Chapter 3
That afternoon, Lucas was taking Wendy to the lab to show her around and help her get settled.
Right before heading out, he glanced at me and asked, "Lily, are you coming with us?"
I paused for a moment, then ended up tagging along.
Lucas swiped his card to unlock the lab door, then stepped aside so Wendy could go in first.
As I was about to step inside, he stopped me with his hand.
"Lily, you know the rules—only people with clearance can enter," Lucas said.
"Same as always, just wait for us outside," he added.
I stood outside, watching as Lucas helped Wendy through the second door.
One after another, both doors slowly closed right before my eyes.
I'd been to this lab building more times than I could count.
I had brought him meals and drinks, waiting for him to finish in the lab.
But every single time, I was always stuck waiting outside.
One time, it was pouring rain, and I stood out there for two hours—never even got to set foot inside.
Lucas always said, "Rules are rules."
But now, Wendy was inside his rules.
While I was still outside.
The glass doors of the lab weren't soundproof.
The senior inside looked up, spotted them, and got up with a grin.
"Lucas, did the sun rise in the west today or something?" he joked.
"Didn't you use to never bring outsiders into the lab?"
Lucas explained, "She might be joining us as a research assistant, so she's not really an outsider."
The senior raised an eyebrow and shot him a knowing smile.
"We've had plenty of research assistants before," he said.
"But I've never seen you go out of your way for any of them like this," he added.
Lucas didn't say anything, just kept walking with Wendy deeper into the lab.
He patiently explained the different sections of the lab and the projects they were working on.
Whenever Wendy didn't understand, he would pause and explain it again.
Suddenly, I remembered how I'd once asked him what the lab was like inside.
He just shrugged it off, sounding totally uninterested.
"Just machines and stuff. Nothing special," he said.
He never said anything else after that.
One of the female lab seniors grinned and teased, "Hey, junior, not going to introduce her?
"Is she your girlfriend?" she joked.
Wendy's ears instantly turned red as she glanced over at Lucas.
Just as Lucas was about to say something, his advisor called him from the office.
He called back, then told Wendy, "Just chat with the seniors for a bit. I'll be right back," he said.
With that, he hurried off.
He didn't even spare me a glance as he walked away.
He never said a word about his girlfriend still waiting outside the door.
As soon as Lucas left, the female senior pulled Wendy aside.
"Don't be nervous," she said.
"We've known him forever, and this is literally the first time he's brought a girl in here."
"Guess you're pretty important to him," she teased.
Another senior chuckled, "Being the girlfriend sure comes with perks, huh?"
Wendy quickly waved her hands.
"Wait, you guys are totally mistaken—I'm not" Wendy blurted out, flustered.
But her protest was quickly lost in a wave of laughter from everyone.
I stood outside, staring at my own reflection in the glass door.
After dating Lucas for two years, not a single person here knew I existed.
Wendy was brought in for the first time.
And everyone just assumed she was his girlfriend.
Without waiting for them any longer, I turned and left the lab building.
When Wendy got back to the dorm, she spread all the materials she'd brought back from the lab all over her desk.
Then she snapped a photo and posted it to her story.
[First time in the lab! Thanks, Professor Hayes, for looking out for me the whole way.]
It didn't take long for the comments to start rolling in.
[Welcome! Feel free to drop by anytime.]
[This isn't just research assistant treatment—this is girlfriend privileges.]
I quietly closed the feed, not saying a word.
Almost at the same time, a new email popped up in my inbox.
It was from a graduate school in London.
I opened the email and clicked "Confirm Acceptance."
Lucas's lab had never let me in.
Yet this time, another door to the world seemed to have opened wide for me.