“Yes, but they’re not my favourite.”
Okay. I tried to think of another question. “Do you come to this cafe a lot?” I asked.
“I’d say so. This one or the King of Hearts.” That was a cafe on the other end of campus.
“Me too! I think this one’s better, though. The matcha lattes are fifty cents cheaper.”
“The mochas are the same price at both,” Atticus said.
I nodded. “So…” I searched for something to talk about. “What brings you to campus today?”
“I have two classes.”
“What in?”
“Physics.”
Thank god the line was moving quickly. It was our turn, and I rattled off my order. Atticus ordered his mocha just as quickly and efficiently as possible. “I’ve got it,” he murmured to me, lowering his phone against the card reader.
“Thank you,” I said as we moved to the side. “You didn’t need to do that.”
“I was the one who suggested meeting. This time, at least.” He nodded towards the selection of tables and chairs. Most were empty since students usually got their beverages to-go. “Do you want to sit down?”
“Sure,” I said.
We sat at a square wooden table opposite each other. I picked up a napkin and started fiddling with it, then caught myself and stopped. Atticus shrugged off his coat, carefully hung it on the back of his chair, then surveyed the cafe.
“So, what got you interested in physics?” I asked. “Did you want to be Albert Einstein as a kid?”
He almost smiled. “Albert Einstein is probably the first physicist I was aware of,” he admitted. “But I didn’t become interested in physics purely because of him. I liked maths a lot as a kid, and once I started high school and started learning about physics, I realised it’s just maths but better.”
“Oh yeah?”
He nodded sagely. He opened his mouth to explain, but then a barista called out, “one mocha and one matcha latte.”
“I’ll grab it,” he said before I could offer. He gracefully stood up from his chair and walked over to the counter in a few short, swift steps.
“Thank you,” I said when he returned with the drinks and handed me my matcha.
“You’re welcome,” he said, sitting down again. “So, as I was saying.” He started talking about why physics was better than maths — something to do about real word problems, practicality, and a bunch of other complicated-sounding stuff. I tried my best to listen, but even the mere mention of the word “calculus” gave me war flashbacks to high school maths class.
“And that is why I ultimately chose physics as my major,” he finished.
I nodded and tried my best to pretend like I’d been listening.
He took a sip of his drink. I took a sip of mine.
“I don’t know what to talk about now,” he admitted.
“Usually, this is the point where you ask me a question.”
He looked into my eyes. I fought the urge to slink back.
“What is it?” I asked.
“I’m trying to think of a question,” he said seriously.
I waited for 0.03 milliseconds before taking pity on him. “I’m studying marketing,” I said.
