The Nerd and the Cellist

I was fast asleep the morning after the wedding until I felt sunlight shining through my eyes. I moaned and rolled over, feeling something lying next to me. I wrapped my arms around it, thinking it was my pillow, and then felt two arms wrap around me. Confused, I slowly opened my eyes, and then my cheeks turned pink as Octavia's radiant face was centimeters away from mine. She was looking at me with a smile that made my heart race, and she giggled from seeing me blush.

“Hello, you,” she said flirtatiously.

I stared at Octavia, unsure of what I was seeing. I looked at my surroundings and found that we were in the bedroom, lying on Octavia's bed. The TV was on, sunlight shone through the glass wall, and Octavia and I still wore our dress and tux. Then, I remembered Octavia and me confessing our feelings and her saying yes to becoming my girlfriend. After that, I last remembered making out and then deciding to watch a movie together before bed. My blush grew as it hit me that we fell asleep cuddling. Octavia giggled again as she watched me remember the night before.

“Holy crap,” I said. “We.. we really became an item. Didn't we?”

Octavia’s flirtatious smile turned into a smirk, and she scooted closer to me.

“Well, if you're unsure, then allow me to give you a little assurance,” she said softly.

She pulled me towards her and smashed her lips together with mine. My pupils shrank as though she were kissing me for the first time before I remembered the feeling of Octavia and I kissing multiple times before. I wrapped my arms around her waist and deepened the kiss as though on instinct, and Octavia moved so she was lying on top of me.

Octavia Melody is my girlfriend. I didn't think it was possible, but she permitted me to ask her to be my girlfriend. How she expressed her feelings passionately was too good to be true. I never felt so elated in my life.

The kissing intensified, with Octavia's tongue touching mine, until we heard someone knocking on the suite entrance door. Octavia and I looked toward the entrance door and then at each other, realizing it could be Goldblood or Pureblood. We jumped out of bed and straightened our dress and tux before Octavia put her hands on my cheek and gave me one more kiss. We left the bedroom and walked over to the entrance door as the person on the other side knocked again. Octavia opened the door and found a lobby boy on the other side with a bussing cart containing silver plates covered by lids.

“Good morning, Ms. Melody. I come with breakfast for you and your companion,” the lobby boy greeted. "I've also been instructed to escort you to a limousine ready to take you to Canterlot after you've eaten."

"Oh, lovely. Thank you kindly," Octavia said.

The lobby boy smiled professionally and brought the food to the glass dining table. I helped Octavia to her seat, partially to continue the act that I was her assistant, but mostly because I wanted to be a gentleman to my girlfriend. Octavia gave me a sweet look before she sat down. The lobby boy put the trays on the table and lifted the lids. My eyes widened at the sight of enough mutton, scrambled eggs, French toast, oatmeal, and fruit to fill Octavia and me twice over. I turned to Octavia, and she smirked, amused with my reaction. Clearly, my girlfriend has had breakfast at a high-class hotel before.

I sat opposite Octavia as we ate. We wanted to talk to each other about our new relationship, but with the lobby boy waiting for us to finish eating, it was best to be silent. The lobby boy watched us with an expressionless face. His demeanor made Octavia uncomfortable, and it made me suspicious that the lobby boy had another reason to be here under Goldblood’s orders. When we finished breakfast, the lobby boy led us to the elevator and took us to the ground floor. I glanced at Octavia and noticed her fingers twitching toward me, resisting the urge to hold my hand with the lobby boy still there. I smiled and held my fingers up to Octavia to silently show that I wanted to hold her hand too.

When the elevator doors opened, the chauffeur who drove us to Manehattan stood beside the limousine waiting for us. Octavia and I bid farewell to the lobby boy as the chauffeur opened the back door for us to get in. We sat beside each other but still resisted the urge to hold hands. The chauffeur got into the driver's seat and began driving out of the garage level and into the busy streets of Manehatten. Octavia and I awkwardly sat until I heard Octavia snap her fingers.

