“That pussy perished,” he said. It was admirable, really, but I didn’t want to talk to him. I wanted Laurel.
“Simply no way for it to be alive.” He tapped away on his keyboard.
I sighed and turned back to him. “The cat is alive and dead.”
“Nope, dead.”
“The cat is alive and dead until it is observed and reality collapses into the one possible outcome. You fail physics, especially quantum physics, and you will never get off the ground, much less out of Earth’s atmosphere, you standing prick.”
He peeked over his laptop, crinkles around his eyes from his grin. “Dead.”
“Ornery cunt.” But I smiled as I said it.
We batted a few more theories back and forth before settling in for the night. Though I spoke and interacted and tried to play it cool, my thoughts were constantly pulled back to Laurel. Her amber eyes and innocent smile. I’d itched to make her mine for so long that having her in my grasp made my need for her burn even higher.
I let my eyes close, forcing myself to rest for my classes in the morning and football, or as the Americans insisted on calling it “soccer,” practice in the afternoon.
I was almost asleep, Laurel’s eyes lulling me to slumber, when my phone pinged.
Lunch tomorrow? ~C
I groaned and tossed my phone to my desk.
“Claudia?” Noel asked, though I couldn’t see him in the dark.
“Too right.” Would I ever be rid of her?
“Hmm.”
“Hmm what?” I asked.
“I have an idea.”
I rolled my eyes. “That’s the most worrying phrase I think I’ve ever heard you utter.”
“Hear me out, wanker.”
I was desperate to have Laurel. To the point I was open to any suggestions, even if they came from Noel. “What’s floating around in your noggin, then?”
“Okay, here’s the plan . . .”
Chapter Three
Laurel
“I can’t. Sorry.” I shook my head lightly at Pablo.
“Maybe just coffee then?” He tried again.
“No, I don’t want to get involved with anyone I’m tutoring. What if it went badly and then you didn’t have anyone to work with you on papers?” Truth was I wasn’t interested in Pablo, though he was a ridiculously attractive undergrad from Uruguay.
He shrugged. “Never hurts to ask.”
I smiled. “True. I’ll see you Wednesday. This paper is coming along nicely, but work on your transitions, okay?”
“I will. See you then.” He rose and ambled out of my study room, closing the door behind him.
I breathed a sigh of relief and pulled out my translation work. With fifteen minutes before my next appointment, I could get at least a few words of my own project finished. I spent at least five minutes agonizing over the correct translation of a single word. The issue with translation from Latin was that it was a dead language, so there was no way to know exactly what feeling or resonance the particular words possessed relative to the total text. For example, the simple translation might be “blue” but a closer analysis of the text could reveal that the author actually meant “azure” or “cerulean” or something else entirely.
I stared at the letters until I had to lean back a bit just to get some context. I let out a short cry of surprise when I saw Eamon leaning against the door frame. How long had he been there? I didn’t even notice the door opening.
“Hi.” He smiled, dimples appearing in his cheeks. He wore a soccer jersey and jeans, his hair still wet from his after practice shower. It was embarrassing that I knew his schedule, but I was so attracted to him that it was painful. Watching him from afar was my only option, and I certainly watched every chance I got.
He ran a hand through his light brown hair. My chest warmed and the feeling spread through my stomach to the apex of my thighs. I squeezed my legs together to try and ward off the sensation.
Eamon was a player. Worse than that, my friend Claudia was head over heels in love with him. He was off limits, no matter how much I craved him.
“Hi.” I wanted to look away, but couldn’t. He kept me still with the weight of his gaze.
“So.” He moved from the wall and sank down in the seat opposite me. “Want to go get some dinner?”
“I-I have an appointment.” My voice quavered and was far breathier than it should have been.
“Mai Ling cancelled.” His smile widened.
“What. How do you kno—”
“It’s true. I just saw her and Pablo heading up to his room.”
My stomach twirled, like a sea of butterflies were shifting and circling. “Well, in that case I should keep working on my translation.” I managed to break his gaze and stared down at my notebook.