‘Well, it’s a good thing we eat lunch on this hallowed ground instead of stooping to the level of the café.’ I made a sweeping gesture that encompassed the hodgepodge of papers littering Davie’s desk.
He raised his hands defensively. ‘Hey: one word from you and I’ll bust out the tealights, give you a full-on candlelit dinner.’
I laughed and batted the idea away. ‘Thanks, but I’m just fine. Besides, I think it might be a fire hazard, what with this giant mountain of paper.’ Curious, I leant forward to read the label of the topmost file. It was so thick that the clip had popped open. ‘What is all this, anyway?’
Davie casually slid another folder on top, covering the label. ‘Research.’
I tried to catch his eye. Suddenly his face was wary. ‘That’s a lot of research for an article about the law-school café.’
‘I’m a conscientious journalist.’ Davie scrunched up the paper bag and tossed it at the bin next to the desk, missing narrowly. He didn’t go and pick it up. Part of me was sure he didn’t want to leave me alone with the files.
Which only made me more curious. Davie wasn’t usually secretive about his articles. In fact, he normally liked to talk about them at length, giving me several rough drafts to read. This was weird. And I’d always been a sucker for weird.
‘And a terrible liar. What is it really?’
He said nothing. Outside, the clouds had drawn in again, casting a dove-grey light through the window and dropping a soft filter between us. The heap of paper had taken on a bluish glow, and something in Davie’s eyes flashed silver. I knew that look: an ominous mixture of anticipation, nerves and emotional strain.
‘What are you up to, Davie?’
He sighed, then leant in closer and lowered his voice. ‘Okay, fine. I’m working on a new story. Something really big.’
‘Sounds intriguing.’ My heart began to thud, and I shifted to the edge of my seat. The excitement in Davie’s voice was contagious.
He nodded, leaning back again. ‘It is.’
‘Now you’re really making me curious.’ I tried again to reach for the file, but Davie was too quick. He grabbed my hand and squeezed it, smiling at me apologetically. ‘Leave it. It’s all pretty vague, and… that’s all I can say about it at the moment.’
‘Even to me?’
His smile softened, and he stroked the back of my hand with his thumb. ‘Especiallyto you.’
As I gazed down at our fingers, I felt a slight flush of self-consciousness. Davie and I were friends, so inevitably we ended up touching sometimes–no big deal–but in moments like this, I understood what Zoe meant when she raised her eyebrows suggestively after seeing me with Davie and whispered, ‘Uh-oh.’ I didn’t know exactly what this thing was between us, but I knew I didn’t want to find out. Davie was the best male friend I’d ever had, and I wasn’t going to let anything change that. Not that I had the time for a relationship anyway.
Pretending to pout, I drew back my hand and reached for my bag. ‘Fine. Whatever you say. Guess I’ll leave you to work in peace, then.’
‘As soon as it’s ready to print, you’ll be the first to read it,’ he promised, with an anxious grin.
I tried to shake it off, and opened my mouth to reply when my phone buzzed. Skimming the message, I groaned.
‘What is it?’ asked Davie with concern.
‘Zoe.’ I dropped the phone into my coat pocket. ‘Ashton’s invited her to some sort of thing with his friends again. She wants me to come too.’
‘Was it really that bad last time?’
I hesitated. Until about an hour ago I would have said the evening was mixed but not exactlybad. Despite the circumstances, the moment I’d shared in that strange room with that strange man had been somehow beautiful. Special. Memorable. But now that I knew ‘Cliff’ had been a mirage, I was even more impatient to put it all behind me. ‘It was just kind of weird. Those people are… I’m not sure what the word is. Elitist? Snooty? Like something out of a horror movie?’
‘Again, all I’m hearing are your preconceptions,’ said Davie. And in some ways he was right, of course.
I poked my tongue out at him anyway and flounced over to the door. ‘You’d get it if you’d been there too. They made you give a password to get in, Davie. And it wasn’t like ‘apple punch’ or some other corny bullshit, it wasSturnus vulgaris.’
I heard Davie exhale sharply. When I turned around, he was on his feet. ‘As in… starlings?’
I raised my eyebrows, impressed. If even Davie–who knew absolutely nothing about nature or animals–had heard the name before, then I must have a gap in my knowledge. ‘Did you switch to natural sciences or something?’ I asked, amused.
He didn’t return my smile. ‘Zoe’s boyfriend. What’s his full name?’
I frowned, trying to recall. ‘Ashton Griffin, I think. But why–’ I broke off when my phone buzzed again. This time it was my alarm, reminding me that the next seminar was about to start. I’d have to get a move on. Quickly I switched it off and shot Davie an apologetic smile. He was still staring at me blankly. ‘Guess I’d better run. Thanks for the cake and the conversation. Text you later, yeah?’