“Could you please close your back window? I have some private things to discuss with my servant,” she said.

The chauffeur looked through the rearview mirror and shrugged before he rolled up the back window. As soon as the window was shut, Octavia pulled me towards her and smashed her lips together with mine. I didn't hesitate to kiss her back as though we were still alone in the suite. We made out for a few minutes before Octavia pulled back with her eyes closed and a pleased smile. She wrapped her arms around my arm and rested her head on my shoulder with a blissful sigh.

“Waiting to pick up where we left off was painful,” she said.

“Yeah, I noticed,” I said. “You don't think there's a security camera or something like that planted in here so that the chauffeur could see us, do you?”

“Not likely. I don't think it's legal for any limousine to have something like that,” Octavia said. Besides, I told you this is more of an average limousine. If Blueblood’s parents wanted to spy on us, they probably would want us taken home in one of their more fancy limousines that could have cameras for goodness knows what reason.”

“I hope you're right,” I said. On that note, I think now is an excellent time to discuss how we will proceed with our relationship.”

Octavia lifted her head to give me a childish pout before she sighed and stood straight.

“I guess you're right, Rough Draft,” she said. “What do you suggest?”

“Well, as much as I would love people to know that I’m with you, I think it would be best to keep it a secret,” I said.

“Sadly, I agree,” Octavia said. “I don't want to think what Blueblood would do if he found out, but I also don't want us to be a secret forever. I would especially hate to hide our relationship from our friends.”

“Me too. In fact, I may as well tell you that Rarity knows about my feelings, so she will want to know,” I said.

“Well, she knows about my feelings for you, too, so that makes us obligated to tell her,” Octavia said. “Also, I might have been pressured to tell Applejack I like you.”

“That's probably for the best. I don't know how we could keep it from her when she can tell when people are lying,” I said.

“Indeed. So, we'll have to think about telling Rarity, Applejack, and the rest of our friends,” Octavia said. “On that note, do you think it would be okay if we told Sonata?”

"Hmmm. I don't know. I’d hate to keep this from her, especially when we're her closest friends. Not to mention, I imagine she would be happy for us," I said. "Still, it would be risky when she's Adagio's sister. It's not that I don't trust Sonata, but I get the feeling Adagio could find a way to figure out Sonata's hiding something."

Octavia furrowed her brow and tightened her hold on my arm as though Adagio were in the limousine, looking at me with a coquettish look.

"If we didn't have to worry about Blueblood, I’d reveal to the whole school that we are a couple if for literally no other reason than so Adagio Dazzle could bugger off," she growled.

"I hear that," I said. “On that note, when should we go public?"

Octavia pursued her lips and rubbed her chin on thought.

"Well, the first thing that'll have to happen is me dumping Blueblood, but even then, we'll have to time it," she said. "I gave him until after he's fully recovered to reflect on his behavior. Nothing can convince me to stay with him no matter how much he's changed, if at all, but I want to continue giving him until then to reflect. After that, we'll have to wait at least a few months before we go public."

"A few months? Why so long?" I asked.

"If Blueblood finds out I'm dumping him for you, he might sue your family or worse, even after fulfilling your deal with him. We have to keep you in the role of my ‘servant’ until he's healed as promised," Octavia said. "He fully recovers in November, so I'll dump him then. After that, I’ll spend a few months pretending to be single while enjoying life with my friends. Then, we’ll make it look like we had just developed feelings for each other and make our relationship public.”

“So, you want us to be a secret almost the rest of the school year?” I asked.

“Er, it does seem like a drastic long time when you say it like that,” Octavia said.

“That’s because it is. You’re my girlfriend, and being with you makes me so happy that I want to tell the world how lucky I am,” I said.

Octavia smiled sweetly again and caressed my cheek.

“Being with you makes me happy too, Rough Draft. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t hesitate to show how honored I am to be your girlfriend,” she said. “Regardless, some people would oppose how we feel about each other, and we have to do what we can to avoid them doing anything to us. It will be a difficult beginning of our relationship, but at least we will face it together.”

