for irresponsibility and meeting new people. Humans always say their college days were some of the best days of their lives. Plus, the constant roar kept him distracted from all his other thoughts.
Hiding in college is easier than one would think. He used to use his invisibility and hide in the back of lectures, but he soon realized how often the professors didn’t notice him anyway. He is usually able to blend in with the crowd of chattering students. With more intimate classes, he just persuades the teacher on the first day he is one of their research students and he sits in the back while quietly evaluating. However, the lecture Conan was currently headed to was far too large for anyone to notice a moocher getting free information.
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Conan heads to his usual seat towards the back of the 300-seat lecture hall. It’s a darker corner and it’s harder to see the presentation boards from his angle, so he is usually left alone. Conan also enjoys this spot as it is slightly raised and he can see all the other students. He likes to watch them online shopping on their laptops or doodling in the margins of notebooks. He usually scopes out his next beautiful distraction as well. He usually goes for the girls who have out their notes like they are going to pay attention, and so often do not. Conan spies and sees if they are alone, with friends, have plans that evening, interests, anything he can use to greet them not like a stalker. Conan has tried Tinder and the dating apps, but he much more enjoyed the feeling of meeting someone and making a connection in person.
Conan took a long sip of his lukewarm coffee and zoned out at nothing in particular. He watched as the last of groups of students trickled in as the professor wrote notes on the whiteboard. It always amused Conan at the zero lack of respect for time management most college students possessed. Usually, he could tell the late ones cared the least for what this class would ensue. He watched people dragging their feet, gripping desperately to their lattes as their tired eyes tried to find the last remaining seats.
The professor then stood at the front and waited patiently for students to finish conversations, and the room previously buzzing was met with a whisper. Just as the professor was about to speak, a student burst through the door and looked frazzled. Her long, black hair was falling out of a messy bun, and her cheeks were flushed with both embarrassment and from, what looked like, a steady jog to get to the class. The professor stared daggers at her as she hung her head in shame and she retreated to the back of the room.
Her hazel eyes scanned the back of the room until she found the last empty seat, of course, next to Conan. She ran up the last of the steps to settle in next to him. He watched her with care as she looked over at the seat, then Conan. She nudged her head, indulging him to stand to let her through. Conan amused, stayed in his place, his smirk widening. The girl rolled her eyes and proceeded to crawl over him. She reached one leg over him, and Conan briefly enjoyed the view before she drew her other leg around him and sat to his left. She breathed out a puff of air and he watched one of her stray hairs blow upwards with the exhaust. She slumped next to him and scurried through her black backpack, pulled out a laptop, and relaxed back into the seat, briefly closing her eyes.
Conan looked over at his new bench mate, not recognizing her. It was strange, as Conan thought he knew almost everyone in the class. She probably sat towards the front usually with the eager beavers that sucked the professor's ass. It would explain why the professor looked so put out when she was late. When she opened her eyes, she opened her laptop, and the screen lit up with the sign-in page. The username read Luna and her delicate fingers typed in the password. She clicked on tabs until she found a blank document under the folder for the current class, wrote the date, and sat back, awaiting the professor's next sentences.
Luna tapped her dark brown Doc Marten against the carpet, with her other leg crossed over the top. She was wearing dark denim skinny jeans and what looked like a dark brown sweater under her very large and poofy black snow jacket. Conan chuckled to himself, it was barely snowing with spring already twitching at the edges of the season, who needs a coat that big?
Luna looked over at him with a scowl. “Amused?” she asked.
Conan looked at her face for the first time. She had a rounder face but still defined features. She had wisps from her hair falling over her tanned forehead, that directed Conan to her big, blue and green eyes. Conan had never seen eyes like hers, they looked hazel brown from a distance but up close, he could see the rainbow of colors. She had freckles sprinkled over the bridge of her nose and cheeks that decorated her face like stars. Her cheeks were still slightly flushed with a rose hue that matched her thin lips.
Her nose slightly wrinkled as she was not satisfied with Conan’s lack of response. She sighed and looked back to the front. Conan, however, remained looking at her. How could he have never noticed her before? She was not his type of the usual tall blonde who only cared about social media standings and could care less about him.
Luna looked at him again and it was Conan who shied away. He cleared his throat. “Sorry,” Conan said softly. “I am not used to sitting next to pretty girls,” and he smiled.
Luna glanced at him with a look like she had drunk spoiled milk but was trying to hide it.
“Fuck off,” she replied in a snarky tone.
Conan tried to hide his look of surprise and looked back to the front of the room. Usually, girls would look into his deep emerald eyes and fall over that line with little laughs and looks of wanting to be seduced. Luna, however, could care less for this act. He wanted to try a different tactic but thought better of it. Conan listened to her quietly typing as the professor spoke. The A/C kicked on above them and swiftly blew her scent of vanilla and honey past Conan’s nose. He inhaled deeply and looked over at Luna again. She was too engrossed in the lesson to pay attention to him anymore. He watched her eyes dart quickly from the professor, to the whiteboard and back down at her laptop. She was trying to soak in as much wisdom as he would give her. She almost looked enchanted or in a trance as she typed. Conan looked away and tried to listen to what the professor was bogging on about. But he honestly did not know what the class was entailing anymore. He used to love listening and soaking wisdom as his neighbor did beside him, but now he simply listens and sees what sticks.
The lesson droned on and Conan tried to continue his day as normal, but he couldn’t. No other girl drew his attention as Luna had and he wanted, needed, to know more about her.
They continued like this till the professor called for the end of the lesson and reminded students of the reading due for the next period. Conan watched as Luna stood to leave, and he did the same. He blocked her path and realized how much shorter she was to him. She had to have only been 5’3, but he was a whopping foot taller so the distance was obvious.
“Hey, I am sorry for acting like an ass earlier. This is probably a shot in the dark, but would you want to go get a coffee?” Conan asked sincerely.
“I appreciate your apology and invitation, but I have another class. Maybe another time,” she responded, not looking at him. He could tell she only half meant the rain check. Conan moved out into the aisle so Luna could walk past. Conan inhaled again as she passed in front of him and watched as she walked down the aisle and out the door.
Conan stood for a second, he had not been turned down in a long time, and he needed some recovery time. Conan unhappily slipped in his headphones and walked out the double doors into the sunshine.