Chapter 2

As I walked back to the dorms, I scrolled through my phone. According to the logo, the place was a light-meal cafe called "Green Bites," located not far from campus with very high ratings. I quietly saved the address.

Back in my room, I tossed the thesis onto the desk and collapsed into my chair. My roommate, Mia Young, was in the middle of a show, but seeing my devastated expression, she pulled off her headphones. "What happened? Did he tear you apart again?"

"Yeah," I muttered.

"Was it bad?" Mia asked.

"He said it was more chaotic than his three-year-old nephew's finger paintings," I replied tonelessly.

Mia froze for a second and erupted into a fit of thunderous laughter. "John is absolutely brutal."

"Stop laughing," I snapped, throwing a pillow at her. "Your thesis isn't exactly a masterpiece either."

Mia dodged the pillow and leaned in. "So, what now? Are you actually going to rewrite the whole thing?"

I stared at the ceiling in silence for five seconds.

"Mia," I suddenly said. "How do you get a complete stranger to help you edit a thesis?"

Mia blinked. "What?"

"Just a guy. You've met him once. How do you open that conversation?" I said.

The look Mia gave me became increasingly skeptical. "Julia, have you lost your mind? Which guy?"

"John's son," I said.

Silence fell over the room. It lasted for a long time.

Then, Mia reached out and pressed her palm against my forehead, muttering, "You don't have a fever."

I swatted her hand away. "I am perfectly sane."

Mia sat up. "Sane? My foot. You get chewed out by the professor and then immediately decide to seduce his son? Julia, do you have a heart?"

"Seduce? Who said anything about seducing?" I countered without a shred of guilt. "I just want him to help me with my paper. This is called resource integration."

Mia gave me a look that suggested I was just lying to myself.

"Besides, he is a PhD student. Fixing a master's thesis should be a piece of cake for him," I argued righteously. "Helping his father's student and supporting an underclassman isn't that just the noble thing to do?"

"And how exactly do you plan to approach him?" Mia said.

I pondered for a moment. "Tomorrow, you're coming with me to stake out the cafe."

Mia responded with a massive eye-roll. But the next day at noon, she followed me anyway.

*****

Green Bites was a small, trendy cafe specializing in salads and light fare, located just outside the university's east gate. Mia and I ordered two salads and sat by the window, pretending to eat while our eyes remained glued to the entrance.

"Are you sure he'll even show up?" Mia whispered.

I said, "I'm not sure."

"Then how long do you plan to sit here?" she pressed.

I replied, "Until two o'clock. If he doesn't come by then, we leave."

Mia was speechless at my determination.

Just as we were halfway through our salads, the bell above the door chimed. I looked up and nearly choked on a piece of lettuce.

It was Andrew.

He was wearing a light gray T-shirt today with a thin denim shirt layered over it. He wasn't wearing his glasses, and his hair was a bit more relaxed, as if he had just run his fingers through it after waking up.

He walked to the counter, exchanged a few words with the owner, took a takeout bag, and turned to leave. The entire process took less than a minute. He didn't glance in our direction once.

As he pushed open the door, I gritted my teeth and bolted from the table.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Mia hissed from behind.

I ignored her, closing the distance in a few long strides. Andrew had just stepped outside and was starting to walk toward campus when I lunged in front of him, coming to a screeching halt that almost knocked me off balance.

He stopped and looked at me. I looked back.

For three seconds, my mind went blank. Every clever opening line I had rehearsed vanished.

Eventually, he was the one to speak, "You are the girl from yesterday?"

I nodded vigorously.

He smiled slightly. "My father's student?"

I nodded again, even more vigorously.

He looked down at me and glanced back at the cafe, appearing to realize something. "You eat here?"

"Ah, yes. Eating. Just eating," I managed to stammer, giving a dry laugh. "This place is really good."

He gave a noncommittal hum. The silence became awkward.

"So," I said, bracing myself, "your dad ripped into my thesis yesterday."

Keeping silent, he just watched me, waiting for me to continue.

"He told me the logic was as fragmented as his three-year-old nephew's finger paintings," I said and took a deep breath. "I thought about it for a long time and realized he was right. But I have no idea how to fix it, so..."

"So?" Andrew asked.

I looked up at him. "So I wanted to ask if you could possibly take a look at it for me?"

He seemed caught off guard by the request.

"I know this is abrupt, but we've technically met now, right?" I added quickly. "You're a PhD student, so you must be far better at this than I am.

"You wouldn't even have to rewrite it. Just some pointers, a bit of guidance, just a path to follow."

"Wait," he interrupted. "You want me to edit your thesis for you?"

I explained, "Not edit. Guide me. Guide."

He looked at me with a complex expression. The silence lasted for several seconds, and I could feel my face heating up.

"What was your name again?" he suddenly asked.

Julia," I replied.

"Julia," he said and nodded. "What year are you in?"

"Second year," I answered.

"Major?" he asked.

"Contemporary Literature," I said.

He let out a soft, clicking sound with his tongue. My heart sank.

Then he said, "I am not in your field. I might not be able to provide specific professional advice."

"That is fine, really," I insisted. "I just need help with the logical structure. Don't worry about the content."

"When can you give it to me?" Andrew asked.

"What?" I blurted out.

He repeated, "The thesis. When can you send it?"

I froze for a moment and then was swept away by a wave of pure joy. "You agreed?"

He looked at me, and the corner of his mouth quirked again. "Yes, I agreed. My lab work isn't too hectic lately, so I can spare some time."

I almost jumped for joy right there on the sidewalk.

I thanked him a dozen times before remembering something. "Oh, what is your number? I'll add you and send the file over."

He recited a string of numbers, and I scrambled to save them into my phone.

"I'll be going now. My father is waiting for his lunch," he said, gesturing to the takeout bag.

I nodded and watched him walk toward the campus until his figure disappeared around a corner. Mia had appeared behind me at some point, whispering, "Did it work?"