I hear whispers of his charm, stories of the way he can lighten you up in mere seconds. I envy all of those students that pass through his strong doors, laughing, living. Sure he is a little bit younger than me, but when I think about his presence I am reminded that I am simply living in his world. I have known him for the longest time, but not once have I approached him. I cannot, for I am cursed to be away from the love of my life. I bet Sandford doesn’t even know that I would collapse for him.

That doesn’t stop me though, from fantasizing. As students walk through my grand halls, discussing CIV102 lectures or the glories of the Bnad Room, I wonder if there are ever students who sing my praise when walking inside of him. Does he listen when they describe the sexy Mech common room? Does he bite his lip when they talk about my tight little study room (MB71)? Ugh, a girl can dream.

But these dreams only lead to more longing, longing that cannot be fulfilled, longing that leaves suffering in its wake. I remember how I thought things would change when we were in our thirties. There was some new construction happening. I had a major glow up and the whole time I was praying he would notice. Best of all, they started constructing a bridge in the sky… 

A bridge that would finally connect me to my lover.

A bridge that would tell me to go forth, to run to his arms.

But…

It stopped short with Haultain. I am doomed to be tied to a building that nobody has ever even heard of. She is just shy and reserved and normally, I wouldn’t have a problem, but she stood between me and Sandford. She has forced my heart to be gated, and for that I resent her forever.

I am stagnant. But then I hear a student’s voice, sharp yet supple, cutting through the noise of my head. 

“I really like my Linear Algebra class… yeah, it’s in the Haultain Building,” … oh it’s in the D!ye Alley. I quite like it actually. The floors have this beautiful tiled pattern and the rooms remind me of my high school. Here, let me show you!”

I stand there, a little bewildered. I know Haultain has four floors and is a pretty small facility, but I had never before heard her described with such wonder. 

I might as well see what the fuss is about. I gingerly follow behind the engineers as they approach the skybridge that connects me and her. They take a step on and shivers run up my spine. Time stops as I wait anxiously for them to carry forward. My heart is pounding and my breaths are shallow. The pressure is building up. Then, they sprint across and I can’t help but moan with grandeur. I feel elated, my columns trembling with a pleasure that has never graced their lengths before. 

What just happened?

I thought I was done, but then they burst through the doors of Haultain. It was at that moment that I knew. 

I knew that this girl was going to be the end of me. 

I had never been inside of her before. But now, my soul was free to roam her halls. As the students rushed off to class, I gazed around at her cute little floors and her alluring blue walls. 

I rushed up a flight of stairs, gently stroking her rigid curves as I made my way through. I wonder with a strange rush about what could make her hard surfaces succumb… I lap up the fresh liquids from her spewing water fountain and sigh with contentment. I could see the appeal. 

Clearly, she was more than the helpless caricature I had envisioned of her all this time. She possessed a sort of quiet power, the one that draws you in and never really lets you leave. It is no wonder that the other surrounding buildings were so protective of her. They were probably head over heels. My being here was probably a dangerous move. 

I had to have more though. I sauntered over to the elevator, but as I went to push the button, I paused.

I quaked in my foundation, knowing that I could now explore every inch of her.

This feeling was so foreign to me. How had I never before known these desires that now bubble up to my bricked surface? Why was the very thought of Haultain causing my heart to pause and soar at the same time? The last time my body and soul felt so intertwined, so intimate, was when I had first fallen for Sandford, and even then, the sensation had not swallowed me whole. 

Sandford.

How had I forgotten about Sandford?

His presence was now a distant memory instead of a need knocking at my door. One breath in Haultain’s sweet cherry air and it was like someone had opened my windows to a flurry of emotions. All at once, a breeze of hope, a gust of bewilderment, and the fragrance of renewed femininity.

I pushed her button.

She sprung up to meet me with a soft groan, chirping with delight as the elevator doors swung open, as if she had been anxiously awaiting my arrival. I tiptoed inside, and as the door sealed me into her chambers, the lights flickered off. 

The few minutes I had with her created more history than the years my spirit had spent standing still. Imagine the early sun rising over a rocky mountain. The way it slowly creeps up, warming the mountain peaks. The bits of ice that start to melt and lusciously flow down the sides. The warm orange glow that bathes the valley and awakens the humming birds. And the sun once again, when she bears her full face, towering over the lowly mountain. In that elevator, Haultain was the sun and I was those peaks. She reminded me that really, she is a little older.

For days now, I cannot stop thinking back to my encounter. I sit in my bright red stairwell, burning with passion. I am caught in the way her name parts my lips so sensually. My own elevators drive me mad since there is no ride to be had without her. I am left to rush up and down and up and down my stairs, quickening my heartbeat in the hopes that it will match the thrill that had filled me to my brim. 

I think I have a new crush.