"I studied Psychology in university. That's not the secret--obviously. My parents weren't thrilled. They probably thought I chose it because it looked better than being undeclared. That's not the secret either. Ahem." What he wouldn't have done for some water right then. "The real secret...I wanted to start a Literature Club."
Reigen paused for effect (to swallow and moisturize his tight throat, actually.) His eyes met Asa's to gauge her attention--fully on him. Even if that was what he wanted, it still felt...
"I wasn't in any extracurriculars. Student life was kind of...beyond me. So, I wanted to try something new. That's when the club idea came...So, for me, someone who was straddling this line between the cool kids studying things like music and art and the geniuses in physics and engineering, I thought 'books? Yeah, I can do that. It's just reading. I'll get some nerds in the same room and I'll just give my opinion.' ...Pretty arrogant, right? Yeah. I'm sure you get it now. Sad thing was I didn't know anything about literature. The sadder thing was I wasn't really doing it out of any love for it, but...as it turned out, there hadn't been a Literature Club where I want for a good twenty-five years. That's why. I thought, 'this is gonna be the dawn of a new era for this club and it's gonna have my name on it.'"
Reigen gently squeezed Asa's hand.
"You're the only one who knows this because I never got it off the ground. Even after all the reading I did so I didn't look like a total rube, I never even finished filling out the paperwork. But you know something? I don't regret it. Out of all the ways I could have been wasting my time during my undergrad, I did what I wanted. I did something new. Even if I haven't touched any of those books in years, they're sticking in here." Reigen tapped his temple with his free hand. "I'm...gonna recite one of my favorites for you."
no subject
Reigen paused for effect (to swallow and moisturize his tight throat, actually.) His eyes met Asa's to gauge her attention--fully on him. Even if that was what he wanted, it still felt...
"I wasn't in any extracurriculars. Student life was kind of...beyond me. So, I wanted to try something new. That's when the club idea came...So, for me, someone who was straddling this line between the cool kids studying things like music and art and the geniuses in physics and engineering, I thought 'books? Yeah, I can do that. It's just reading. I'll get some nerds in the same room and I'll just give my opinion.' ...Pretty arrogant, right? Yeah. I'm sure you get it now. Sad thing was I didn't know anything about literature. The sadder thing was I wasn't really doing it out of any love for it, but...as it turned out, there hadn't been a Literature Club where I want for a good twenty-five years. That's why. I thought, 'this is gonna be the dawn of a new era for this club and it's gonna have my name on it.'"
Reigen gently squeezed Asa's hand.
"You're the only one who knows this because I never got it off the ground. Even after all the reading I did so I didn't look like a total rube, I never even finished filling out the paperwork. But you know something? I don't regret it. Out of all the ways I could have been wasting my time during my undergrad, I did what I wanted. I did something new. Even if I haven't touched any of those books in years, they're sticking in here." Reigen tapped his temple with his free hand. "I'm...gonna recite one of my favorites for you."
Then, he cleared his throat again.
“O mistress mine, where are you roaming?
O stay and hear! your true-love’s coming
That can sing both high and low;
Trip no further, pretty sweeting.”