Page 31
Oliver James:
Yeah
Done in ten
Want to catch up?
I meet Oliver outside his classroom and I’m ashamed to admit the rush of warmth that travels throughout my body when I see him. Tamping down on my smile, I cross the lawn towards him.
“Bored without me?” He teases, slinging his backpack over his shoulder.
I fall into place next to him, but I do take a moment to take him in. Dark pants, maroon hoodie. Looking perfectly cosy for this time of year. His ruffled hair makes it look like he just woke up and it makes me want to smooth it down, to run my fingers through it and find out if it’s really as soft as it looks. Another rush of heat settles across my cheeks as I remember that I do know what that looks like when he first wakes up to the world, eyes bleary and that sleepy smile on his face. The familiarity doesn’t make me panic, though. It makes me crave it again.
Shrugging, I laugh. “Pretty much. I needed the company and the fresh air.”
“Well, I’m glad I could oblige. Where did you want to go?”
“There’s this cafe just on the other side of campus. I thought we could grab a drink and maybe some food if you’re up for it?”
“That sounds great. I’ve needed to get outside more.” Oliver stretches, and as he does his hoodie rides up his body. It exposes a line of his stomach, skin calling out to me, and I swallow. He looks back at me curiously as we begin to make our way through campus.
“What?” I ask, self-conscious.
Oliver smirks at me like he can read my mind. “Something going on up there, Eden?” He taps the side of my head, and I swat his hand away.
I’m glad that Gemma forced us back together. It feels like we’re returning to the easy nature of our relationship before we kissed. But, in saying that, is that something I want? Yes, the kiss changed things, but do I really want to go backwards?
“This research project has been killing me.” Easier to deflect than admit what I was really thinking about. The way his body pressed against mine on the couch, how warm he was curled around me after the club…
“I can imagine. What’s it about?”
“You really want to know?”
“I want to know everything about you.”
“Oh.” Oliver’s words have left me momentarily speechless. No one outside science has actually cared enough to not just ask me about it, but actually listen too. “We’re working on an early detection system. We have machines that can essentially create a profile of the proteins in people’s blood, so we can track common markers for illnesses.”
“Was that the simplified version?”
“More or less.”
Oliver smiles. “It sounds like really important work.”
His praise makes me glow. “It is. I’m proud to be a part of it.”
Crossing campus at this time of year is a peaceful experience. You can get lost in the crowds but as the weather cools down and the leaves start to change, a certain feeling seems to be in the air.
The café we’re headed to is tucked on the outer edge of the university. It’s cramped but cosy, dark but warm. We’re greeted by the tinkling of a bell as we enter and Oliver places a hand on my lower back to guide me towards one of the booth seats.
I hate the way my pulse picks up, the way my body seems to rise to press into his. I’m more than a little shocked when he nudges me with his thigh, sliding into the booth seat with me rather than opposite.
“So, for the lady, I’m assuming a chai?” His voice is low, husky. I’ve got to ask him one day if he does it on purpose just to make me lean in to listen to him.
“And, for the gentleman, I’m assuming a coffee?” Oliver’s lips pull up at the corner, and it makes me want to kiss them again. To find out if they’re as soft as they were at the club. Before I vomited, mind you. Kind of ruined the mood.
“You remembered?”
“How could I ever forget?”