I furrowed my brow momentarily before I sighed and hung my head. After everything Blueblood had done, it would've been foolish to think he could take Octavia choosing me over him with grace and dignity. Not to mention, there was Goldblood and Pureblood to consider. I wouldn't put it past them going back to thinking I brainwashed Octavia despite Adagio getting them to see reason.

"I guess you're right," I said. "But that still leaves us with what to do about Adagio."

Octavia rubbed her chin again.

"Well, if we can't tell her you're with me, then we need to suggest you're unavailable," Octavia said.

"How? Claim I'm gay?" I asked half-jokingly.

"No, I’m pretty sure Adagio knows as well as I do that you're as straight as they come," Octavia chortled. "Still, we must keep Adagio at bay until we announce our relationship. Maybe she'll give up on you after a while."

"I wouldn't count on that. Adagio has shown no sign of letting up. If anything, she said my suspicion of her sincerity is sexy," I said.

"Er, okay. Something for everybody," Octavia said. “I guess it shows that she’s nothing if not unconstrained. She did kiss you without your consent. I don’t know if she knows about my feelings for you, but I can see her using that kiss to upset me.”

I furrowed my brow and looked away, knowing that Octavia was right. Octavia tightened her hold on my arm as though Adagio was about to come and try to pull me away from her. She rested her chin on my shoulder, and she sighed in defeat. If it were any other moment, I would blush over Octavia resting her head on my chin, but the mood was soured with our minds on Adagio.

Suddenly, my eyes lit up, and I lifted my head in realization. Octavia lifted her head to see my face lit up as I snapped my fingers.

“Octavia, that’s it. That’s what we’ll use to get Adagio to back off,” I said.

“What is?” Octavia asked.

“The kiss,” I said.

“I’m not following,” Octavia said.

“If Adagio kissed me knowing that it would upset you, then we can trick her into thinking her plan worked,” I said. “For the next few weeks, we’ll pretend to be distant at school as though we had a fight. I said I like you, but you don’t believe me because I danced with Adagio, and she kissed me. You said we can never happen, so things are uncomfortable between us. Adagio will think she won, except I’m mad at her for ruining things between you and me, so I declare she and I will never happen.”

“Hmmm. That’s all well and good, Rough Draft, but I don’t know if she’ll back off just because you said you will never date her,” Octavia said.

“Ah, but I still have Starlight as my date for the Fall Formal,” I said. “What if, after the dance, she and I pretend to be in a casual relationship in school? Make it look like something special happened at the dance. We’d keep it up until you and I are ready to be public. Starlight and I pretend to break up, and then you and I pretend to be starting to become more than friends and ultimately be together?”

“I don’t know, Rough Draft. We’d be asking Starlight a lot,” Octavia said. “Adagio could give up on you after a while, so you and Starlight wouldn’t have to pretend the entire year.”

“That would be tremendous if that happened, but we can’t rule out the possibility that she won’t,” I said. “With my luck, I wouldn’t be surprised if she spends the whole school year scheming to wrap me around her fingers if there’s even a hint of me still being single. Last night alone gives me room to be pessimistic.”

“Well, that’s fair enough,” Octavia said. “In any case, pretending I rejected you because of the kiss is a step in the right direction. I think we should discuss how we go about it with our friends. Perhaps we can work together to keep Blueblood and Adagio at bay until the time is right.”

“That’s assuming they support our relationship. Rainbow Dash, Soarin, Applejack, and Caramel have been the most uneasy with how I’ve been interacting with Blueblood’s girlfriend,” I said.

Octavia smiled and put her hand on my cheek, staring at me with her stunning violet eyes.

“If we make them understand how happy we are together, I’m sure they’ll support us,” she said. “If nothing else, we can count on Rarity to have our backs.”

“That’s true,” I said as I put my hand on hers. “Either way, this is going to be rough, but even though we’ve been together for less than 12 hours, what we have is too precious for me to give up.”

