“Yeah.”
“Okay, let’s go back to our seats and work on the abstract. I have a Zoom meeting in an hour and a half,” I lied.
“Oh, okay. Sure.”
An hour later, we had managed to draft a solid abstract for our project and scheduled our next meeting for Thursday.
When we left the library, early evening light stretched across campus as the sun sank lower, casting long shadows across the walkway.
“So where do you stay?” Marley asked, adjusting her backpack strap.
“The dorms,” I replied, pointing towards the residential area. “You?”
“Off campus. My apartment is about ten minutes away from here.” She glanced at me. “Your dorm is close to the science building, right? That’s like a seven-minute walk from here.”
I blinked. “Yes.”
“Want a ride? I’m parked right over there,” she said, pointing to a white Honda under the shade of a large oak tree.
“Oh, you don’t have to. It’s really not that far.”
“I know, but I’m offering.”
There was something in her tone that made it hard to refuse.
“Okay, sure. Thanks.”
We walked to her car, and before I realised what she was doing, she stepped ahead and opened the passenger door for me.
I stared at her.
The gesture caught me completely off guard, no one had ever done that for me before.
“Oh,” I said softly. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she replied, and I caught the hint of a smile before I slid into the seat.
The ride was quiet, filled only with the soft hum of the radio playing a song I didn’t know.
I kept sneaking glances at her, at the easy way she handled the steering, one hand resting loosely on the gear shift, completely relaxed.
The silence wasn’t even uncomfortable.
But it was intense for me.
When we pulled up in front of my dorm building, I unbuckled my seatbelt and turned to face her.
“Thank you for the ride,” I said.
“No problem.”
I paused, my hand on the handle.
“I’ll see you later, then.”
“Yeah, see you in class,” she replied, her eyes meeting mine briefly before I looked away.
I stepped out of the car and closed the door gently, giving her a small wave through the window.
