Chapter 2

They'd been roommates for two years, but there was always a wall between them. Being friends with Chloe was truly difficult.

Chloe murmured a quick apology.

"It's okay, I know you didn't mean it. Your mind's always on your books," Maya said.

Chloe was the most bookworm person Maya had ever met, working so hard she nearly forgot to eat and sleep. Maya couldn't help but worry, instinctively taking on the role of caretaker.

"I'm ready, too. Shall we go to class together?"

Chloe paused for a moment before replying, "Sure."

Mid-November brought a definite chill to the air. The plane trees lining the streets had begun to yellow, shedding leaves with a dry rustle that spelled nothing but trouble for the sweepers.

Yet the grass on the verges remained stubbornly green; in Chloe's memory, it seemed to hold its color year-round. This was a distinct privilege of the southern climate.

Not far off, a cluster of media students huddled around a camera rig, rehearsing a scene.

A crew member stood out of frame, tossing handfuls of leaves to drift down on cue. It was clearly a shoot for a sweet campus romance.

When the actors moved in for an intimate moment, passing students added to the atmosphere with good-natured catcalls, a playful test of the leads' composure.

"College life is beautiful," Maya murmured, her gaze fixed on the couple.

Chloe followed her line of sight, already sensing the inevitable.

"It would be perfect if I could find a romance of my own here," Maya said with a dreamy look.

There it was.

Maya's focus had always drifted, inevitably, toward love.

"Speaking of which, Chloe, you and Ethan share a supervisor, right? Has he said anything about when he's planning to dump his girlfriend?"

Chloe kept her tone deliberately neutral as she sidestepped the connection. "Professor Bennett hasn't formally taken me on yet. Technically, Ethan and I aren't under the same supervisor.

Maya didn't let it go. "Come on, Professor Bennett announced he was taking you the moment you enrolled. If you weren't just a senior, you'd have been his student ages ago.

"Besides, you're practically living in his lab anyway. You might not have the title, but functionally? You're one of them."

That was the part Maya truly envied. Unfortunately, academic brilliance wasn't something she could borrow.

"I just handle the groundwork. A lot of tasks require a formal status to be handled properly," Chloe said calmly.

"Why does that matter? I'd kill to be in a lab with Ethan, but my grades..." Maya sighed, then circled right back to the topic at hand.

"You haven't told me, though. When is the breakup happening? The second he's single, I'm making my move."

"Sorry, I don't monitor his personal life," Chloe replied, her tone flat.

"Oh, come on, just ask around for me?" Maya insisted.

"Ask him yourself."

Maya said, "No. A girl needs to be reserved. Being too forward only makes you cheap. He won't cherish me!"

"Then I guess you'll have to take a number and wait," Chloe retorted. deadpan.

Professor Nick Bennett's lectures carried such weight that students flocking to the hall far exceeded the enrollment limit. Had Chloe not staked out a seat an hour early, she would likely have been relegated to listening from the hallway.

The moment the morning session ended, Nick flagged her down. "Chloe, the experiment has hit a new stride. Do you have time to check the lab now?"

"Sure. I actually had a thought on the way here that might move things forward," Chloe replied.

Chloe's obsession with the project rivaled Nick's own. Once inside and clad in their white coats, the outside world ceased to exist.

They worked in a bubble, deaf to distractions, until the sun finally dipped below the horizon. Only then did Chloe clutch her aching stomach, realizing she hadn't eaten a single bite all day.

"Professor Bennett, Chloe, I picked up dinner. Let's take a break." Ethan Shaw knocked on the open door, waving the takeout bags.

In that moment of hunger, he looked like an absolute angel.

Chloe took the bag. The savory aroma that escaped as she opened it instantly kick-started her appetite.

"Thanks, Ethan," she said.

"Don't mention it. We wouldn't be this far along without you." Ethan opened the other container and passed it to Nick. "Professor, this is yours."

Nick peered inside to find it stacked with his favorites and beamed. "I'm a lucky man to have two such excellent students. Ethan is thoughtful, and Chloe is brilliant. With you two, we're bound to have results by the end of the year."

"Professor, is 'thoughtful' my only redeeming quality? Do I have no merits at all?" Ethan feigned a look of grievance.

Nick chuckled. "Why, feeling jealous? The new arrival shows up, and the old favorite gets insecure?"

Ethan smiled, saying nothing.

Mediocrity didn't gain entry to Nick's lab. He had confidence in his own abilities, but he knew better than to assume he was the best.

Ethan said, "Chloe is sharper, I'll give her that. I'm looking forward to next month."

Turning to Chloe, he added, "Once you apply for the graduate program and officially join the lab, I owe you a proper welcome gift."

"Thanks, Ethan. I'll do my best," Chloe replied, going through the motions.

"It's getting late. I'm heading home." Nick scraped the last bite of food into his mouth, tossed the empty container, and looked at Ethan. "I'm leaving Chloe in your hands. Make sure she gets back to the dorm safe."

"Mission accomplished." Ethan brought two fingers together in a crisp salute.

Once Nick had left, Ethan turned his attention back to the bench. "Take your time and eat. I'll handle the logbooks."

Chloe nodded.

They had saved the critical data, but the detailed node recording remained. It was perfect that Ethan was stepping up; it meant she could head straight to the dorms once she finished, saving precious time.

Still, Chloe was a slow eater by nature, and with her stomach acting up, her pace was even more lethargic.

By the time Ethan had finalized the notes, stripped off his lab coat, and changed back into street clothes, her box was still half full.

Watching him, Chloe thought that Nick missed one of Ethan's virtues. The man was meticulous.

There was an unspoken rule in the lab: the last one out killed the lights and locked the door.

Chloe didn't have a key, and not wanting to hold Ethan up, she snapped her box shut. "I'll finish this back at the dorm."

"Chloe." Ethan's voice stopped her. "I can wait."

She glanced at the wall clock. "There's barely an hour until curfew. Your dorm is farther than mine. You should go."

Ethan considered that for a moment, then nodded. "Are you free tomorrow? I'd like to buy you lunch. Professor Bennett mentioned your new idea. We can talk while we eat."

"Alright. I'll find you at noon tomorrow," Chloe said.