“I couldn’t have said it better,” Octavia said.

We leaned our heads, and our lips connected again. The kissing was slower and more tender than before, with Octavia caressing my cheek. I pulled her closer to deepen the kiss, and Octavia moaned as she wrapped her arms around my neck. Half an hour ago, I would’ve been red in the face for Octavia’s lips coming close to mine, but this was not the time to be bashful. It was a time for Octavia and I to cherish this step in our relationship and pretend that there was nothing else in the world but us.

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Octavia and I kissed until we were halfway to Canterlot. We spent the rest of the time holding each other and resting our heads against each other with our eyes closed. Occasionally, I opened my left eye to ensure Octavia was still there, still feeling the need to ensure our relationship was real. The very idea that I was imagining everything made me pull her closer to me as though she would disappear if I let go for even a moment. Fortunately, Octavia didn’t mind; she was happy that her new boyfriend was cherishing her.

The limousine stopped, and I opened my eyes to see Octavia’s house through the side window. I nudged Octavia and gestured to her to look out the window with my head. Octavia saw her house and sighed as she begrudgingly let me go before the chauffeur opened the door. Octavia undid her seatbelt, and the chauffeur offered her hand as she exited the limo.

“Excuse me, but could you take Rough Draft to his place before going back to Manehatten? It’s just a couple of blocks from here,” Octavia asked.

“I’m strictly forbidden to go further than your place, Ms. Melody,” the chauffeur said. “Besides, it would not do for the servant to not walk his mistress to the door before being excused.”

Octavia furrowed her brow while I sighed and got out of the limo. The chauffeur bade farewell before returning to the driver’s seat and driving away. Octavia and I politely waved goodbye until he was out of sight.

“In fairness, he’s not wrong that I should walk you to the door,” I said. “I mean, I was your date to the wedding, and I am your boyfriend now. That makes me double obligated.”

“That’s true. Plus, we get to spend a little more time together,” Octavia said.

Octavia took my hand and squeezed it. My cheeks tinted as I walked her to her front door. Octavia looked around to ensure no one could see us before hugging my arm with her other arm as we walked. Our faces fell when we reached the front door, and we looked at each other with sad smiles.

“It feels like the day has barely started, and we have to be apart already,” Octavia said.

“Well, maybe we could snatch a little more time,” I said. “I mean, do you know if your parents are home? I can check to see where my parents are at.”

“Tempting, but my parents would be most displeased if I brought a boy who isn’t Blueblood into the house,” Octavia said. “I haven’t met your parents, but common sense dictates that they want to meet me first before allowing me to be in your house.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” I said with a sigh. “Now that I think about it, how do you feel about telling our parents about us?”

Octavia bit her lip while she hesitated.

“My parents are good friends with the Blood family, and my mother, in particular, is still peeved that I put Blueblood and me on a break,” she said. “Is there any chance your parents would be okay with us being a secret?”

“I don’t know. They’re very happy that I have a group of friends, but I’m not sure how they would feel about me having a girlfriend, much less that my first relationship is a secret,” I said. “I guess I should go home now and talk to them about the idea of me being in a relationship and work my way there.”

“That makes sense,” Octavia said with a sigh. In any case, it looks like this is goodbye for now.”

“I guess so,” I said. “One more kiss before I go?”

“I’d be upset if I didn’t get one,” Octavia said.

We wrapped our arms around each other and closed our eyes as he leaned our heads. Our lips were centimeters apart when my phone suddenly went off. Octavia and I paused, feeling the moment slip away as “The Battle of the Heroes” from Revenge of the Sith played on my phone. I let go of Octavia and took out my phone to find Soarin was calling me. I looked at my phone, curious as I answered the call.

“Hello?”

“Rough Draft, where the heck are you, bro?” Soarin asked. “You weren't in math or physics, and you’re not here at lunch. Everybody is wondering where you are.”

I looked past Octavia as though Soarin stood beside her, perplexed. I lowered my phone to check the time and date, and my eyes widened, for it was Monday and a quarter past noon. I looked down at the pavement, trying to figure out how it could be Monday until it hit me, and I turned to Octavia.

“It’s Monday,” I said. “Soarin is asking where I am because we’ve missed half of the school day.”

Octavia looked at me, puzzled, before she took out her phone and checked the time and date for herself.

“Oh, my goodness, it is,” she said. “We’ve been so focused on everything happening at the wedding that we forgot it was on Sunday.”

I lifted my phone back up to my ear and said, “Sorry, Soarin. I’m at Octavia’s house right now. We just got back from Manehatten.”

“What? You just got back from Manehatten?!” Soarin exclaimed. “Why did you stay overnight there with Octavia?”

I opened my mouth to answer, then stopped myself. I turned to Octavia, who was waiting for me to fill her in on the phone call. Part of me wanted to tell Soarin then and there that we got together, but I stopped myself, thinking it was better for Octavia and me to tell all our friends together in person. I took several seconds to think about it before I hatched an idea.

“Okay, here’s the thing. Octavia and I have something very important to discuss with you and the rest of the group, and it has to be discussed secretly,” I said. “Is there a place we can all meet after school where we can talk privately?”

“Uh, how important is it?” Soarin asked.

“Pretend everyone in town who isn’t us or our friends are H.Y.D.R.A. agents and Octavia and I have information H.Y.D.R.A. can’t know about,” I said.

The phone was silent, for Soarin was unsure if he had heard me correctly. After a few seconds, I heard him talking to our friends sitting at lunch with him, which gave me hope that he was taking my request seriously. Octavia looked at me as though I had said random gibberish and walked closer to whisper into my ear.

“H.Y.D.R.A. agents?” she asked.

“It’s a nerdy reference. I’ll explain later,” I whispered.

Octavia furrowed her brow, wishing I had given her a better explanation. After a few more seconds, Soarin finished discussing with the group and returned to the call.

“Okay, if it’s secluded you want, then let’s all meet at Sweet Apple Acres after school,” Soarin said.

“Sweet Apple Acres. Is that the apple farm Big Mac and Applejack live in?” I asked.

“Yeah. It’s on the outskirts of town, closest to the mountains,” Soarin said. “No one lives close to them, so it would be just us, and Big Mac and Applejack’s sister and grandma.”

“That's perfect. Let's go with that,” I said. “Octavia and I will be in school later today, and then we'll all meet there.”

“That sounds good. I speak for everyone when I say I hope you have a solid explanation,” Soarin said.

“Noted. See you in sixth period,” I said.

“See ya,” Soarin said.

I hung up my phone and turned to Octavia.

“Okay, so after school, we’re going to meet at Big Mac and Applejack’s place, and that’s when we’re going to tell them about us,” I said.

“Oh, lovely. We won’t have to wait long to do that then,” Octavia said. “I hope we can make everyone understand what happened last night and accept our relationship.”

“It’s not going to be easy, least of all when our story involves Adagio kissing me and Blueblood’s parents making us stay at a suite in their building,” I said. I think our best bet is convincing them that our plan plausible based on how Blueblood and Adagio have been acting toward me over the past couple of months.”

“Indeed,” Octavia said. “In any case, I better get inside and get changed. You better go home and do the same.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” I said. “Let’s meet at the school statue, and we can discuss how to act during seventh period before going to class.”

“Sounds like a plan. See you there,” Octavia said.

We leaned our heads to finally kiss again. We held the kiss for a few seconds, reluctant to stop when we were going to be apart for the first time since we got together. I backed away, still holding hands until Octavia’s hand slipped away from mine. Octavia smiled as though to say it was going to be okay before she went inside. I stared at her door and heavily sighed before I began walking to my house. As I walked down the street, I looked back at my girlfriend’s house, looking forward to seeing her again at school, and hoping our friends would accept us.